Time Flies (like an eager beaver... with wings)

Hiya all, I'm back! I've been having too many days out (and trying to actually finish some of the books I brought with me), so travel-blogging has been lower on my to-do list than usual. Well... we'll see how much I can cover this time. As my time here grows shorter, so too must my updates, I suppose...

Day 12 -- Saturday, September 4

As I mentioned earlier (see Day 8), this evening our church, Swindon Citadel, put on a very special event-- the first (annual?) Swindon Citadel's Got Talent!  This was a delightful fund-raiser event, and tons of people showed up. Well, my grandparents had told me about it months before I even came to England, and had asked if I would sing or play something... so of course I'd said yes.

Which meant the days leading up to today held a bit of nervousness for me. And for my grandmother. For, you see, though she was trying to keep it a surprise from me, SHE too was preparing to perform in the talent show. Wow! So there were two of us in this piano-less house running up to a neighbor's place a couple days this week to practice. My grandmother was amazing at keeping her secret, and never let on that's where she was going! (Sadly, a few other people had mentioned her piece to me, not realizing it was meant to be a secret. So I sort of knew all along... :))

Anyway... after all the bustle and busyness (for my hostess-amazing grandmother) and lazyness (for me) of the week, Saturday finally arrived. We mostly spent the day doing last bits of cleaning, getting foodstuffs ready for the event and the guests who were coming over afterward, and then putting our feet up a bit (not that I needed more of that-- but my grandparents did, after the jobbing they'd been busy with for several days!).

The evening arrived. We went over super early to the church, so I could test the piano (having never played on it before) and so my grandmother, queen of the kitchen for the evening, could start getting the refreshments in order. By the time the event began, a great crowd had gathered. There were 13 'acts'-- everything from a 10-year-old boy giving us a martial arts demonstration, to a vocal trio performed by sisters who haven't sung (even to practice) together in 20 years. There were three judges-- one man from the church, along with a visiting pastor and his wife. They undertook to impersonate Simon Cowell & Friends, and did it quite well. Needless to say, the evening was full of fun and laughs-- along with a few more serious, uplifting moments. I played and sang I simple little song I wrote a couple years ago (didn't really have any other music with me!) and my grandmother's piano duet turned out to be loads of fun! I should  mention that, while I have always known of my grandmother as a great pianist (I think of my dad and me as following in her tradition when it comes to our playing at all)... this was the first time I have ever seen or heard her play live. Very, very special.

After the 13 acts, we paused for refreshments (and for the judges to deliberate). I wish I could describe to you-- or share with you-- the foodstuffs these amazing Sally Army ladies prepare for such events. There were dozens of gorgeous cupcakes... a moist and delicious fruitcake (NOT the kind you get at Christmas... just trust me)... sponge cakes... 'cream horns' (pastry tubes filled with rich cream and jam, more or less)... and so much more. Everything from scratch and everything delicious. Maybe it's time I got my act together and forced myself to start baking more...

Anyway, after refreshments and much chatter and laughter, we regrouped and the judges announced the winner. Yes... it's awkward but true. The winner... "honorary member" of Swindon Citadel, all the way from Oregon, USA... EMILY SLATER!!  Hehehe. What can ya do? Unfortunately, because I played and sang at the same time (this is, I grant, a tough thing to do), everyone has the idea that I'm some star piano player. I keep telling them "This is the only song I CAN play and sing together!" No one believes me.

Well... when we all FINALLY left the hall (around 9:45?), we journeyed home and were joined by the visiting pastor and his wife, Ian and Paula. Even though it was late and everyone was tired, the food my grandmother had prepared for supper/tea looked so good we couldn't resist! So, we ate (and I told you I'd say more about my grandmother's hostessing skills, so here goes)...

• salmon sandwiches
• ham rolls
• cheese scones
• crisps (chips)
• fruitcake
• coffee sponge cake
• rasberry sponge cake

And my grandparents and Paula & Ian talked of all their mutual acquaintances from over the years (it's a very, very small world here... amazing)... and it was almost midnight before we all went to bed. Verily, a good day.


