Postling and Folkestone, Kent

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

Haddington, East Lothian

Kinda misread the postcode and before I knew it, my friends turned out to have moved to EH41 not EH4 – which is the difference between the west and east side of Edinburgh ~ so off I redirected myself to what turned out to be the very lovely town of Haddington in East Lothian, birthplace of John Knox (considered to be the founder of the Scottish Presbyterian Church) no less! A historic and beautiful town with famous churches and buildings galore, and a nice Holy Week Prayer Cairn at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church…. And discovering in fact that we’re now kind of directly … Continue reading Haddington, East Lothian

Snow, snow and more snow ~ in April!

It may be April Fool’s Day but this is no joke – waking up to a thick covering of the white stuff today and it’s supposed to be spring!  Here I am in Strathardle, in deepest Scotland – and looking at them poor sheep frozed outside the house early this morning…. This morning, driving over Moulin Moor and down into Pitlochry looked like this – it’s bleak out there! Now southward bound – Easter is coming! Continue reading Snow, snow and more snow ~ in April!

Glenshee, Perthshire

When in Scotland gotta go and check out the ancestors ~ and so it was that today I found myself in Netherton, Bridge of Cally where my grandmother was born and brought up – at the Smithy…. Netherton is right at the beginning of Glenshee, and so, determined to get as far as possible up Glenshee before the rain came, off I went, up and up….. Right up to the top in fact, to the Glenshee Ski Slopes, the UK’s largest ski resort, and the highest public road in the UK at 670m…. although now closed for the summer. It’s actually just … Continue reading Glenshee, Perthshire

The Fife Coast

Visited Kinghorn this afternoon ~ the harbour is still the same from all the times I’ve visited my relatives here in years gone by ~ the old church, the beach, the lifeboat station, and the sea, even at low tide ~ beautiful! And now I’m further along the Fife coast visiting friends ~ this is the view from their local hill, Largo Law, the remains of a volcanic plug…. That’s the Firth of Forth, and the hills of East Lothian in the distance.  What a view ~ but it wasn’t half a steep climb up to get there! Continue reading The Fife Coast

Forth Bridges, Edinburgh

Spent an amazing few hours at the Forth Bridges near Edinburgh today ~ the road bridge, rail bridge and even the construction work that’s going on for the new one…. They are truly incredible!  This is the charming village of South Queensferry, and the view north across the Firth of Forth…… And at North Queensferry, the village is almost right under the bridge…. and the view south… There’s tons of history, tons of steel ~ and tons of awe at what has been made ~ definitely big WOW factor! Continue reading Forth Bridges, Edinburgh

Scotland, Sunny Scotland

YES, sun, sun and more sun, incredible! Here I am in very bonny and very sunny Scotland ~ yippee!  Just been visiting my good friend Elizabeth who’s now starting her second retirement ~ in the most beautiful place ever, West Kilbride.  I’d originally kinda assumed it must be near East Kilbride ~ but no, it’s way out west, 40 miles SW of Glasgow, right on the west coast with spectacular views of the mountains on the Isle of Arran and all up the Firth of Clyde…. Elizabeth was a tutor at the CMS Training College, Crowther Hall, in the Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, having been … Continue reading Scotland, Sunny Scotland

Land’s End, Cornwall

You just MUST go to Land’s End, honest, just once in yer life!  Even if you are not starting or ending a Land’s End to John o’ Groats marathon.  GO!  Not to see Shaun the sheep, dinosaurs, llamas and all the other theme park attractions (yep, they’re all there, honest!) but just to get to the furthest end of the country and look out over the magnificent cliffs and see the sea, the rocks, the lighthouse, and the amazing seabirds.  It is fantastic! And even if you don’t come from Doncaster – or even know where it is.  As you … Continue reading Land’s End, Cornwall

St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall

What a place!  An island at high tide, connected to the mainland at low tide by a causeway ~ and then on top of the island, what used to be a Benedictine Monastery, then converted to a castle and garrison, and now also a kind of family home and museum…. St. Michael’s Mount is run by the National Trust, along with the St. Aubyn family ~ really well-organised and well-run, and I was so pleased to be the first person in there today! Had a wonderful morning climbing up all the steps, enjoying the views and the sun ~ it’s … Continue reading St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall