Tuesday, July 24, 2007
sunny France
It was so nice to be in France where the weather was actually like summer! It was around 75 to 80 degrees and mostly sunny. London has been rainy and cool, often not getting over 68. 68 is good but I need more sunshine. Today is TUESDAY the 24th July: When we got home from France I found that the refrigerator in the main kitchen was not cold, not even cool. So the milk and everything else was spoiled. Ed used a good part of the day to check out refrigerators on the internet through a company called "Which". It is similar to consumer reports but for the U.K. We greet new guests, a family of four, from Chicago, IL. At 7:30p we have a house dessert together because after the huge house meal last night, we were too full to eat dessert. Last night we ate rollkuchen and watermelon which is a Russian Mennonite meal that was eaten in the summer when they had lots of melons. If you want to try it out, the recipe is in the more with less cook book. Two of the Centres residents are back from Berkina Faso, where they were for six weeks for various reasons. They brought back treats of cashews and dried mango and gifts of carved elephants made out of hard redwood. Then later we briefly talked with Darlene Bontrager on Skype. So now it's time for bed and tomorrow has a lot of mailings of manuals to go out to participants of the next mediation facilitation workshop given by Bridge Builders.
Monday, July 23, 2007
What were we thinking????
About a month ago Tim and Karlyn Wedler wanted to know if we wanted to go with them to Disney land Paris for a weekend. Well, it's not what I would think to do if I go to Paris, but Tim and Karlyn are going home soon and they are a lot of fun to be around. Plus it's not often that 25 yr olds want to spend a significant amount of time with 50 plus year olds. So we agreed to go. Well, it was a good time, except for the travel to and from. We went low tech which meant leaving on a bus from London on Friday at 8:30p, to Dover, on a ferry to Calais, then to Paris where we ended up at the bus station at 8:00am having had a terrible time of sleeping on the bus & ferry. Then a whole day at the park. The weather was great which was a nice change from London. Ed and I headed to the Hostel earlier than the other 4 (there were two other young girls too). We got off at the right bus stop, but it was a bit tricky finding the hostel, on foot, not knowing french and it was getting dark. Well we made it, tired and weary and feeling all of our years. We slept in the next day while the other 4 went to the park at 8am. We met them at 12noon. The sleep helped a lot and we had another great day both at the park and weather wise. At the end of the day, we took the sub to the bus station and did the trip backwards through the night again. This time with the bus Nazi. He yelled at people and was very strict about what we could or couldn't have on the bus.
Friday, July 20, 2007
FRIDAY
I'm writing this before the day is out as we will be leaving for an out of town trip at 6p. I'll talk about that in another post.
Today Ed's day is filled with trying to fix the internet. That has involved talking with people on the phone and him getting a bit frustrated. He also takes care of all the ordering of anything for the centre whether it be paper supplies or office furniture, to hardware, phone lines, etc. So he is often on the phone learning how things are done in the UK.
I find that I am able to understand Brits on the phone much more easily and even the Northern Ireland and Scottish accents I can handle fairly well. There are times when I meet someone and they start talking and it might be a minute or so before I realize that they are American.
I've given out directions frequently to people who pass me on the street and I'm amazed that I usually know where it is they need to go.
I'm doing a lot of changing addresses in the data base on the computer and mailing out materials that have been requested.
I miss my job as a nurse and I think I will be ready to get back to it when we return in 2010. I hope I don't forget too much.
Today Ed's day is filled with trying to fix the internet. That has involved talking with people on the phone and him getting a bit frustrated. He also takes care of all the ordering of anything for the centre whether it be paper supplies or office furniture, to hardware, phone lines, etc. So he is often on the phone learning how things are done in the UK.
I find that I am able to understand Brits on the phone much more easily and even the Northern Ireland and Scottish accents I can handle fairly well. There are times when I meet someone and they start talking and it might be a minute or so before I realize that they are American.
I've given out directions frequently to people who pass me on the street and I'm amazed that I usually know where it is they need to go.
I'm doing a lot of changing addresses in the data base on the computer and mailing out materials that have been requested.
I miss my job as a nurse and I think I will be ready to get back to it when we return in 2010. I hope I don't forget too much.
THURSDAY
Today was busy with lots of "little" things. Ed did the mowing and trimming and raking of some debris that the walnut tree gives off.
There is a group called Partnership meeting today from 1p-6p so everything needs to be set up for that and then check on them through out and of course clean up afterwards.
I do some brownie baking as it is a cool and cloudy day and just seems right.
