For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Where BeBe and Uncle Steve used to live!

The mere at Framlingham Castle. I was so cold!

The door that leads to nowhere...

Aldeburgh: cute little stone people!

This is skate. It's good.

VERY fresh fish. Still twitching :)

For Harry Potter fans... There is a town called "Snape" in Suffolk! 

Copy of Paradise Lost  in the Ipswich Museum

In the Mesopotamian exhibit.

Cough cough, puff puff...

Good evening! And I thank you for your patience. It has been about two weeks since my last post. I am now sitting down in the common area, having just turned in a homework assignment, and I am devoting the next fifteen minutes to composing what I am sure is a long-awaited blog posting.
I am feeling much better as compared to my last post. I still have a phlegm in my sinuses, but I feel totally fine. I think I may be allergic to England...? Either way, I am grateful that I feel good again!
I spent my mid-term break in a lovely little town called Martlesham in the county of Suffolk. My aunt put me in touch with her friends that live here, and I took the train Thursday afternoon into Ipswich station to spend the weekend at their home. Let me tell you something: it was fantastic to get out of London! The country is so different. The grass drips green, the air is clean, and the people exude a persona much friendlier than the big city of London. Bruce and Judy live on two acres just off a two lane road. A forest surrounds the property on two sides, and there are plenty of trees still between them and the road, providing a little "secret garden" refuge for all kinds of birds, two pheasants, and a fox, among other fauna. I probably make it sound much more romantic than it truly is. But I suppose you just had to be there. When the only green space one gets to see for a month is the perfectly manicured and planned parks of the inner city, it is refreshing to experience nature again. I received refreshment physically, emotionally, and spiritually during this past weekend. I already miss it! I enjoy the tranquility of the country, the laid-back atmosphere of a sunny window, a loveseat, a cup of tea, and a book. My hosts' hospitality was incredible, and I cannot wait to return on another weekend to "recharge my batteries."
In regards to my titular repetition, that refers to the inordinate amount of smoking here in London. Oh my goodness, it seems EVERYONE lights up at any given time. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be walking along the sidewalk and suddenly I inhale a cloud of acrid smoke. Some cigarettes don't smell too bad. Unfortunately, the people of London (and honestly the Americans as well) haven't learned that valuable fact. It seems they choose the cigarettes that smell the absolute worst. Oh, it is also equally distressing when the embers from a lit ciggy fly backwards at me as I am walking behind a smoker. Thank you, ma'am, I really wanted that singe mark on my coat... I suppose that is my pet peeve, explained in great detail for you here. I don't understand why someone would choose to ruin their lungs? Some people are genuinely ill, hacking up phlegm, coughing every five minutes. Then as soon as it is intermission, what do they do? Go outside and light up. Come on... For your sake, just stop. And for my sake as well. My lungs are actually paining me right now.
Anyhow, there is a small update for everyone! I will post pictures from the last few weeks tomorrow as I don't have ready access to my camera at the moment. Thanks for waiting, and thanks for reading! "Free" day tomorrow will be spent doing homework, of course. And then we have a theater performance tomorrow night to attend: One Man, Two Guv'nors. Sounds very funny! I hope it is better than "Juno and the Paycock" which was genuinely abhorrent.
Cheers!

So yes, about today...

Hello all,
again, sorry for the fact that my posts have petered out. I have been feeling terrible the last few days. Saturday was awful, Sunday great, then I started feeling sickly Monday afternoon. It is Wednesday evening, and I still feel bad. I hope it is just a head cold and nothing more, but I just feel icky!
Just wanted to let everyone know that, since I really have nothing more to say. Very stressed, very busy, and no time to be sick unfortunately. Prayers are appreciated!
Tonight I am going to Jazz in the Crypt with my Music Appreciation class. We are leaving at 7:15, and I am not sure how long we shall be gone. I am hoping not long, as sleep is my preferred activity at the moment. Still have lots of homework, of course. This semester is no laughing matter! Very academically rigorous, in addition to the time spent doing program activities.
At the moment, I am so homesick that I would plead with Scotty to "beam me" back home right now! I know that is the sickness and the stress talking though. Being here in London truly is a great experience, and I am grateful for it. I'll be even more grateful when I start feeling good again.
Cheers,
Faith

A Room with a View

Looking out my window

A galaxy of stars...

