Newbury

Religion

I always start my post with a verse from the Bible. Today, I was reading about Christ’s separation from God that I might never be separated from Him unless I choose not to be part of Him.

Mark 15:34…39

And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying:

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

In English

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

A centurion then heard Jesus’ death cry and  said, ” Truly, this was the Son of God. ” ( Sandy’s shortened form.)

The town

Newbury is a market town in Berkshire. It is on the edge of the Berkshire Downs, part of an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Let’s cross the bridge over the Kennet and walk into a quiet sun drenched square in September.

This post is going to travel now.

What is a traction engine?  A traction engine is a steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground, etc .

How many restored traction engines are there in the UK?

2,851 self moving engines and wagons

687 portable engines ( not self moving)

160 steam fire engines.

This was the number in the UK and the Irish Republic in 2016.

Here is a quote by Jeremy Rifkin, an American economic and social theorist,writer, and public speaker.

“James Watt patented his steam engine on the eve of the American Revolution,  consummating a relationship between coal  and the new Promethean spirt of the age, and humanity made its first tentative steps into an industrial way of life that would , over the next two centuries, forever change the world.”

Let us travel with the word promethean using Merriam Webster.

Here is a version of a story from Greek mythology.

Prometheus modeled humans from clay and then taught them agriculture and all the arts of civilisation.  He also stole fire from the gods and gave it to the humans.

This word Promethean is still used for anything that has the stamp of creativity.

The story continues. Zeus wanted the human race to perish, so Prometheus’ actions were also disobedient from the perspective of Zeus.

Promethean can then also mean defiant of authority or limits.

As a punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock where an Eagle daily tore at his liver.

Promethean then  has a third meaning to describe suffering on a grand scale. This use, however, is not so common anymore.

So, having sorted that word out back to the square.

We have read the words on the metal plaque and

no, today we are trying to use electric cars, so there are no traction engines in the square.

Press on Stoke Row Steam Rally 2023 if you want to see as Winston Link says:

‘ The smoke and the fire and the speed, the action and the sound, and everything that goes together, ( the steam engine) , is the most beautiful machine that we ever made, there’s nothing like it.’

I end this post with photographs.  These are memories of how I saw Newbury in mid-September 2024.

A town with the  15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th – and 18th-century listed buildings.

If you are new to my posts. Welcome. I hope to get to know you through your posts, too.

Sandy 🙂