A Lovely Day in Sidmouth

As it was our 2 years anniversary on Friday, we decided that we would like to do something in particular for a change. We thought it would be nice to get out of Exeter, and so it was that we bought day explorer tickets and rode a double-decker bus to Sidmouth. We sat on the top near the front because it's cool! It's a nice ride to Sidmouth, and you go through the fabulously named Newton Poppleford!! We saw a lot of thatched cottages and Monica made her approval clear. We got off the bus before we got to the seafront because I like to arrive at the sea on foot. When we got there there was a cliff and it looked like this:

We took a very proactive approach to entertaining ourselves; after going to sit on the rocks for almost 3 seconds Monica suggested that we find warmer environs and we parked our behinds on a bench on the seafront and began to watch people walk by. For some reason it was very busy and there were lots of people in peculiar outfits. We established, using the power of our minds and by reading posters that this was because it was the Sidmouth Folk Festival! We sat down and commented on babies, dogs and grown-ups as they walked past. This is a diverting activity.

The good thing about it being the Sidmouth Folk Festival was that at approximately 2 minute intervals there was a group of people with exciting instruments such as accordions, mandolins, violins, guitars and wooden shoes providing folkular entertainment. To the left are a couple of Monica's favourites:Had a little walk up the cliff but we didn't go very far just far enough to take a nice photo.

It was a lovely day. Much fun was had by all. It was grey at the start but it turned out sunny with blue sky.There was a Catholic Church really close to the bus stop so we got to say thank you while we waited.

Mark is drinking a beer lying on the sofa dictating me what to write. So lazy!So drunkard!It was a pint of beer it should have lasted for at least a week! Mark is raising his eyebrows he would raise one but it's too difficult ( that's because you are a drunkard!)It's too hot for drinking alcohol you should drink nice refreshing water!!

A thing I noticed and thought I'd point out:

G.K. Chesterton, fabulous charmingly eccentric English Catholic writer, wrote a large number of stories about an unassuming little priest called Father Brown who wandered round solving crimes which had some, sometimes slight, connections to proper theological issues.
Cadfael, recently popularised by Mr. Jacobi, is a fictional crime-solving monk.
Father Dowling Mysteries is a TV series I've never watched, but which James made me aware of. Here, again, we have a crime-solving priest (and his nun mate, Steve). Some of the additions to the book of Daniel that we have in the Catholic version are basically detective stories. In Bel and the Dragon, Daniel exposes false gods with some holy cunning, and he defends Susanna from blackmail and rape by cross-examination.

So what's the deal with Catholicism and detective stories?

Graduation

Mum and Dad came up on Thursday night and off we toddled for graduation. The robes are a bit more impressive than the undergraduate ones.

Dave and Anna were both getting their PhDs in the same ceremony, and we got front row seats together.

Nice ceremony. Pretty short & sweet with an absence of honorary degrees (Adam Hart-Davies was given one at Emma & my undergrad graduation). I really didn't think the hat suited me, but the whole get-up went with the umbrella I took.

As expected it was wet, but not horribly so. Dinner at the Didsbury and Twelve Night in Fletcher Moss Park. This was very wet. Really really wet. Quite a good show though. My main quibble is that due to cutting out some scenes, Antonio (the bloke who rescues Sebastian from the sea, gives him his purse to look after, then promptly gets arrested while defending Sebastian's sister having mistaken her for Sebastian) is never released at the end. Poor bloke.

This is the place of the reception. We blew the balloons, I did only 5-6 balloons because I've got small lungs and small brain. I'm so rubbish. Mark looks like a monkey when he blows balloons, but a nice one.

Norris holding Leona.

This is my favourite, Mark holding Leona. It's a sweet sweet picture.

She is a beautiful sweet baby and I'm really looking forward to see her again in August. He is a beautiful sweet baby too and I'm really looking forward to see him on Friday.

I had a good time in Hull. I even learned how to make flowers and swans with balloons! That's really exciting! Thank you Ella.

My first time uploading pictures, hope it works.

And the results are in:







































I got a 2:1, which means I'm on the MA, no problems. That's a relief.

Yesterday my dad told me about something really stupid that happened in my village. In the church of St. Lucy, (the small church where during the summer we celebrate mass and where my sister got married) someone stole the gold votive things ( I don't know the word in English) that people left to ask for grace or to thank for grace received. There are 2 window cases at the side of the big crucifix which my village worships and they stole the content of one of them. I'm so angry! It's such a stupid, stupid thing!

Now I'm packing because tomorrow we are going to Hull for the baptism of baby Leona. And because of the rain I 've just bought my first pair of wellies. It's been quite hard to find them because now (being summer) you can find only flip flops and ballerina shoes. I bought them in Accessorize, I don't really like them, they've got big black dots, but I need them. I've always dreamt about buying something nice in Accesorize, like a treat, and I ended up buying these wellies. Anyway, I need them.

I've just got the results from the Uni and I've passed and I'm soooooooooooo happy!!!! I had a high mark on oral Spanish and did quite well at the written exam. My translation was good it never was so good during the year. I'm so happy!

Passed!

I've given in the required hardbound copies, having recieved a grade of "Pass with no further corrections" from the second submission. I will graduate in July (Friday 13th in fact). In case you're wondering what I've been doing all this time here's the final version of my thesis.

I'm off to the pub.

Just logging in before flying home. In case you hadn't noticed yet, Amnesty International have changed their policy on abortion now - it was in the pipeline for some time I think.

Habemus datam! - cough.

We're getting married on the 23rd August 2008. We looked at one nice restaurant, where Monica's sister Vane had her meal when she married Lorenzo, and it seems to have been enough, 'cos that's where we're going. After that, we checked with the priest. In Italy, the restaurants tend to be booked up pretty early - Vane booked it two years in advance, so people book the restaurant first and then the church. This is known to wind Don Giuseppe (the priest) up, so we neglected to mention it.

Besides that...

I finished reading two books while I've been here, Rough Ways in Prayer: How can I pray when I feel spiritually dead? which I'd recommend, though it's probably a bit hard to get hold of - this one was published in 1991 and came courtesy of Sacred Heart's lending library. Readable and practical. Key encouraging and helpful thing to remember - Christians are in Christ, who intercedes for us to the Father, and the Spirit prays in us. We are also one, in Christ and in his love, with the whole Church, past, present and future and have the benefit of each others' prayers.

Then there was The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia) which was very interesting. I gather it's the standard book when one wishes to know about the church which goes by the name of Orthodox. It's divided into two sections, firstly history and then doctrine. History is first - I wonder why? They're certainly not against doctrine. Anyway, too much subject matter to review.

Went to the Corpus Christi procession, as stated, and followed a tent under which was the Blessed Sacrament, saying part of a rosary and singing, and strewing petals all over the shop. Apparently Italian Catholics aren't mad keen on singing either. I bet they used to be.

Went to the beach a couple of times. I'm a shade darker, just about.

Got an amazing analogue thingy to practise Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on. You can hear the circuits thinking and muttering between themselves, and only one of the F#s works, which I think means you can only play it in C major really.

Umm....

Mostly been dossing really. I don't think it's done my Italian a great deal of good - I've been a bit too tired to try - not used to all this warm weather. Piano piano, as Monica always says. I'm hoping the Rai podcasts I'm subscribed to will help a bit. Rai is Italian state telly. ITV and Rai made Jesus of Nazareth together back in the day I think. And speaking of podcasts, I must give Audible's Jesus of Nazareth (Pope Benedict's one) a try when I get back.

Right, I think I'll pop off now - I'll be flying back tomorrow.

Catch bus, train, tube, train, plane, taxi and train to Ancona:

Well, almost. It was a pretty good journey - one of the best flights I've had with Monica. She was fine. The fly in the ointment, speaking personally, was that I missed my bus.

I know that the H buses usually leave from a stop near the Pyramids, round the corner from where Monica told me that the bus would be. I was assuming that, this latter stop being the main stop by the coach station, it would be fine.

Never assume - it makes people resort to cheesy mnemonics.

Of course it wasn't, and I missed the bus. I thought I'd be ok as I asked Monica for the times of two buses - I might make mistakes, but I do endeavour not to be a fool. Sadly, traveline.org did not agree with the bus timetable before my eyes at the bus stop. This being a matter of more than academic interest, I deemed it expedient to peg it all the way from the coach station to St. David's Station, in the hope I could get a taxi at a midpoint of Central Station. This is a course I would hesitate to recommend.


I was a trifle discomposed when I got to the station, sweating like a man who's woken at 5:30 and skipped breakfast to move as quickly as tenable with luggage for about half an hour. As I say however, the journey was fine by and large. I had a few headaches, had to wait around in numerous public spaces and Monica almost scalded my groin with hot camomile, but these are all things one learns to take in one's stride with the passage of time.

I even tried out some Italian with the train-ticket-selling-man at Pescara train station. I did ok, but he worked out I was English and told me the train left from "platform three" with a wink and a smile, both of epic proportions.

Having been in Italy for about half an hour, I saw about 5 nuns, 1 monk and a lady crossing herself as she walked through the city. Perhaps I ought to make some sort of graph. Should see a few more of those this evening, as we're off to the Corpus Christi procession this evening. Before that, mass and then we're going to hit the beach with Vane e Lorenzo.

I've lost your phone number

My phone died. I've bought a new one (and have just moved the sim card over meaning my number's not changed), but I'd stored everybody else's numbers on the phone, so can't get them any more.

So please let me know your number again, or I'll be very confused when you ring me, and completely unable to ring/text you.

Cheers.

Saddleworth Beer Walk

Day: Saturday.
Clothing: Village People
Beer drunk: lots
Money raised for charity: quite a lot, I think

A full write up will follow (I'm off to hockey in a moment), but here are Mahinda's photos of the event: link, and a video of us after the finish: link. Unfortunately you can't hear the music in the latter.