Our Cottage in Cornwall

Just checking in to say that we are feeling very Blessed in that we have had a wonderful holiday. A week before I was seriously wishing that we could cancel because I was experiencing such pain. 

What a blessing to have friends in the community who care enough to hold us up in prayer.

Our outward journeys were easy (there were 2 as we broke the journey staying at a Premier Inn) and we are just loving this luxurious accommodation which includes two bedrooms with the modernest of en-suite bathrooms.

The owner is an artist and everything is tasteful and of the highest quality.

Our daughter stayed here during Spring half term week.

We are staying on this lovely farm with views of the valleys all around.

We have visited some charming places everyday, ( including the village where Doc Martin is filmed) and it has been hot and sunny.

However we are ready to begin our journey home tomorrow.

A modern Barn conversion

 

We have a wedding party to attend the evening we arrive home and Sunday is full but have many, many great photos to post as soon as I am able.

6th May - A Day to be Thankful

6th May 2010. Today is the World Day of Prayer which also happens to be the day we went to the polls in this country. Thought by many to be the most crucial Election of all times. Certainly I have never known such media coverage nor such a sense of the church coming together in prayer to pray for our parliament and fast and interceed for a Godly out come.



My own church has been getting together to fast and pray and last evening had an amazing time in the Spirit during a time of praise and worship as we acknowledged the soverienty of God. How thankful I am to know that God is still in control and still on the throne no matter what the outcome and that we do not have to depend on anyone or anything but Him for our security. As darkness covers the earth so His light will shine brighter until the time when His light will totally swallow up the darkness. So thankful that we can stand in that. Our prayers go out to see Godly men and women in Parliament.





I was also thankful today to have my daughter Janie back in the country after a business trip to California. As the ash cloud started to move again and some westerly airports were closed in the country I so hoped that she would not be stranded as my son was recently in Spain, as although little Oliver and Rebekah were being looked after well by Daddy, they were looking forward to seeing Mummy again.







Something visual to finish - St. Clements, a church in my Borough that featured in the film "Four Weddings and a Funeral". This church is by the River Thames and here we were visiting it whilst out on a Ramble. In past centuries this church was a stopping off post for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

On The Ocean

In going through 50 years of photographs for a slide show to show at our Golden wedding I came across many that would be fun to post over time. Here I begin with photographs of my first year of married life, at sea with my husband, sailing up and down the Eastern Seaboard of Canada, America and Mexico, sailing to many ports on the way. Just a random few and quality not too great as they have been scanned from old transparencies.

The full ecstasies and agonies of this trip are told in a chapter of 'My Story', found by clicking on same in the right hand sidebar under 'labels'.


Yes I am steering the ship - but not for long!

Sailing past The Bahamas

The Mexican Gulf

Lifeboats were good for sunbathing!

On the beach in Mexico

Dolphins love to dive ahead of the ship

Taking a noon time sight of the sun - for navigation

The Queen Mary passing us on it's way into New York Harbour

The tranquility of Nova Scotia

These are the aunt and uncle of the second mate on the ship who lived in White Plains, New York State. When they heard that there was a lady on the ship they invited us to stay with them every time we docked in New York. No sweat shirts and fleeces in those days - suits and suits only!

Linda on the right was the daughter of the ship's agent and her friend on the left. They travelled from Halifax to spend some time with me.

We swam regularly in a disused quarry in Nova Scotia

Mississippi river boat

Yours truly with the second mate and his aunt

Seaplane gas station on the Mississippi

So much time spent gazing ahead (until the camera showed up!) Beleive me the sea was not always this calm, especially when there were hurricanes around!

Beautiful Fall in Nova Scotia but unfortunately faded in the ancient photo

The husband, Alan who was Chief Engineer on the ship. Alan had always been on large oil tankers but when I met him he was again at college studying for 9 months. In order to earn some money when we got married he took a posting on a small cargo ship.

The ship high and dry in the Bay of Fundi where the tide goes out for 3 miles.

This is a very small cargo ship and it would be hard to describe what it was like being 'hoved to' in the middle of the Atlantic in the worst weather Alan had ever experienced in 9 years. It took us 3 weeks to cross the Atlantic from the East of England, then around the Northern tip of Scotland to Nova Scotia.

Where I Hang My Hat is Home

Those that have read 'my story' will know that we have always had many guests stay with us in our home, total guest book entries to date almost 600. Next week we are having a guest from Ohio who stayed with us a lot in the 70's and who I have not seen since he drove 5 hours to visit me in Kentucky in 1996. How surprised we were last week to have him call and say that he was engaged to be married to an English lady and would be in the country and would love to come and visit again along with his fiancee.

This got me to thinking of the many homes that I have stayed in over the years here in England, Europe and the USA. As it happens I am at present going through my old photo albums in order to compile a slideshow to present at our upcoming 50th wedding anniversary, so thought it would make a fun post to show some of the homes of friends that I have stayed in in America.

How I would love to show you inside some of these beautiful homes but would not dream of invading the owners privacy.

Connecticut

Massachusetts

North Carolina

North Carolina

New Jersey

Tennessee

Missisippi

Kentucky

Maryland

North Carolina

Tennessee

This was not truly a home but a mountain chalet in Gatlinburg

North Carolina

North Carolina

Texas

Kentucky

Kentucky

Kentucky

Kentucky

Kentucky