Day 242 - Sedentary Father's Day Sunday

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful hubbie. After the FitBit telling us we walked 120 kms last week, we figure Sunday and Father's Day are good reasonsas any to kick back and put our feet up.

We did take a short jaunt down to the beach to enjoy a Father's Day coffee and bacon bap, where we had the whole outdoor patio to ourselves. Great to listen to the sea crashing against the break-wall below us. Even the seagulls where having a bit of a lie-in, so we had no fear of our baps being stolen when looking away at the scenery.

A day of catching up on work, and then another brief walk up on the coast road above our cottage in the evening. Discovered that the local theatre also shows movies, so we'll be heading to a couple of those of the next two weeks. We'll keep you posted.

Now, a bit about the town we're staying in. Whitby has become primarily a fishing and tourist location by the sea, but it wasn't always that way. People have been known to have been living in the area since the 6th century. The town itself grew out of the building of Whitby Abbey in 657 AD, by the King of Northumberland. The Abbey played a central role in the creation and power structure of the early church, particularly as it related to accepting the Roman calendar of festivals. The king's granddaughter, Hilda, was made the first Abbess of Whitby Abbey and she help in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. It was Hilda who worked with the Celtic faction from Iona and the Romans to agree on a date for the celebration of Easter...the calculation that still confuses most of us to this day, which is the Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring solstice. Sounds to me like the contingent from Iona had more of a pagan sway at the meeting with Hilda than the Romans did.

The remains of Whitby Abbey

Examples of ammonite fossils.

There are quite a few ammonite fossils to be found in the area. Local legend claims that the Hilda rid Whitby of snakes by throwing them off the top the cliff near the Abbey and the heat of her anger turned them to stone.

Caedmon's Cross.

Hilda had many devout followers who found her to be holy, wise and kind. Her opinion on issues was sought by many people, including royalty and businessmen of the time. The earliest known English poet was a herdsman in Hilda's time. His name was Caedmon and it is reputed that one night he had a dream in which God came to him. Without any previous musical talent or literacy, he awoke to find he could compose music and poetry. Hilda encouraged his talent. Caedmon's Hymn is his only known work to survive, one of the earliest examples of Old English poetry.

Hilda was made a saint, and is one of the patron saints of learning and culture, including poetry, due to her patronage of Caedmon.