Day 13 -- Sunday, September 5

The busyness continues. This morning the five of us got all chatty again over breakfast (nearly made ourselves late!) and then rushed over to Sally Army for the morning meeting. Visiting pastor Ian led the service... it was a special Youth Weekend, and he did a fabulous job of engaging the attention of our gang of school kids.... and of most of the rest of us, as well. :)  Of course, after the service, many of us stayed for ages-- chatting, drinking coffee, chatting some more... can you tell why I love this group? :)

Traditional Sunday roast followed... with some extras because of the guests. Since I've been focusing on my grandmother's amazing hostessing skills in the last few posts, I may as well take a moment to tell you what this meal involved:

• Roast beef
• Yorkshire puddings
• Roast potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Swede
• Gravy
• Homemade ice cream cake
• Blackberry-apple crumble
• Strawberry pavlovas

Hungry yet?

After this rather delightful (and exhausting) meal, Paula, Ian, and I settled in the lounge to chat over all kinds of deep and philosophical and day-to-day and innovative topics. It was brilliant. (My grandparents were being busy hosts still-- packing up massive meals for Paula & Ian and their kids for their drive home that evening.)

That evening was another service (led by Paula)-- also excellent. Then Paula & Ian hit the road, and my grandparents and I went to Pat & Derek's house for a "gang get-together."  This included two other couples who are close buddies with my grandparents and Pat & Derek. It was a fabulous evening, but I need only tell you two particular things about it (and then I'll close this day's report!).  First, the food:

• Quiche
• Corned beef pie
• Salad
• Bread rolls
• Crisps
• Marble chocolate mousse
• Lemon brulee
• Fruit & cream "surprise"

Second, the laughter: basically, I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard except late at night with my school buddies when we're all short on sleep. And the best part was we weren't even talking about serious things... more like... shower head cleaner and porridge and how to cut up a banana in the most energy-efficient way and.... yeah. Good times.

Diet starts soon.


Day 13 -- Monday, September 6

After the busyness (and crazed eating) of the weekend, everyone in our circle was glad for a quiet, 'clearing-up' kind of morning. Guest bed dismantled, last dishes cleared away, etc. Then it was time for more social activity. Unfortunately, this one day the sun disappeared a bit and we were threatened with rain, so we decided to scrap our afternoon plans-- another nice long walk with Pat & Derek. However, that didn't deter us from walking-- or hanging out with Pat & Derek. So we went to the local outlet mall instead.

You all know what an outlet mall is like, so I'm not bothering any of us with a description. I will only say this-- that it's a lot more fascinating to visit an outlet mall located in the old Swindon rail workshop buildings. These buildings hold around 150 years of Great Western Railway history... AND they're where my buddy Derek got his first job, and subsequently worked for many years. Even though the rail works were shut down in 1986, you can't miss the signs of olden times rail power.

                         (click to enlarge)

A quiet, jovial day... a little rain, a little cloud... the first herald of the coming autumn. Delightful.


Day 14 -- Tuesday, September 7

This was predominantly an old-fashioned social visits day... and a kind of day I'm pretty sure we don't have much of in America.

At 10:30, Coffee Guests Round 1 showed up-- Kath, Vera, and Philip. Kath and Vera are sisters (look very much alike) in their 70s, and Philip is Vera's husband. These three are absolutely delightful. And they very kindly have taken an interest in my life (and my brothers' and parents' lives), even though to be honest I don't really remember them (vague recollections of meeting them many, many years back, but that's it). Anyway, we spent almost two hours chatting over coffee, biscuits (cookies, remember?), etc. It's amazing what kind of "news" there is to share when you only visit once a year or less...

There followed a quiet little lunch for my grandparents and me, and then some quiet "jobbing" and reading time.

At 3:30 or 4:00, Coffee Guests Round 2 showed up-- the grown-up daughter of the former next-door neighbors (now passed away), sort of a "niece" to my grandparents and a complicatedly-distant adopted-relative of mine. It's amazing what fabulous friends you can have just by hanging out with your grandparents. :) Anyway, once again there was all the news to catch up on...

There followed a quiet little supper/tea for my grandparents and me.

At 7:00, we showed up at church for choir practice. My grandparents always babysit Helen's kids (see Day 3, 5, etc.) on choir practice night while she sings, so they all met up while I went to sit in on practice. This has become a habit with me over the last three years-- every Tuesday evening I can, I attend 'Songster' practice and sing along and have a jolly good time. Of course, it also gives me an extra chance to interact with the folks from the church (many of whom I still wouldn't see much of just from my grandparents' social events) AND to continue to strengthen my role as "honorary member" of the group. :) After rehearsal, Helen took me back to her house, where her mum and my grandmother and Helen and I sat and (you guessed it) chatted for a very long time before forcing ourselves to go home. Mmmm.... this really is a nice little life, eh?


Day 15 -- Wednesday, September 8

And now to more of a "day out."  Today we visited our friends Beryl & Cliff at their home in Witney, a lovely and very old town near Oxford. Witney has all the shops needed to be modern and fun, but all the heritage (plus some) and gorgeous centuries-old buildings to be awe-inspiring. For many long years, Witney was famous for its blanket-making. I know-- that's an odd thing to have as your main product and export-- but considering electric heating didn't come to homes until hundreds of years after this area was settled, the warmth of sheeps'-wool blankets would have been critically important and dearly treasured. These days, there is still a Witney blanket manufacturer, but it's not actually located in Witney anymore; the old times have definitely passed away. And yet, the town still has a story ready to be told.

We began at Beryl & Cliff's home for coffee around 10:30. (If you aren't catching on... this is officially coffee time over here. Miss your 10:30 coffee, the whole day might go wrong.)  Eventually we forced ourselves out (in spite of the impending doom of rain... which never actually really happened) into the old town centre area. Beautiful.

(This be my gang.)

Once we'd seen the sights of the town, we went back to Beryl & Cliff's for lunch... and more coffee (or maybe it was tea this time). Then we went out again-- this time to the old "market town" (once) of Burford. This old Cotswolds (see Days 5 & 11) town has been a favorite of mine since we visited it at Christmastime in 2005. There was something then about the snow on the centuries-old rooves... and the lights hung on every tree and building... that sort of won me over. Turns out, though (I discovered last year or the year before), that I love it just as much in the summer! And apparently the weather-designer was aware of this, because just as we arrived at Burford, the sun came out, bright and hot.

By the time we'd soaked up the sun and toured the shops here, it was time to head back once more to Witney for a little sleep-in-the-sun and then supper. For our first course, we enjoyed giant servings of fish 'n' chips from the local Chippy Shop. For the second course, Beryl created (before our very eyes) the most amazing dessert...

(You can't tell from the picture, but this 'mountain' was a good ten inches high at least.)

Well, after more chatting (discussion of the day's national news) and more coffee, it was time to head home-- so full of good food we could have cried, and so pleased with the day that "That really was lovely, wasn't it?" was repeated far too many times in the car. Another beautiful, sunny, social day with amazing people.

It's late, I'm sleepy, so I'm gonna end here for now. More reports to come soon. And-- I'm sorry for not offering the usual "two extra thoughts before I go"... they're in my head... I just am choosing not to bother getting them out in type tonight. Soon. :)

Cheers.

The Laws of Relaxation

Hello all,
It's Sunday, and I'm banned out of the kitchen whilst Sunday roast preparation goes on in there, so I thought it might be a good time to get started on my update on the past few days. Admittedly I'm having a hard time concentrating, because of a combination of fabulous smells coming out of the kitchen and of "A Little Fall of Rain" (Les Misérables) playing quietly in the background (it's the kind of music that makes you cry inside). But, I'll struggle hard and hopefully win the battle of attention-- enough to produce some kind of decent update. :)

So, to pick up where we left off (and by the way, yes, I did notice that I had dated Day 7 wrong)...


