Category Archives: England

Cambridge~ Monday March 9th

I’m working on finishing off my posts about our days in Cambridge. These posts are from Monday March 9th.

I’ve already posted about our early morning walk and seeing the famous clock here.

And I also posted about our lunch at The Eagle and all about it’s history here.

On this same day we visited the beautiful Wren Library.

From the Wren Library we continued on enjoying ‘the backs’. ‘The Backs’ is an area to the east of Queen’s Road in the city of Cambridge, England, where several colleges of the University of Cambridge back on to the River Cam with their grounds covering both banks of the river.

St. John’s College

1776 & 1779 William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson begin their studies at St John’s. Joining forces in 1787, they will spend the rest of their lives leading the campaign to abolish the slave trade and slavery

1787 William Wordsworth arrives as a 17-year-old Cumbrian undergraduate.  With his sympathy for the common man and love of nature, he becomes a central figure in shaping English Romanticism and perhaps our most famed alumnus

This is a photo of the back of the building where the Wren Library is housed.

Punting along the river Cam which is a major tourist draw. We did not choose to take a ride.

Signs like this were all along the sidewalk along Queen’s Road.

We made our way along the road for our destination for refreshment and along the way we saw many signs of the promise of Spring.

We were beat by the time we found the Pickerel Inn which is now a traditional public house established in 1608.

After our treat we walked back to our lodgings just a short .3 miles from the Pickerel.

The dish towels in our kitchenette had this saying on them.

The door signs made us chuckle, too.

We stayed in for this evening after it seemed we were walking all the day long.

We were looking forward to being able to make our own coffee in our room on Tuesday morning since we purchased a French Press and coffee while out and about this day.

The Other College Town

We have had some great visits to Oxford in the past so we decided this time around to visit the ‘other’ college town, Cambridge. When our river cruise was over on Sunday March 8th, we flew from Budapest to London. From Heathrow Airport we boarded a National Bus at the central bus terminal that is located outside terminal 3. We had reserved seats on the bus.

I was still being careful about my right foot, elevating it as much as possible while we waited for our bus. I wanted to be able to walk about Cambridge for the next 6 days without pain and swelling.

We were dropped off in central Cambridge and found the best walking route to The Wilde where we had reservations for the next 6 nights.

The lobby was a very nice welcoming space. We settled in and headed out to The Baron of Beef for a meal.

We had breakfast at the Budapest airport and were ready for a good meal this evening.

We were back in the land of Sticky Toffee Pudding, Meat pies, and Fish and Chips.

Satisfied we headed back to the Wilde to get some rest for Monday March 9th, our first full day in Cambridge.

 

Jesus, Who Bought Us With His Blood ~ Hymn

Jesus, Who Bought Us With His Blood

Jesus, who bought us with His blood,
And makes our souls His care,
Was known of old as Is­ra­el’s God,
And an­swered Ja­bez’ pray­er.

Jabez! a child of grief! the name
Befits poor sin­ners well;
For Je­sus bore the cross and shame,
To save our souls from hell.

Teach us, O Lord, like him, to plead
For mer­cies from above;
O come, and bless our souls in­deed,
With light, and joy, and love.

The Gos­pel’s pro­mised land is wide,
We fain would en­ter in;
But we are pressed, on ev­ery side,
With un­belief and sin.

Arise, O Lord, en­large our coast,
Let us pos­sess the whole;
That Sa­tan may no long­er boast
He can Thy work con­trol.

Oh, may Thine hand be with us still,
Our guide and guard­ian be;
To keep us safe from ev­ery ill,
Till death shall set us free.

Help us on Thee to cast our care,
And on Thy Word to rest;
That Is­ra­el’s God, who hear­eth pray­er,
Will grant us our re­quest.

Words: John Newton, 1779.

‘The Prayer of Jabez’

1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

Shout Aloud, All Ye Lands ~ Hymn

Shout Aloud, All Ye Lands

Across the blue wa­ters
The mes­sage of grace
O’er king­dom and em­pire
Is fly­ing apace;
The day-beam is break­ing,
Majestic and bright,
And mill­ions are turn­ing
From dark­ness to light.

