Well, I did say that I'd be back in Ontario -- I just didn't anticipate that it would be quite this long between posts .... but my little netbook is not always up to the challenge of picking up a weak signal and so .... silence!
I've finished one of my books -- "Re-Enchanting Christianity". I'd say it's a good book, but I find myself wondering if I only think that because we agree about so many things. Still, there it is. And I must admit that there was much that was challenging to me, and that dared me to articulate what exactly I do believe, and what I don't. But throughout this summer, I have been confronted time and again by the reality that the church is failing people .... we're failing to make connections between faith and the urgent issues in their lives. We tend to rely upon platitudes -- "pray and have faith" being among the most frequently quoted, when those words have absolutely no meaning for them -- and how can they become meaningful unless we help make the connections?
The other challenge is that when most of the "unchurched" think of 'Christians' they think of rigid and unbending people who are more concerned with ritual and tradition than with spirituality. Shocking, isn't it, that those who are seeking a more spiritual life, or a deeper spiritual dimension in their lives seldom think of the church as a possible source or inspiration? So many people searching for meaning, and we aren't even on their horizons -- and not always because of negative experiences in their youth. One of the comments is "I'm interested in the man Jesus, and I'd like to know more about him and his life, but Christians???? As far as I can see, they have no connection with Jesus and his life.
But think about our debates, think about what truly exercises local congregations, and then consider the larger issues of life and show me where there is an intersection. We debate what is worn by worship leaders (clergy and choirs), and people are being destroyed for seeking to vote in Afghanistan. We struggle with the best and most effective hours for summer worship, and the people of Palestine are oppressed beyond our belief (and we stop short of recommending boycott.) The economic situation is challenging at best, and we debate whether we appreciate what the minister said on Sunday morning.
I loved what I learned about Biblical storytelling in North Carolina, and all of my summer experiences have stretched and challenged me .... and now I'm in the process of assimilating what I've learned and how it has and will continue to shape me, and how I approach what we do .... And now, perhaps, it's time for me to get off of my soapbox (I'll be back on it soon!) and see how much more I can integrate .... and contemplate where it will lead me in the future.
Oh, and for those who don't have access to the Internet, I'm hoping to put together a slide show so that they can see where I've been, though that only barely touches the events that have shaped and influenced me this summer. There's absolutely nothing that can compare with taking a block of time to read, learn and reflect about ministry when one has been actively engaged in this life for some time. This has been so much more effective than a term at a theological college, no doubt in part, because I've lived the life and know where my questions lie. And the chance, provided most effectively in the UK, to meet with and discuss faith and issues with people who have absolutely no affiliation with any organised church, or even those who have only recently become involved has been invaluable.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
August 11, 2009
It was a wonderful day. It was also a very, very warm day! We visited the garden at the Biltmore Estate this morning, just as we planned. It was a very good plan. There weren't a lot of people around, and we got to enjoy the garden without crowds, and before the day got really hot. We congratulated ourselves on our planning , especially as we moved on to do our last shopping at The Winery (each section of the Estate has items in common, but also has items unique to that area, so we needed to be sure we had what we wanted from each part of the Estate.)
Then we headed out of the Estate, noting the darkening sky, and also the increasing crowds ... and were congratulating ourselves when the heavens opened and we were struck by a most impressive thunderstorm complete with very heavy rain. At the gates to the Estate we pulled over and waited for the heavy rain to abate, then went into the Gift Shop for our very last visit! And then, it was on to the yarn shop, where we did a little more damage.
We finished our day with dinner out, and the joy of packing up ready to go home ... next time I write I will be in Ontario - specific location yet to be determined, by time, inclination and computer access. See you then!
Then we headed out of the Estate, noting the darkening sky, and also the increasing crowds ... and were congratulating ourselves when the heavens opened and we were struck by a most impressive thunderstorm complete with very heavy rain. At the gates to the Estate we pulled over and waited for the heavy rain to abate, then went into the Gift Shop for our very last visit! And then, it was on to the yarn shop, where we did a little more damage.
We finished our day with dinner out, and the joy of packing up ready to go home ... next time I write I will be in Ontario - specific location yet to be determined, by time, inclination and computer access. See you then!
Catching Up
Well, I warned you that the Festival looked as though it would be a busy time! It was a wonderful experience. The rest of the addresses by the keynote speaker were every bit as good as the first one. Good enough to move me to want to purchase his books about the Gospels (also titled 'Provoking') .... 3 pretty heavy books that had me debating how I'd get them home. But in trying to find a link for you, I discovered that a Canadian publisher (Wood Lake Books), not only had his books, but that they were considerably cheaper, and in Canadian dollars! When I also learned that they would ship them for no additional cost, I placed my order, and my books should be there ( I hope) when I get home. Well, if not this trip, then after the next one.
The rest of my workshops were excellent! I've learned lots, had the chance to use what I learned, and am wondering how this will play out when my sabbatical is over. Next year's Festival will also be at Ridgecrest, and you'll know how much I learned and enjoyed it when I tell you that I'm already thinking that I will be back!
Friday night I went to "Lighting the Fire", where for the first time we gathered around a fire pit instead of doing it in a circle inside. We needed the fire more for light than for heat, but it was fun.
Saturday's worship service was wonderful -- but then, all of the worship experiences were. Of course, on Sunday my novice group also had our first experience of actually 'telling' a Biblical story, so now I'm not actually a complete 'novice' any longer!
The Saturday worship was actually the grand finale of the Festival, and many headed out immediately afterward, going either to Charlotte or Asheville for their flights. My friend from Tennessee had arranged to meet me at Ridgecrest and picked me up and we headed into Asheville, home of Biltmore House and the estate attached to it. I just checked -- it covers some 8,000 acres!
We'd arranged a package that includes accommodation plus unlimited access to Biltmore House and the estate for the next five days. Wonderful!
I know it sounds excessive, but we've been to the estate twice and will be heading back a little later today. Included in our package was an audio tour, so we got to walk through the house with headsets, listening to a narration, not only about the rooms were were seeing (we visited some 51 of those!), but also with additional background stories. The tour of the house alone, with the help of the audio tour, took us around two hours -- and a lot of walking!
Also included was a buffet lunch at Deer Park Lodge which we enjoyed following our house tour. The estate is large enough to have shuttle buses that take visitors to the various sites on the estate, so after the tour we hopped on one of the buses and rode past the stop at A Gardener's Place (that's for today!) to Deer Park Lodge where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
While we were waiting for the shuttle to take us back to the parking lot (it takes the buses half an hour to circle the estate), we were treated to a very noisy thunderstorm passing overhead. Fortunately for us, there wasn't a lot of rain with this storm, and it was well over before the shuttle arrived to take us to our car.
We rounded off our day with a visit to a yarn shop (everything in moderation!), and then headed back to our hotel.
Today's agenda includes the gardens ....
I'm sure that you could visit everything at Biltmore House in one day, but you'd need to start early and just keep on going ... we've been enjoying the opportunity to visit a section, enjoy it, and then go off to do something else (or as on our first day, visit something else in Asheville and then visit the Biltmore). If you visit their site you'll have a better idea of what I mean -- the Estate is absolutely huge, and I cannot imagine trying to visit everything: house, farm, garden, winery, etc., all on one day.
And now I'm off to get ready for our visit to the gardens!
The rest of my workshops were excellent! I've learned lots, had the chance to use what I learned, and am wondering how this will play out when my sabbatical is over. Next year's Festival will also be at Ridgecrest, and you'll know how much I learned and enjoyed it when I tell you that I'm already thinking that I will be back!
Friday night I went to "Lighting the Fire", where for the first time we gathered around a fire pit instead of doing it in a circle inside. We needed the fire more for light than for heat, but it was fun.
Saturday's worship service was wonderful -- but then, all of the worship experiences were. Of course, on Sunday my novice group also had our first experience of actually 'telling' a Biblical story, so now I'm not actually a complete 'novice' any longer!
The Saturday worship was actually the grand finale of the Festival, and many headed out immediately afterward, going either to Charlotte or Asheville for their flights. My friend from Tennessee had arranged to meet me at Ridgecrest and picked me up and we headed into Asheville, home of Biltmore House and the estate attached to it. I just checked -- it covers some 8,000 acres!
We'd arranged a package that includes accommodation plus unlimited access to Biltmore House and the estate for the next five days. Wonderful!
I know it sounds excessive, but we've been to the estate twice and will be heading back a little later today. Included in our package was an audio tour, so we got to walk through the house with headsets, listening to a narration, not only about the rooms were were seeing (we visited some 51 of those!), but also with additional background stories. The tour of the house alone, with the help of the audio tour, took us around two hours -- and a lot of walking!
Also included was a buffet lunch at Deer Park Lodge which we enjoyed following our house tour. The estate is large enough to have shuttle buses that take visitors to the various sites on the estate, so after the tour we hopped on one of the buses and rode past the stop at A Gardener's Place (that's for today!) to Deer Park Lodge where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
While we were waiting for the shuttle to take us back to the parking lot (it takes the buses half an hour to circle the estate), we were treated to a very noisy thunderstorm passing overhead. Fortunately for us, there wasn't a lot of rain with this storm, and it was well over before the shuttle arrived to take us to our car.
We rounded off our day with a visit to a yarn shop (everything in moderation!), and then headed back to our hotel.
Today's agenda includes the gardens ....
