Tues/Wed

Tuesday, 29 Nov 2011

John Moxen’s wife Jo has gone to England to visit her daughter and grandchildren. That leaves John at home without transportation as he has had a stroke and heart failure (twice!). He has a defibrillator. He had an appointment at the doctor’s today so I drove him to Downpatrick. Our original plan had been to go to Inch Abbey after his appointment. The weather report predicted 75 mph gale force winds. We took off for the 9:50 appointment. He directed me on several back roads but we made it to the hospital without going through the city. He went upstairs to see the doctor and I waited in the coffee shop. Suddenly the skies opened and the rainfall was a torrential downpour. It went on for several minutes. When John was finished, an hour later, it was down to a misty sprinkle.  He had a good report from the doctor but no release to drive. We decided it was too wet and cold to go to Inch Abbey and started the drive home.

John mentioned that he had grown up in Liverpool and told me some of his story. I asked if he had lived near the Beatles. That opened a whole new conversation. He remembered that the Beatles held concerts and he and other young evangelists were in the area near the theatres to pass out tracts and witness to concert goers. He remembers taking the “ferry ‘cross the Mersey”. Those were the early days of John’s ministry.

There were several places where there was water across the road. We made our way back to Dundrum. I had to park at the back door as there were so many cars in the carpark. Deirdre said I missed the flood. It seems that when Sarah arrived, she stepped into the outer entry only to see it was “raining inside the house”. She went to get Deirdre who went for towels and help! The gutters were full and the rain somehow came through the walls and ran along the ceiling. It was four inches deep by the time they started bailing! The wallpaper had come loose and the plaster was falling. That will be an unscheduled redecorating project.

We had a quick bowl of soup for lunch and then the staff meeting. Richie asked Bebe about her departure date and said to remind him the day before so he could take her to the airport. I told him that I had thought I would take her to Dublin and we would spend the weekend before she flies out on Dec. 12. He said I should be sure that I am insured to drive in the Republic. I wouldn’t have thought of that.

In the evening Bebe and I made desserts for tomorrow’s “traybakes” with our Bible study group. I made egg custard pies and she made ‘Heavenly Hash.’ I labeled envelopes for the December Prayer Calendar. Then we went up to the flat and watched a couple of DVDs with Deirdre. A full day!

Wed

To get things printed, I send an attachment by email to Joan who then prints it for me. I picked up the exegesis materials from my Hermeneutics class at Huntington University. I had it on a flashdrive and will be using some of the material when I lead the Bible study.

Olive Davison, the artist

I had an appointment for 10:45 for tea at Davisons. Bebe was meeting with Richie so I collected her at Blue Bay Café and we headed to Moneylane. Olive Davison is a local artist who does water color paintings. I had admired her work at John Moxen’s and he asked if I would be interested in seeing some of her work. We had a lovely visit with Olive and Alan with tea and biscuits. We had quite an interesting conversation learning about the examinations for leaving secondary schools and about Alan and Olive’s lives as well as their grandson who is a rising star in the Irish film industry.  After tea she brought out fifteen or twenty of her paintings. She could tell us every road and tree in them. Some were scenes in Donegal but the ones I was interested in were of the Mournes.  Olive paints in the car…because of the frequent rain and nearly perpetual mist, she doesn’t want a water spot to ruin her work!  I narrowed it down to three, then one! I have an original painting by an Irish artist of a scene of the Mournes, some pastures, sheep, a small cottage and one lone sheep on a road.

Back at Murlough Deirdre and Richie had lunch ready. I did the washup until our Bible study folks began arriving. Richie, Richard and Nathan finished up.

We talked about Phil.2:5-11, the Kenosis Hymn. I shared some of the work I had done on the exegisis paper about the structure, the word studies and parallelisms. The discussion that followed was good with several participating. We followed that up with the “Traybakes”.  The ladies had brought several tasty bars and cookies. It was a good visiting time. Sadie invited me to participate in a Christmas program next week at the Presbyterian Church in Newcastle.

After cleaning up the kitchen I went to the flat. We had a popcorn and crisps “supper”.  We had tea and traybakes, then spent the evening knitting. A nice quiet evening.

Dolmen

Sunday

The days are remarkably shorter now. It gets dark at 4 or 4:15 pm. The sunrise is later and later. It’s 8 or after before the sun peeks through the tree row at the east of the property.

It is interesting that the Methodist pastor, Ross, spoke of shorter days and that darkness comes in Newcastle by 3 pm because of the position of the sun and the fact that in this season, it slips behind Slieve Donard. It does seem that the Light is in a different place at seasons of our life. Sometimes hidden, sometimes higher or lower but always present, whether we see it or not.  

Ross’ 4 year old son remarked that I talk funny---like Swartzendrubers (also here in County Down and from Howard County, Indiana). He may not know the word “accent” but he can surely recognize one!

The afternoon was for reading and napping. We set off for evening services at Gospel Hall in Newcastle (Brethren Church) shortly before 6. Upon arrival we learned that the meeting began at 7 pm. We went looking for a place for coffee or tea. Not much was open but the KFC was and our taste buds were salivating. We had a diet Coke and some chicken!! This is probably only my fifth Diet Coke in six weeks. That’s quite a change for me!!

We arrived back at Gospel Hall just before 7. Women are ‘required’ to wear hats and the hats are quite elaborate. This is a very dressy church…the men all had on suits and ties, unlike all the other churches we have been in the last several weeks. Our friends, Ken and Margaret Byatt, were not at church but Daniel was. He was happy to see us and took us on a short tour of the building after.

Monday

Because we are having a group of 60 in for the weekend, Deirdre suggested we take a day off early in the week. They are generous in giving us time off for sightseeing. We reminded them that we are Senior volunteers and a 6 day week is a bit much. This is a slow time at Murlough so we have had a good deal of free time. That will be limited in the last weeks we are here as there are several Christmas dinners booked. However, in the meantime, we are doing ministry on Wednesdays (and spending Tues in prep), visiting churches on the weekend, and helping with the teens a bit. Bebe is active with Kairos. My other ministry is here at MH helping Sarah and Joan with mailings,etc. 

 We decided to try to find Legananny Dolmen and Bebe suggested we start at 9 a.m. I was up at my usual 7:30 but somehow we didn’t get away until almost 10:30 a.m. We had directions from John at Turnip House and had had a look at Google Maps. We set out, missed our first turn but saw that we were on Legananny Road. It must be this way!  We came upon the familiar brown signs…posted national landmarks…for Legananny Dolmen. We drove to the parking spaces and trekked up the lane behind the farmhouse. We were reading the signage and taking photos of the dolmen when a hiker came along. He offered to take our picture together. He told us about the area where there were more “standing stones”. The dolmen may be tombstones for early people from approximately 2000 B.C. There are at least six other dolmens in County Down but this one is the most  impressive.

Wonder how ancient people hoisted that stone?

We made our way back to Newcastle through Castlewellan for lunch at Café Crème and then shopped in a couple of souvenir shops. The cold and the standing had done me in so I was ready to go back to the house. When we arrived, we found that others had brought the Christmas decorations down from the attic and were sorting though them in the flat.

Later Deirdre and I went to Jen’s to join the girls. Some still had Candy Cane Reindeer to sell. Deirdre and Jen went with them as they canvassed the neighborhood. I stayed at the flat with Talbot, the Yorkshire terrier! The girls did quite well and have them all sold. They’ll have nearly 100 £ to spend for the needy family. Jen served up hot chocolate and Deirdre and I went home.

Belfast and Bake Sale

Friday, 25 Nov 2011

Jen, Deirdre, Pat, Bebe

A day in Belfast!! Jen drove the minibus so we’d have plenty of room for any purchases! It was only Deirdre, Bebe, Jan and me. Cynthia had plans to meet us there. A few others were invited but the date just didn’t work for everyone. Our first stop was IKEA. We had coffee and croissants, then tackled the store. Jen and Deirdre were buying for Murlough House kitchen and Christmas decorations. I had a small bag and a long wishlist of things I might get when I’m back home. Again, my credit cards were “not authorized for use” ---I’m using up my cash too quickly! Our next stop was Craft World, it’s a nice shop, perhaps ¼ the size of a JoAnn Fabric and a limited array of supplies. But it is far greater than anything else I’ve seen in N. Ireland. After a stop for lunch at Brown’s (a 4 star sandwich shop) we walked 6-8 blocks to City Hall where dozens of tents were set up with vendors from all over. It was the Continental Market. The big focus was food….kangaroo, springbok, venison, or ostrich sandwiches, Bailey’s hot chocolate, pancakes, German beer, hot dogs, roast pork, fudge, fudge and more fudge. There were also sweaters from the Kichwa tribe in Equador, silver jewelry from Holland, Kisii stone carvings from Kenya, beautiful amber jewelry, lots of pashminas and scarves and purses and Christmas decorations, soaps and candles. The City Hall building is quite beautiful with statues and Roman columns. There are small gazebo type structures made of stone on top of the tall building. We went inside to see the blue lighted Christmas tree.

We left the market, returned to the carpark to retrieve the minibus. True to his word, the same attendant was on duty. It’s a small lot with many spaces. When we pulled in, Jen made several futile attempts to get the big “mini” bus parked. The attendant offered to park it for her and we all were grateful. Too  much stress! He also offered to fetch it to the exit which we also gratefully accepted!

Cynthia’s plan to meet us didn’t work out. She had taken the bus to Belfast for an earlier appointment. She forgot her cell phone but knew our approximate agenda. She left Craft World about 20 minutes before we arrived. She walked around the Continental Market but also left it just before we got there. We were disappointed that we didn’t get to spend the afternoon with her.

Leaving Belfast in Friday night rush hour traffic was a challenge but without incident. We dropped Deirdre at a large mall outside the city. She would catch a bus home to Banbridge/Waringtown. We were back at Murlough House shortly after five so Jen didn’t have to drive in the dark very long. It was a good day but a long tiring one. We were at it (shopping) for over five hours! There was raining, cold and damp but also much walking on cobblestone streets and slate sidewalks. I took 3 Aleve and lay down with the hot water bottle. After a three hour “nap” I can truly say, “my knees only hurt when I’m awake and when I’m asleep”.  

The second book ordered from Amazon arrive today. The battery from Dell did not.

Saturday

The Irish seldom use paper cups/plates...so nice!!

As Leonard would say, it was a "usual morning." I was up at 7:30, made coffee, put away all the dishes left in the drainer from the previous evening, and then I read and journaled until others were up and about. Bebe and I went to the Newcastle Methodist Ladies Bake sale at 10:30. There were also a few crafts. The admission was 2.50 £ but tea/coffee and traybakes were served at no charge. I think it was a good deal!

The wind was fierce! We had parked a block up the street near the sea’s edge. The whitecaps were beautiful to watch…from a warm spot. The wind and temperature show the other side of that beauty.

A stop at the Wool Shop for more supplies. I told Frances that she will miss her best customer! Bebe went to find a hole-in-the-wall (ATM). Then we headed home.

Deirdre had brought in the DVDs of Downton Abbey. Bebe and I settled in to knit, eat and enjoy a Downton Abbey marathon and that it was. It was nearly midnight when we turned it off!

Thanksgiving Day....in N. Ireland

Keeping the toast warm

Volunteers...

Miss Attitude!!

Sweet! "walking" on her knees.

I did some typing for Deirdre then to Castlewellan Presbyterian to visit the Moms and Tots. Thursday mornings about 40 pre-schoolers and their moms meet for a time of play and interaction.  The gym is abuzz with the wee ones and the mums. Five volunteers set up, serve a snack, give a wee lesson, some song time and then cleanup. The snack for the children is toast. The mums have traybakes. The moms have the opportunity to share with other mommies. I chatted with all the volunteers and at least half a dozen moms. They invited me to come again and really seemed genuine. One lady asked if I would like to join their women’s group for the Christmas dinner at Castlewellan castle! I’d really like to see the interior of the castle so I just may join them!

Love a child with a book!!

Lots of activity in the gym


We (Alasdair, Sarah, Daniel and I) left for Belfast at 5:30 (or half five as they say here). We met Leslie at Berry Street Presbyterian for prayer before we went to Corn Market (a shopping area) to hand out tracts. It was raining and people were quickly passing by. After half an hour, we walked back to the church and then went to Safe Haven, the Jesus Army location. We all had a bowl of soup and conversation by the fireplace. The fact that it is Thanksgiving Day in the US was noted by the Irish. One man said he had had pumpkin pie...once. The visit lasted until after 11; then the drive back to Dundrum. Finally back at Murlough House at 12:30! Bebe and Deirdre were still up so it was yet another hour for me to tell about our evening, the folks we met and the antics of Daniel. He's a sweet fellow but has some quirks...but then don't we all.

Fish and Chips

Wed, 23 Nov 2011

I did a pile of dishes while the coffee brewed. The house is always so quiet in the early (8 am) mornings. Later I helped John Moxen with his email. Then we had lunch and cleanup (only 10 for lunch today), Bible study, games (only 2 stayed but we had a great time. We also had a promise of lunch at Mita’s before we leave). After that I helped John with Facebook. He is terribly dyslexic so I did the reading and typing. However, he dictated the warm encouraging responses.

Richie cut our session short announcing that others were going to Annalong for fish and chips and did I want to join them. Of course!! Richie took John home and met us at his house. Jen, Deirdre, Bebe and I piled in and were off. Great fish and chips and some had mushy pies. I had Ribena (black currant soda) to drink. Dessert was Raspberry Ruffle Cheesecake for Richie and me. Deirdre, Bebe and Jen had lemon meringue pie. It was our American Thanksgiving with part of the Murlough House family…and Bebe picked up the check! Thanks Bebe!! We went back to Jen and Richie’s after; then back to Murlough House. The tv has been moved out of the Common Room (large dining room) and into the flat. Deirdre has DVDs of a UK tv show so we watched a bit….Downton Abbey—has been on PBS in the US.

Dead Dell and Lively Lassies!!

Monday, 21 Nov 2011

The early afternoon was fun teaching Jen to knit. She adjusted the right hand directions to her left handedness quite well. As we stitched, she shared about her sister’s miracle—healing from Crohn’s. When she went in for surgery expecting a colostomy, the doctors found no signs of the disease that had plagued her for nearly ten years. It was through that miracle that Jen received Christ. What a testimony!

Later I had quite the frustrating time. Dell computers will not run on the power cord if the battery is dead. My old Toshiba and the Sony Vaio did so I was more than surprised to find that I was now without a computer. I went online to Dell.uk and worked through several screens. Then at the payment screen, I reached a dilemma. They would not accept my card because I wanted the battery shipped to an address different than my mailing address. That’s a good security point but now I had to go through several “press 1” “press 2” options and then two live operators to get a person who would take my order and override this restriction.  He said his name was “Lester” but he sounded suspiciously Indian.  Now we inputted my credit card information and two Visa cards were denied. He asked if I could pay with cheque and I said no. I did give him the Travel Visa. That one was accepted! The battery should arrive on Thursday.

NOTE: When traveling abroad, have several ways of accessing money and be sure your cards have the proper technology for European machines. Three cards did not work in Banbridge last week because of this newer technology.

I’m going shopping on Friday in Belfast. If I can’t charge anything, the merchants may miss out!! The Travel Visa is a prepaid debit card and the funds on it are diminishing fast!

Seana

Tori (Victoria)

Emma doesn't like the camera!

Sophie

In the evening I went to Crosspoint to help Jen and the teen girls on a small fundraising project. They are making candy cane reindeers to sell. They’ll use the money to help a needy family for Christmas. It was fun being around the girls and their chatter. The music wasn’t always my style.  Seana said about one song, “aye, that was popular when I was a wee one in nappies”. She’s all of 16 now! Bebe preferred to stay at Murlough House and read---she’s nearing the end of that big book!! At the end of the day, I realized it was Monday---and no Leonard!!

 Tuesday

Up at 7 and could hardly walk!! The ligaments are crying! (Suffering from the walk/hike in the Tollymore) I managed to get downstairs with my Ten Year Journal and Bible. It was a still, peaceful morning. David the IT/Accountant  called to be let in at the gate. He arrived just after Joan.

Bebe had the Kairos meeting at ten. I had thought I might drop her off and go to the Wool Shop and then distribute Christmas fliers in Newcastle but inability to walk changed those plans. Deirdre sent a message that  I should start lunch…easy peasy---baked potatoes!

The house was bustling around as Keiron was coming in the afternoon. There were many meetings going on. Three people felt it necessary to remind me that I have devotions at the staff meeting at 3. The meeting was held after lunch. I shared some of Pearl Spoon’s wisdom, a few paragraphs from Henri Nouwen and some thoughts from LeGard Smith about John 6. The prayer time had the richness of Quaker silence. I offered prayer and out of the silence, two others offered audible prayers.

The Murlough House Advisory committee met. I went up to the flat. The small sitting room there is often warmer than the rest of the house. Later I went to the Library in the basement to use the computer. Keiron came down to show me the new template for the Prayer Calendar. We had a good conversation about how Christians treat one another. I find Keiron to be a warm, genuine and charming executive. Deirdre had asked him to meet me so I didn’t have to climb another flight of stair. She too is very warm, thoughtful and generous.

I’m in charge of games for our Wednesday social hour after the Bible study. I found several in the Craft Room and will add the few I brought along. One is called “Ireland”. It is much like Trivial Pursuit with the questions about Irish history, geography, art, music and general knowledge. I tried some out on Deirdre in the evening. She had a good laugh at some of my pronunciation of Irish people and places.

Sunday

In the kitchen at 8 to set out things (and make coffee, tea and toast)  for the continental breakfast….6 canisters of cereal, sugar, milk, juice, jam, and all that goes with it. I looked out the window at the eastern sky with the sun rising in a bright orange red burst and thought of yesterday in Tolleymore….look around you at all that God has made! It is always an awesome thought…”when I in awesome wonder, consider all…….”

That led me to think about the scriptures and I just wanted to read a passage from The Message. I knew there was one in the lounge/sitting room so I went to retrieve it. Imagine my surprise to find one of our guests asleep on the sofa!! I backed out and chuckled to myself…there’s one for the blog!

The guests were very appreciative of the simple breakfast. One woman said to me, “you make a mean cup of tea…for an American”. I think it was a compliment. : )  I told her I had been well trained! Thanks Deirdre!!

The group did the washup of the dishes so all Bebe and I had to do was to finish a bit in the kitchen. It still took until 9:30 to clear everything.  We will be able to get to church in Castlewellan by 10:30. Since we only have ten weeks here—and only four after today with one being in Dublin  (Bebe leaves on 12 Dec. so we will spend that weekend in Dublin), we are trying to visit as many different churches as possible. There are multiple reasons for that. (I do have Bessbrook and Moyallon on the list!)

Later…

The speaker at Castlewellan was from an organization that reaches out to believers who are being persecuted in various countries. She had stories of many places and a list of how you and I can be more mindful of the persecuted church. How often do we think of those who are denied water because they profess faith or the ones who are disowned or the ones who are beaten and imprisoned?

We came home from Castlewellan for a few minutes and then to the home of John and Jo Moxen. Bebe drove because I thought she better understood the directions. We still missed the road, then found it, then decided it must not be right because there were no houses. A couple of turnarounds and then a call to Deirdre put us on the right track. We had been on the correct road, Moneylane, but had not gone far enough. When we went back to that road, John was standing out in the middle of it! Deirdre had called to tell them we were on our way. They have a charming little home with a fantastic big view. It was cozy with the fireplace and Jo’s collection of ceramic cats. She served a wonderful lunch and dessert with tea and biscuits after by the fire. We had a good visit and then back to Murlough House.

We had planned to go to the Brethren Church for evening services. Bebe asked me how I felt about that and I told her I was really tired and aching from yesterday’s trek. She was too so she called with our regrets. The next few hours were quiet and restful.

