Happy New Year!

One year ago today I was living with my family and working at a job I enjoyed. I had no plans to travel and if someone had told me I would soon be moving to the United Kingdom I would have laughed at the ridiculous idea.

Life changes unbelievably fast. Over the past year my brother got engaged, I witnessed marriage vows, friends had babies, I gave up my job, I moved to another country, and I mourned the loss of loved ones even as I rejoiced that they finally met their Saviour face to face. I've been frustrated by things not turning out how I'd planned and I've been delighted by little dreams coming true.

The past year has renewed my firm belief that God holds my life in the palm of His hand, He is a God who loves surprises, He provides little moments to delight my heart, He leads minute-by-minute, and He has my best in mind through the tough times. He is a good God.

I've made some plans for this coming year but I'm trying to hold them loosely; I've already seen how swiftly they can change. Even in the quiet moments, life is an adventure.

Happy New Year! Enjoy the adventures God puts in front of you and poke your toe into the unknown once in a while... sometimes it results in amazing leaps into fulfilling dreams you never thought possible.

Last Day in Eastbourne

This morning the farm experiences continued as I went along as Henry took a bullock and lambs to the slaughterhouse. He told me about going to the abattoir a while ago so it was interesting to go along for the ride and see the place in person. I love driving through the countryside and towns here. Today the rolling hills and old villages covered in mist and a heavy layer of frost were extra beautiful.

On the way home we stopped by the butcher shop and Richard introduced me to the other butcher, Steve, with the words, "This is Amanda. She's from Canada and she shot and gutted an elk." The shop is the real deal with big chunks of meat and whole pigs hanging in the cooler. I was a little mesmerized by watching Richard rapidly twist a length of sausage into links. Yes, I'm easily entertained.

The Browns have been incredibly hospitable and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with their family, but yesterday I decided that today is the day to return to Hook. I want to leave before they get sick of me since I'm planning to come back eventually!

When I decided to move to the UK with a departure date in the fall I knew I would be spending Christmas away from home for the first time. I wanted to celebrate Christmas with a laid-back family who would remind me of home but with some British touches so I could have some new experiences. I wanted there to be kids to play with to keep me laughing even when I got lonesome for home. I wanted to blend into a crowd and not be treated like a formal guest. With so many people and books telling me about the British reserve, I didn't hold out much hope for finding a Christmas like I wanted. It turned out that I was incredibly blessed to enjoy above and beyond all I had hoped for - beautiful scenery, a fun family, and lots of new experiences.

Thank you to Richard, Margaret, James, Becky, Ian, Esther, Jess, Rosie, and Henry for welcoming me to join in on your Christmas celebrations!

Now it's back to the world of job hunting... though I'm working on other travel plans in case I can't find a job in the next little while.

A Day Wandering the Farm

I borrowed Becky's wellies and headed off with Henry for a tour of the farm. I had viewed the property on GoogleEarth but it's tough to tell what the landscape is like; I was surprised by the steeply rolling hills. We drove into the hills and Henry pointed out ancient burial mounds and a huge foundation circle that can be seen on GoogleEarth. The two dogs, Snip and Tucker came along; Snip did the work and Tucker, the younger one, yelped about being left out.

Henry giving a pedicure to a lame sheep with Snip holding the flock in the background.

Beef cattle and sheep are raised organically on the farm. No nasty cramped quarters in barns. On Christmas Eve when Henry chose some sheep to take to slaughter, they were collected from an open field with ocean views... I figure that's a pretty good life for a sheep to lead. Richard runs a butcher shop in town and the meat is sold there. He wanted some new photos for the walls so I took along my camera for the day to give him some shots to choose from.



While we were driving around and Henry was explaining the logic behind combining certain sheep and rams he spotted a dog chasing sheep in a neighbour's field. He stopped the Landrover and hopped the fence to run and find the owner and stop the dog before it did any damage. I had previously asked him the most horrible part about running a farm and he said he doesn't like dealing with the people who wander the fields off the public footpaths, let their dogs chase the animals, damage the fences, and engage in all manner of stupid and rude behaviour. I hated watching the dog chasing the sheep and then hearing the men's voices raise as the dog owner justified and excused his dog's behaviour. People are stupid sometimes. A sheep was down but it got back up on its feet and seemed to be okay. Henry said later that the sheep in the field thankfully weren't expecting lambs, but if they were, the dog chasing can make them abort their lambs. It was tough to see that side of farming but also interesting to witness firsthand how disrespectful people can be of the animals and another person's livelihood.

After returning to the house for a hot lunch, we headed to a nearby field so I could watch Snip work with the sheep. There is something incredibly beautiful about watching a sheep dog at work. Her alert eyes begging for a command. The body unceasingly tense and poised to spring into action. The bottomless energy. The speed in the full-out run as she circled the field. As she ran up the hill a fox was flushed out - my first sighting in England.

