On retreat

Some of you will know that I went on an 8-day silent retreat at a place called St Beunos in North Wales after Easter. It’s a Jesuit Spirituality Centre and I’ve been there several times before. Some people have said to me ‘do you really stay silent for 8 whole days? What about meal times? Can’t you even say ‘Hallo’ to people?’ So I thought this month I’d write a little bit about going on retreat. My experience of course may not be yours – retreats, and certainly silent ones, don’t suit everyone! Neither would I suggest trying an 8-day retreat without ‘trying it out’ on a shorter one first. But I find them a helpful way of stepping back and allowing space for God to touch deep within, thus equipping me to love and serve others more fully. So what’s it like ‘on retreat’?

The Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) is larger, longer-eared, and longer-legged than a rabbit. It has a body size of 50-70 cm and a tail length of 7-11 cm.

The weight for a full-grown adult ranges from 2.5 to 6.5 kg. It can run at speeds of up to 70 km/h (45 mph)

Normally shy animals, hares change their behaviour in Spring, when they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around the fields in the Pelhams; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females).