Refrain

Shout aloud, all ye lands,
And be glad while ye sing;
Shout aloud, all ye lands,
For the Sav­ior is king!
And the sound that went forth
On the night of His birth
Shall be heard to the ut­ter­most
Bounds of the earth.

All crea­tures ador­ing
Shall bow at His word,
All tongues shall con­fess Him
Their Sav­ior and Lord;
His truth and its glo­ry
Extended shall be,
And cover the earth
As the wa­ters the sea.

Refrain

How gent­ly and kind­ly
There comes from above
His scep­ter of mer­cy,
His stand­ard of love!
He rul­eth in wis­dom,
The mon­arch of peace;
His reign shall be glo­ri­ous
And nev­er shall cease.

Refrain

The day is ap­proach­ing,
The time draw­eth nigh,
When na­tion to na­tion
Hosanna shall cry;
The id­ols they wor­ship
In dust shall be laid,
And Je­sus be hon­ored,
Exalted, ob­eyed.

Refrain

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1875.

Seventy Five!

Today is my seventy fifth birthday. God has been so good to me. We will be traveling all the live long day today. From Cambridge to London to Seattle to Spokane and then home again, home again, jiggity jig!

It will be good to be home again and to get our bearings.

Here are some birthday photos from the past.

 

 

 

 

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Thank You, LORD!

 

The Eagle and DNA

Frances Crick’s brag in the Eagle. The pub where we habitually ate lunch, that we had indeed discovered that ‘Secret of life, struck me as somewhat immodest, especially in England, where understatement is the way of life. ~James Watson

The Eagle, Cambridge ~ Discovery of DNA~

On this spot on February 23, 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson made the first public announcement of the discovery of DNA with the words “We have discovered the secret of life.” Throughout their early partnership Watson and Crick dined in this room on six days every week. 

Greg and I dined in this room on Monday March 9th, 2026.

The other history that is special here is the ceiling covered in graffiti of British and American WWII pilots who burned their names and squadron numbers here using cigarette lighters, candles and lipstick.

Cottage pie and duck hash were our choices for our meal.

From The Eagle we decided to trek over to the Wren Library in Trinity College. It has limited visiting hours and this was a good day to fit it in. That will be another post!

We are walking our feet off here in Cambridge. Thanks for following along on our travels and discoveries.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

We’ve had a few days of showing our friends from Southern California around our parts and even took a little trip into Canada with them. I’ll share all the fun in a future post.

Time for the first Hodgepodge of November, thank you, Joyce! 

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you’re looking forward to? 

We have been gifted tickets to the Nutcracker and we are also going to enjoy a performance of the Messiah in Spokane.

2. Dictionary.com’s word of the year is ‘6-7’. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it’s meaning because apparently I’m old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it’s a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think?       Oye is what I think.

Dictionary. com says it’s selection each year is a ‘linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by ‘6-7’. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

3. What’s a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

Cruising on the high seas in a little city called a cruise ship! Specialty coffee drinks. Sushi.

4. Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavored teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

These days I’m a morning coffee drinker. I’ll enjoy teas if I go to high tea or other tea experiences but tea is not an everyday thing for me.

5. The November Hodgepodge has always included a weekly gratitude question. Here’s the question for today-what are three things that make your heart sing? 

  1. Being with family, part or whole.

2. Listening to a sermon from the Word of God. Here’s a quote I saw on Sunday at Tim Challies Blog;  

“Preaching is the miracle of God communicating himself to a fallen world through the words of a fallen man.” Brian Edwards

 “Each Sunday, he (God) communicates to fallen men through fallen men to save his people and to sanctify them. What a miracle!” Tim Challies

If you are interested in reading the whole article, click on Tim Challies Blog, above.

3. Trips to the United Kingdom.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We have adopted the first line of the Guy Fawkes Rhyme and repeat it on November 5th because it was on November 5th of 2022 that Greg had his stroke. By God’s providence. Greg survived and he survived well. There are lingering difficulties as we continue to live with the ‘thorn in the flesh’, but we thank God that Greg’s life was spared and trust God with our future.

