Author: Catherine Lee

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Selby Abbey ~ wedding venue for Jay Chou 周杰倫!

Catherine Lee

On January 17, 2015, Selby Abbey suddenly became England’s most famous church.  Not to the English in England maybe.  But in Taiwan and perhaps Mainland China, definitely yes.  Suddenly more famous than Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, St. Paul’s or Westminster Abbey.  And the place has been humming with Taiwanese and Chinese visitors ever since. All coming to see the church and town where famous Taiwanese singer Jay Chou 周杰倫 and his wife were married on that day.  The internet is buzzing with reports of the great event, the Daily Mail one is here. The couple certainly kept it secret at the time, but … Continue reading Selby Abbey ~ wedding venue for Jay Chou 周杰倫!

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5 hours talk talk talk!

Catherine Lee

Here we are, or rather there we were, the 3 of us, in York today, meeting up for coffee.  Me, Shelagh and Diana.  And in great excitement and anticipation of such a special event, dear Shelagh had paid for parking for 5 hours…..  yep, five whole hours!  So, coffee stretched into lunch, and lunch stretched into, well the mid-afternoon.   And we talked non-stop. Lots to talk about.  All of us have been with CMS somewhere sometime somehow.  And lots to laugh about too, hence the photo.  Actually we took it for our good friend Rev. George Kovoor, our former … Continue reading 5 hours talk talk talk!

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Liverpool and the Wirral

Catherine Lee

Staying with my lovely CMS friends, Linda and Nigel, who’ve just retired back home to the Wirral ~ my first ever visit.  You might even see them in a photo below, spot them smiling away! They’re very involved in Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and in connection with that, off we went yesterday to Christ the King Church, Birkenhead, part of the Priory Parish, where there’s a soup lunch on Tuesdays for local people, no charge, plus food distribution at low cost.  Great ministry to families and those in need…. Then to the Mersey Ferry, which is newly painted as Everybody Razzle … Continue reading Liverpool and the Wirral

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CMS Link Visit to St. Thomas Church, Batley, W. Yorkshire

Catherine Lee

Some churches just look kinda amazing on the outside – but then are a major disappointment when you get in.  Well, they’re often ancient, beautiful, calm, lovely, but oh so dark, oh so huge, oh so impractical….. St. Thomas Church, Batley is the opposite.  Huge, dark, imposing and grim on the outside, especially on a rainy day.  But get inside and it’s a whole different world.  No pews, they’re long gone.  It’s all chairs.  And carpet.  And the best thing is the big east window.  RED, so very RED!  And the choir stalls have little red lamps, matching the red … Continue reading CMS Link Visit to St. Thomas Church, Batley, W. Yorkshire

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Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Catherine Lee

An hour.  Never long enough of course.  Certainly not to see everything at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  But worth it on a sunny spring day with an hour to spare…. There’s tons of sculptures by famous people like Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and even Ai Weiwei… so many in fact that it’s impossible to look at everything – so a few highlights only! Iron Tree by Ai Weiwei (above) is located right next to what was the old chapel, now used for an art installation about coal.  The tree is constructed from branches, roots and trunks from all different trees. Recycled … Continue reading Yorkshire Sculpture Park

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Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex

Catherine Lee

Been hanging out in busy Bexhill-on-Sea.  Bit more laid back than some of the neighbouring towns along the Sussex coast, maybe that’s what attracts all the retired people there.  Can’t imagine though how they cope with the seagulls which start screeching at 5:15am.  Yep, early morning in Bexhill is noisy.  Nowhere near as noisy as the seagull dawn chorus in Dundee, but still, it’s a laid back sort of town with laid back gulls, and I just love them gulls! Nice views along the cliffs to Hastings ~ just look at that sea so calm…. Have to admit to getting … Continue reading Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex

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Romney Marsh

Catherine Lee

“The world according to the best geographers is divided into Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Romney Marsh” from Ingoldsby Legends, Rev. Richard Harris Barham So there you have it ~ Romney Marsh is VERY famous.  And today I went right across it from east to west.  Very green, and very very flat.  Field after field of sheep and lambs ~ never seen so many.  And it’s even got a charming little train chugging across the marsh, I even saw it. My friends in the know told me that I just MUST visit 2 famous churches in Romney Marsh, so of course I … Continue reading Romney Marsh

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Postling and Folkestone, Kent

Catherine Lee

Quaint and Quirky ~ that’s Postling!  Such a delightfully charming English village.  Just imagine it ~ sheep and lambs in every field, primroses and daffodils on every roadside, little cottages galore and an ancient black and white manor house.  There’s even a red telephone box with a real telephone. And an old church with wooden beams and ancient wall paintings.  And a village full of interesting people. Most interesting of all of course are my good friends from CMS, Peter and Sarah. They live right there in Postling, surrounded by lambs and sheep, primroses and daffodils ~ and there I … Continue reading Postling and Folkestone, Kent

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Easter Gardens…

Catherine Lee

A great Easter tradition, but not so much in Taiwan, so one of the highlights of this Easter is to see what Easter gardens are around ~ and there’s some fantastic ones! This one was in All Saints Church in Maidstone, Kent this morning ~ not only does it look good, but the hyacinths smell so wonderful too… And then this one, the empty tomb, in Rochester Cathedral this afternoon…. Can’t let you go without 2 more photos of Rochester Cathedral today – evensong was happening, but they still let visitors in to wander around the main part taking photos… now … Continue reading Easter Gardens…