Evidence of Snip at work.

Snip gathering the sheep around Henry and waiting for the next command.

Henry asked me if I wanted to have a go at catching a sheep and as the big fluff-balls ran around I wondered if he was just joking but I figured I might as well give it a try. It's always fun to learn something new, no matter how obscure. Also seemed like something that just ought to be done while spending Christmas on a sheep farm! He snagged one with the crook and showed me how to lift a hind leg, push the chin towards the sheep's side, and lift the front legs off the ground. Didn't look so difficult when he did it.

I asked him which one I should go for and he laughed and said, "A slow one."

The dog herded the sheep right in front of us and they didn't really move much. I figured I should go for both slow and small. Sadly, the first one I hooked ended up just laying down in front of me. I was a little perplexed about its instant submission until Henry said it was actually a sick one that was likely to die soon. (gulp) I felt horrible as it just lay there and took a while to finally stumble to its feet and walk away slowly. Poor thing.

My next plan was to just hook anything close to me. I ended up with one that was so big that Henry had to help push the head towards me so I could grab its chin. I was shocked by the power as it squirmed and then suddenly stopped dead still when the chin went to the side. Definitely wasn't expecting that! With the front legs off the ground, the sheep just sat there quietly. Henry was holding my camera for me so he snapped the pic below. Certainly not something I expected to do during my Christmas vacation when I decided to move to England! So much fun!

My first sheep-catching experience.

The sheep Henry collected on Christmas Eve were being kept in a field near the house so we walked over and Snip brought them in so Henry could choose some to take to the slaughterhouse tomorrow. I've never had trouble eating lamb but it sort of seemed mean to eat such cute little animals. I was surprised to discover that the lambs that go to slaughter are actually really big! They're far from the cute, fluffy lambs in children's picture books. Lose the guilt - dig in and enjoy!

Snip.

The belly and hindquarters of the lambs are sheared in preparation for going to slaughter. I'm up for trying it sometime but I was worried about gashing them so Henry clipped them.


Watching and experiencing the stillness of the lambs when their forelegs are off the ground made me think of the reference to Jesus' crucifixion in Isaiah 53:7.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

Although a couple of lambs squirmed around during the shearing, most just sat there, still and quiet. Early in the day when Henry was working on the feet of the sheep who were having trouble walking, I was in awe of how they just sat there quietly and let him poke and prod. They run around so madly when you simply walk past so I was expecting them to be frantic when in such close quarters with a human, but they just sat there calmly.

Walking at the Seaside and the Shattered Israelites

Following church and a big lunch, the entire clan headed to the beach for a walk. There is something ridiculously adorable about hearing a four year old talk about going for a walk at “the seaside”. Makes it sound like everyone at the beach will be dressed up and strolling with parasols. But there were actually very few people going for a walk along the promenade and everyone was bundled up. There was a brutally cold wind blowing but the walk still offered beautiful views, people to walk with, and adorable little Jess running back and forth, completely unaware of the cold.


In the morning I went to a baptist church with most of the family and in the evening I went to an anglican church with Henry. It's a beautiful old building and I was curious to see the differences in the style of service between low anglican and the evangelical churches I'm used to. It was actually pretty similar in a lot of ways, but they include more speaking and some prayers are read out in addition to “freestyle” prayers.

The sermon was based on the story of David and Goliath and I got a bit of a laugh when the curate said in reference to 1 Samuel 17:11, “The word for dismayed in this verse is the same as 'shattered'. So, this verse is basically saying, 'They were shattered and greatly afraid.'”

I'm sure it was helpful to everyone else, but I was just amused that a slang term I've heard but don't completely understand was used to clarify scripture.

Walking, More Tea Drinking, and Dancing

I was originally planning to catch the train back to Hook today, but when I mentioned so yesterday, there was a collective gasp and I was invited to stay longer. Since I really don't have any responsibilities calling me back to Hook, and I'm having a fabulous time here, I accepted the offer to stay a little longer.

After a quiet morning, Richard, Margaret, Henry, James, Becky, and I headed out to a park called Hind Over with a beautiful valley view. We also went to a village called Alfriston for some wandering, window shopping, and a cup of tea.

Part of the view at Hind Over.

A fabulous twisted door handle in Alfriston.

Cathedral of the South Downs in Alfriston.

In the evening, the six of us went to Esther and Ian's home for a cheese fondue and a dancing lesson taught by Henry and his dancing partner, Jenny. Henry has been taking ballroom dance lessons for a year and Jenny has been dancing for three years. The furniture was cleared out of the long living room and we learned the basic steps for jive, quick-step, waltz, and fox-trot, with a barn dance at the end (circular dance with changing partners). It was so fun watching Jenny and Henry demonstrate each dance before we gave it a try! It was quite hysterical to compare them to our clumsy attempts, but they cheerfully helped us out and guided everyone through the steps.

