Category Archives: England

The Door

John 10:9 (ESV)

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

James 5:9

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Rev 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and eat with him. and he with me.”

Mathew 7:7 (NIV)

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Pub Reunion in Snohomish

Beautiful Snohomish in Washington State

 

We met up with our Great Britain walking buddies at an English Pub in Snohomish. Not only are they our walking buddies but we have had many a great traveling experience with this group of six.

An English transplant from Manchester opened this Pub over a year ago. It is called Piccadilly. We had Fish and Chips, Chicken and Veggie Pastie, Toad in the Hole, and Lentil Rosemary soup. Guinness on draught and good conversation. We were back in Great Britain for a couple of hours enjoying each others company.

Seattle is sizzling these days. They are threatening 97 degrees for today. That’s H-O-T for Seattle and don’t you know it’s the news here!

Photobucket is holding all the photos of mine from this post hostage as of July 2017.

Psalm 86 ~ A Prayer of David

 

Psalm 86: 1-10 (NIV)

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

The Curate of Glaston ~ George MacDonald

 I can’t believe I’ve been blogging since March and I haven’t shared a MacDonald quote yet. I so enjoy reading his fiction. I hear that his fantasy is great but I have a problem understanding some of it and enjoying it. I was introduced to MacDonald by reading Sir Gibbie. That hooked me for good on his fiction. MacDonald has a lot to say about the church in his day and much of it isn’t complimentary. He also has a way of showing true Christianity at work in daily situations and this is what draws me to his books. If you haven’t read any of his books yet I recommend them to you!

The Curate of Glaston, by George MacDonald

“But perhaps even then you had more knowledge which, they say, only life can give.”

“I have it now in any case. But of that everyone has enough who lives his life. Those who gain no experience are those who shirk the King’s highway for fear of encountering the Deity seated by the roadside.”

From Lilith by MacDonald, a book I had trouble understanding. This quote, however, I understood and stand convicted by it…

“I sighed – and regarded with wonder my past self, which preferred the company of book or pen to that of man or woman, which, if the author of a tale I was enjoying appeared, would wish him away that I might return to his story. I had chosen the dead rather than the living, the thing thought rather than the thing thinking! “Any man,” I said now, “is more than the greatest of books!” I had not cared for my live brothers and sisters and now I was left without even the dead to comfort me!”

Espresso Mini ~ You’re Not In Seattle Anymore

 

It’s time for Show and Tell Friday and I’d like to take you on a trip to England.

 

Being from Seattle you are bombarded by Espresso Stands everywhere. These stands exist and survive even though we also have a Starbucks, or Tullys, or Seattle Best Coffee, or other coffee companies on every other corner. We love our strong coffee in Seattle. Costco in the Seattle area even has coffee roasting in some of their warehouses with their own label . Coffee beans sold fresh from the roaster. We are serious about our coffee.

I was so excited to see this cute little espresso car just outside the village of Bakewell when we were in England. I’ve never seen a cute little espresso van in Seattle! Even though I don’t drink coffee past nine in the morning, I had to support this venture in England. I bet there’s someone in Seattle that could really make a go of it with a vehicle like this…

F.Y.I. ~ Bakewell is suppose to be the village of Lambton in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This is where Lizzy stays at the Inn close to Pemberley (Chatsworth House) and runs into Darcy. This site has more actual places from the novel. Since we’re in Great Britain, here are a few more sites for you to enjoy…Cotswolds, Oxford, Wales, Oban, Lake District, London, York.

For more fun with show and tell head on over to There’s No Place Like Home…

Photobucket blacked out all my photos and is holding all my photos hostage as of July 2017.

Show and Tell Friday ~ Old Tin

“Show and Tell Friday”

This is a great old tin that is from Carrs of Carlisle LTD ~ England. I especially love the sentiments written on it. My father gave this to me just last week. He decided I should have it because it was filled with writing paper and envelopes and he knows I send letters and cards to people more regularly than some…

Bless This House

Be To Her Virtues Very Kind ~ Be To Her Faults A Little Blind

And I Oft Have Heard Defended ~ Little Said Is Soonest Mended

Smooth Runs The Water Where The Brook Is Deep

The Noblest Mind The Best Contentment Has

And as my late Uncle Paul used to say “No complain, No explain.”

Go on over to There’s No Place Like Home to see more show and tell.

Photobucket blacked out all my photos and is holding all my photos hostage as of July 2017.

BBC ~ Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot

   O.K. this is kind-of cheating on the Works For Me Wednesday theme but here’s my tip for summer boredom. This tip is for the Moms…Send your kids off to grandma’s (that will help their boredom) then get your flannels on, brew a pot of tea and settle in the comfy chair and choose one of these BBC productions to escape to a quieter, gentler time… (if you have a 16 year or older daughter have her escape with you)

My daughter and I love BBC videos. I found some at a good price and couldn’t resist adding them to our viewing library. These are more typically DVD’s that we will watch over and over again so our money was well invested (in our minds anyway). I’m including a little review of the ones we’ve seen to give you an idea as to whether you might enjoy them. We like the detailed slow plot development that these longer series afford.

 Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen

 Hands down our favorite. Well worth the 5 hour viewing time. This A & E version is a must have. We love this Elizabeth Bennet character Jennifer Ehle over the well acted Kiera Knightley in the new shorter version.

Wives and Daughters ~ Elizabeth Gaskell

Our charming Scottish Cinderella is just as likable as her stepmother is unlikeable in this gossip riddled tale set in the 1800’s. We’d watch this one again, not because of the gossip but the way that the heroine gracefully copes with it and her impossible stepmother.

North & South ~ Elizabeth Gaskill

Takes on the same sorts of class divide issues as Jane Austen but in the English industrial era. It may take a long time to develop but it’s worth the wait.

Persuasion ~ Jane Austen

One of Jane Austen’s later novels with a heroine that combines some of the lovable qualities of Elinor Dashwood and Jane and Elizabeth Bennett.

Mansfield Park ~ Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s most unlikeable heroine, Fanny Price, proves that the meek will inherit the earth by triumphing over the superficiality and virtue-lessness of her relatives and their friends.

Middlemarch ~ George Eliot

In this 19th century George Eliot story the plot is slow to develop and full of unlikeable characters. When the decent characters finally get their reward you don’t care anymore. Tedious but informative about some period customs and practices.

Berkeley Square

There are ten 52 minute episodes in this series that we haven’t had a chance to watch yet. It is described as a warm-hearted family drama set in turn-of-the-century-London, where three young girls come together as nannies and grow to be friends.

Dorothy Sayers Mysteries ~ Gaudy Night ~ Have His Carcase ~ Strong Poison

Dear and I are reading some of the Sayers mysteries and are looking forward to watching these three soon. These are described as three elegant murder mysteries adapted from the crime novels of Dorothy L. Sayers. Set in the 1930’s the relationship of amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane unfolds in a realm of romance and intrigue. Dear and I just watched Strong Poison the first in this series. It’s presented as a serial not a movie. It was prepared for T.V. so it’s 3 one hour long episodes on one dvd.  We really enjoyed it. We like the development of the characters as much if not more than the mystery…

 Now if you’d like more tips about how to beat the summer boredom for your kids go over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Celtic Prayer

Lord of my heart, give me vision to inspire me, that, working or resting, I may always think of you.

Lord of my heart, give me light to guide me, that, at home or abroad, I may always walk with you.

Lord of my heart, give me wisdom to direct me, that, thinking or acting, I may always discern right from wrong.

Lord of my heart, give me courage to strengthen me, that, amongst friends or enemies, I may always proclaim your justice.

Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me, that, hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

Lord of my heart, save me from empty praise, that I may always boast of you.

Lord of my heart, save me from worldly wealth, that I may always look to the riches of heaven.

Lord of my heart, save me from military prowess, that I may always seek your protection.

Lord of my heart, save me from vain knowledge, that I may always study your word.

Lord of my heart, Save me from unnatural pleasures, that I may always find joy in your wonderful creation.

Lord of my heart, whatever may befall me, rule over my thoughts and feelings, my words and action.

 If you’ve read through this today may I suggest you go back now and pray it and if you can, pray it out loud. Blessings!

On Things Above ~ C.S. Lewis ~ Longing for Heaven

Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

This quote by C.S. Lewis comes from Mere Christianity

Most of us find it very difficult to want “Heaven” at all – except in so far as “Heaven” means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognise it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.”

Our 70’s Rock Band Tour!

 In 1972 I met Dear at a concert he was singing in. My best friend just started singing with this group and I accompanied her to the concert. Dear and I  became attracted to each other later that year after I auditioned for the group and joined.  In the summer of 1973 and 1974 Dear and I toured England with this American Christian Rock Group. We were called the “Contemporaries”.  Never to be confused with the Continentals! These articles and photos are a combination of our tours in ’73 and ’74. Dear and I were engaged during the ’74 tour and got married December of that year.

I’m one of the singers on the far right and Dear is right next to me.

“The American evangelical folk-rock group The Contemporaries received a superstar welcome when they played last week in St John’s Church, Waterloo. More than 600 children between the ages of 12 and 18, together with a small number of adults, packed the building for the hour-long concert which featured the latest in religious music. Outside local residents opened doors and windows to hear the music from the church and later a spokesman for the group said ‘The audiences on Merseyside are far warmer than any we ever had in ten years of playing in the states.”

“A band of young people spreading the word of God in their own unique way are the Contemporaries. The young American group have been touring England for the last two weeks at their own expense. The group visited Liverpool before making a tour of local schools.”

I’m in the front row standing on the right with Dear next to me of this picture with Dear.

“Hymns gave way to Jesus rock in morning assembly at St. George’s Church of England School, in Meadow Road, Gravesend yesterday. The concert was given by the Contemporaries, 14 musicians from the United States, who are in the middle of a world tour. They have already completed a number of successful “gigs” in Liverpool. They are all professional musicians, but they are giving their services free. They have also appeared at Gordon Secondary School for Girls and today they will be at Northfleet Count Secondary School for Girls. On Friday they will be at Gordon Secondary School for Boys and on Monday Southfields High School.”  [this article was pretty sensationalized…the band were professionals, not the vocalists. Our World tour consisted of 4 weeks in England]

We have great memories of our tours in England. Dear went on 2 previous tours before I joined the group. We were able to sing in schools for their religious hour. It was exciting for us to be able to give testimonies and talk about Jesus at schools. (couldn’t do that in the U.S.)

It was hilarious that the kids would chase after us and want to get our autographs. After our school concerts during the day we would sing at a town hall or church at night and many of the students from the schools would come again to hear us.

I’m in the middle of all those young girls!

Dear and I left the group in the mid 70’s after we were married.