Tea Party in aid of village church funds

This afternoon, after the Grand Prix, we went to a Tea Party in aid of church funds for one of the village churches. In each room and even out in the garden there were people sitting and enjoying fellowship together. The spread of eats was fantastic. We moved from room to room and all around the beautiful garden before finding 2 seats and enjoying the welcome cup of tea and fantastic selection of cakes and savoury eats. It reminded me of the teas we used to enjoy at WA meetings in Mtubatuba. I wish that I was able to capture the lovely perfume in the garden but I was given some Sweet Peas to bring home so at least that means that I get to enjoy the lovely smell for a while longer. Eventually we had to leave as Douglas still had another service this evening but having feasted so well there will be no supper tonight.

Another Wedding

Douglas loves taking weddings and since being here he has missed having frequent weddings. At 3pm this afternoon we had another wedding at the church in Downham Market. This was rather different because the Bride is from Tiawan. The Groom is the son of one of our church leaders. The service was lovely with songs in both languages and readings from the Bible as well as from the Dali Lama. The parents of the Bride had to have translations as they were not familiar with English and we were all impressed at the Groom's skills in translating for his mother in law. The reception was held at one of our local hotels and the food was excellent as was the company. They even served South African wine. The Bride's father made a speech that was translated into English by the Maid of Honour, the Bride's sister. The Groom's brother, the Best Man, entertained us all with his delightful speech. We left before the music started but even so only got home at 9.15pm and as it was still light outside I had no problems driving from the church.

Dinner with a difference

Tonight we went to one of the villages to return the massage bed that Douglas had borrowed for his eye surgery. They folk who had lent us the bed insisted that we come for dinner and what a lovely evening we had. We only left after 10pm so nearly overstayed our welcome. They live in a converted Methodist Chapel and have called their house Wesley House. There are quite a few converted chapels in the UK but unlike others, this one still looks like a Chapel from the outside. The bedrooms, bathroom and a sitting room are downstairs and the lounge/dinning room and kitchen and a toilet are upstairs with two stair cases. All are beautifully restored and decorated. They even had pews in the passages and entrance foyer. The old school building at the back of the property has been converted into living accommodation that has been let out to a tenant. The food was delicious and the company good so we had a fun filled evening enjoying the food and the fellowship.

A new experience

For a while I thought I was back in SA. We received a letter to say we would be without electricity for 45 minutes last night and again early this morning. Here the similarity ended. As we got ready to take Douglas to his meeting we noticed a large truck off loading a huge unit next to the substation at the edge of the open piece of land opposite our house. We then realized that this was a temporary substation that would be in operation while they upgraded the permanent one. 15 minutes after the allocated time we lost power but after another 15 minutes it was restored. Unfortunately it proved to be a long 15 minutes for me as the alarm siren decided to scream the whole time. I ran around trying to deactivate it but had no success nor did Douglas when he returned from his meeting and there was another dip in the power. He was lucky though as it was just a dip so did not go on as long as it had earlier. (A reward for him as he had turned down the offer to chair the festival committee meetings.) When we retired to our room for the night we were hummed to sleep by the gentle sounds of a generator coming through the open bedroom window and so we once again thought we were back in SA. This morning we had the rude awakening of the alarm screaming again and so we knew that the time for the switch back had arrived. Fortunately this was for less than 15 minutes and again we were reminded that we were not in Africa.

Summer time in Lynn

We had to go to Kings Lynn for a dentist appointment and were thrilled to see all the beautiful summer flowers on display there. They do go to town in the UK to decorate the towns and villages with displays of flowers along streets and stations everywhere.

60 years of friendship

The ladies Friendship circle celebrated their 60th Birthday with a lovely party. Photographs were on display, and the function room was filled with ladies who had a good time sharing how much the group had meant to them over the years. Both ministers were there and of course there was the usual "Tea" and grape juice to toast the group as well as two Birthday cakes just in case one did not like fruit cake.

The Catholic Cathedral

This is a very modern building but a very impressive building none the less. The atmosphere inside was warm and welcoming.

An Exhibition reminding us of our roots

At the Maritime museum there was a photographic exhibition that reminded us of home. No cameras were allowed so I could not take pictures inside.

Liverpool, the home of the Beatles

We had planned to visit the Beatles museum but the noise level outside was unreal so we gave it a miss. All around the City one sees recognition given to the Beatles, statues on buildings and music echoing around wherever one goes.

Out and about in Liverpool

It was good to be out and about in the Liverpool city center and waterfront. There is so much to see and the City is very user friendly for tourists. We enjoyed all the sights and the weather was good so all in all a good time all round.

Liverpool Cathedral

We are here to attend an Ordination service in the Liverpool Cathedral so decided that we would visit the venue while doing our tour of the city. This cathedral is relatively young as it is a mere 100 years old but has been built in a style similar to those built many years before.
The Ladies Chapel is lovely and cosey and suitable for weddings and funerals. Douglas went up into the tower where he had a good view of the city and of me reading my book while I waited for his return. The atmosphere was great and we look forward to the service this afternoon to hear the singing and the magnificent organ in action.