St Albans Podcast: One To One With Elspeth St Albans Podcast

This last week Elspeth took the offer of a coach trip to Highfield, and in fact to its Cemetery. which is divided into East and West, and is famous in itself. It’s fascinating to see the ways that people choose to remember their dead… those that have “passed on”. We might think nothing today of “burning the evidence of the life of a body”, but over the last few centuries those with a load of money to spare have erected all sort of buildings, like the elephant, a bear. items like caskets, furniture, and of course, tombs! From her point of view, creating sculptures on tombs is such a static way of remembering, but maybe modern views are different on this, and after all, we do have very modern approaches to re-enacting someone who has “gone before”, as in AI.

This is news that a new member of staff is joining STEP, the organisation, like no other, that is really welcome in schools in Harpenden and St.Albans providing stimulating times with teenagers, enabling them to see what some call religion, in a very new way. Her name is Mary Purkiss, who. with her husband has recently moved house. to live locally, and is really excited by how she can continue doing what she likes best.

“It’s catching on” he tells me. the “He ” in question is Terry, who had started a new business of clearing gutters. New to him, but also new in how he does it, as Terry uses suction to pull out the muck and old leaves! So no ladders mean no 2nd person to help, and much less risk of an accident. He works in St Albans, and in parts of Hertfordshire and his number is 07821 655203.

Elspeth has been in broadcasting for quite a time now, and tells stories of various things that happened to her as she has progressed, She also reads poems (written later) which tie in to what she talks about. The music is chosen from Keith Green’s volumes, probably early 80’s and she chats about the different work, writing books, in radio, in piano teaching, and in pre-school music, for which at one time, she ran 39 different groups for these children 18th months to 4 yrs old. i.e. nearly 500 children.

St Albans houses the wealthy, it seems, when you look at the wonderful spacious new homes being built here, and the fact that I’ve seen several occurrences of house owners being offered a high price for their house, only to see it being knocked down with two houses built in its place. I’ve linked this with the needs of refugees, here and now in St Albans.

“Oh for Heaven’s sake, stop that noise!”…  “Heavens! is that the time?” and “Is she ready for the Departure Lounge?!” Such phrases slip easily off our tongues and Elspeth explores the topic, although no-one can actually give her a definitive explanation of the word. There’s all sorts of questions to ask…” If there is a Heaven, does there have to be a Hell?” for instance. However, the word HEAVEN is by no means  only used in a religious sense, but more to express some strong feeling, good or bad.