Beautiful snowstorm in London!

Stonehenge and Salisbury

Good afternoon from London,
I have neglected posting for the last few days because I truly have been too busy to do so! Thursday was a blur of activity, classes and a show, and Friday consisted of an all day trip to the Salisbury plain to see Stonehenge and the Salisbury Cathedral. Today I haven't been feeling very well, so I have been resting all day. I am finally feeling better this late afternoon.

A beautiful day, but cold!

Stonehenge's entrance. The ditch on either side surrounds the
 monument and was there before it was even built! 

The view of Salisbury from Old Sarum's bridge.

The Cathedral of Salisbury

I've recently been considering what it means to live in a kingdom-minded way. This has been brought on by a discussion in my Charles Dickens class over the novel Oliver Twist. What I mean by "kingdom-minded" is this: how am I, as a believer in Christ and a Christian, supposed to live, behave, and interact in and with this world? I am in the process of writing about this, and will post this on my other blog when it is complete!

Stonehenge is one of those landmarks that you just have to see while you are in England. Unfortunately, that picture to the left is now the closest they allow you to get to this 5,000 year old structure. And literally, this was all there was to see. Nothing to read about it, no explanations of what it is or what it was for (not that anyone knows the answer to that!). I don't want to say that it was a letdown, but I expected at least some informational plaques around the perimeter or something. It is fun to conjecture how this was built and what it's purpose was, but they have no earthly idea what it is! Kind of funny :)
The Cathedral of Salisbury is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in the 1200s, and completed in about 30 years. Because of the short time of construction, there is only one style of architecture represented: English Gothic. It also has the tallest spire in the country, rising 402 feet from the ground! The weight of the spire has caused the pillars to buckle and bend under the weight. Quite scary to think about. The poor thing is sinking into the ground. Someday it will probably come crashing to the ground. There are arches and buttresses that were built to support the spire's weight, but who knows how long that will hold?

Sundial on the wall. 

The tomb further on down the page is that of William Longspee. He was the illegitimate son of Henry II and half-brother to John and Richard the Lionhearted. His is the oldest tomb in the cathedral. He was present at the laying of the foundation in 1220 and was buried here in 1226. His tomb is interesting in that the top is a carved stone effigy and the bottom is English oak. This is the original tomb! They took his skeleton out at one point, and confirmed it did indeed come from this time period. They also found a mummified rat inside his skull. It had eaten the brains, and they found that it was full of arsenic! The interesting thing is that Longspee returned from war home to Salisbury, and they had a huge feast to welcome him home. The very next day, he died! They can't determine if he was poisoned because people took arsenic as a medicine back then. I think it is completely fascinating. This is the kind of thing I find so interesting about history.
The sundial to the left is such a beautiful piece of work. It tells not only the time of day, but also the time of year. As you can see, it is just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In 1752, they reformed the calendar. This calendar is dated 1749, and this Julian calendar made the year too short, an error of 11 days in total. England adopted the Gregorian calendar, so the next day after September 2nd, 1752 was September 14th, 1752! Is that cool or what? 11 days of 1752 never officially happened!
Well, those are some interesting anecdotes for you!
Tomorrow, the group is going to St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London for church. This is the church that dominates the London skyline in pictures you see of the whole city. I found a very cute teal wool hat on sale, and I am planning on wearing that tomorrow to church! I'm excited about that :) I'll be sure to post a picture!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos on down the page!
Cheers!
Faith

A Pantocrator Icon of Christ

I love the stained glass!

William Longspee. 

A candle for all the Prisoners of Conscience.