Monday

The battery on my laptop isn’t holding a charge and the adaptor isn’t working too well. I priced a new battery…$155…I’ll get it when I get home. But I did recommend a book to Cynthia and another to Deirdre…both by Henri Nouwen. I went to Amazon.co.uk to order them and found a Nouwen title I don’t have. All three books are on the way now! The Return of the Prodigal, Bread for the Journey and Spiritual Formation. (Since I wrote this on 20/11 and am posting on 29/11, you know that I did indeed have to shell out the $155 or 122 pounds...and there's a story to come about all that.)

I was the first one up and around. Joan arrived at 9:30. Richard was around at about that time. I took some fliers to Dundrum to post in businesses. A few businesses were not open on Monday so I’ll have to make that run again. I was back at MH by 10:45. Sarah came in after that. John Moxen stopped in to feed his birds so I asked if I could see them. We went to the aviary where he has at least ten birds…all from Australia. There are love birds and several kinds of small parrots. It was a nice time visiting with John.

Back in the house to help Bebe prepare lunch. We went down to the craft room to locate some games for the Wednesday group. Jen and Sophie joined us for spaghetti. I laminated the signs I had made for Alan and then helped Jen start knitting another scarf. Of course, knitting generates good conversation too!

A Resting Day and a Walking Day

Finished up the blog from last night (Thursday), loaded the pictures and sent it on its way. Then off to Doctor’s Surgery, the name for a doctor’s office here. I had about a 40 minute wait and was seen by the doctor. I explained my need for omeprazole and she wrote the scrip. Since I am a foreigner, I did have to fill out some paperwork which was simply my name, Northern Ireland address, U.S. address and my age. I was charged 10£ for the appointment. I drove down the hill to the chemist (pharmacy) and filled the prescription with no charge.  No complaints about that!! Socialized medicine at its best…an appointment the day after the call, a 40 minutes wait in the office and no charge for meds!

One thing that is very aggravating to me is that people park on both sides of the street….in both directions. It’s very difficult to know if it’s a one way street when all the cars are parked in the same direction. Today I became Irish…I parked southbound on the northbound side. It is easier to find a spot that way! : )
Back at Murlough House, Bebe had tried to contact Cynthia about our plans for today. Getting a late start would not be good for the scenic route she proposed. While chatting with Bebe and Deirdre, John and Jo Moxen came in. We had a nice visit and they invited Bebe and me for lunch on Sunday complete with Irish directions…”you’ll see a bridge and a pub; don’t go that way.”  He’ll be preaching in Downpatrick so we’ll go at 1:30 or so.
Deirdre had a message for me from Keiron about the template for the next prayer calendar. I need to give him the information for his publications team. I still have a couple of small projects for Alan but I’m kind of taking a few hours off this afternoon.  Some quiet time will be refreshing. My left knee, injured in a fall in December of 2009, has been most uncomfortable for the last week or so. I didn’t mention it to the doctor because I have arthritis meds and some chrondroitin glucosamine. I think I may have twisted it coming down the stairs.
The few hours turned out to be the balance of the day. I fixed a plate for John Brown, and then took a nap. After that I joined Deirdre and Bebe who were also “kicking back”. We’ve had a hard few days! With two refrigerators full of leftovers and a well stocked larder, Bebe went after “take away” for supper…fried chicken and chips.
Deirdre started the meals for the weekend group and then we played games. It’s early to bed tonight…11 pm. Bebe is joining the Kairos cleanup project in Newcastle in the morning and in the afternoon, we are taking a drive with Cynthia. Our original plan has been rerouted since it will probably be too wet and cold for Tollymore Forest tomorrow. Looking forward to someone else driving so I can see all the vistas and landscapes!

Sat…

Up at 8…nine hours sleep! It’s been about seven most nights the last few weeks so the extra really felt good! The guests coming today were expected at ten. The leader arrived at 9 so I helped him rearrange tables and chairs and other things as needed to set up the room. In the meantime the Tesco order arrived so there were groceries to put in the larder….Richard was kind enough to help me with those six or eight crates of food. Deirdre prepared the “arrival tea”.  The morning was spent in serving a later tea and helping with prep work….grating chocolate, whipping cream…simple tasks. Bebe came down at 10:30 for a bit of breakfast before her event in Newcastle at 11.  Nathan arrived just before 12 to help Deirdre finish up lunch and serve and washup. They had carrot soup and an assortment of sandwiches with cheesecake for dessert.  Cynthia called again to reroute our agenda for the day….it’s not raining so let’s go to Tollymore today!!

At Foley's Bridge

Larkin

Bebe was home from Newcastle shortly after one so we were back to Newcastle to meet Cynthia and head for Tollymore.  Cynthia says it is a “magical forest”. We parked the little lavender car (Cynthia’s) and began the walk into the forest passing a small stone home along the lane. Deeper in the forest there was another cottage…perhaps Hansel and Gretel’s?  This forest may have been the place that inspired C.S. Lewis’ visions of Narnia. There are all type of towering trees, some with wispy fernlike leaves, others with berries and the traditional oak. There are trees with massive trunks and twisted limbs that spread out several metres and narrow tall stately evergreens.  One tree, a larken, was very airy and the foliage has turned yellow. You can see it across the forest. There are soft inclines and steep inclines to climb and climb and climb. The Shimna  River runs through the forest and we could hear it most of the time as it tumbled over stones and boulders. There were small tower like structures, perhaps the portals to Narnia, that welcomed us to the forest and Foley’s Bridge dated 1780 further in. It was quiet and peaceful.

Portals of Narnia?

Banquets and Birthdays

Tuesday, Nov 15

Deirdre checked with Alan Dumigan about the speaker for the One2Four. I had thought it would be nice to have something on the table that went along with the topic. However, the topic of rescue didn’t bring any thoughts to mind. But the topic of the Mournes brought to mind the song that I had just found….and that is so familiar to everyone here….it’s a ballad….When the Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down to the Sea. I google’d that and also a picture of the Mournes and ran them off. Alan asked if I could make an RSVP card so that we have an idea how many will be coming in December. One2Four will be held at Murlough House then. That will be easier for the staff….no more transporting! …and hopefully more convenient for the attendees as it will be in Dundrum, not six miles out in the countryside.

Bebe went to the Kairos prayer meeting. Joan, Sarah, Deirdre and I met at the end of the hall for our staff prayer time. When Bebe returned with Little Suzy, Deirdre and I took off for Newcastle for groceries at Lydl’s. I popped into the Wool Shop for a certain color of yarn and found that she has the ribbon “yarn” that I have been looking for! And in the exact color combo. I bought up one spool. Then back to Lydl’s to help Deirdre finish up. I saw Denise, the lady from South Africa who cut my hair so we had a nice visit.

Back at Murlough House I peeled nearly ten pounds of carrots. Bebe peeled the parsnips; then I ran all of it through the food processor.  I ‘brushed’ the mushrooms and sliced them. Jen was cutting fruit for the salad. All of a sudden she let out a little squeal….cleaning the grapes, she found an intruder! Yep, a garden snail nestled in the cluster of grapes!

Lots of spuds to peel

Potatoes in top

Ready to cut and boil

The machine peels but Deirdre mashes
by hand....every day...lots of spuds!

There are potatoes with every meal and sometimes two. It’s not unusual to have mashed and roasted. All those potatoes for all these people means a lot of peeling. There is a big ugly machine in the prep kitchen that does just that. You drop ten or fifteen potatoes in the top and it loudly tumbles them around rubbing off the skins and then you open the door and out drop the “peeled” potatoes. What a wonderful invention!

Jen had come for a knitting lesson which we did earlier. Deirdre said she had to “pay for my time” so she was helping us with the prep work. She is a lefty and learned the basics of knitting very quickly. She’s started a scarf in a variegated pink/red yarn. It’s working up very nicely.

Joan had good news! Her daughter has won the Home Ec award for Northern Ireland in school. She has been invited to London to receive her award from Princess Anne. The school “forgot” to notify her so she’s had very short notice. She will wear her school uniform and will travel with a teacher so they don’t have all that preparation to do. Joan was somewhat disappointed that there was no notice because she and her husband would have taken the day off to accompany her. They were not invited to the ceremony but would have enjoyed taking their daughter around London.

Deirdre said she would make flapjacks for the tea tomorrow. Bebe and I found that amusing and wondered why she would serve flapjacks with tea. After some conversation, we learned that here flapjacks are not pancakes. They are an oatmeal traybake (as in you bake them in a pan and cut into squares to put on a tray). I looked at the recipe and said, “I could probably do that.” My next job was to make flapjacks. Of course I had to quadruple the recipe. It was in ounces so that was a different way of measuring ingredients….on a scale. They turned out nicely.

Our day ended at the end of the hall with lots of conversation and giggles. We were tired so most everything was funny. I finished up a scarf. Then I made two of the ribbon yarn necklaces. This yarn is especially nice because it has some metallic thread in it so there is a nice glitz to the necklace.  Bebe is reading a ten pound tome….probably not that heavy…about the history of Ireland. She interjects bits into the conversation from time to time. Deirdre and I read Facebook and share posts. It was midnight before we went upstairs.

 Wednesday, Nov 16

Even though much was done yesterday, there was still a lot of preparation for lunch. The casseroles were ready for the oven, the pies/tarts made, the Pavlovas ready to be frosted, the flapjacks ready to box up.  There were still the potatoes to cook, the peas to cook, the carrots and parsnips to cook, the Fifteens to make, more fruit to cut…. And then all the serving utensils to pack. The morning was a flurry of busyness and then we packed up things in 2 cars and headed for the Oasis.

Des, Irene and Cynthia had set up the tables, put out the glasses, cutlery, napkins and vases of lovely flowers. We unpacked all the food…casseroles, potatoes, veggies, desserts, a gluten free dessert, and the extra goodies for tea.

I put out the copies of the song about the Mournes and the RSVP cards for the December meeting. I greeted a few people at the door as they arrived. At 12:50 there were six or eight people. By 1 pm, there were 45 plus the staff. They all seemed to swarm in at the same time.

Pavlova...a meringue delight!

Apple Pie/Tarts

Lunch was very good. When they came through the line for dessert, I was surprised that they took some of everything….pie, Pavlova, whipped cream, custard sauce and fruit salad. The Irish love their sweets about as much as potatoes!

The speaker was from Mourne Rescue. He told about the basics of rescue. The Mournes cover 25 square miles. That’s a lot of territory with only volunteers and some come from as far as Londonderry. It’s no wonder it can take 5 hours to mobilize a search party. He had some great pictures and gave a very interesting program.

After the program, tea was served. We had flapjacks and fifteens on small plates for each table. Because there are some with dietary needs, there were Gluten free cookies.  Bebe reminded them of the Wednesday Bible study and the activities after. I showed them the necklace we will make at the December craft day. That generated a lot of interest!

We sent some of the dirty dishes back to Murlough House for Deloris, the industrial dishwasher. Some were washed by hand at the Oasis. There were boxes to pack up to return all of the pots and pans back to Murlough House.

It was a long day and we just went to the end of the hall to sit for a bit before we began the ‘put away’ work.  A bit revived, we all trooped back into the kitchen and finished up. By “all”, I mean Bebe, Deirdre and me. We did get John B. to carry in some of the things.

At 7 pm, Jen came to pick up Deirdre and me to go to the Craft Class at the Presbyterian Church in Newcastle. We met a gal from California named Gigi. We had a good time and made some Christmas ornaments. We were home by ten pm, chatted with Bebe for a while and off to bed just after midnight.

Thursday

I thought I was up early at 8:15 but Deirdre was already in the kitchen. The Murlough Trust people are coming today. There are some sixty National Trust properties in Northern Ireland. I’m not sure what this committee does but all the major Trust properties have one. They gathered in the common room for their meetings and in the dining room for lunch.

They began arriving at 9 a.m. I greeted most of them at the front door, a few before they rang the bell. I could see them pull up in the parking lot. We served tea with Deirdre’s scones at 11. I set the table for lunch with table cover, flowers and cutlery, glasses and napkins.

Since I can’t get the acid reflux meds OTC, I asked Joan to make me an appointment with a doctor so he can write a prescription. They have national health coverage here so I don’t know what he/she will charge me. I have the appointment for tomorrow (Friday).

The Murlough House (not the same as Murlough Trust) director/advisor, Keiron, arrived with the fliers that needed to be mailed out last week. I was released from kitchen duty by Deirdre to get those in the envelopes and to the post office.  After some confusion about the “compliments notes”, I got the sixty fliers stuffed into the envelopes.  At 12:30 Bebe and Deirdre served the lunch of chili over rice, broccoli and jelly roll. By the time I had the envelopes stuffed and postage affixed, Bebe and Deirdre were ready to eat.  Joan said she would take the fliers to the post office when she left work at 2:30 so I joined the others.  Before I got out of the office, Sarah gave me another job. She wants me and Bebe to take the fliers to all the businesses in town and ask them to post them. I think that would be a great opportunity for the House Manager to get to know the townspeople but I will do what was requested. I think she believes they will be more receptive to us because of our accent. Hmmm…..

Joan told us about her daughter’s visit to London. She wasn’t too impressed with the meal…venison! She said it was all very posh! The princess did have a conversation with her beyond the presentation. A very big day for an 18 year old gal!

