Church with a Difference

This Sunday morning, we had a church service with the Christain Motorcycle Association, along with the regular parishoners.  It was great to see the church so full.  The organ music was replaced with guitar, and the hymns were more modern, rock 'n roll versions: Jesus is Lord! Majesty and In Christ Alone. 

About 60 or so motorcyclists arrived on their bikes, wearing leather, tatoos and several with white crosses on the back of their black leather jackets.  In his opening statement, the leader of the group said that sometimes people have trouble accepting him, because of his "rough appearance" (tatoos, leather, beard, long grey hair).  He looks like he may have been in many a tough spot in his past life.  Then he said, "if people give me a hard time, I say, Jesus accepts me as I am.  Why can't you?"

Gathering outside church before the service.  They had travelled from across the Midlands, Berkshire, Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside to be here.

Many had slogans stitched onto their jackets: "Jesus is Lord", "Be an Organ Donor; Give your Heart to Jesus", "These ARE my church clothes" and "WWJD" which stands for "What would Jesus Do?"

 Here I am with two bikers.  Never thought I'd be saying that.  Rubbing shoulders with guys who had been the "bad boys" of their generation. The fellow on my right had spent time in prison, and he was the one giving the sermon, who fully credits God with turning his life around.  "God is good," he kept saying.

 One of the bikers who had travelled from Northwich (about 40-50 miles).  Lots of tatoos.  In the past, lots of attitude as well I would imagine.

 It was very touching to hear the testimonials of these bikers, who had once been the original "hard cases" but were now disciples in the modern sense.  They go to motorcycle events, passing out coffee and teas, talking to people and sharing the Gospel to any who are willing to listen.  Sometimes they just do the listening and let God do the rest.

They hand out Biker's Bibles for free to anyone who wants one.  It is the New Testiment and true life testimonials of people who have been about as low as they could be before discovering Christ.  One young man admitteed he took the Bible just to use the pages as cigarette paper for making his own handrolled cigs.  Then he read one of the prayers and decided he would "come along" and check out this Christain group, so unlike anything he had ever thought of as "church".  Is he a convert?  Not yet, but he is certainly welcome.  Time will tell what path he choses.

Close-ups of my outfit:

 Bangles I wore with the green dress.

My animal print scarf.  I think  it looks a bit like python.

World of Polka Dots

Honestly, I don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone.  I seemed to have slipped into a hole called "I'll-do-it-sometime-soon".  Except of course, the soon is a pretty elastic term!

 I discovered that I had some nice navy polka dot items in my wardrobe that I had forgotten about, so I decided to fix the skirt and wear it to church one Sunday.  I adore these polka dot shoes, but they are quite tight, so I only wear them for limited periods at a time.  It doesn't show up too well, but one of the bangles is polka dot too.

 I'm waiting for my capuccino on one of the outside patio tables at a lovely farm shop not far from home, where we often go after church.  There was a swarm of wasps all making camp in a bowl of sugar cubes on the table, making quite a nuisance of themselves.  I moved the bowl, only to find that the wasps then buzzed around even more threateningly, as they were looking for their sugar treat!  When they discover where it had gone (only the next table over) they lost interest in me.

This lovely cafe used to sell a huge slice of brownie with whipped cream, dusting of icing sugar and a sliced strawberry, all for £1.29. Unfortunately, they've wised up that that was way too cheap, and I don't even remember seeing it on the menu anymore.  What do they say?  Good while it lasted!

This is almost the same outfit, adding a polka dot jacket and dress and a black sheer hat to the same shoes when we were at a wedding earlier in the summer. They did a lovely job of decorating the lych gate with flowers.  (How I love weddings!)

 I also got these lovely strappy sandals for only £6 at New Look.  I didn't plan on buying them, as I don't really have anything in the coral shade.  It would have been better if they had just done the shoe in beige patent, but hey...they ARE comfortable and cute, and when you see such a bargain, you have to buy them.  It's the law.

Does anyone else discover they have hidden treasures lurking in their wardrobes?  Things you haven't been wearing because it needed fixing, or in the case of my polka dot shoes, they were just in an old suitcase.  Isn't it nice when an archelogical dig of the wardrobe yields something?

