Not involving snow

With a little judicious (dis)organisation, we somehow managed to see most of the people we wanted to in our two-week UK visit. Being Christmas, we concentrated on spending time with family, but fitted in a few friends as well.

So, Mom and Dad hosted us for Christmas. The chief photographer was obviously neglecting his duties in favour of opening presents, as I don't seem to have any photos of the happy occasion. On Boxing Day, though, he really went to town. Or should that be Town? The four of us paid a visit to London, and I was constantly afraid of losing Graham amongst the thronging crowds on the South Bank, as he paused to capture yet another view on camera. It has to be said he got some nice shots, though. We went with the intention of riding the London Eye, which unfortunately was closed for repairs. So we got our birds-eye view - and some exercise - by climbing the dome at St Paul's. They charge you a fair whack to get in, but it's worth it. Really.

St Paul's and Millennium Bridge

Big Ben and London Eye

Dad, me and Mom at St Paul's

The next day we slogged up the M1 to Nottinghamshire, fabled home of Robin Hood and certain members of my family. We spent a happy afternoon visiting with my aunt and a couple of my cousins. One of whom has coincidentally married a Texan and had three gorgeous girls, who were very pleased to let these strange new relatives build marble runs and throw balloons around with them.

Todmorden means Graham's family, of course, and we were welcomed with open arms and offered a brew before we'd got both feet across the threshold! We opened a few more gifts (funny, I haven't got any photos of that, either) and made some cautious ventures out into the icy countryside.

Us with Graham's parents at nice Christmassy pub

We spent New Year in the Peak District with Graham's sister and cousin, and a bunch of other people who've been meeting up for New Year since time immemorial. They kindly let us gatecrash for a couple of days and join in board games, quizzes and the obligatory rendering of Auld Lang Syne.

Tackling the Telegraph 2009 quiz with Graham's sister and cousin

Family portrait

Sliding down south again, we made a brief stop in Kenilworth for a context-confusing visit to some friends we met in Fort Worth. In Bristol we somehow managed to round up about 15 people for a curry at a moment's notice - thanks for coming out, guys! We enjoyed seeing you! I also walked into a staff meeting at Cairns Road and was greeted as if I'd never left. Had we stayed ten minutes longer I would have had three jobs to do and never left again!

However, we surfed back to Reading on the wave of an incoming snowstorm, which subsequently broke in dramatic fashion and almost prevented us from leaving as well. We wouldn't have objected to a few days more, but on the whole it was probably best that we got the flight.

Comments

Springtime walks: Croxden Abbey and Shining Cliff Woods

It seems to be taking a long time to get properly warm, this spring. But suddenly there are flowers everywhere and the world has turned green. We had to go and see it all. Croxden Abbey 800 years ago, there was a community of 70 monks at Croxden Abbey, hidden away in a beautiful nook of Staffordshire. Now there are peaceful ruins, carpeted with soft green grass. It was hard to imagine the space filled with busy worship and work. Croxden abbey cloisters the west door of the church We had parked at the village of Hollington and walked down the hill, playing a game of spot-the-animal. In just a few short fields we had seen sheep, cattle, horses, alpacas, rabbits, a dog, and even a donkey. We decided we only needed pigs to make our farm animal collection complete! It wasn't a long hike - we probably spent just as long eating snacks and playing hide and seek in the abbey ruins, as we did walking. Our return journey took us past a few horses, but sadly no pigs. We followed an old Roman r

God is Not a White Man: Spiritual Formation Book 8

"I studied Theology... Despite the fact that most of the world's religious people are not white, we learnt very little about the theological thinking and experiences of Black and brown people." Chine McDonald is director of Theos, an organisation which provides research and opinion on the place of religion in society. She moved to the UK from Nigeria at the age of four. McDonald has been involved with the Evangelical Alliance, Christian Aid, and Greenbelt, as well as working as a journalist, so she has some wide-ranging experiences within the Christian and secular culture. This book uses stories from her own life, and historical examples, to illustrate the problem of racism in the church. She focuses on the British church in particular, although she refers to American events too. What are the main themes of this book? McDonald's argument is that white people - men in particular - have been assumed to be superior. They are regarded as more intelligent, more authoritati

Walking the National Forest Way (with a two year break)

Remember when it was lockdown and we were all stuck in our houses for months on end? Well, way back then I hatched a plan of walking the National Forest Way as a family project. I ordered the map, downloaded the route guides, and we did the first section in 2021: Yoxall to the National Memorial Arboretum (Stage 12). The photos tell me it was a beautiful April day - I was wearing shorts! The 5-mile route was pleasant, across fields and through scraps of woodland, then hopping over the Trent and Mersey Canal into the village of Alrewas. After that we had a hair-raising walk along a pavement right next to the A38 dual carriageway, with cars zipping past at 70mph, but fortunately that was a very short section before we turned off towards the National Memorial Arboretum. Of course we had to celebrate with an ice cream - why else would we finish at the Arboretum instead of starting there? Smaller boys! Lockdown haircuts! At the finishing point A well-deserved treat There followed a very. l

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog