Tag: UK

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My Thousand-Mile Christmas

Catherine Lee

Well, 1006 miles to be precise ~ 5 days round trip, down south and back again…. Christmas is often about family and mine are scattered.  Stayed with family in deepest Sussex and each morning over Christmas drove around the M23, London Orbital M25 and A3 to deepest Surrey, taking my mother to visit my father, and then in the afternoon drove all the way back again. 60 miles each way.  How I LOVE the M25!  Actually on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day it was just about empty.  Only us on it. In fact, we managed to avoid serious traffic jams … Continue reading My Thousand-Mile Christmas

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Bishop Leonard Wilson Memorial @ Askrigg Church, Wensleydale

Catherine Lee

Yesterday ~ a sharp frost, but bright sun all day, and at my father’s suggestion, went to check out Askrigg Church in Wensleydale, N. Yorkshire to see the memorial to Bishop Leonard Wilson, most famous for being Bishop of Singapore during the Japanese occupation, when he was imprisoned and tortured…. His sermon of how he suffered, yet kept the faith, shared the Gospel with some of his captors and led some of them to faith is retold in his sermon here, published in 1946.  He retired to Askrigg in 1969 and although he died only a year later, he clearly … Continue reading Bishop Leonard Wilson Memorial @ Askrigg Church, Wensleydale

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Radlett and St. Albans ~ the heart of Herts!

Catherine Lee

Spending the weekend down south in Radlett, Herts visiting old family friends, Fred and Sheila, it’s quite a place – and they’re quite some friends, known ’em all m’life! Got here yesterday Saturday, early afternoon just as the synagogue worship was finishing and everyone was streaming out onto the main street. Seems that in the 2011 census, 28.3% of the town identified themselves as Jewish…..  I even had time to check out Christ Church, Radlett which was having a fun day for Brownies…. well they all looked happy enough! And this morning a few miles up the road to St. Albans for … Continue reading Radlett and St. Albans ~ the heart of Herts!

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The Devil’s Punchbowl ~ yep it’s a real place!

Catherine Lee

What a place! Down in deepest Surrey, far from the madding crowd…. found myself there yesterday for all of 5 minutes ~ and the sun was out ‘n it was stunning! It’s rather disturbing name turns out to be the stuff of lots of legends, and the one promoted at the site is that the Devil, in his spare time, hurled lumps of earth at the god Thor to annoy him. The hollow he scooped the earth out of became the Punch Bowl. The local village of Thursley means Thor’s place…. A must-see kind of place – what a view! Continue reading The Devil’s Punchbowl ~ yep it’s a real place!

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Ah London ~ so much to see, so little time!

Catherine Lee

My first day back in the UK with a long list of things to do, including the major excitement of laminating the group photo of last month’s House of Bishops in Taiwan – so with that excuse and clutching my large rolled-up photo, off I go to the big city! Underground train to London Bridge and a walk along Tooley Street to Tower Bridge, and London City Mission – when I lived there many years ago, it was well, like not exactly the highest class area of London – now though the area is all done up, and the old derelict wharves … Continue reading Ah London ~ so much to see, so little time!

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A Summer in Sedbergh….

Catherine Lee

A Summer in Sedbergh – and quite some summer!  Tourists galore soaking up the sunshine, browsing in the bookshops and hiking up the Howgills, while the locals are enjoying the summer weather walking their dogs, and smiling at increased trade in the town… Meanwhile I’m busy sorting, clearing, packing and driving up almost daily to the Sedbergh Charity Shop to offload box after box of all sorts of wonderful stuff, now all on display inside the shop and outside on the street.  If you’re up this way, do come and check it all out – there’s some great bargains on … Continue reading A Summer in Sedbergh….