England Part 3: The Evens

At this point in the trip Graham returned to Texas to go back to work, and it will become obvious that he's much better at remembering to take photos than I am. Although I did try hard to get one or two of all the important people that Toby met. Chief among those, of course, were his grandparents on his mother's side. So here's Toby with Grandpa:

And with Grandma, in the back garden. That's rhubarb over against the fence, which made its way into a rather nice dessert while I was staying (mmmm).

We went for a walk to Hambledon lock and weir, on the River Thames, and Grandma and Grandpa got some exercise by pushing Toby up and down a rather steep hill. As you can see, it was a rather damp day, but had actually stopped raining by the time we started walking.

Just a snapshot of some typical English countryside - hedges, fields, and rolling hills. Why do hills roll, anyway? Makes it sound like they go around turning somersaults.

Back at home, and Toby looking very snuggly after a bath. We washed him in a little tub which gradually became more and more of a tight fit as the trip went on. By the end it must have felt like being back in the womb.

He isn't crawling yet, but is getting decidedly more mobile. You never knew what position you'd find him in when you went to get him up in the mornings. This looked horribly uncomfortable but he seemed happy enough.

Toby got to meet a good portion of my family, including his great-aunt and -uncle, great-aunt, great-great-aunt and -uncle, and, um, whatever you call your great-great-aunt and -uncle's daughter and her two children. Let's just stick with cousins. Close enough, especially as he doesn't have any first cousins yet, so Amy and Finlay are the next best thing. They enjoyed each other's company.

Mom and Dad had to work while I was staying with them, so Toby and I amused ourselves with a few walks around the countryside. This is the River Loddon, or a branch thereof - it's the kind of river that splits and rejoins and meanders around until you have no idea which bit you're walking by.

An old bridge and some spring blossom.

Toby and Grandma admiring the daffodils.

Just one more entry to go...

Comments

Kristal Dawn Evens said…

Sorry we haven't come up with any first cousins for toby yet...! Quit rushing us! J

20 April 2011 at 17:23

Supercars and Selfies on the South Coast

We drove south on a wet, wet Saturday in August. The windscreen wipers swished endlessly back and forth, as we debated whether it was worth stopping anywhere except for the overcrowded motorway services. By the time we reached Winchester, the wipers had subsided to an occasional flick across the screen. We decided to stop. Of course, as soon as we left the car park there was a brief shower, but we ducked into the City Mill, now a National Trust property. There was a large room full of the usual kind of displays about flour milling; a recently renovated garden; and downstairs, the mill race running at full tilt. The mill is built right across the River Itchen. Winchester City Mill garden The mill race Water wheel (awaiting renovation) We stayed dry as we explored further into Winchester. There was even some blue sky for our selfie by the cathedral! But as we walked back to the car the rain hit us like a hose on full blast. An overhanging building provided some slight shelter, but the wa

Reading for Spiritual Formation 2023-24

I wasn't sure whether to read another set of theology books this year. Could the time I spend on it be better spent on something else? At what point does it become reading for the sake of it, without having much impact on my wider life? It's difficult to tell. However, as usual, I had a growing list of books I wanted to read. I do need to think about what I'm doing as well as what I'm reading, and I don't expect to continue this specific discipline indefinitely. But I decided there was space for at least one more year of Reading for Spiritual Formation. So, without further soul-searching: The Books. Three Mile an Hour God Kosuke Koyama Japanese theologians are few and far between; Christianity is still very much a niche religion in Japan. Kosuke Koyama was Japanese and appears to be both influential and accessible. Not every theologian is both! So I'm excited to read his recently republished book Three Mile an Hour God. It was originally written in 1979, and is

National Forest Way: Calke Abbey to Ashby de la Zouch

All the best walking blogs have maps on. I finally figured out how to add a route map to mine. If I get time, I'll add them to the previous posts as well, so you can see where I went. So, here are the two walks which made up the next stretch of the NFW. Walk 1 I started from the National Trust property and walked along by the lake, up the hill by the deer park, and down to Staunton Harold reservoir - all very familiar. Calke village postbox featured a highland cow on top. Lake at Calke Abbey Herd of deer A short stretch on the road took me to Dimminsdale, which was new to me. There are records of mining at the site from the 13th century until the end of the 19th century. It's incredible to think that people worked there for so many hundreds of years. Now it is a secluded landscape of still pools and shaggy trees. Dimminsdale I crossed a small section of the Staunton Harold estate, then went up a private lane with some rather nice houses. My turning point was where the Nati

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog