Moving Day

Today I moved from the castle to the manse...from Castlewellan to Dundrum. I had another good chat with David and one with Andrew. Then Lorna drove me to Dundrum just in time for lunch! The others had a bit of delay en route and arrived just a few minutes before I did.

We met the interns, Jenna, Danielle and Nick, then Jenn served lunch. It was a choice of carrot/coriander soup or potato/leeks with wheat bread and then apple crumble with custard.

Richie took us to the Dundrum Castle...built in 1177 A.D. Yes, it's OLD! The gatekeeper told us about the movies he has been in. He plays character parts with emphasis on weaponry. We trekked around but the mist was so heavy we could not even see the bay. We'll do that again.

A view of the "keep" from the inside

Another part of the castle

This would have been a 3 story building with, of course, a roof! There was a fireplace on the second floor.  We walked around the castle ruins, then down to the main street of Dundrum as far as the Church of Ireland, then back up to the Manse. Just time to freshen up a bit before Alan arrived.

The "new" section of the....still hundreds of years old. 

 Alan Blakely had invited us to go to the Uganda Choir presentation for Fields of Life. Bebe opted out but the rest of us went. We stopped in Annalong on the way to Kilkeel for fish and chips....at the Galley, the best 'chippy' place in North Ireland! The fish is great there!!

The Uganda Choir

 They asked for volunteers from the audience (of about 300) to come up and let the children teach them to dance. Alan volunteered! He has been on several mission trips to Uganda to build schools. He is impassioned about this work! It was fun for him to join them!

We were home after by 10:30 pm. Bebe came in just as we did. A bit of chatting with Nick, one of the interns, some FBing, email and blogging...and that's our Tuesday!

Hope & Soul

After a nice nap and then a light supper (tea) with Luke, Lorna and I dropped Rebecca (14) off for GB (Girls' Brigade) in Newcastle and set off for Dromore. We were joining the PW (Presbyterian Woman) for a social/mission meeting at the Olive Branch/Hope & Soul in Dromore. Castlewellan women joined the women from Leitrim so there was a good group of about 20. We arrived at 8 pm just as the tea and desserts were being served. The Olive Branch Cafe is a charming little room upstairs with not only a tea and desserts menu but also coffees and lunch sandwiches and soups.Hope & Soul is the downstairs shabby chic shop with upcycled bits of furniture, hand crafted jewelry, hand made candles, baby clothes, crafts and good quality "pre owned" clothing.  Gail Redmond shared her story and the inception of this ministry. They are reaching out to many needs in the community.

Marlene facing us...pastor's wife at Castlewellan Presbyterian

Our desserts were fantastic! There was a Pavlova (meringue and cream and fruit!), a rich brownie with whipped cream and a generous slice of Mint Cheesecake! The teacups were vintage! There must have been at least six beautiful teapots, all different but so lovely!

 Olive Branch Cafe participates in "suspended coffee", a tradition that began in Naples, Italy, and is spreading 'round the world. It is a simple concept. When people buy a cup of coffee or a lunch, they may also order a "suspended coffee" or "suspended lunch". That is a "pay ahead" and gives the coffee shop payment for someone in need. Olive Branch staff and volunteers discern those who may be in need and also have a system where recipients can request "suspended coffee" with grace.

Walls decorated with wallpaper samples! : ) 

Gail shared many stories of those they assist. Many of their clients become their volunteers and a few even become paid staff. She told of the relationships built among the clients and volunteers.

Hope & Soul also participates in Dare 2 Care, food and hygiene pantry. This came from a vision from a plastic bag...amazing how God speaks his work into hearts and hands of the Beloved.

It was a wonderful evening! I was blessed to see this ministry and the compassion of the woman who shared that she had had problems with self-esteem. She has found her niche and is such an encouragement to her community. We should all do so well.

Jo Moxen was with us! 

Around the Castle...

Along the drive....

The drive approaching the castle...guests to left; staff to right

Castlewellan!! 

Monday Morning....just before lunch I took a 15 minute walk around the castle and a few pics. Here they are with a bit of description:

A lane and gate to a private residence near the castle

Delicate evergreen boughs

Hydrangea

Lovelier hydrangea

Purple wildflower among the ferns...anemone? 

some sort of daisy? 

A small gather spot just below the castle

A view of the lake from just below the castle

One of the turrets...

Stone steps down to the garden...

The Castle! 

And here's a selfie to prove it was me with the camera! 

