Winter
solstice
The darkest and the coldest time
Is also the best time
O Christmas Christ
The radiance around the moon
Is not as fair
As the radiance
Around your head
O Holy One
The majesty of the winter sea
is not as glorious as your majesty.
At the departing times
The coldest times
of our lives;
At the times of excitement
and the times of expectance.
At the times of intersection
when hard choices
have to be made.
Be with us
Prince of peace.
Kate
Mcllhagga
So what has happened this year? Well, we have all got a year older, which is fun for the younger members of the family, with lots of lovely family birthdays, William is now one, Gemma 2 11/12 Joseph a tall 7 and what a surprise on my birthday! 21st November saw Mary and me becoming great aunts and uncles for the first time, with the arrival of young Toby at a large 5lbs 14oz for someone who should have arrived well after Christmas.
Last Christmas was a very exciting time with a family gathering at Vivienne and Ian's house for the beautiful wedding of Holly and Tim followed by a wonderful family Christmas.
Our Dave, Charlie, Pete and Claire
Yes we did get up for breakfast the next morning!
February saw us back in Rwanda helping Rob and Jan with the Aquafilter project which involved field testing 1000 filters, a mamoth task to set up.
Our friend Mary Ogalo from Kenya came to investigate setting up training
for young girls in self esteem and life planning
In the house of our friend Jonas with his parents, Rob had managed to organise
a new wheel chair for his father with the help of a specialist charity.
April saw us visiting the wonderful Viking exhibition at the British Museum together with the wonderful Anglo Saxon treasures always on display.
imagine making this with no means of magnification
.
The iconic Sutton Hoo helmet
Easter saw us visiting some of our beautiful national trust houses for the onset of spring flowers a joyful reminder of Easter an empty tomb and new life spring up all around.
The Snowdrop
Now —
now, as low I stooped, thought I,
I will see what this snowdrop is;
So shall I put much argument by,
And solve a lifetime's mysteries.
A northern wind had frozen the grass;
Its blades were hoar with crystal rime,
Aglint like light-dissecting glass
At beam of morning prime.
From hidden bulb the flower reared up
Its angled, slender, cold, dark stem,
Whence dangled an inverted cup
For tri-leaved diadem.
Beneath these ice-pure sepals lay
A triplet of green-pencilled snow,
Which in the chill-aired gloom of day
Stirred softly to and fro.
Mind fixed, but else made vacant, I,
Lost to my body, called my soul
To don that frail solemnity,
Its inmost self my goal.
And though in vain — no mortal mind
Across that threshold yet hath fared! —
In this collusion I divined
Some consciousness we shared.
Strange roads — while suns, a myriad, set —
Had led us through infinity;
And where they crossed, there then had met
Not two of us, but three.
I will see what this snowdrop is;
So shall I put much argument by,
And solve a lifetime's mysteries.
A northern wind had frozen the grass;
Its blades were hoar with crystal rime,
Aglint like light-dissecting glass
At beam of morning prime.
From hidden bulb the flower reared up
Its angled, slender, cold, dark stem,
Whence dangled an inverted cup
For tri-leaved diadem.
Beneath these ice-pure sepals lay
A triplet of green-pencilled snow,
Which in the chill-aired gloom of day
Stirred softly to and fro.
Mind fixed, but else made vacant, I,
Lost to my body, called my soul
To don that frail solemnity,
Its inmost self my goal.
And though in vain — no mortal mind
Across that threshold yet hath fared! —
In this collusion I divined
Some consciousness we shared.
Strange roads — while suns, a myriad, set —
Had led us through infinity;
And where they crossed, there then had met
Not two of us, but three.
Sheffield park
Now — now, as low I stooped, thought I,
I will see what this snowdropis;
So shall I put much argument by,
And solve a lifetime's mysteries.
A northern wind had frozen the grass;
Its blades were hoar with crystal rime,
Aglint like light-dissecting glass
At beam of morning prime.
