All Things Bright and Beautiful

I mentioned the other day that I had a photo for St Patrick’s Day but that got kicked out because of the frog (revenge for the snakes?)

Anyhow, despite a trip to hand in the lawnmower, a visit to B&Q and a lovely lunch out with friends, the opportunities for a photo were not forthcoming. The weather was grey and wet unlike the forecast.

So here is the delayed photo. It is of a bible bellowing to a relative on my wife’s side: her great-grandfather Robert Bruce It was awarded to him in 1865 for his regular attendance at the Sunday school examination in January 1865. It is leather bound and has a certificate on the inside cover. Inside (in the Book of Proverbs) is this shamrock. Whether significance is attached to the text I have no idea.

Of interest is the fact that the Minister of the congregation who presented the bible was Rev William Alexander who went on to be the Bishop of Derry and then Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland of the Church of Ireland. His wife – Cecil Frances Alexander - taught music to my wife’s grandmother Margaret Bruce as a child. Mrs Alexander is credited with writing three well-known hymns, amongst others, published in 1848: Once in Royal David’s City, There is a Green Hill Far Away and All Things Bright and Beautiful.