Cross-Currents Seminar

Our first Cross-Currents seminar of the 2009 Winter/Spring season was Gene Stoltzfus speaking about Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). Besides having him here to talk about what CPT does and how they work, we had an Iranian woman come to talk about what it has been like since the U.S. and Britain soldiers have gone into Iraq. She works for women's rights in Iraq. She spoke fairly good English but we had an interpreter with her who works in London for an Iraqi news agency. It was not easy to hear about all the terrible things that are going on in Iraq at the hands of the soldiers. It's hard to believe that such practices are enforced in military training. It has strengthened my views on pacifism.

Flamenco Dancing

Janelle, who lives at the LMC and works there part time as well as going to University part time, takes Flamenco dancing lessons at Jacksons Lane just a quarter mile from where we live. Here are some pictures of her recital we went to a couple of weeks ago.
These are the flamenco guitarists and singers.

Here is Felipe who is her instructor with one of the more experienced dancers. It was a great show. The dancing was really great and looked like a lot of exercise.
Jacksons Lane is an old church that has been turned into an arts centre where there are all types of dance lessons, theatre, circus, cafe, etc. and it's only a short walk from our place.

Holland Park Walk in West London

Saturday, 17 January 2009: After exiting the tube at Notting Hill Gate, we stopped at the Windsor Castle pub which is an old pub that has three connecting bars and a large garden. We decided to set in the garden since the pub was full. We had to go through two different doorways (there were no doors, just the openings) to get to the next rooms to get to the garden. We literally had to duck and turn slightly sideways to get through each one. It was like being in a hobbit house. Here we are, Sharon, Rehanna & me trying out some ciders. Rehanna has been in London for over two years now. She started out as a student and is now working at the British Library. She is from North of Chicago (Evanston) and has graduated from Goshen College. She just moved into the LMC taking Dora-Maries room.
A short walk from the pub we enter into Holland Park. This is a large Koi pond with huge Koi fish in the center of a Kyoto Garden. There was a big house called Holland house, where Lord Holland lived but was not open.

Oh yes....Happy new year!

Sylvia's visit

Ed's sister, Sylvia, came to visit from New Years day until 7 January. We took a long walk on Saturday by first taking the 43 double decker bus to London Bridge where we got off and walked to Borough market. These are truffles.

Loads of cheese!

I know about sea salt but I didn't know there were so many kinds. There were about 5 kinds here.

Turkish delight are the pick squares in the background of this picture. We got samples. Not bad but not as wonderful as Edmund in The Witch, The Lion, and The Wardrobe went on about.

Another shot of the Turkish delight

I think this sample was a chocolate covered raspberry?

Sylvia looks like she is demanding to try something in the back.

After leaving the market, we walked on the South Bank walk and it was a beautifully sunny day although it was quite cold. This is St Pauls shot from the bridge.

As we got close to West Minister, the sun was setting.

When we got home we played some scrabble. Sylvia must have felt I take too long to figure out my next move so here she is working on the hat that she made for Ed.

Christmas Day Feast & Boxing Day walk

On Christmas Day the LMC, which was only three of us, hosted a meal for Christmas. There were the three of us, and friend of Dora-Marie's, four from Church, a church members mother, and two girls from the Radical Journey unit in Bradford, north England. You can see the crackers by everyones plate.

Getting the food ready in the kitchen. I'm fixing the last dish, the mashed potatoes. One of the Brits was disappointed that I made mashed potatoes as they are used to having roasted potatoes. Turkey is about the only thing we have in common with the Brits. Other things that are traditional for them.....Brussel Sprouts (how is that a treat?) bread sauce, and Christmas pudding (Blech!) They don't do pumpkin things. So we had a little of both. I made the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, Dora-Marie made a jello salad and celery with dip, and I made a pumpkin dessert and yeast rolls. The Brits brought brussel sprouts, parsnips, carrotts, and Christmas pudding.

This is Rachel Goering from Newton, KS and Kristen Leichty from Albany, OR. They are doing a one year term at the Radical Journey unit in Bradford, England.

On Boxing Day, Ed and I took the tube to Southwest London to Richmond and took a walk around. This is a lending library on the far left, and a theatre in the centre. Peter Pan was the play during the holiday season. It's traditional to have what they call "Pantos" during the holidays. They do the same ones every year. Often they are done up as a comedy and many of the female parts are played by men dressed as women. For instance, Cinderella is always done and the step sisters are always men in drag as well as the step mother. Peter Pan is another one, also Jack and the Bean stalk and a more serious one is A Christmas Carol.

We walked along the Thames in Richmond. It was cold but very sunny and pretty.

The area we are in is quite posh. This is a garden that opened up to the path we were on.

This is a little cafe which you get to under the bridge. You can see the arch in the background which is where the cafe is. These people are enjoying the sun and sipping on hot drinks.

A busker earning some money.

My new hat! That day I really appreciated it as it was cold and a bit windy.

Saturday before Christmas

Ed & I set out last Saturday to another market we hadn't been to yet. This one is called Borough Market just off the South Bank walk along the Thames. I hear that it is normally busy but we could hardly move! Since it was the week before Christmas was most likely the reason. This market has been around for a long time. There are a lot of vendors selling wild game and other meats, plenty of fruit and veg stands, pastries and other baked goods, teas, coffees, flowers, plants, no clothing at this market.

A tea shop across from the market.

This is the Charles Dickens Coffee House named such because Charles Dickens lived in the rooms above it for about 20 years. The small round blue plaque on the building has his name and dates that he lived there. This is right across from the market.

Tons of fruit and veg to be had.

This was all dried fruit.

The market came complete with a salvation army band playing carols.

The picture below was a shop close by that had nothing but tea cups & saucers, tea pots, and other tea paraphernalia.

LMC staff Christmas lunch & some keepers

We have been having internet problems....again...at the LMC which has prevented me adding to the blog. Two years ago I barely even did email and now I use the computer & internet for 3/4 of my job and a lot outside of my job. I've learned that people really get cranky when the computers or internet goes down. We had our annual staff Christmas lunch complete with "crackers". I described them last year and hope you can remember what crackers are. That's where the paper crowns come from. There are about three staff members that couldn't make it and Ed is taking the picture. After lunch we had a nice walk through a local park, then back to the Centre where we exchanged gifts and played charades. Dora-Marie, the one in the red hat in the fore front is leaving in the middle of January. She will take a 3/4 time position with MCC Canada in Montreal where she will work as program director. She will be greatly missed. She was our Interfaith, Peace & Justice Liaison. She got to get out the most, interacting with interfaith, peace & Justice groups. She has the "What is a Mennonite" speech down pat as she was asked to give it frequently. She had Ed's name for the gift exchange and he got a beautiful knitted red and white scarf which we had all been coveting while she had been making it, thinking that it was for a friend at home.

Ed has been working on going through a bunch of his digital photos on the computer and putting ones he is especially fond of in a folder that shows up as a screen saver. The type of screen saver that shows different pictures in a folder like a slide show. Here are two of them.

This was taken in Harper, Kansas sometime before 2007 out on our (then) front lawn looking West at the sunset. It must be winter as there are no leaves on the trees.

This one was taken around 2003 or 2004 in May during tornado season also outside of our house in Harper. There had been a lot of rain, wind, etc. and we had gone outside to look as all was quiet. We could hear a whirring sound above and when we looked up we saw this long skinny twisting rope-like tornado or something like it. It was strange as it was perfectly quiet and calm on the ground and this thing just passed over us looking like an umbilical cord. In true fashion, all the neighbors were out gawking at it instead of being sheltered in their basements.

This is Johnny Amobi. I tried to add this picture to the end of the next entry entitled LMC Christmas Open House but it doesn't seem to want to show up. So here it is. You'll have to read about it at the end of the entry.

Leaf raking day & LMC Christmas Open House

Saturday 6 December was our annual LMC Christmas Open House which starts off with a leaf raking and general garden clean up. Last year it rained miserably and we were not able to have the garden clean up. However, it was much nicer today. We had at least 10 or more show up to help. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough soup for everyone but I even had some left over. Here they are starting out.

This is team LMC practicing for a new summer Olympic sport called synchronised raking.

More synchronised raking.

"All for one and one for all!"

Here are Emilie, Dora-Marie and Sharon doing the smashing of the leaves, similar to the smashing of the grapes. The cage that Ed made for all the leaves wasn't big enough and so we had to have them trample them to fit in.

Janelle and Dora-Marie are putting the final touches onto the cookies before setting them out for the crowd.

In the lounge we had whole cloves for sticking into oranges, popcorn & cranberries for stringing, and various other things to make for the tree.

Down in the lower level next to the kitchen is where the serious cookie eaters and punch drinkers were hanging out.

For some reason this picture won't show up unless you click on the red x in the upper left corner.

Our neighbor Johnny Amobi entertained us with three songs. Johnny is a professional singer and actor. He has done a number of things in the West End (Same as Broadway except in London) and now makes his money with his voice. He was really good and we were left wanting more. He promised to do a benefit for us this summer in our back garden.

A visit; a photo exhibit; quaint cafe's; Camden Town!

Last week we had a visit from Luke & Luciana Thornton from Anthony, KS. Luke works at Harper Industries where Ed used to be. Luke was in Europe for work related things and was able to bring his wife, Luciana, with him. He and Luciana married in August (I think that's right). Luciana is in her last year of Pharmacy school, doing her rotations at hospital pharmacy's. She has November and December off and so was able to join Luke on this trip. We had spent the day at Spitalfields market, a place where there are mostly clothing items designed and constructed by the people who are in the stalls. Some of the designers "make it" and move on to a better venue and others are hoping for the same. Luciana was excited to find a man who was showing wool coats that she liked. He didn't have her size so he fitted her and said he would have it done in 48hrs and meet them at the train station before they were to head home.

Ed & I went to our third Photography exhibition at the Natural History Museum. Shell sponsors this competition where the photography is of wildlife and has different age categories. One of my favorites was actually in the 10-15 year old category. After seeing the exhibit, we stopped at a French cafe for these large coffee's....I actually had hot chocolate. A very nice way to warm up out of the cold drizzle.

On our way home, we stopped at the Camden Town Markets. Every time I go, which has been about six times now, I find another part of the market that I haven't seen before. Here we are under the streets and canals where there are small little stalls along long hallways. We were able to pick up a couple of Christmas presents.