From hidden bulb the flower reared up
Its angled, slender, cold, dark stem,
Whence dangled an inverted cup
For tri-leaved diadem.
Beneath these ice-pure sepals lay
A triplet of green-pencilled snow,
Which in the chill-aired gloom of day
Stirred softly to and fro.
Mind fixed, but else made vacant, I,
Lost to my body, called my soul
To don that frail solemnity,
Its inmost self my goal.
And though in vain — no mortal mind
Across that threshold yet hath fared! —
In this collusion I divined
Some consciousness we shared.
Strange roads — while suns, a myriad, set —
Had led us through infinity;
And where they crossed, there then had met
Not two of us, but three.
I will see what this snowdropis;
So shall I put much argument by,
And solve a lifetime's mysteries.
A northern wind had frozen the grass;
Its blades were hoar with crystal rime,
Aglint like light-dissecting glass
At beam of morning prime.
From hidden bulb the flower reared up
Its angled, slender, cold, dark stem,
Whence dangled an inverted cup
For tri-leaved diadem.
Beneath these ice-pure sepals lay
A triplet of green-pencilled snow,
Which in the chill-aired gloom of day
Stirred softly to and fro.
Mind fixed, but else made vacant, I,
Lost to my body, called my soul
To don that frail solemnity,
Its inmost self my goal.
And though in vain — no mortal mind
Across that threshold yet hath fared! —
In this collusion I divined
Some consciousness we shared.
Strange roads — while suns, a myriad, set —
Had led us through infinity;
And where they crossed, there then had met
Not two of us, but three.
Wakehurst place
Three crosses and an empty tomb
Eleven faithful disciples not sure about the Easter chicks!
April also saw our annual expedition to Exmoor beautiful in the Spring.
Mary somewhere on Exmoor.
Exmoor was a wonderful training ground for our annual Amos trust cycling trip which I partook with David and a friend. It started in Bridlington, went over a few bumps in the middle and landed us via Malham and York in Bridlington where we met the rest of our family had a few wet days at the seaside.
Joan, Dave and myself arriving in Bridlington to be greeted by Joseph.
Malham was actually getting excited about the arrival of the Tour de France, not Dave and myself.
So not content with sunny Bridlington June found us in San Quirico D'Orcia followed by Cinque Terre on the Italian coast, our first proper visit to Italy since before our wedding and the start of our Ruby wedding anniversary in July.
Medieval town square in San Quirico
One of our holiday highlights was listening to Gregorian chant
by the monks of this perfect Romanesque monastry
July I was off to Normandy with the Southover cycling trip visiting some of our favourite haunts just over the channel from Newhaven
The last meal has to be fancy dress
13th July saw sixty of our friends and family gathered for a wonderful celebratory meal for our Ruby wedding, followed by a concert by Mary's gospel choir.
A wonderful meal
Mary with cousin John and brother Paul
Cutting the cake, beautifully iced by our dear friend Hilary Ferns.
August saw us camping in Asburnham at the very inspiring Icthus bible camp, then off to Jersey to visit Mary's brother Paul.
A leisurely meal in Jersey
August ended with a lovely trip with our grandson Joseph to see an open air version of Peter Pan
Peter Pan
September and we were off to Bodiam castle to see David complete his first triathelon
Entering the moat
Congratulations and a medal!
October saw us in London for a wonderful joint birthday treat a visit to
Shakespeare's Globe for the comedy of errors
Performing on stage
The group arrives outside the Albert Hall
September also found Mary singing with the Lewes Sings Gospel choir inthe Royal Albert Hall, having earlier won the BBC lewes gospel singers of the year. We watched a wonderful performance of the choir and joined in singing well known songs and hymns of especial note were the amzing sound we made singing the Hallelujah Chorus and Zadok the priest.
November and December see us back in Rwanda which I have extensively blogged about below so here we are almost Christmas time for a rest and look forward to what we have in store in the coming year!
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