I'm sure that you could visit everything at Biltmore House in one day, but you'd need to start early and just keep on going ... we've been enjoying the opportunity to visit a section, enjoy it, and then go off to do something else (or as on our first day, visit something else in Asheville and then visit the Biltmore). If you visit their site you'll have a better idea of what I mean -- the Estate is absolutely huge, and I cannot imagine trying to visit everything: house, farm, garden, winery, etc., all on one day.
And now I'm off to get ready for our visit to the gardens!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Well we started the day with another wonderful worship service. It's amazing what storytellers can do ... and they've given me some ideas. And then we went off to our workshops where my group practised actually telling the story of Abram (Genesis 15:1-6) We'll be telling it as a group during Saturday's closing worship.
After lunch we went for another workshop. you might remember that mine was "Grounding the body, Opening the Heart." It was wonderful ... it was learning exercises and massage techniques to help keep us grounded and open as we told stories. It was fun, it rejuvenated and relaxed us, and left us with some techniques we can continue to use!
Then it was on to the Keynote Speaker, who left us with some unsettling images and interesting and challenging questions. Tomorrow's presentation is addressing ways to resolve some of those challenges and promises to be very interesting.
After dinner we gathered for our "Epic Storytelling" Session. Storytellers signed up to tell parts of the story found in Genesis, and for just under an hour and a half, teller followed teller (or sometimes, pairs of tellers) as they presented the first 11 chapters of Genesis -- without notes! It was amazing and wonderful ... and we were blown away by how much genealogy could be committed to memory and presented in interesting ways.
We had a little time between dinner and storytelling and so I took out my camera for just a couple of shots.
My friend in Tennessee told me to turn slightly to the west and look south and the distant ridges would probably be Tennessee -- so that's what I did when I came out of the Spilman Auditorium
And though I didn't take a picture of the Spilman auditorium building (yet), I did take one of the building next store - which is where we registered and is just across the way from our Exhibitors Hall -- and though you can't see them, there ARE rocking chairs on the front porch!
Now doesn't that just look typically southern????
I went out for a short walk after I got back to my room tonight, met up with another couple of like mind. They were from the south and so I asked them what I could hear. They told me it was tree beetles. Then we heard something else and they headed off down the hill and I headed toward my room. It sounded more like a growl, and since they had just told me that a bear had been seen near one of the residences, just a cub .... but you know, where you see a cub, Mama is not likely far behind! So I thought it might be wiser to head indoors ... So I came to chat here instead!
And now it's time for me to say good night!
After lunch we went for another workshop. you might remember that mine was "Grounding the body, Opening the Heart." It was wonderful ... it was learning exercises and massage techniques to help keep us grounded and open as we told stories. It was fun, it rejuvenated and relaxed us, and left us with some techniques we can continue to use!
Then it was on to the Keynote Speaker, who left us with some unsettling images and interesting and challenging questions. Tomorrow's presentation is addressing ways to resolve some of those challenges and promises to be very interesting.
After dinner we gathered for our "Epic Storytelling" Session. Storytellers signed up to tell parts of the story found in Genesis, and for just under an hour and a half, teller followed teller (or sometimes, pairs of tellers) as they presented the first 11 chapters of Genesis -- without notes! It was amazing and wonderful ... and we were blown away by how much genealogy could be committed to memory and presented in interesting ways.
We had a little time between dinner and storytelling and so I took out my camera for just a couple of shots.
My friend in Tennessee told me to turn slightly to the west and look south and the distant ridges would probably be Tennessee -- so that's what I did when I came out of the Spilman Auditorium
And though I didn't take a picture of the Spilman auditorium building (yet), I did take one of the building next store - which is where we registered and is just across the way from our Exhibitors Hall -- and though you can't see them, there ARE rocking chairs on the front porch!
Now doesn't that just look typically southern????
I went out for a short walk after I got back to my room tonight, met up with another couple of like mind. They were from the south and so I asked them what I could hear. They told me it was tree beetles. Then we heard something else and they headed off down the hill and I headed toward my room. It sounded more like a growl, and since they had just told me that a bear had been seen near one of the residences, just a cub .... but you know, where you see a cub, Mama is not likely far behind! So I thought it might be wiser to head indoors ... So I came to chat here instead!
And now it's time for me to say good night!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Well, it has been a very busy day (though tomorrow will be busier still!) I can't stay long since I have homework for tomorrow morning, and breakfast starts at 7:15 ...
I've been to the orientation which was fun, to the opening worship which was interesting and a combination of varied media and approaches, from a digital prelude to an intermingling/telling of 3 scripture passages and a Pslam with four people involved. It flowed, it stimulated and challenged and offered insight into some of what lies ahead.
From worship we moved to lunch and more opportunities to meet people from different places and different backgrounds. There are people from all over the United States, from different parts of Canada, from Australia, from Ireland, from Africa (the Gambia) ... those are the ones I can remember!
After lunch we went back for a presentation by Donna Marie Todd, who uses song as well as story in her storytelling.
Then there was a chance to check out Exhibitors Hall before we headed off to our first workshop (that's my homework - part 2 is tomorrow). We're learning God's Covenant with Abram -- an appealing technique, but a tad scary since we do it without any props (ie no Bible in front of us, and we're aiming NOT to paraphrase.... I did say aiming!) I tried to get a YouTube video of Amelia (our leader) to load, but it wouldn't for me. Perhaps you'll have better luck (or a better connection than what I have right now.)
After dinner we went back for a keynote address which was wonderful and posed some challenging and insightful questions. The presentation was by Richard Swanson
We've been having fun and learning lots, and now I'm off to sip some tea, work on my homework and then off to bed -- no time for photos today, but I'm hoping to squeeze some time in for that tomorrow!
I've been to the orientation which was fun, to the opening worship which was interesting and a combination of varied media and approaches, from a digital prelude to an intermingling/telling of 3 scripture passages and a Pslam with four people involved. It flowed, it stimulated and challenged and offered insight into some of what lies ahead.
From worship we moved to lunch and more opportunities to meet people from different places and different backgrounds. There are people from all over the United States, from different parts of Canada, from Australia, from Ireland, from Africa (the Gambia) ... those are the ones I can remember!
After lunch we went back for a presentation by Donna Marie Todd, who uses song as well as story in her storytelling.
Then there was a chance to check out Exhibitors Hall before we headed off to our first workshop (that's my homework - part 2 is tomorrow). We're learning God's Covenant with Abram -- an appealing technique, but a tad scary since we do it without any props (ie no Bible in front of us, and we're aiming NOT to paraphrase.... I did say aiming!) I tried to get a YouTube video of Amelia (our leader) to load, but it wouldn't for me. Perhaps you'll have better luck (or a better connection than what I have right now.)
After dinner we went back for a keynote address which was wonderful and posed some challenging and insightful questions. The presentation was by Richard Swanson
We've been having fun and learning lots, and now I'm off to sip some tea, work on my homework and then off to bed -- no time for photos today, but I'm hoping to squeeze some time in for that tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Greetings from Asheville, N.C.
Just popping in to say that everything ran smoothly this time and I am safely at Ridgecrest on the outskirts of Asheville. It looks gorgeous - tucked into the mountains. Will try to get some photos of it all for you to enjoy!
My room is fourth from the left - ground floor ... see those mountains in the background???? This will be another land of ups and downs!
While I was trying to get a photo I was soundly scolded by this one and its partner ... nest must be nearby.
It's a beautiful place to be ... and it looks as though it will be an interesting time here -- even when I'm not outdoors enjoying the scenery and getting a workout from those ups and downs!
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we were handed bear alert notices on arrival!
My room is fourth from the left - ground floor ... see those mountains in the background???? This will be another land of ups and downs!
While I was trying to get a photo I was soundly scolded by this one and its partner ... nest must be nearby.
It's a beautiful place to be ... and it looks as though it will be an interesting time here -- even when I'm not outdoors enjoying the scenery and getting a workout from those ups and downs!Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we were handed bear alert notices on arrival!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Festival of Biblical Storytellers
Just a quick posting to give you as nebulous an idea of what I'm headed for as I have! My workshops are:
Novice Workshop 1 Parts 1 & 2 - Beginners Introduction to the Art of Biblical Storytelling: Genesis (Actually only Genesis 15:1-6)
Grounding the Body - Opening the Heart
Designing a Worship Service with Stories
Multi-Sensory, Multi-Media, Multi-Dimensional Biblical Storytelling
It seemed to me to cover the whole gamut, and also to give me tools for the 21st century. I'll keep you posted on how it goes -- unless they wear me out each day ... then I'll catch you up later!
And this is where we're staying.
Novice Workshop 1 Parts 1 & 2 - Beginners Introduction to the Art of Biblical Storytelling: Genesis (Actually only Genesis 15:1-6)
Grounding the Body - Opening the Heart
Designing a Worship Service with Stories
Multi-Sensory, Multi-Media, Multi-Dimensional Biblical Storytelling
It seemed to me to cover the whole gamut, and also to give me tools for the 21st century. I'll keep you posted on how it goes -- unless they wear me out each day ... then I'll catch you up later!
And this is where we're staying.
Sussex Adventures
Although I was based in west Sussex we didn't limit our visits to that area. We went back to old familiar territory (I lived in East Sussex for over a year!) and explored new along the way. I didn't keep a daily log of where we went and I won't bore you with it all, but I'll touch on highlights and if there's something more you'd like to know, all you'll have to do is ask.
We went to Battle and had tea, but didn't tour the Abbey, though we had tea at its very gates.
The Abbey entrance
Our tea stop just to the left coming out of the gates. Battle is where the Battle of Hastings was actually fought, and the architecture is delightful, as you can see.
Then we left Battle for new (to me) territory. we were on our way to Rye, an old friend, but stopped at Winchelsea to see the old gates from when it was a gated town, and also to visit the church. We were "chased" out of the church when school children began arriving in large numbers. It seems that it was prize day, and though we enjoyed some of their music, we had no desire to wait while each child was recognised for the year's progress. But Annette had noticed that Spike Milligan was buried in the churchyard, so we went on a hunt to see if we could find the grave. It is marked by a Celtic cross, now how appropriate is that???? Actually, it looks like a St. Cuthbert's cross (shades of Lindisfarne!) - all 4 arms of the cross are equal. (Hmmm, not sure Cuthbert's has the circle!) And we found him, or should I say it?
Then we continued on the Rye. Rye was one of the Cinque Ports ... interesting because the sea has receded, leaving Rye with a small harbour, but not the place of coastal importance it once was. It seems to me that they said that Rye is now some five or seven miles inland. That's some recession! Many of Rye's streets are cobblestone, very picturesque, but killers to walk on! And of course, it's on the Downs, which means there are as many ups as there are downs - sorry, just couldn't resist. But it is certainly in stark contrast to Essex county!
As we wandered through the various historic towns which have preserved their buildings, many of which are private homes, I thought they were wonderful to look at, but wondered what it would be like trying to cope with the realities of living with walls that are no longer straight, and roofs that seemed to sag, and decided that although I enjoy looking, I'm glad that I don't have to deal with them!
We also went to Bosham, (pronounced Bozzam, please) a lovely little town with a gallery of boutiques for artists and artisans. It also has the feature of having a street that disappears at high tide. Best you know or pay attention to the signs, otherwise you might come and find that you'd left your car in a spot that was now under water. It was drizzly when we arrived, and the tide was in, meaning that you could only see on white line for the edge of the road, but I didn't think of my camera until the tide had turned.
Obviously, the UK has come up with the means to have paved streets or causeways that are submerged under sea water for hours each day and yet seem to stand up pretty well to their submersion. Though I must confess, walking on pavement that has just recently been exposed by the receding tide, which may also have seaweed and other detritus on it, is not a favourite activity of mine. We walked along for a piece and then withdrew to higher ground, though we did walk all the way around the bay to the other side -- and all the way back, resisting the urge to take the short cut which was gradually becoming increasingly visible to us.
On our way home the weather didn't co-operate so we went to a butterfly and exotic bird sanctuary and enjoyed the opportunity to study both birds and butterflies that are not native to either country.
Another day we went to Seaford where you can see the chalk cliffs, and walk along them (sorry, I only went halfway up - but the wind was strong and I didn't want to have to cling to my hat, or fight against going for an involuntary flight!) We visited the Long Man of Wilmington, a figure cut into the chalk long years ago. I'd only ever seen him from the main road before.
We also went to Lewes, where we met while we were both working at the White Hart Hotel. That's where I lived when I was running away from "the Call", though I only realised that some years later. Because it's a town built on the Downs every street is up and downhill. I remember my first winter there we had a modest snowfall and the cars couldn't make it up the hills! But I need to point out, that these are real hills, not landfill sites that are little bumps on a flat landscape. If you lived in one of these towns, and walked at all, you'd be very fit in no time!
We went to Arundel and walked the paths along the river to the lake. We admired birds of every description. I found out what a moorhen looks like, and a water vole (Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, I'm told.)
I renewed old friendships and made new ones. It was a busy week and a good one. My last night there we went out for dinner with Annette's father and his wife, and were driven there in a gorgeous Rolls Royce (sorry, I didn't take my camera even though I know he is a RR enthusiast.) I think it was a 1981 Silver Shadow II -- I am sure of all except the Shadow part. Sorry, I think I just failed my car enthusiast's test!
And then, like all good things, my time in the UK came to an end. We left for Gatwick around 6 am, I caught the shuttle to Heathrow shortly after 7, and was checking in before 8:30 ... only to find that no gate was given because the flight (which they had assured on the phone was on time) was already delayed half an hour. That half hour became an hour and half, and even once we were boarded we waited another half hour for takeoff. That delay meant .... oh yes, connections missed - not just for me, but for a very long line of people. It wasn't helped by having only two people processing those who had connecting flights. We'd made our declarations, collected our bags, and queued 'forever' to surrender our cards and go on to the conveyor belt for "connecting" luggage.