Here’s some history about Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night in the UK the Rhyme is included below.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys
God save the King!

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hodgepodge

It’s another week with fresh questions for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Thank you, Joyce!

1. Do you make an effort to see/hear live music? Last time you went somewhere for the live music? 

We enjoy live music every Sunday at church.

We haven’t made an effort to enjoy live music elsewhere lately except for attending evensong while in Great Britain, Scotland or Ireland and our Church’s Children’s Musicals at Christmas.

We are looking into attending a live performance of The Messiah this year.

2.According to HGTV the colors of the year for 2026 are mostly decided. Top paint companies declare a color of the year, and decorators will incorporate that into their new year home and room designs. Here’s what’s on tap in terms of paint trends for 2026 (check out the link here to see photos)

  • Sherwin Williams-universal khaki (inspired by heavy canvas and outdoor gear)
  • Behr-hidden gem (a confident shade of teal)
  • Valspar-warm eucylyptus (a warm sliver tinted green)
  • Dutch Boy-melodious ivory (a honey tinted beige)
  • Glidden-warm mahogany (a classic brick red)
  • Krylon-matte coffee bean
  • Clark and Kensington -Hazelnut Crunch (warm reddish-brown)
  • Graham and Brown-Divine Damson (cherry red with a subtle violet undertone)
  • Dunn and Edwards-midnight garden (the green that works everywhere) 

First question-did you know there were so many different paint manufacturers?

Yes, I’m married to a former painter and his first job was with his father in a painting business.

Which color on the list most appeals to you in terms of your own decorating style?

Decorating style is not a term that I would use for me or my home. 🙂 The base color in our home is Khaki Shadow with white trim.

Do you have plans to do any painting in your home in the coming year, and if so might you choose a color from this list? 

The only plan is to complete some areas that were started awhile back. Just a little trim here and there.

Now, forget painting walls, which color name appeals to you most? 

Hidden gem is appealing.

3. What’s something in your life you have to do-watch-or participate in that’s about as exciting as ‘watching paint dry’? 

For this one, I’m going with drying my hair.

4 . Tuesday, October 14th is/was National Dessert day…did you/will you celebrate? Tell us how? What’s your absolute favorite dessert. Yes, just one. I know!! 

I would pick roolyete. A traditional nut roll our mom made and we have now duplicated. I like pastries that have a soft chew to them. Here’s the recipe.

5. Perhaps today is the day I will…

Sort through my clothes and purge.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Tuesday October 14th was also Charlie Kirk Day. It was a day to wear red in remembrance of this young man who would have been 32 on that day and I was happy to participate.

We also watched the White House ceremony to honor Charlie Kirk’s memory with President Trump awarding him the Medal of Freedom, posthumously.

Stand Like the Brave ~ Hymn

Stand Like the Brave

O Christ­ian, awake! ’tis the Mas­ter’s com­mand;
With hel­met and shield, and a sword in thy hand,
To meet the bold tempt­er, go, fear­less­ly go,
Then stand like the brave, with thy face to the foe.

Refrain

Stand like the brave, stand like the brave,
Stand like the brave, with thy face to the foe.

The cause of thy Mas­ter with vi­gor de­fend;
Be watch­ful, be zea­lous, and fight to the end;
Wherever He leads thee, go, val­iant­ly go,
Then stand like the brave, with thy face to the foe.

Refrain

Press on, nev­er doubt­ing, thy cap­tain is near,
With grace to sup­ply, and with com­fort to cheer;
His love like a stream in the de­sert will flow;
Then stand like the brave, with thy face to the foe.

Refrain

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1886.

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name ~ Hymn

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
And as they tune it, fall
Before His face who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Let every tribe and every tongue
Before Him prostrate fall
And shout in universal song
The crownèd Lord of all.
And shout in universal song
The crownèd Lord of all.

O that, with yonder sacred throng,
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!

Words: Edward Perronet, 1726-1792.