Update

Please do go back a few posts to see the photos added to both Part 1 – Wales (Pics of Conwy Castle, everyone’s favorite on the trip, had been hiding and were found!) and Part 2 – Paris (Again?)  The views of French impressionist and other masters will build you up!

It’s only five weeks (July 23) till we head over to Germany with the WHOLE FAMILY (Kristin and Kathryn + two Brands, whee!) for a final European holiday.  Then we come back to the mother country on August 4, 2009.  If we don’t see you right away, we know you will understand.  Looking forward to it though.  Lots to do before then – even one visitor to go – we’re grateful for your prayers.  Love to all.

Cheers!

 

January 26, 2009

Hi, Guys,

Just checking in to say that not only is life busy, our computers are having glitches.  So Farmersonthedell, the name for our main computer where all the pictures are stored, is in the PC World shop for surgeryfor a complicated condition.  I can’t even explain it, maybe John will come on later (but don’t hold your breath.)  I know that the pictures are a big part of the appeal, so I don’t feel much like trying to post without them.  Somehow, I think you will agree with me.

But just to let you know that we are looking into a visit “home” as in back to the U.S. maybe coming up in April.  This would be a two-week for all but John to include Holy week and Easter week!  Woo – hoo!   These are the blah times of the year; it is still chilly (but not freezing, thank the Lord!);  days are short, and it is dark a lot; and we miss people so much.  But truly, life is good, we continue working on our family relationships – I mean right here at Blackhedge Farm and trying to find the right niche for talents and service. 

So keep us in prayer.  Love you all…

It's winter in U.K.

 

Our Girls have come and gone…

Yes, Kristin and Kathryn did indeed arrive on Jan. 2, and on Thursday, 14/1/09, Mom Maria drove them to Heathrow to go home.  How the time flew!  We flew also, to Italia – both Roma and Firenze (or Rome and Florence.)  What fun it was to be together doing something really engaging and memory-building.

The whole gathering began with John taking the girls from the airport to Windsor Castle, a tour that perfectly oriented them to being in England.  They loved it! Later on, Kristin and Kathryn first walked through the front door of Blackhedge Farm  (HAPPY New Year!)  We proceeded to have a lovely Christmas dinner, carolling, and exchanging of Christmas gifts.  It was pleasant and low-key, quite unlike a typical, hectic Christmas day.

Christmas dinner with the family! Brad pretending to be grumpy...

The next day was a day of packing and visiting High Street for shopping and attending the evening Mass.  Sunday, we flew out of Gatwick airport to Rome, arriving about midnight at Hotel Verona, where we had two rooms, one for the three boys and the other for the four girls.

first night in Hotel Verona

In Rome on day 1, we walked from our hotel to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum via Trevi Fountain and the Bridge of Sant Angelo.  The highlight was a marvelous tour of the Vatican Museum given by Joanne,  a British tour guide from (the aptly named) Maximus Tours.  In three hours she got us all the way through the museum without us feeling that she was rushing; in truth, you could probably spend a week there really studying all the intricate beauty represented by the thousands of distinct pieces of art.  Following are a few photos to illustrate.  (Also, feel free to go to Kathryn’s new blog, http://kkeurotravels.wordpress.com to see other pics and read her spin on things.  Her writing is good and funny, too.)

We passed by the Roman seminary for American men studying for the priesthood  (that fortunately we recognized as we travelled the maze of the streets.)  There we met Sr. Evonne Mary who gave us tickets to get in to St. Peter’s Basilica for the next day’s Epiphany Mass with Pope Benedict XVI!  (Later in the week, she led us to tour guides for a final tour in Rome – three of the Four Major Catholic Basilicas in Rome and the Roman Coliseum – another story).

We passed by many sculptures and carvings such as this one.

Trevi Fountain was shining brightly

Soon, we were to arrive at St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in Christendom.   The beautiful day highlighted the blessing we felt as we made our way to that holy place of Christian worship.

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sculpture in the Vatican Museum

A gallery ceiling in Vatican Museum (not Sistine chapel)

 

‘Twas the Night before Christmas… (some pics added)

…and, the UKPOP contingent is having a merry old time.

It is a great blessing to unite two families (minus two very important Elliott girls, alas!), the Elliotts and the McNichols.  Yesterday we started off with a “full, English breakfast” – a big deal in the U.K., mushrooms, beans, sausages, and all.  Then we headed off for Birmingham, an alleged hour to the north, for the Frankfurt Weinachtsmarkt, billed as the largest German Christmas market in the world, outside of Germany/Austria.  There were some 600 stalls of every kind of treat, toy, and craft you can think of, to finish Christmas shopping.  Lots of fun.  Then we went to the Butcher’s Arms, a pub in Sheepscombe about 10 miles from home on circuitous, one-lane country roads.  Really exciting in the dark (no streetlights or houses, either!)

Dinner was enjoyed by all, and we returned to the house where each went to his/her own entertainment or a well-deserved “long winter’s nap.”  More later, folks.    Midnight Mass won’t wait, even though at this point it is only 16 hours, and there is still much to do!

Praise the Lord!

Birmingham's town square has new statues?

Theresee, Vincent, and John staying warm.

Birmingham Weinachmarkt

 

John Milton

400 years ago, Dec. 8 1608, John Milton was born.  Because he was a British poet and essayist, there has been a bit of a to-do about him and his importance to literature.  If you are like me, you may have only heard that he wrote Paradise Lost and realized that he was a “great” writer without really knowing his work. 

BBC Radio 3 (one of the cool stations here in UK) has been celebrating him this week by having a famous voice read one of his poems or short works every morning, noon, and evening and talking about him.  I thought it might be nice to share one of his poems with you.  As you may know, it is best to read a poem out loud rather than silently.  So “lay on, Macduff”!

On Time  by John Milton

 

Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy plummet’s pace;
And glut thyself with what thy womb devours,
Which is no more than what is false and vain,
And merely mortal dross;
So little is our loss,
So little is thy gain.
For when as each thing bad thou hast intombed,
And last of all thy greedy self consumed,
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss,
And Joy shall overtake us as a flood;
When every thing that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine,
With truth, and peace, and love, shall ever shine
About the supreme throne
Of Him, t’ whose happy-making sight alone
When once our heav’nly-guided soul shall climb,
Then, all this earthly grossness quit,
Attired with stars, we shall for ever sit,
Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee, O Time”

 

Hello world!

We are about to embark on a great new adventure:

The United Kingdom and in particular – ENGLAND !

We hope you will accompany us on the journey by  1) checking up on our progress via the blog, and 2) coming to visit us sometime.

Let the adventure begin!