I missed my flight to Windsor. And I missed the next one too because that's how long the line was for the Air Canada staff to try to find new flights for connecting passengers. All of them were not from our flight, and I understand the delay for us (and probably for them) was weather in Toronto which delayed the original flights. I was one of the lucky ones. By the time I reached the desk some 3/4 hour later, there was still a flight going to Windsor. Yes, I had to wait until 10:50 pm, and yes, it meant poor Jane had to wait till midnight, and yes, it meant that I'd been up for a full 24 hours by the time I got home -- but I DID get home. The young woman behind me had missed her first connecting flight (Halifax) which meant she'd missed her second connecting flight (Deer Lake, Nfld.), and there were no available flights to Deer Lake the next day because they were all sold out. I'm not sure what happened to her, but it was a great reminder of how much more difficult it could have been -- and it happened at the end of my trip, not at the beginning.
And now you are up to date!
Tomorrow I fly to Asheville, North Carolina for the Network of Biblical Storytellers Festival. I'm attending five workshops, and have received notice that I am registered in my first choice for each of those sessions. There are also Plenary Sessions with a Keynote Speaker (Richard Swanson), and other activities. our days start 7:15 and there are activities until 11:00 pm so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll do, though our information does say that our rooms have wireless Internet!
During my travels I did pick up some more books, and will try to add them to the side panel shortly, but right now, laundry, lunch and packing call!
We went to Battle and had tea, but didn't tour the Abbey, though we had tea at its very gates.
The Abbey entrance
Our tea stop just to the left coming out of the gates. Battle is where the Battle of Hastings was actually fought, and the architecture is delightful, as you can see.Then we left Battle for new (to me) territory. we were on our way to Rye, an old friend, but stopped at Winchelsea to see the old gates from when it was a gated town, and also to visit the church. We were "chased" out of the church when school children began arriving in large numbers. It seems that it was prize day, and though we enjoyed some of their music, we had no desire to wait while each child was recognised for the year's progress. But Annette had noticed that Spike Milligan was buried in the churchyard, so we went on a hunt to see if we could find the grave. It is marked by a Celtic cross, now how appropriate is that???? Actually, it looks like a St. Cuthbert's cross (shades of Lindisfarne!) - all 4 arms of the cross are equal. (Hmmm, not sure Cuthbert's has the circle!) And we found him, or should I say it?
Then we continued on the Rye. Rye was one of the Cinque Ports ... interesting because the sea has receded, leaving Rye with a small harbour, but not the place of coastal importance it once was. It seems to me that they said that Rye is now some five or seven miles inland. That's some recession! Many of Rye's streets are cobblestone, very picturesque, but killers to walk on! And of course, it's on the Downs, which means there are as many ups as there are downs - sorry, just couldn't resist. But it is certainly in stark contrast to Essex county!
As we wandered through the various historic towns which have preserved their buildings, many of which are private homes, I thought they were wonderful to look at, but wondered what it would be like trying to cope with the realities of living with walls that are no longer straight, and roofs that seemed to sag, and decided that although I enjoy looking, I'm glad that I don't have to deal with them!We also went to Bosham, (pronounced Bozzam, please) a lovely little town with a gallery of boutiques for artists and artisans. It also has the feature of having a street that disappears at high tide. Best you know or pay attention to the signs, otherwise you might come and find that you'd left your car in a spot that was now under water. It was drizzly when we arrived, and the tide was in, meaning that you could only see on white line for the edge of the road, but I didn't think of my camera until the tide had turned.
Obviously, the UK has come up with the means to have paved streets or causeways that are submerged under sea water for hours each day and yet seem to stand up pretty well to their submersion. Though I must confess, walking on pavement that has just recently been exposed by the receding tide, which may also have seaweed and other detritus on it, is not a favourite activity of mine. We walked along for a piece and then withdrew to higher ground, though we did walk all the way around the bay to the other side -- and all the way back, resisting the urge to take the short cut which was gradually becoming increasingly visible to us.
On our way home the weather didn't co-operate so we went to a butterfly and exotic bird sanctuary and enjoyed the opportunity to study both birds and butterflies that are not native to either country.
Another day we went to Seaford where you can see the chalk cliffs, and walk along them (sorry, I only went halfway up - but the wind was strong and I didn't want to have to cling to my hat, or fight against going for an involuntary flight!) We visited the Long Man of Wilmington, a figure cut into the chalk long years ago. I'd only ever seen him from the main road before.
We also went to Lewes, where we met while we were both working at the White Hart Hotel. That's where I lived when I was running away from "the Call", though I only realised that some years later. Because it's a town built on the Downs every street is up and downhill. I remember my first winter there we had a modest snowfall and the cars couldn't make it up the hills! But I need to point out, that these are real hills, not landfill sites that are little bumps on a flat landscape. If you lived in one of these towns, and walked at all, you'd be very fit in no time!
We went to Arundel and walked the paths along the river to the lake. We admired birds of every description. I found out what a moorhen looks like, and a water vole (Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, I'm told.)
I renewed old friendships and made new ones. It was a busy week and a good one. My last night there we went out for dinner with Annette's father and his wife, and were driven there in a gorgeous Rolls Royce (sorry, I didn't take my camera even though I know he is a RR enthusiast.) I think it was a 1981 Silver Shadow II -- I am sure of all except the Shadow part. Sorry, I think I just failed my car enthusiast's test!
And then, like all good things, my time in the UK came to an end. We left for Gatwick around 6 am, I caught the shuttle to Heathrow shortly after 7, and was checking in before 8:30 ... only to find that no gate was given because the flight (which they had assured on the phone was on time) was already delayed half an hour. That half hour became an hour and half, and even once we were boarded we waited another half hour for takeoff. That delay meant .... oh yes, connections missed - not just for me, but for a very long line of people. It wasn't helped by having only two people processing those who had connecting flights. We'd made our declarations, collected our bags, and queued 'forever' to surrender our cards and go on to the conveyor belt for "connecting" luggage.
I missed my flight to Windsor. And I missed the next one too because that's how long the line was for the Air Canada staff to try to find new flights for connecting passengers. All of them were not from our flight, and I understand the delay for us (and probably for them) was weather in Toronto which delayed the original flights. I was one of the lucky ones. By the time I reached the desk some 3/4 hour later, there was still a flight going to Windsor. Yes, I had to wait until 10:50 pm, and yes, it meant poor Jane had to wait till midnight, and yes, it meant that I'd been up for a full 24 hours by the time I got home -- but I DID get home. The young woman behind me had missed her first connecting flight (Halifax) which meant she'd missed her second connecting flight (Deer Lake, Nfld.), and there were no available flights to Deer Lake the next day because they were all sold out. I'm not sure what happened to her, but it was a great reminder of how much more difficult it could have been -- and it happened at the end of my trip, not at the beginning.
And now you are up to date!
Tomorrow I fly to Asheville, North Carolina for the Network of Biblical Storytellers Festival. I'm attending five workshops, and have received notice that I am registered in my first choice for each of those sessions. There are also Plenary Sessions with a Keynote Speaker (Richard Swanson), and other activities. our days start 7:15 and there are activities until 11:00 pm so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll do, though our information does say that our rooms have wireless Internet!
During my travels I did pick up some more books, and will try to add them to the side panel shortly, but right now, laundry, lunch and packing call!
I'm Back - but not for long!
Sorry about the gap, but my friend has no Internet connection and it took me until the day before I left to discover that Steyning (pronounced Stenning) actually does have a Wifi Cafe -- too late for this time, but good information for future trips there.
So much to catch up on, so little time!
I've added a slide show to this page and will continue to add photos as and when I can, but you should know that there are now Sabbatical files of photos on my Flickr page. It took me a while to discover how to add them with titles rather than one at a time, and I also had to upgrade my account so they could all go there, but if you're interested in any one part (or all) you can go there and even have a slide show of just the area that appeals. You'll find me here My knitting's there as well, that's why I suggested you can check out the Sabbatical files. It even accepted my little video files from Inner Farne, so you can see the puffins in motion and hear the racket the birds make!
When I last "saw" you, I was happily riding the National Express train to London, enjoying the free Wifi, and not concerned with making my transfer to the cross country train that would take me to Shoreham By Sea, Sussex (not to be confused with Shoreham, Kent). My information, provided by the rail people themselves, printed for me by a delightful young woman in Berwick Upon Tweed (That's pronounced like an army barrack.) It suggested that it would take me 11 minutes to go from King's Cross Station to Victoria Station. No problem, since I had just over an hour between trains. Of course, things had obviously been going too well for me, so I should have known ... but I arrived at King's Cross (right on time) to discover that the Victoria Underground Line was being repaired or maintained or something, and was closed for the entire weekend. That meant that I had to take the Circle Line -- and there were 15 stops between me and Victoria Station. I watched the clock ticking and began being thankful that there were other, less convenient trains to Shoreham By Sea. But, we made it to Victoria with less than 10 minutes to spare.
Of course, we arrived at the Underground Station and had to hustle through Victoria to the Rail Station - not a problem ... but of course, we arrived in the rail station at Platform 1 and the train to Shoreham left from .... Platform 17! Not only were the platforms beyond 7 not in a straight line, I had to go around a corner, and keep jogging down and to the right ... and the clock was ticking ... Made it to Platform 17 to be told that in order to get to the part of the train that actually went to Shoreham (train divides in Haywards Heath, don't you know) I needed to keep jogging to the front four coaches -- that's past more than half a dozen other ones. I was praying that they wouldn't pull out when they could see me trundling my suitcase down the platform - but one never knows! I made it to one of the approved cars, got in, ditched the case, found a seat, settled, and the train started moving. But it didn't matter, I was on.
I thought it might be wise to check with another passenger to verify I was in the right car -- but the first one I asked had no idea (they were leaving the train before then). The second woman I asked looked at me strangely. I repeated my question. She stared, and then she smiled and said, "You're on the right train." And when she spoke I realised why she stared - she was hearing impaired and trying to figure out what the foreigner was asking! (And when those trains start up, hearing is difficult without any other challenges thrown in!) It was just as well that I asked her because the conductor never did make it to our car. But I did arrive in Shoreham (Sussex, not Kent), in good time. In fact, I was early enough that I could get a cup of tea and sit in the sun while waiting for my friend. And, there in Shoreham, little seaside resort with a tiny train station, I not only got an excellent cup of tea, but an excellent cup of Lady Grey tea! My absolute favourite!!! Wonderful!
So when my friend came scouting to see if the train had arrived, she found me sitting in the sun, my case at my side, sipping tea and enjoying the scenery and watching all the sunburned holiday makers hustling to and fro.
On our way to the car we passed a yarn shop, a real yarn shop, not one with a small corner given over to yarn, and I was promised that we would indeed return so that I could visit. But at that point our priority was to claim the car and head home.
So much to catch up on, so little time!
I've added a slide show to this page and will continue to add photos as and when I can, but you should know that there are now Sabbatical files of photos on my Flickr page. It took me a while to discover how to add them with titles rather than one at a time, and I also had to upgrade my account so they could all go there, but if you're interested in any one part (or all) you can go there and even have a slide show of just the area that appeals. You'll find me here My knitting's there as well, that's why I suggested you can check out the Sabbatical files. It even accepted my little video files from Inner Farne, so you can see the puffins in motion and hear the racket the birds make!
When I last "saw" you, I was happily riding the National Express train to London, enjoying the free Wifi, and not concerned with making my transfer to the cross country train that would take me to Shoreham By Sea, Sussex (not to be confused with Shoreham, Kent). My information, provided by the rail people themselves, printed for me by a delightful young woman in Berwick Upon Tweed (That's pronounced like an army barrack.) It suggested that it would take me 11 minutes to go from King's Cross Station to Victoria Station. No problem, since I had just over an hour between trains. Of course, things had obviously been going too well for me, so I should have known ... but I arrived at King's Cross (right on time) to discover that the Victoria Underground Line was being repaired or maintained or something, and was closed for the entire weekend. That meant that I had to take the Circle Line -- and there were 15 stops between me and Victoria Station. I watched the clock ticking and began being thankful that there were other, less convenient trains to Shoreham By Sea. But, we made it to Victoria with less than 10 minutes to spare.
Of course, we arrived at the Underground Station and had to hustle through Victoria to the Rail Station - not a problem ... but of course, we arrived in the rail station at Platform 1 and the train to Shoreham left from .... Platform 17! Not only were the platforms beyond 7 not in a straight line, I had to go around a corner, and keep jogging down and to the right ... and the clock was ticking ... Made it to Platform 17 to be told that in order to get to the part of the train that actually went to Shoreham (train divides in Haywards Heath, don't you know) I needed to keep jogging to the front four coaches -- that's past more than half a dozen other ones. I was praying that they wouldn't pull out when they could see me trundling my suitcase down the platform - but one never knows! I made it to one of the approved cars, got in, ditched the case, found a seat, settled, and the train started moving. But it didn't matter, I was on.
I thought it might be wise to check with another passenger to verify I was in the right car -- but the first one I asked had no idea (they were leaving the train before then). The second woman I asked looked at me strangely. I repeated my question. She stared, and then she smiled and said, "You're on the right train." And when she spoke I realised why she stared - she was hearing impaired and trying to figure out what the foreigner was asking! (And when those trains start up, hearing is difficult without any other challenges thrown in!) It was just as well that I asked her because the conductor never did make it to our car. But I did arrive in Shoreham (Sussex, not Kent), in good time. In fact, I was early enough that I could get a cup of tea and sit in the sun while waiting for my friend. And, there in Shoreham, little seaside resort with a tiny train station, I not only got an excellent cup of tea, but an excellent cup of Lady Grey tea! My absolute favourite!!! Wonderful!
So when my friend came scouting to see if the train had arrived, she found me sitting in the sun, my case at my side, sipping tea and enjoying the scenery and watching all the sunburned holiday makers hustling to and fro.
On our way to the car we passed a yarn shop, a real yarn shop, not one with a small corner given over to yarn, and I was promised that we would indeed return so that I could visit. But at that point our priority was to claim the car and head home.
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