SOTS winter meeting 2012

Sunday afternoon  in the lair

Welcome to Viv's lair on a Sunday afternoon. I've just spent a happy hour here resizing pics from the SOTS winter meeting 2012. The pics aren't brilliant, as they are all taken hand-held on a small not-very-new camera without flash, but here goes... (I'm sure others will have taken much better pics)






This view of Durham is from the station, often the first view visitors get of the magnificent cathedral towers across the valley. Those of us who were students here coming from south of Durham never forget our first encounter with this.

I decided to walk up to Collingwood via the town centre, taking in views like this. The bridge you can see in the distance is Framwellgate.

Brolly RIP

 The weather prevented SOTS people in Scotland from travel until the second day of the meeting.

As I arrived on Palace Green, I turned round and saw this rainbow. I touched up the colours and contrast of the original pic to try to give it the impact of the original view; an attempt at a 'dynamic translation'. The rainbow had gone a few moments later.

The 'Department of Theology (and now) and Religion', Palace Green. I spent many happy hours in there 1973-1977, when it was just 'theology'. Location, location, location.

I took another walk that afternoon after the committee meeting, and here is Durham in the gloaming. I was sorry not to catch the grey heron which rose from the banks near me just after this was taken.

 And one just has to take this one.

Next day the host of SOTS descended to Prebends bridge to make the crossing of the Wear in order to reach the cathedral where we were to be led on a tour pointing out aspects of the cathedral which have resonance with biblical themes.

The River Wear and the Department of Archaeology.

The Dean, Michael Sadgrove, is 'one of us', and entertained us to a lovely tea in the Deanery with its sumptuous historic wallpaper.

 It was still quite bright when we left the Deanery. Durham is set on a hill..... As a student I thought it was Jerusalem. Dean Sadgrove seemed to think that this was exactly the impression the builders hoped we'd get.