Day 8 -- Tuesday, August 31

In America we get excited about several sports-- football, baseball, basketball especially. In England, well, we don't even have those. We do have football, but it's what you call soccer. But besides football/soccer, our big love is cricket.
Now, in the States I have a hard time caring much about sports, it's true. But some of you may have been aware of the drastic change in Emily around the time of the World Cup (football/soccer). That would be because that's one sport I can actually watch and enjoy. The other... would be that slow, peaceful, overly pedantic, tea-drinkers', gentlemen's sport cricket. I know, I know... but what can I do?
So, last summer I attended a day of cricket with my grandfather, and the plan was to do so again this year. Today (Tuesday) was the day planned. However, I still had a bit of a cold, and we all felt that perhaps one more full day at home, rather than a full day out, would be smart-- just in the interests of getting well for good and all. This particular cricket match (Gloucester vs. Derbyshire, for those who care) was slated to last three or four days, so I planned to go on Thursday instead.
So, my Poppa went off to cricket early in the morning, and I enjoyed another "lazy" day, which included a stroll into town with my grandmother in the afternoon, after which I stayed in town and meandered around the shops some more... visited my favorite coffee shop... and actually read a book for a while. Amazing, I know.
To be honest, there's not much that makes me feel more at home and "back in Europe" than sitting for a while in an obscure coffee shop (I have avoided Starbucks since I got here) with a book or Bible, a notebook, and a good pen. It's unfortunate that my best coffee shop pen has a tendency to explode on long plane flights, resulting in a bit of a mess of ink later... but G. K. Chesteron probably doesn't mind the extra splotches on my copy of his book. He's probably just glad that I'm reading it and taking notes instead of chatting on Facebook.

I didn't take any pics this day, but here are a few more of "around home" that I took earlier.

The First Law of Relaxation: Always carry a notebook and a really good pen. (And don't be afraid of ink splotches.)


Day 9 -- Wednesday, September 1

Oh my word. I can't believe it's September already! I can't believe the year has flown by like this! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I began that final semester at Corban! I can't believe it's ONLY been a year since I was that person ... whom I'm certainly not anymore! Funny how life changes. And flies by (say it with me!) when you're having fun...

Right. Back to it.

This was the big surprise day. And by big surprise, I mean-- everyone else here in the Swindon gang knew what was in store for me today, and everyone knew it was grand, and everyone was fantastic at keeping it a profound secret. Beforehand I only knew (1) that my grandparents and I and Pat and Derek would be going off on an all-day adventure, (2) that we'd be leaving the house around 7:30, and (3) that we'd probably be tired when we got home. 
Unfortunately for the great secret makers, I am good at making connections. So anything requiring this much secrecy, I figured must mean something "big" by our standards-- i.e. a concert, play, or show, or some really important place I'd never visited before (which severely limits the field cuz most of those places are too far away for a day trip). Also, the facts that we'd be out all day, be tired when we got home, and be leaving the house at 7:30, told me it was a trip to London. (Coach leaves the Swindon station at 8:00. They didn't think I'd remember that, though, did they? And last summer during our London day I heard that we'd be tired when we got home. They didn't think I'd make a silly connection like that, either, did they?)  Sooooo all added together, I rather guessed that (1) we were headed to London for a day, and (2) we'd be seeing a show there. Didn't know which one or what kind, though.
Well, we left the house at 7:30... arrived at the coach (bus) station a few minutes later (Dennis from down the road gave us a lift-- wasn't that lovely?) and queued up with Pat & Derek (already waiting there) for the coach to London. Hurrah!!
Some of you may know I absolutely adore London. And some of you may also realize how very strange a fact that is. Because, of course, I used to HATE large crowds, cities, busy streets I might be in danger of having to cross-- all of it! And, I'm pretty sure I used to hate London-- I mean, my first memories of it (age 10) involve good times, yes, but also lots of rain and long hours in traffic. So, the fact that in the past three years I've come to absolutely adore a good day or two in London probably makes some people laugh. But oh... how I adore it.
Well, with these newer feelings toward the place, it was with great delight that I hopped onto that coach and watched the scenery go by as we neared my beloved city. And it was with greater delight that I began to recognize some familiar sights (fuzzy pictures because they were taken through the coach windows).

Of course there are so often those tiny interesting oddities waiting to be noticed.

(I'm pretty sure this says, "Happy Birthday Emma," in Welsh. And I'm pretty sure they are sticky-notes-- tons of them-- stuck on the inside of the window. And this makes me very, very happy.)