A Quiet Sunday

Sunday, 9-22-13

I was up and showered before 8. I went to the kitchen to see about some coffee. Deirdre gave me a French press with coffee and some juice and sent me back to the room/apt. Later breakfast was delivered!! I did some reading and looking out the window at the Mournes.

The not so distant Mournes

The sitting room...table in in the turret alcove

Breakfast table

Lorna, Rebecca and I left for church at 10:15. Andrew came a bit later with the boys. It was good to see Marlene, pastor's wife, and John and Jo Moxen. I was blessed that Ken prayed for Nairobi and the hostage situation.  (Deirdre could not come as she had to prepare lunch for the guests.) We had lunch after 1. Andrew and Lorna invited me to join them in the Manager's Flat but then we decided to eat in the apt. where I am staying. Belinda, the housekeeper, is on sick leave but came to visit and joined us for lunch. Roast beef, roasted potatoes, gravy, carrots and then apple crumble with custard! Of course, that was followed by tea and chocolate muffins. The dishes were taken back to the kitchen and Belinda, Deirdre and I visited all afternoon.  

Deirdre had made scones so the three of us had tea with scones later...blueberry or cherry coconut! Or both! 

It was soon 6:15 so Andrew, Deirdre and I went to evening services. Andrew dropped Belinda off at home.  I chatted with Ken and Marlene a bit after church. When we got back to the room, there was a vase of beautiful hydrangea. Lorna had taken supper to her mother and cut a few flowers! Lovely!!

We had a late supper of grilled cheese and a sponge syrup cake with custard cream. Yum!  Downton Abbey was coming on soon so Deirdre took me on another excursion in the castle. I saw another 10 rooms, a couple of back stairs, and her room! Then it was back to the apt. to see Episode 1 of Season 4! 

Deirdre has tomorrow off and is going home to Banbridge. I'll have a quiet day here...probably walk around the grounds and take some pictures and work on my presentation for the Meet 'N' Greets. Lorna and I are going to a coffee house with the PW-Presbyterian Women-tomorrow evening. 

Saturday, 9/21/13

I intended to be up by 8 but just didn't make it! However, I was up, dressed and in the kitchen looking for Deirdre by 9. I had potato bread and bacon for breakfast. I sent some emails and made phone calls from Andrew's office for our presentations next week, visited with Lorna (Andrew's wife) and took a tour of parts of the castle...it sleeps 180!

Library/dining room

 We saw the library, 2 dining rooms, the cellar (fantastic arched ceilings and stone walls!), a recently renovated gathering room, the drying room, the kitchen and prep room and more! Lorna was preparing lunch for the 100 or so that are in the castle today. Lasagna!! One pan was for staff. Jen came with the girls and joined us for lunch.

Lasagna for 100

After lunch Jen and I went to the Wool Shop. She wanted some nice yarn to make hats for the girls. I just wanted to see what was new. I found a unique ribbon skein...can't wait to work it up!! From there we went to Jen's to put the girls down for a nap. Jen and I visited...I wish I had taken a picture of the view from her sitting room....next time! Fantastic!!

18 month old Charlie! Such ringlets!! 

After naptime the girls ate and then Jen took me back to the castle. Deirdre had made reservations for us at the Burrendale hotel/country club for dinner. Andrew dropped us and then dropped two of his four kids at a youth event. The hotel had a really large wedding party. People were so dressed up! Sequins and satin on most of the guests.

7 month old Addy...pulling her sock off

We ordered rib eye steaks with carmelized onion and herb butter. It was served with a great little salad and of course, chips. Great meal in a lovely place.

Steak, salad, chips (or fries to the Americans!)

I think I'm on Irish time now...Andrew's kids asked if I was "here" yet!! He has four, three still at home. I think they are 18, 16 and 14...John, Tom and Rebecca. Sam is a bit older and not living at home.

I'm looking forward to church at Castlewellan Presbyterian in the morning. I'll probably take a walk after church...just around the grounds here at the castle. The hydrangea are in full bloom!

Back to North Ireland!

9.19/20  Thursday and Friday

Apparently it stormed in the night, I didn’t hear it. Gerald and Pam arrived at 9 am and we loaded my stuff and were off! It was a rainy dreary day but no incidents so that was good. I queued at the long American Airlines desk. After a bit of a wait, I learned that several flights had been cancelled because of the fog/rain and people were trying to reschedule. I was directed to the self check kiosk which I had by-passed as I thought I needed to see a clerk for international travel. Everything can be done at the computer now! When it didn’t read my passport immediately, I put in my debit card and yes, it’s all in the network. I keyed in my passport data manually and two boarding passes dropped out. The baggage strap was at the end of the kiosk and I was on my way to Concourse B.

We had a departure of 1:10 but no plane in sight. Finally it arrived at 1:40 and we were on our way to NYC by 2:30. It was a pleasant enough ride in the Eagle…a bit small. I spent most of the short flight reading on the Kindle…then the battery was exhausted. Of course, I brought a charger and of course, it is in the checked bag so no more reading for me unless I buy a book at the airport. So much for loading up the Kindle! The flight attendant mentioned the connecting gates for us. This was a diverse little group with final destinations of Barcelona, Milan, Dublin and UK.  It would be fun to know all the stories!!

We passed over New York City and then circled back to land. The ocean looked like a gray green sheet of weathered leather, not a body of water! I haven’t flown into JFK much. I looked for landmarks but didn’t see many….the Empire State Building in the distance and the canopy of green over what is probably Central Park.

While enjoying a late lunch of a Thai Peanut Wrap, I noticed a woman who looked lost. We made eye contact and she came to ask me if she was in the right place. I checked the screens and determined that she was not. Before I sent her on her way to find an airport clerk, I asked where she is from….”Africa” “yes, but where in Africa?” “Nairobi, Kenya” “Ahh..I’ve been there many times.”  It is a small world! She blessed me and went on to find the right gate.

I had another hour or so before the flight to Dublin. About 30 minutes before departure time, a group of folks arrived with 4 children under 5. The adults that accompanied them were loud. Of course they were all on our flight! Three or four of them cried, screamed and squalled for the first 2 hours! There was relative quiet and then tired wailing for the last two hours of the flight. If that wasn’t enough, a couple of the mums kept shouting, “be quiet!” But I still managed to sleep about three hours.

Arrival in Dublin was on time. I collected my bags, exchanged some dollars for Euros and headed for the bus to Newry. I purchased my ticket from a machine and then had a 45 minute wait for the bus. I hadn’t seen a payphone in the airport so I asked a local if I could borrow their cell to call Deirdre. The call didn’t go through. In that 45 minutes my perception of the weather had gone from “refreshing” to “brisk” to “cold”! The 50 degrees felt good after being in the plane but standing outside made me add a shawl, then a coat! I arrived in Newry at about 10. I tried the payphone and couldn’t get it to work. I asked a local who also couldn’t get it to work. The gal at the coffee bar was friendly so I just asked her to make the call. Success!! Deirdre will be here in 40 minutes!!

A view of the canal in Newry from the bus station

While waiting, I had a snack that I had saved from breakfast on the plane….Margaret Fraser…it was dried berries from Traverse City! It was the Traverse Bay Fruit Company!

Andrew, manager of the castle/conference centre, brought Deirdre to pick me up. We were back at the castle by 1 pm. Deirdre showed me my room which she had outfitted with a purple blanket, purple pillow, purple pens, purple face cloths and purple body wash!! The bath even has a purple toilet seat but she said that was left by someone! She and some others on staff have put some lovely cross stitch scriptures on the wall and there were fresh flowers (pink roses, white mums, hot pink gerber daisies and a purple daisy type flower) on the hearth! Very welcoming!

Lovely flowers!!

We had lunch of fish & chips. Sitting at the table in the turret area, I can look out and see the lake in front of the castle and the Mourne Mountains! After a short visit, I took a nap (I had lost 5 hours over the Atlantic!) but was up in a couple of hours. Deirdre and I were off to Jen’s to babysit the girls! Sweet little Charlie and Addy. They were very good and went to bed early, Deirdre and I chatted and chatted…enjoying the view of Newcastle at night and the nearby Mournes. 

This is the turret where "my" dining nook is! You'll see the view later!

Christmas Letter, 2012

As those of you who know me well, this has been a most difficult year. I have not blogged since April for many reasons. I have written and printed my Christmas letter and as soon as the photo cards arrive, I'll get it in the mail. I don't send a lot so have decided to share the letter here. May your Christmas be glorious....and as Carla reminded us last night at the memorial party....take lots of pictures...you don't know when you will no longer have that opportunity. Blessings on you.  

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” The opening line from

A Tale of Two Cities might describe parts of 2012 for me….and maybe for you.

   I remember the thought “I am happy!” coming to me several times as 2011 closed and 2012 began. It wasn’t anything I could name but a sense of contentment. My granddaughter, Darian, seemed to share that joy as she posted on her Facebook page, “I love my perfect life!” It was the best of times.

   On February  1, we (my daughter, Ricque, son-in-law, Kevin, granddaughter, Darian, her fiancé, Chad, great granddaughter, Berkeley and grandson, Dalton) celebrated the 50^th Anniversary of my 16^th birthday! Dylan was working in North Dakota but called so we were all together. It was a fun night and I wrote in my journal about Darian getting on the floor to teach 7 month old Berkeley how to crawl. It was a “blessed evening.” It was the best of times.

   Just hours later, our lives changed forever. Darian, 21, had gone to a late night memorial for a classmate who died three days earlier. Coming home she lost control of the vehicle and her life ended. It was the worst of times.

   Our family has made it through the last ten months on the wings of the prayers of those who love us. We thank you for that. At times I know that is all that keeps me functioning.. We all struggle. Kevin and Ricque are blessed to have a community of friends who have gathered around them. Dylan is home with us…still looking for a job. Dalton is a junior, a soccer and basketball player…and his teammates have been a source of support!

   But responsibilities continue. I had been invited to Kenya to serve as the Installing Officer for USFW-K. (I am the president of United Society of Friends Women International.) I had also arranged to spend a week in North Ireland on the way to Africa to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the Emerald Isle. It was wearisome to travel for four weeks but it was also healing. Receiving love and care from friends in Ireland was a balm. Walking along the sea, I received a message from God about brokenness. Many of the shells that appear whole are in fact only half of the original…the other half is broken and even crushed. I thought of myself…while I may appear whole and doing well, half of me is indeed crushed, never to be intact again. So let me focus on the wholeness of what remains—wholeness in Christ.

   The three weeks in Kenya were busy as I visited up and down from Kitale to Bungoma to Kaimost and Kisumu. I stayed in many homes; two of my hosts had lost adult children. One recently; the other, twelve years earlier. We shared our sorrows and I saw that this would not “pass” but be forever a difficult journey. Thank you God for giving me host families who have walked this path.

   Chad, Berkeley’s daddy, went back to work and Berkeley came to the grandmas! Actually she is blessed with several grandmas (I think this is right…2 grandmas, 3 great-grandmas and 2 great-great grandmas!) My daughter, Ricque, ‘Meme’ to Berkeley, has her on Mondays. I have her on Wednesday (after she has breakfast at Meme’s). On Fridays I take her to Mothers’ Morning Out so she can play with other toddlers. In the afternoons we nap!! : )  Chad’s family take Tuesdays and Thursdays and she is with Chad and his family evenings and weekends.

   Berkeley’s first birthday in June was an extravaganza with everything Darian had wanted. Yes! She had been planning this party for months! We found the cake on Pinterest, of course! Ricque worked on it for weeks and gave me a task list that I was delighted to do! We used over 200 yards of tulle to decorate….Imagine!! Even the high chair was festooned in tulle! A party for a princess! It was almost the best of times….just missing Darian!

   Berkeley is now 18 months old and seems to be thriving. I think she has all of us trained pretty well! I won’t bore you with how incredibly smart she is…unless you ask!

   Darian’s dog, Willow, a 2.1 pound Miki-Chihuahua (Maltese-Yorkie-Chihuahua) has come to live with me. She also has me well trained! She’s a great LITTLE lapdog but does have a carseat for jaunts out. She loves it in the summer when we drive with the convertible top down!

   I continue to work 4-6 hours a week at the church, serve as the USFWI president and on the FUM General Board. I traveled to North Carolina in August and to New England in October speaking as USFW events and churches. I still teach adult Sunday School…love that class!!...and serve in a variety of committees. Life has certainly brought some difficult times this year. I rejoice in the knowledge that God has not forsaken me but I will tell you, sometimes it is not so easy to talk to Him. December is not an easy month for those who grieve. Darian’s birthday on the 17^th added to that sorrow. However, Ricque hosted a memorial party for Darian. Thirty of us gathered with the intention of lighting Chinese floating lanterns. It was rainy so we went to plan B…we shared scripture, stories, tears and prayers together, then lighted 22 tea-lights inside and sang a hearty Happy Birthday to her, our Forever 21 Darian. There were lots of tears and more healing.

   Knowing that Darian loved parties, we also celebrated Berkeley’s HALF-BIRTHDAY!! That helped us through the weekend. And since Darian instituted the “birthday month” in our family…we knew she would have loved the Half Birthday!

   In all of this, I am grateful for the hope we have in Jesus.  May you and yours be blessed in this season and always.  Jesus loves you!

Much Love,
Pat

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who hold MY future.