A new guest comes for a three day lay over on his way back from Ethiopia. It is Martin Histand, a 25 yr. old from Corvalis, OR. He was in the SALT program and has just finished. He is also a good friend of our oldest dau Emily and so we have a good time talking about that. He is there is time for tea and so meets the other young people at the Centre. He gets invited to have supper with the four young women of the house......I wonder why Ed and I weren't invited?
Our other family of guests are leaving in the morning so Ed and I are helping them with travel arrangements. I didn't realize before we came how much of that we would be doing. It is a little easier now that we have been here for awhile.
I get some house laundry done.
The Wood Green Mennonite Church (WGMC) has a prayer meeting for a 19 yo girl in the church dealing with cancer and chemotherapy.
There is a group called Partnership meeting today from 1p-6p so everything needs to be set up for that and then check on them through out and of course clean up afterwards.
I do some brownie baking as it is a cool and cloudy day and just seems right.
A new guest comes for a three day lay over on his way back from Ethiopia. It is Martin Histand, a 25 yr. old from Corvalis, OR. He was in the SALT program and has just finished. He is also a good friend of our oldest dau Emily and so we have a good time talking about that. He is there is time for tea and so meets the other young people at the Centre. He gets invited to have supper with the four young women of the house......I wonder why Ed and I weren't invited?
Our other family of guests are leaving in the morning so Ed and I are helping them with travel arrangements. I didn't realize before we came how much of that we would be doing. It is a little easier now that we have been here for awhile.
I get some house laundry done.
The Wood Green Mennonite Church (WGMC) has a prayer meeting for a 19 yo girl in the church dealing with cancer and chemotherapy.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
WEDNESDAY
Besides the usual things of the day, we take the mini van to Tesco's which is a large grocery store. We get groceries for the centre and for ourselves and fill the van up with gas. Gas here is 96 pence/liter. In U.S. money, that would come out to about $7/gallon.
We just did a large mailing and now I am dealing with address changes to be made in our data base. We also get a lot of requests for brochures and other information that need to be sent out. Email keeps pouring in and needs to be dealth with.
The LMC is in the middle of purchasing the remainder of the building that they don't own. Ed is doing all the phone work....getting the surveys and appraisals arranged, and then meeting with those people to show them around.
One of our regular prayer hut users has reserved today for it's use.
Ed and I have the young Canadian couple living on the third floor to our flat for supper.
We just did a large mailing and now I am dealing with address changes to be made in our data base. We also get a lot of requests for brochures and other information that need to be sent out. Email keeps pouring in and needs to be dealth with.
The LMC is in the middle of purchasing the remainder of the building that they don't own. Ed is doing all the phone work....getting the surveys and appraisals arranged, and then meeting with those people to show them around.
One of our regular prayer hut users has reserved today for it's use.
Ed and I have the young Canadian couple living on the third floor to our flat for supper.
TUESDAY
We start with the usual beginnings. Today there is a group of three from the National Youth Theatre who are coming to have a planning session for the rest of their season. We get a number of groups that are not associated with the Centre but like the facility and the large garden area in the back. By having a meeting here, they can get away from the office and not be bothered. Ed works on a desk he is making for the office. We have a staff meeting from 2-4p which we have every two weeks. New guests arrive and I show them aroung the centre and get them settled in. They join us for tea at 4p.
Tonight at 7:30 is the Wood Green Mennonite Church communion and meal at the Centre. We share a simple meal, have communion, foot washing, and then prayer time.
Tonight at 7:30 is the Wood Green Mennonite Church communion and meal at the Centre. We share a simple meal, have communion, foot washing, and then prayer time.
Monday, July 16, 2007
SUNDAY & MONDAY
Ed & I were talking and realized that we haven't really shown on this blog about what we actually do for the London Mennonite Centre. We have focused more on the sights and sounds of London which have been great. However, we do work as well and so I would like to journal for a week each month to give you a picture of our lives at the centre.
Sunday, 15th July: We have been here now for five months. When people stop me on the street and ask for directions to somewhere, I actually can tell them. Ed drove a neighbor of ours, some of his musician friends and their equipment to a BB/restuarant outside of London where they were putting on a concert/show and dinner. Johnny (the neighbor) is a professional singer and has done some acting at some of the West London theatres. This would be the equivalent to Broadway in New York. We can often hear him practicing when he has his back door & windows open as our back yards are next to each other. He is a fantastic singer.
I stayed back and went to church as I hadn't been in two weeks. Since Ed took the mini bus, it means we have to walk. This is a 40 min brisk walk one way. It's a good way to get your sense of direction. Afterwards, we often congregate in the lounge on the main floor and talk, play games, etc.
MONDAY, 16th July: Ed and I are at our "posts" by 8:30 or 9am. He sweeps the front porch and steps, the main bathrooms, make sure that the trash is emptied. I (Phyllis) try to look at the email first thing and get all of that answered. I receive all the email that is directed to the LMC and so either answer it or send it to the appropriate people. The mail comes around 10a and I distribute that. Today there is a "Root and Branch" meeting in the lounge. This is a network of Christian organizations in Britian & Ireland committed to shared radical values and vision with respect to anabaptist perspectives. We get the room ready with chairs, charts, coffee, etc. They are there until 1pm and then we clean up afterwards. We are welcome to sit in.
Mon - Fri's I have coffee & biscuits ready for break at 11a where all the staff gather in the kitchen around the table or outside if it is nice. At 12:50 Mon-Fri, we (the staff) have prayers in the chapel for 10 mins. Then it's lunch from 1p-2p. Ed and I are always "on" so to speak as if someone rings the door bell, then we are responsible to answer it. There are others who do if we are out. Also when the phone rings at the Centre, if we are there then we will answer it.
Ed has several little maintenance type things to do around the house and gets those done.
At 4p Mon-Fri, I have tea & biscuits ready for the staff and any guests or visitors that may be there. After tea, Ed wraps up any books that Will (the bookstore manager) has gotten ready to be mailed out from the metanoia book shop which is mostly an on line store.
Tonight is house meal night and we take turns with having the main course. It is our night and so I walk about the equivalent of 5-6 blocks to get some ingredients for spaghetti. At 6:30 we buzz that we are ready and all the people that live at the centre, plus any guests in the guests rooms at the time come for supper and bring whatever they signed up to bring. Tonight we have three guests so we have 16 people around the kitchen table. Lots of conversation goes on and the main topic is Ian's recent trip to the States. He flew with three other friends to Chicago, rented a car and drove to Goshen for three days, then drove through Ohio, stayed in Pennsylvania for awhile then to NYC. He loved it and was impressed. He got to see Amish and was able to do some water colors. Ian is an architect by profession and an artist as his hobby. Often Monday nights are topped off with me playing some scrabble with some of the younger girls, or rook, or other card game.
After 10 or 11p, we check to make sure that all the doors & windows downstairs are closed and locked, and the blinds are drawn and I recheck the calendar to see what is on for the next day. We try to phone Emily as it is around 3p when it is 10p here, but she doesn't have her phone on or is out of range. Then it is soon time for bed.......after checking the email and blog comments of course!
Sunday, 15th July: We have been here now for five months. When people stop me on the street and ask for directions to somewhere, I actually can tell them. Ed drove a neighbor of ours, some of his musician friends and their equipment to a BB/restuarant outside of London where they were putting on a concert/show and dinner. Johnny (the neighbor) is a professional singer and has done some acting at some of the West London theatres. This would be the equivalent to Broadway in New York. We can often hear him practicing when he has his back door & windows open as our back yards are next to each other. He is a fantastic singer.
I stayed back and went to church as I hadn't been in two weeks. Since Ed took the mini bus, it means we have to walk. This is a 40 min brisk walk one way. It's a good way to get your sense of direction. Afterwards, we often congregate in the lounge on the main floor and talk, play games, etc.
MONDAY, 16th July: Ed and I are at our "posts" by 8:30 or 9am. He sweeps the front porch and steps, the main bathrooms, make sure that the trash is emptied. I (Phyllis) try to look at the email first thing and get all of that answered. I receive all the email that is directed to the LMC and so either answer it or send it to the appropriate people. The mail comes around 10a and I distribute that. Today there is a "Root and Branch" meeting in the lounge. This is a network of Christian organizations in Britian & Ireland committed to shared radical values and vision with respect to anabaptist perspectives. We get the room ready with chairs, charts, coffee, etc. They are there until 1pm and then we clean up afterwards. We are welcome to sit in.
Mon - Fri's I have coffee & biscuits ready for break at 11a where all the staff gather in the kitchen around the table or outside if it is nice. At 12:50 Mon-Fri, we (the staff) have prayers in the chapel for 10 mins. Then it's lunch from 1p-2p. Ed and I are always "on" so to speak as if someone rings the door bell, then we are responsible to answer it. There are others who do if we are out. Also when the phone rings at the Centre, if we are there then we will answer it.
Ed has several little maintenance type things to do around the house and gets those done.