(What this actually means is "No pedestrians here." What it looks like to me is a ban on attitudinal tap-dancers.)

When we arrived in London (around 10 a.m.) we spent a couple of relaxed hours wandering around some of the more famous sites, including a short stop at Buckingham Palace (no, we didn't see the Queen).

(This is my gang-- in order L-R, my granddad Keith, Pat, Derek, my grandmother Vi. Two couples who have been best friends for decades.)

Something I find interesting about London is how, even with the thick crowds and never-ending supply of "places of interest" to see, plus the big red double-decker busses and all the other traffic, it still feels so open and free to me. I don't understand this. Do you? But anyway.

For lunch, my gang had in mind a Scottish steakhouse of some kind, but when that fell through they opted for Pizza Hut. What good Americans they'd make. :)

Well, after a delightful couple of hours wandering around in this beautiful city, we started to head-- somewhere-- because we had to be this special somewhere by 2:30. My guess was still that it was a matinee showing of a musical-- although which one, I didn't know. We passed several of the great theatres and near one of them I thought, "Wow, my gang back home would LOVE to see this one..."

And then... we stopped walking up the street, and instead walked into that theatre, and took our (rather splendid) seats, and watched Les Misérables.
I certainly understand that musicals are not for everyone. And I quite believe that this particular musical isn't for everyone (I know some people who hate it). But if you've ever enjoyed the sound and style of musicals, and haven't yet heard this one, I beg you to give it a try. I think the too-short hours in the Queen's Theatre, London, this week may have been the first time at a concert or show that the singing, singers, and emotion/story have combined for me to be absolute, 100% glory. Okay, maybe not 100%.... just 100% of what's possible on this earth.
Well, three hours later, while we were still floating in a cloud of glory, we bundled into a black taxi (lovely of that theatre fellow to show us just where to stand and put our hands out, eh?) and quickly got back to Victoria Station, where we grabbed a sandwich and hopped onto the coach to begin the journey back to Swindon. It hurt a little to leave London, I must admit-- especially not having an idea for sure of when I'll see this happy city again. But I think this place has a place in my future somehow, sometime.... hopefully next summer, to see another musical...

London always has a lot to say to me. For one thing, this place makes me feel much more hopeful about the future of the English human race, as far as their fashion is concerned. Good grief. Can our business people dress like this, please? And for another-- well, anywhere there are this many humans there is plenty of opportunity to observe both the best and worst of the world, and the need (in the words of Gandhi) to "be the change you wish to see in the world." After our few hours walking around the city, the Les Mis Finale resonated with me:

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes...

Yes... a good day in London Town. Tens of thousands of people must pass through this city every day, and today I was only one of them. Why is it, then, that I felt like one in a million, floating on that cloud of gladness?

The Second Law of Relaxation: Take the time to glory in both the mundane and the sublime.


Day 10 -- Thursday, September 2

Sooo it's finally cricket day!! Except... when we got home from London last night, we found out that in an absolutely unbelievable reversal of fortunes, Gloucester (seemingly the winners-to-be as of the end of Tuesday) had epically failed at the Wednesday portion of the match, resulting in an early loss and end of the match. So, no cricket today after all!
Instead, my grandfather decided to find another adventure for me. So the two of us enjoyed a leisurely drive through the country, back to Hungerford (see Day 7) to enjoy the many shops there. We'd passed through too quickly the previous Monday to actually look in any of these shops, but since the town is famous for its antique and book shops, it seemed like a good way to spend a few hours.
I can always spend ages in used & antique book shops... and the "regular" antique shops were rather fascinating, as well! Plus, the town is just plain pretty.

(One of the extensive antiques collections.)

Once our browsing energy was depleted, we got back in the car and came back to Swindon via the "extra scenic route." In this 45 minute spell we traveled through Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and finally back to native Wiltshire.

Our peaceful drive brought us home to a quiet dinner and (probably) some pleasant telly-watching. Aye, this be the life.

Third Law of Relaxation: A 45-minute drive can be a stressful commute, OR it can be a restful, scenic delight.