A short break after lunch and then finish the cleanup. Tea was served at 3 pm.  Deirdre and I served that. Bebe was in a meeting with Richard from Kairos. The Murlough Trust people told me a bit about their work and about the National Trust system and the 60 other properties around Northern Ireland. I asked if there was a map or brochure of these locations and Barbara who seemed to be the overall director promised to bring me more information.

Deirdre went in the office to do some paperwork and I went in to take a break. John Moxen was in (he’s on sabbatical but has an aviary so comes out to feed his birds) and had a friend, Ken Nelson, with him. Ken is the pastor of Castlewellan Presbyterian. He told me about a program there and asked if I would visit. I plan to do that next week. Deirdre brought in a nice tray of tea, Fifteens and biscuits.  (The tray includes a pot of tea, sugar and milk. Sometimes there’s also a pot of hot water for instant coffee or to dilute your tea if needed.)

As the Murlough Trust people were touring the building with Sarah, I began clearing some dishes….there was the tea tray from the office, a tea tray from Bebe and Richard, and dessert plates, cups and teapot from the meeting.  Tea generates a lot of washing up! I carried it all to the kitchen but didn’t do the washup. Returning three milk jugs to the fridge, 3 sugar bowls to their proper place, 3 empty (or nearly so) pots of tea and 3 similar pots of water with all the mugs, spoons and side plates was a bit of a task.

The three of us were going to Jen’s for a party for Cynthia’s birthday. Bebe and Deirdre needed to get a card and gift….I had made a gift and last night at the craft class, I made a card. After a trip to the Newcastle Hallmark store and health food store, we returned to Dundrum to Jen and Richie’s townhouse. Ewelina had prepared carrot/coriander soup. Yummy!!  Jen had tuna salad sandwiches, a veggie tray with hummus, a fruit tray, a strawberry-rhubarb cream pie!!!, and orange blueberry bread. Kasha brought chocolate chip muffins.  It was wonderful! There was gluten free shortbread for Cynthia too… A smorgasbord of flavours!

Pat & Cynthia with the scarves!!

We had a lovely evening. Richie has been ill so it was good to see him! I think there were ten of us. Cynthia brought Martin and Kasha, a Polish couple, and their 3 month old baby, Matthew. A sweet sweet smiley baby!! Ewelina is also Polish so all of these are Cynthia’s Polish family! And when we got back…the dishes were all done. Thanks to Richard!

Back at Murlough House the three of us chatted for a while…until we realized it was nearly 1 am…so it was off to bed! We are night owls!!  Ministry this week has been in serving and in listening. Everyone has a story.

I did write this after I went upstairs so my beddy bye time was after 2...then I to come downstairs in the morning to transfer it from Word to blogspot and load the pictures which take 2-3 minutes each. Hope you enjoy my efforts....

This blog is becoming a collaborative effort! Tonight as we chatted in the Great Hall, Deirdre asked me if I was going up to blog. I told her there all I had for today was the wonderful visit with Cynthia. She disagreed…there IS more!  SO…..

This morning Bebe and I were doing our own thing while Deirdre worked on the Tesco order and some menu planning. I was up in the flat catching up on my Gospel reading and doing some much needed financial reconciling and a bit of tidying up my bedroom. I heard the doorbell ring a couple of times but knew there were three or four people downstairs. When I came down later, Deirdre said I had ignored the bell when Leonard came for his tea and biscuits. Oops….well, someone else visited with him today!

Bebe and I had a lunch date with Cynthia Swavey at 1 pm. I needed to stop at the chemist (drugstore) so we went in early. I am out of omeprazole, an OTC medication for acid reflux. I couldn’t find it at Gordon’s so I asked the clerk who got the pharmacist. In this country that is a prescription drug! Now I need to see a doctor so I can get a prescription.

We went on to Café Crème and ordered coffee while we waited for Cynthia. She came in minutes later and suggested we order lunch. She had had a late breakfast and would just have coffee with us. Bebe had coureggetes soup (zucchini); I had a toastie.  While we were eating, Bebe pointed out the window….yep, there was Leonard!! We’ve come to expect Leonard sightings in Newcastle!!

The three of us chatted and chatted and finally at nearly 3 pm we moved to Cynthia’s home.  She and Ewelina (former Murlough House intern, now a clerk at Café Crème) both share the house with Irene. It’s a beautiful townhouse style with two sitting rooms, a hallway, circular stairway and a kitchen downstairs and four bedrooms and baths upstairs. The front yard is postage stamp size, not literally but actually probably only about ten feet from the front door to the sidewalk wall. The back yard or garden, however, is incredible!! It is perhaps 35 ft. wide and 125-150 ft. deep. There are little paths in among the flowers, herbs and vegetables. Just beyond the back wall, the Mournes begin….yes, the mountains are just there! The view from the kitchen is amazing. I had left my camera on my dresser so I have no proof of this fantastic view. That means I will have to go back! The mist on the mountains, the garden, oh my!! Beautiful. I was smitten!

Cynthia prepared herbal mint tea and shared her birthday cake with us…the one that Richard made with the marzipan icing!!The fruitcake was excellent! Cynthia wrapped up two pieces so that Deirdre and Richard could have a piece. Our visit went on until it was beginning to get dark, 4 pm.  

Back at Murlough, I made coffee and served Deirdre her cake. Richard was eating supper but joined us for some conversation and tea with our coffee.  Lesley Lockhardt came in to see Alasdair. Lesley is the contact person in Belfast for the street ministry. After their meeting, Lesley joined us women for conversation. We had a good conversation about the work in Belfast. There are plans to do more outreach so that relationships can be built and maintained with these who so desperately need the Gospel.  Lesley and Deirdre know each other from ministry on the Northwest 200…which is a motorcycle event that draws over 150,000 people in May. I'm just learning about that one. Deirdre has been on teams to that for some years.

The One2Four will be Wednesday so Deirdre is in the midst of that! I asked about the speaker thinking I might make a table favor to go along with it. Deirdre called Alan Dumigan who asked if I could also make an RSVP card for the December event so we can plan accordingly.  After I went up to my room, I worked on Publisher for a while to get part of that done! Tuesday will be busy….cooking (well, following Deirdre’s instructions!) and preparing for Wednesday! Bebe has a meeting with Kairos in the morning and Deirdre has a meeting with Alan and Sarah so I'll be free to do the favors and print the cards and get the fliers in the mail for the Christmas dinners.

All in all, it was a lovely day. It wasn’t too cold, although the sea was full of whitecaps; there were lots of interactions and opportunities to encourage people.  And sometimes that is the most important part in ministry…encouraging others who are “on the ground”.

A quiet Sunday....

Since the 39+ beds will be stripped in a few hours and the washers and dryers running full steam ahead, I have come to the basement early on Sunday to do up my little bit of laundry and sit in the library to check Facebook. The server is so intermittent in the flat. It kicks me off every 20 minutes or so and then isn’t available for an hour….goofy but works fine in the basement library!!  And what better place to be than in a room surrounded by shelves and shelves of books…and stacks and stacks in the floor. Kind of reminds me of home!

Later....

Worship at 11 am at Newcastle Baptist. On the way we passed Newcastle Centre where a crowd had assembled. When we got closer, I saw that there was a group of men in formal military attire with flags of various armed forces. Dozens of people had gathered around them and across the street.  Many were wearing the small paper poppy lapel flowers.  Veterans Day, once called Armistice Day, is observed here and probably in all the countries of the allies.

We arrived at the church and parked on the street rather than in the small carpark. We had come early for that reason! As we walked in, Bebe spoke to a young gal verifying the time of worship. She confirmed it was 11 and said she was going down to the ‘remembrance’ and would be back. The service actually didn't begin until about 11:15 to allow those at the remembrance to slip in.   The service was good, worship songs reminded me of melodies connected to the Crusades (middle ages, not Billy Graham). I wasn’t familiar with the lyrics. Prayers of thanksgiving were offered for those who gave their lives in WWI, WWII and Afghanistan.  The young pastor preached an excellent sermon on Mark 5. After the dismissal for worship, a few left and the remainder adjusted for the communion service. The pastor read from Isaiah…portions of four different “songs” of Isaiah. None of the “bread and wine” passages were read. However, it was meaningful.

We were happy to have Cynthia Swavey, recently retired Murlough House manager, share the pew with us! She is just back from a 6 week or so visit to all of her family spread across Canada and the west and Midwest US.  She was happy to be back where there is moisture and mountains. It was too dry and too flat for her in some places!! We chatted a bit and confirmed our luncheon date for tomorrow. We asked her about a place mentioned in the announcements, Mulberry Tree, a restaurant in Seaforde. She thought it was probably open so that was our plan for lunch. They were not open so we returned to Dundrum and had lunch at a small café, The Blue Bay. I had a “Veggie Fry” which was breakfast with mushrooms and tomatoes in addition to sausage and egg and wheaten bread toast and soda bread and potato bread.  Don’t you wish I’d taken a picture of all that bread? Sorry…forgot but it was all yummy!

Bridge to Keel Point...about 1 mile from
Murlough House. Tide is in. (Google photo)

(I had a bit of a scrape parking the car which I will not elaborate on. Just know that the man I hit was surprised that I got out of the car to see about him instead of driving off.  I’ll have some ‘splaining to do tomorrow!!)

Back at Murlough House to say farewell to the Bangor Grammar School group. The drains did not function this morning either. He wasn’t able to contact anyone….ooops!!  I had hoped to walk down the Murlough Lane and take some photos of the bay but it’s overcast and cloudy so that will have to happen on another day.

Google photo of Royal Mail...

Bits and Pieces:

The red vehicle is called the Patmobile. This comes from a children’s animated tv show about Postman Pat who drives a
small red Royal Mail car. I guess his mail truck is called a Patmobile.

Murlough House's Patmobile!

Deirdre and the security officer at County Down Museum both said that their teachers in primary school had taught the geography of County Down saying it was like eggs in a basket. Now picture eggs in a basket…not a flat place in the pile, is there? I’d say that’s a good description!

There is a huge abandoned mansion just off the road bDundrum and Clough. It’s high on the hill and the roof is missing. There is a sign at the road that says, “for sale….once in a lifetime opportunity.” It is said that the mansion has 365 windows….one for each day of the year. I don’t know who owned it but wouldn’t it take a couple of fortunes to restore it?

Downpatrick...

So glad I’m a volunteer…..reason will become obvious in a few sentences. The shower in the flat needs to run a bit to get hot so I typically turn it on and go do a couple of things. I did that this morning. When I returned to hot steamy water, I saw that the shower was filled and overflowing. I turned off the water, cleared the drain and then showered…but had to turn the water off a couple of times as the drain wasn’t clearing. Later as Bebe and I were getting ready to leave, I noticed a bucket in the downstairs hallway sitting area and water splashed all around. I looked up and saw where it was leaking….directly under the boys’ shower room. Checking with their leaders, we learned that the drains in the shower room were not working. So my shower drain is a part of a bigger problem. Bebe and I continued our plan to go to Downpatrick for the day and the leader contacted Sarah, the house manager.

We stopped in Dundrum for cash at the “hole in the wall”. My bank debit card would not work…said it was not authorized. Yesterday my credit card wouldn’t work because it doesn’t have the imbedded chip. I used my Travel Visa and got cash. Even when you notify your bank, getting money in a foreign country is not without some challenges!  Being armed with pounds, we stopped for breakfast at the Dundrum Tea Shop. I had soda bread with bacon. Bacon here is more like breakfast ham.

It's a bright sunny day here, not rainy like yesterday. It's cool but light jacket weather. The roses are still blooming!

We drove to Downpatrick and went first to the St. Patrick Visitor Centre. The long video was unavailable and they had some technical issues with the shorter one. We browsed the gift shop while that was resolved and then watched the ten minute video. Great scenic views on a wide, wide screen…actually there were 5 screens so it was quite a panoramic view. Much of it was shot from a helicopter so there were great landscapes!  From there we went to the County Down Museum housed in a very old gaol/jail. The visitor centre is at the bottom of the hill and the museum at the top. Steps have been installed. I think there must have been ten sets of ten steps each…… At the top, we headed first for the tea shop for a cold drink! Quite a climb!! Out of breath….. So we also had a snack! I had a Fifteen!

Old gaol/jail County Down Museum next to
 modern structures.

We spent a couple of hours in the museum.  The first thing we saw was some gold bracelets…about 3,000 years old…that’s the same time period as King David! There were people in Ireland even before then! The museum is well done. We had only been able to spend about 40 minutes there last year so we were glad to be able to return with more time. The walls pictured to the left surround the 2-3 buildings that make up the jail complex. There is an "exercise" yard also. The walls you see are not a part of the jail building.

As I was leaving the Exhibition Hall on the second floor (3rd the way Americans count), the museum guide asked if I preferred to take the lift (elevator). I said maybe I would. The climb up the steps outside had been enough for one day. She replied, "didn't you think you'd be in heaven after you climbed all those steps?" Well, I hadn't but it certainly was a lot of steps!!

A typical gravestone in the cemetary at Downpatrick

Grave Marker for St. Patrick

From the museum it was up the hill a bit further. We had seen the cathedral last year but wanted another look. We had a nice chat with the gift shop clerk/guide. We also went to the marker in the cemetery for St. Patrick’s grave although it is believed that his grave is actually under the present cathedral which was built in 1787.  In the 11^th century, there were Augustinian canons there. In 1188, a community of Benedictine monks were there at the abbey. People have worshipped in this location since the time of St. Patrick, 432 A.D. and in this building since 1787. This is an Anglican or Church of Ireland ediface. It is officially called the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Protestants all seem to claim St. Patrick!

Now we had the descent to the carpark! From there we stopped at MacDonald’s!! We had our first diet coke WITH ICE since our arrival. We got a Big Tasty with fries. Love Deirdre’s cooking but had missed those fries!! For dessert, we had a Cadbury Carmel McFlurry---bet you can’t get that in the US!!

We are having a quiet evening in the flat. The internet keeps going off and on. I had a few more pics but they don't want to load so see the FB page for the ones of the interior of the cathedral. It seems colder inside this evening that it was outside this afternoon. I'm wrapped in two blankets!

The Pit of Despair.....

The salaried staff had a long meeting on Wednesday, not finishing until nearly lunch time. Bebe and I busied ourselves with personal things. After lunch the Bible study group came. Bebe had asked me to lead this week. It’s always a bit slow the first time you lead a group and I hadn’t been able to join them last week. I think it went well. There was a lot of participation. I shared about my experience at the Belfast Street Ministry and my concern for a day laborer here at MH. When we came to the passage “to live is Christ, to die is gain”, I shared about the death of my friend Mary Zechman this week. She has been a wonderful example of faith through suffering to many of us.  Following the Bible study, Bebe led the book discussion. No one had read it so she gave an overview and encouraged them to get a copy. They recommended another one for the next book discussion. However, out of that discussion we learned a bit about our little group. One of the women “winters” in Malta and has for 25 years. She had much insight on the situation of Malta during WWII. Another of the women served as a nurse in what is now Zambia (then N. Rhodesia).

There was a flurry of urgency in getting out the November Prayer Calendar today….although I have been ready with the format for several days. But I worked until 8:30 pm getting it printed, folded and stuffed. The envelopes had to be stamped with the return address, labeled and stamps affixed. Deirdre and Bebe helped a lot with the stuffing process and we got them finished!!  In the midst of all this, supper was mentioned. I suggested that I continue working and Bebe and Deirdre go to Dundrum for either Chinese or pizza. They were up for that! So it was Chinese food for American and Irish women in Ireland!!

After the work was done, we sat and chatted and chatted and then a bit more! Richard was making a cake for Cynthia’s birthday and covered it with marzipan. I had never tasted marzipan so I snitched a bit…oh my….my new love! Yummy!! Michelle skyped from Florida to ask about her knitting project. I could see and hear her but she could only see me. Her daughter (about 12) tried to troubleshoot but no solution. Afterwards I messaged the IT guy, David. He walked me through some troubleshooting but again no solution. It has to do with my microphone but I can’t figure out how to check it…keep getting in a loop of questions with the result being…microphone needs to be checked. Ah, the joys of computing!

Thursday morning was for errands! Dropped the prayer calendars at the post office, went to the Oasis and stripped more beds, washed dishes that were in the warmer, Hoovered (that is vacuumed to my American friends) and returned the larger dinner plates to Murlough House. So many details involved in having three properties with this ministry! 

Deirdre made a great lunch….chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, cabbage and cake! When there are no teams we don’t always have grand meals but today it was!!

Deirdre, Bebe and I went to Newcastle to Lydl’s (grocery). We returned, renewed and checked out more books at the library. I had noticed that the stamp pad in the office needed ink so I set out to buy a bottle of ink or a new stamp pad. I went to four shops and nothing was available. One kind chap offered to order one for me. I told him I would see if we could get one on our stationery order. He said if I ‘still struggled’, I could let him know and he would order it. Interestingly, there are many shops but it’s hard to find a lot of things.

Earlier I had tried to print the Christmas fliers for distribution. The colour on Joan’s printer is not right and they decided they needed glossy paper. I just did the envelopes and will wait for those issues to be resolved.

We had toast and tea for supper with Black Currant jam…my favorite here!! We also had to put away the Tesco order…groceries that are delivered. While I was in the larder I saw a jar of Banoffee!! I didn’t know it was a common thing when I had the Banoffee Pie last weekend. Oh…I must get some of that! The larder has two ways to enter…one is called the Pit of Despair….very steep stairs.

There is a self-catered group coming in on Friday evening so Deirdre, Bebe and I spent the morning getting the kitchen ready. That includes removing foodstuffs from two refrigerators, removing lots of other items, thoroughly cleaning both the kitchen and the washup/prep room and then mopping the floors. Bebe and I also had to carry things upstairs to the apt. kitchen. We are not to use the big kitchen while the group is here. That was a big job!! I had done my ten flights of stairs before noon today!

We stopped at 11 for a time of prayer with Alan and Sarah. It was a sweet half hour. Remember us in your  prayers too!

Deirdre doesn’t drive. She lives near Banbridge and MH provides her transport to and from work so Bebe and I took her home today. She comes for 3-5 days at a time and stays in the apt. It was raining when we took off. The road that doesn’t flood is closed for resurfacing so we had to take the second choice. When we got to Banbridge, she directed me to The Green Bean, a coffee shop. We had lunch…great sandwiches on ciabatta bread, then great lattes and wonderful desserts. We each had one dessert but split it 3 ways so we could taste the carrot cake, the raspberry almond tart and the carmel coconut bars. We passed on the Fifteens. We’ll try them another time.

We had talked about going to the Bronte Interpretation Centre but with the rain, we decided to pass today. There are several sites near Banbridge about the Bronte sisters and their father.

We dropped Deirdre in Banbridge town to meet a friend and then we went to the Outlet Mall. We had tried to go to Ferguson’s Linen but they closed at noon on Friday. We were looking for a shop with sweaters or a linen shop. I did get a sweater, not exactly what I had in mind but nice!  When we arrived at the mall, a passerby made a comment about the weather. I replied and he said “is that an American accent?” I admitted it. He told me his daughter lives in Chicago. Everyone here seems to have someone in America. And they all comment on our accent!

We found lots of nice things but didn’t purchase much.  We left the mall at 4:45, a bit later than we’d planned. I wanted to get home before dark as the narrow winding roads are even more difficult at night. It was dark by 5:15…..with half an hour yet to go on the road. All went well…well except for one little bump! I didn’t see a curb.

So we are camped out in the wee apartment. Sarah greeted the group of Scripture Union kids, 39 boys and 4 leaders. She went home after orientation. Hopefully we won’t have any interaction with them but we will be here….just in case. The sitting room upstairs isn't as cozy as the end of the grand hall but it works! And the good thing is that I have been able to get wi-fi here tonight! It often doesn't work in the apartment.