A peaceful oasis…

…in the centre of the city.
We drove downtown again today for Music Live at Lunch at Christ Church Cathedral. Today it was a quartet playing swing jazz, two young ladies, one the vocalist, who had a great voice, and the other playing saxophone, then two somewhat older men on bass and piano. We also took advantage of the lunch they offered, and you could take in on a tray. As we were leaving, I noticed the magnolia blooming outside, and decided they would serve well for my blip. They were around a little courtyard, centered around a labyrinth, accessible from the church, but also directly from the street, providing a pleasant refuge from the busy city streets. A labyrinth is a symbol found in many cultures from ancient to modern times. One of the most famous is found in the stone floor of the ancient cathedral in Chartres in Northern France. Sometimes the words ‘labyrinth’ and ‘maze’ are confused. However, while both refer to circling patterns, the two are quite different. A maze is a puzzle and thus designed to confuse, with dead ends. A labyrinth is a single path that leads the walker to the centre and back out. In an open, receptive frame of mind, the walker simply follows the path, using it as a refreshing form of meditation. Then along the side wall beside the path, there are several beautiful carved stone plaques which make an additional nice feature. The left hand one in my collage portrays Jesus talking to Zacchaeus in the tree.
Step count: 3441