Day 11 -- Friday, September 3

Yet another day of quiet and laziness. The reason for today's ease, however, was not our lack of planning (or a cricket squad's lack of playing). In fact, it was because of our careful planning for the weekend. Saturday evening was going to be a special talent show night at our church, and both my grandmother and I were planning to perform. Plus, my grandmother was in charge of coordinating all the refreshments for this event (and bringing some of them herself). Plus, that night a visiting pastor and his wife would be staying with us. Plus, Sunday would be non-stop hosting, church, hosting some more, church, and then being hosted for a dinner party. So... all in all, it was felt quite strongly by the matriarch of 7 Farleigh Crescent (and presumably by the patriarch as well) that Friday should be an at-home, pottering-around-the-house, cooking, cleaning, preparing kind of day.

Now... any of you who really know my lifestyle know that this is rather different to how I live. If I had a busy Saturday and Sunday like that, I would most likely also have a packed-out Friday, and then do my preparations in the middle of the night...

As I have mentioned previously, the gang here have a much different idea of time and busyness than I do. Among other things, they plan plenty of time ahead (and know, down to the quarter-day, when the guestbed should be made up and when the dishes should go out on the breakfast table for the next day). And they plan plenty of time after. Again, if this had been one of my busy weekends back home, I'd be up early Monday and off to the next a dventure. Not so here. Planning anything for Monday morning was considered entirely out of the question, because a few hours at least would be needed for "clearing up." Now, I would  have to clear up, too, in my crazy world... but here it's given a dedicated morning, or even day, to itself.

Thought: I think at my phase in life, it's okay for me to be so much busier than these folks are. I think it's okay to pack a whole lot more in each day than they do here. (After all-- they're retired. I'm not.)  But... Is it possible that leaving time to prepare for and clear up from each major event leads to an overall less crazy, less stressful, more healthy lifestyle? Hmm. This is something I may have to ponder.... :)

Anyway. Since I wasn't even allowed to help with the housework, our friends Pat & Derek picked me up in the early afternoon Friday to take me off for an adventure. They took me out to the Cotswolds Water Park, which is just a few miles north of us (but stretches for many miles further north, west, and east). The Cotswolds Water Park is a sprawling set of 147 small lakes left from gravel digging. Some of these lakes are brand new; some are decades, maybe centuries old. Some have become favorite fishing spots; some are water-sport spots. Some are just gorgeous, peaceful homes to ducks and swans.

The latter make for good walks. And since the Cotswolds are also famous for canals, rivers, forests, and lovely old cottages, good walks are all too available. So, we walked.

After a good long walk, we moved on to another lake nearby, walked some more, then settled in for a long sit, chat, and picnic tea.

It was approaching sundown before we finally headed back to Swindon, to 7 Farleigh Crescent. Once there, my grandmother was all ready with tea and biscuits (cookies) for us all to have a good chat. Of course, she'd accomplished miracles in the housekeeping world in our absence. (Amazing, amazing lady. More to come on this.) Eventually Pat & Derek drifted home to do their own preparations for the weekend's festivities, and we settled down into our quiet evening routine (I think an Agatha Christie murder mystery was the evening's telly entertainment). It's hard to believe it's really me doing all this quiet, peaceful, non-busy living.

Speaking of which-- the others here will tell you we've been keeping busy. They'll tell you we've been out every day doing something (we have) and that's quite a good amount to fit in. Don't listen to them. This is the laziest I've been in as long as I can remember!

The Fourth Law of Relaxation: Leave time in between things so even busyness is relaxing.


Whew. It's horrifying how long it takes me to think out and write these updates. I think I'd better end for now, in the hope of getting some sleep tonight! A couple of parting thoughts:

1. Since we got back from London Wednesday night, I have listened to the Les Mis soundtrack 7 or 8 times all through, and I've listened to my favorite few songs up to 17 times. I think I may be addicted.

2. It's really weird not having a car of my own. I mean, seriously... I've spent the last 9 months half living out of my car. And now I don't even have one. It's been two weeks and I'm still not adjusted. Huh. Oh well!

Cheers.