Ludlow in Summer

                    We went down to Ludlow the other day, enjoying another train journey, although this time I managed not to fall flat on my face on the platform.   It was one of those rare beautiful late summer days, and we decided that a stroll around Ludlow's interesting little shops would be just the thing to do on Gorgeous Husband's day off.

We had morning coffee in this lovely little cafe, which was new since the last time we had been to Ludlow.  It was tiny and delightful, and they served my cappuccino with amaretto crumbs on top, instead of chocolate or cinnamon. Delicious!  It was a very old building, with a small fireplace, and exposed beams on the ceiling.  I think it used to be someone's living room at one time. 

                        Isn't this window seat delightful from the interior of the cafe? 
                                      How I would love to have one in my home!

 The view from outside.  Gorgeous flowers, and a tiny table and chairs outside on the miniscule patio.
Wish I could have such a fantastic blooming garden.  Most likely you have to take care of it for it to look like this.

              My bangles.  Photo a bit blurred, as I was taking it myself and stretching my arm out.

 This is a detail of the necklace.  I'm not sure it is supposed to be a necklace, as it is quite large.  I think it's one of those things you hang up somewhere.  I added it to the fish necklace I already had, and I like the effect, although it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

This lovely shop was across from the cafe.  It had lots of contemporary crafts, and I was particularly taken with the knitted outfit by Alison Dupernex, hanging on the front door.  I know Alison from years ago, when I was arranging art exhibits of British crafts.  I met her at a Contemporary Craft Fair in Hereford and she very kindly let me take home a cardigan without paying for it, on the understanding that I would send her a cheque for it in the mail later.  It was all pastel ice-cream coloured stripes, and I wore it to death.  This is her website: www.alisondupernex.co.uk  (I hope I've done the link right.)

If you are interested in history, King Henry VIII's older brother, Prince Arthur used to live in Ludlow Castle with his bride, Catherine of Aragon.  Arthur died before becoming king, so the crown went to Henry -- as well as the widow!  She was the first of his 6 wives.  Ludlow Castle is genteely crumbling at the present, but still impressive looking, and a great tourist attraction for the town.

Details of the outfit:

Mustard coloured jacket, cream skirt, bangles, and necklace: charity shops

Striped tee shirt: New Look

Shoes: fake snakeskin sandals, charity shop

The Folk Festival

Even though the papers are tellling us, over and over and over, that this is wettest summer Britain has ever experienced, the weather was actually fine last weekend when we went to the Shrewsbury Folk Festival.  Luckily, the world doesn't stop because it might rain!

                    Seeing as it was folk music, I thought I had better wear denim.  (I think it's the law.)
                                         Denim jacket (some store, somewhere!) 
                                         Taupe pinafore-type thing: Tara shop,
                            khaki skirt under the pinafore, market outside Wembley Stadium,
                                  the ever-ready cowboy boots, and a lot of jewellery.

                                                 Performers doing Morris dancing

 This woman leading one of the troupes of dancers had a great hat: a copy of Windsor Castle

 We were lucky enough to catch this group of musicians playing in The Wheatsheaf.  It all sounded like variations on an Irish jig to me, very spirited and lively.  People seemed to be coming and going, one would start up a song, others would join in, then it would turn into another song, then someone would get up to go get a pint, when the music ended, some musicians left, others joined.  It seemed to be a very fluid arrangement.  I counted 8 accordians, 4 violins, 2 flutes and one fellow playing the spoons.  It was jolly, I can tell you!  The space was cramped, which I suppose, made it all the more fun.  Only enough room to pass through to get to the bar!  All you had to do was buy a pint and listen for as long as you wanted.

It sounded like the type of music they have in pubs in Dublin, but having already been to Dublin, I thought these fellows were much better. It seemed so spontaneous and "off the cuff".

One fellow wore a tee-shirt that said:  TEENAGERS
                                  Are you fed up with being hassled by your stupid parents?
                                                         ACT NOW!
                                  Move out, get a job, and pay your own bills while you are still young
                                           enough to know everything.

I thought that was a laugh.  Gorgeous Husband took some video on his phone of the music, but unfortunately, it didn't come out.

             The Framptarn Guggen band played while wearing black & white cow costumes.

 Once home, I was so inspired, I had to do some high stepping myself, although a chair helped with my balance!

A Military Wedding

One of the advantages of being married to Gorgeous Husband (one of many!) is that he is a bell ringer, and as such, he gets to go to a lot of weddings to ring.  We both love weddings, and seeing as our nephews are not coming forth with family weddings, we enjoy going along as "unofficial" wedding guests.  Actually, anyone can go to the church when a wedding is taking place, so it's not like we are gatecrashers.  Besides, I have to give the signal to the bell ringers to stop ringing once the bride has arrived at the church door.  You see, I do have my uses!

                               Red hat and purse, black dress, white short sleeved jacket,
                               black bangles: all charity shops
                                                   Waiting at the lynch gate.

                            The crossed swords that the bride and groom will pass under.
                            I love a man in uniform, and lots of men in uniform is even better! 

The happy couple

                                            Flowers inside the church  All very tasteful!

 Here I am with the confetti, which was made up of dried flower petals, nicely presented in a paper funnel.  They had made the funnel out of a photocopy of their wedding announcement in the newspaper and circled their notice in red. 

It was a gorgeous summer day (one of the few we've had this year) and it was great to sing "I Vow to Thee My Country" and "Jersulaem" as patriotic hymns for the ceremony.

May they have a long and happy life together!



The Turning Point

A couple weeks ago, Gorgeous Husband and I decided to take a little trip on one of his days off.  As you can see, it was lovely and sunny and warm, so we went to Bridgnorth in Shropshire. 

Afterwards, I was thinking what a turning point it was the first time we visited this lovely historic town, set on two levels.  When we were visiting Britain on one of our trips from Canada, we found the town entirely by accident.  It was gettting late in the day, and when we asked for a recommendation for a place to stay, we were told Bridgnorth was an interesting town.

Outside the venicular railway, eating orange and double chocolate ice cream.
Bag, top, bangles, all charity shop finds.  White skirt from New Look (about 7 years ago.)

This venicular railway takes you from the High Town to the Low Town and back.  I think it is from the 20s or 30s, I forgot to check its date.

This is the lovely King's Head Hotel where we stayed the night.  We had just spent a few days with the family, celebrating Gorgeous Husband's parent's 50th wedding anniversary.  It was here that we decided for sure (no more debating it) that we would "up sticks" and move to England to live.  I reasoned that his parents were not getting any younger, and that it would be good for us to spend more time with them in their golden years.  I can't really say we made plans, as such, it was more like turning a corner.  We had almost 14 years near them:  family visits, having birthdays and Christmases and being close when they went to the nursing home.  It was truly the best decision for us.

Our little excursion brought it all back to me. It's not often I can point with certainity to where the course of my history changed.



This little hedgehog handbag was in the window of a shop in Bridgnorth.  I quite liked it, but it was a bit more pricey than what I wanted to pay, about £80 if I remember correctly.   It was also a tad strange, although Gorgeous Husband was quite taken with it.

Good-bye Olympics!

Well, I decided that today was the day to finally take down the flag bunting, which has been around our front door since the days of Queen's Diamond Jubilee. 

Strangely, seeing as I am not sports fan, and was never really in favour of the Olympics coming to London in the first place, I was actually won over.  Me and sports?  That just doesn't seem to go together, sort of like swimming lessons for giraffes.  Not done!

But, nevertheless, I stand corrected.  They were fabulous.  Wonderful for the morale of the country, and Team GB winning 65 medals was so inspiring.  I can hardly believe it's over.  I will miss the human drama -- the nail bitting finishes, the tears, the heartbreak, even the razz-a-ma-tazz of it all.  I never would have guessed it would "get to me".

 The last view of the Union Jack bunting.  Me holding a little Team GB flag that came with specialty beer.

                         Wearing white skirt with my knitted edging, white tee shirt, oatmeal
                          crocheted waistcoat, cowboy boots and assorted bangles.

A better view of the bangles.  All charity shop, except the pewter rope one,

which came from Boots

In honor of all the number of times God Save the Queen was played for the gold winning athletes, I've included this picture, which was taken in front of a local restaurant during the Queen's Jubilee.  I see they've seen repainted the wall, which is kind of a shame.  I like the way the "N" on Queen is backwards.

What did other people think of the Olympics?  Good?  Bad?  Indifferent?