At 4p Mon-Fri, I have tea & biscuits ready for the staff and any guests or visitors that may be there. After tea, Ed wraps up any books that Will (the bookstore manager) has gotten ready to be mailed out from the metanoia book shop which is mostly an on line store.
Tonight is house meal night and we take turns with having the main course. It is our night and so I walk about the equivalent of 5-6 blocks to get some ingredients for spaghetti. At 6:30 we buzz that we are ready and all the people that live at the centre, plus any guests in the guests rooms at the time come for supper and bring whatever they signed up to bring. Tonight we have three guests so we have 16 people around the kitchen table. Lots of conversation goes on and the main topic is Ian's recent trip to the States. He flew with three other friends to Chicago, rented a car and drove to Goshen for three days, then drove through Ohio, stayed in Pennsylvania for awhile then to NYC. He loved it and was impressed. He got to see Amish and was able to do some water colors. Ian is an architect by profession and an artist as his hobby. Often Monday nights are topped off with me playing some scrabble with some of the younger girls, or rook, or other card game.
After 10 or 11p, we check to make sure that all the doors & windows downstairs are closed and locked, and the blinds are drawn and I recheck the calendar to see what is on for the next day. We try to phone Emily as it is around 3p when it is 10p here, but she doesn't have her phone on or is out of range. Then it is soon time for bed.......after checking the email and blog comments of course!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Moving right along.......
We are getting closer and closer to being able to move our things in as well as our family. Emily and JJ are patiently awaiting the big move in day. We had hoped by the end of July, but it is doubtful now. They are waiting on the excavator to finish the rock wall on the sides of the house and to do the grading. Then the exterior finishes can be applied, such as the rock around the posts that hold up the deck as well as around the bottom 1/3 of the house. The stucco, and the cedar shingles on the gable ends. Also the correct railings, or posts are to be applied on the deck as they put wood ones on and we ordered iron. This first picture is the entry from the garage into the lower level. The lower level has a large family type room, bath room, two bedrooms, and the mechanical room. It's also on the level of the garage and Ed's workroom.
This second picture is the slate on the main floor entry from the deck.
And the third picture is the all but completed rock wall at the back of the house. Originally, there was only to be around eight feet from the house to the mountain wall, but last summer around this time we had heavy downpours with hail which resulted in the wall caving in and so we ended up with more space. The downside was that it took extra time to dig out again which put everything behind. It's possible that we could have been done months earlier had it not been for this. However, we don't know what else could have happened and therefore it could be that this was for the best for some reason.
This second picture is the slate on the main floor entry from the deck.
And the third picture is the all but completed rock wall at the back of the house. Originally, there was only to be around eight feet from the house to the mountain wall, but last summer around this time we had heavy downpours with hail which resulted in the wall caving in and so we ended up with more space. The downside was that it took extra time to dig out again which put everything behind. It's possible that we could have been done months earlier had it not been for this. However, we don't know what else could have happened and therefore it could be that this was for the best for some reason.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Tour de France
We have had the Aldis' here to visit for most of this week. (Dick, Karen, Libby, and Emily & Tyson Prouse) One of Dick's goals was to see as much of the Tour de France happenings as possible. They went to the pre celebration kick off at Trafalger square on Friday. Then Ed and I joined them on Saturday for the first day which was a timed trial near Hyde Park. Then on Sunday everyone except Karen and Phyllis went to the actual first day of racing which started near Greenwich.
The Prolog
The prolog was on Saturday which was held in London near Hyde Park which was a 7.5km timed race. Here are some of the bikers who are on a practice lap. This was held near Hyde Park. There were lots of people there and it was hard to get up to the gates but Dick was able to weasel in to the front. Ed took this picture over peoples heads by just raising his arms with his camera and hoping to get a decent shot now and then. It was a beautiful day as this was the first day that we had sun most of the day in about 6 or 7 weeks.
At the beginning of day 1
Ed, Dick, Emily, Tyson, and Libby went to where the riders were starting the race. Actually, it wasn't really the beginning of the race but more like a cruise through the city of London just before the beginning of the race. Our group got there 2hrs or more prior to this to get a front row to the action. Although the procession of bikers, support vehicles, and motor police took around 15 mins to pass, the cyclists passed by in about 15 seconds--all 189. The actual race started at Greenwich and then headed out into the country. Phyllis and Karen decided to sleep in instead and go to a market where they ate cream cheese and chive stuffed bagels while looking at all kinds of textiles, jewlry, etc.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Another move forward
We got spindles put on last Friday. We heard from the excavator and he is working at finishing up the rock wall in the back. Sooooo hopefully they will be able to soon start on the exterior finishes of stucco and stone.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
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