I've always envied people who can do ballroom dance but I also wasn't willing to sign up for lessons and seriously try it out. I've often described my aversion to dancing as, "I don't want random guys pawing me"... I think it's mostly due to dancing movies and the heavy doses of body contact on Dancing with the Stars. I was surprised to feel so comfortable tonight... probably helped that I was with friends and for the most part we were stumbling and laughing instead of actually dancing!

It was a fun introduction and kind of makes me wish I had dragged my brothers to lessons years ago. Having only played around with dancing with girlfriends in high school, I felt pretty inept, but it was a blast trying out the steps. There's definitely a huge sense of accomplishment when you can finally more or less move through a sequence in time and without stepping on each others' feet. As different people took breaks, partners were swapped around and we laughed throughout the evening.

Boxing Day

All ten of us (parents, siblings, spouses, nieces) headed off on a Boxing Day walk along part of the Seven Sisters. When I came downstairs to leave, Margaret told me that people were loading into cars and I was catching a ride with Henry. When I walked outside I was more than a little excited about the opportunity to enjoy the sweet ride.

The incredible chalk cliffs.

It was bitterly cold so we were all bundled up, but the sun was shining and the sky was clear and blue - a beautiful day.

Back L-R: Esther, Henry, Jess, Ian
Front L-R: Me, Margaret, James, Becky, Richard, Rosie

After walking for a while on the path running along the top of the cliffs we arrived at Birling Gap, a little cluster of cottages and shops perched on the edge of a chalk cliff, and stopped at a shop for tea and a chance to warm up.

Jess sipping her hot chocolate slowly... enjoying every last drop.

Rosie bundled up against the cold with the comfort of her new "baby" snuggled in.

Ian, Jess and Rosie's dad, told me that Jess announced today that she plans to visit me in Canada when she's grown up, bring along her four children, and change her name to Katie. Jess got a winter scarf for Christmas so I decided to show her how to fling it over her shoulder like a diva. She's quite good at it and her dad told me later that she had since swiped his eyes with the end a couple of times but he wouldn't hold it against me. I was hoping to have kids around over Christmas so it's a fabulous treat to have two such adorable girls to play with.

Having grown up near the beach, I love everything about walking near the ocean. I've discovered that even being so far from my family, as soon as I get on a beach, I feel at home. Our walking was all along the cliff-tops but there was a staircase to reach the beach at Birling Gap so some of us ran down to take a quick walk before the family returned to the house. Henry and I continued on for a bit so I could get some shots of the cliffs from below.

I was fascinated by the distinct layers of chalk and flintstone.

After walking back to the car, Henry drove me along the winding roads to a beautiful spot overlooking a lighthouse and cliffs for a few more photos before heading home to warm up.


More Photos: Link Here

Happy Christmas! Merry Christmas! ...take your pick!

This morning I was thrilled to discover that my parents sent my stocking full of fun stuff! My aunt made me and my siblings stockings when we were little and seeing it in England was like getting a big hug from home. We gathered around the kitchen table for breakfast and opened our stockings (the Brown family stockings fell apart a while back so they use gift bags instead) before church. I loved going through and reading the little notes my family included with my gifts... a little taste of home.

My Christmas presents - including a stuffed dog to give me something to snuggle when I miss Suka, our dog back home.

After church we returned home and visited with some family friends who arrived for a visit, enjoyed a big Christmas lunch (same as the classic Christmas dinner back home, except with some extras like bread pudding), and then opened presents. Dessert included Christmas pudding and I ate a bite just to participate in the tradition (I'm not really a fan of the dried fruit desserts that are so popular over here at Christmas). I wondered if the British reserve would move into the opening of gifts, but it was like a Piechnik Christmas with wrapping paper everywhere, kids playing with their new toys, snacks on every table, and just the friendly chaos that makes me feel at home.

Piles of presents... classic Christmas chaos.

I found out that the Queen gives a speech on Christmas Day and it's quite the event. We all gathered in the living room, stood for the playing of God Save the Queen, and watched her address the nation. Definitely not something I've ever done back home! I was shocked by how directly she spoke of Jesus – I can't imagine any politician back home surviving a speech like that.

Watching the Queen's speech.

Esther (Henry's sister) and Ian joined us for the afternoon with their two daughters. Four-year-old Jess and two-year-old Rosie easily won my heart with their sweetness, adorable faces (including the shoulder and nose scrunch that I mastered at their age), and phrases like, “There's a lamb in the barn who's poorly.”

Jess reading a story with Auntie Becky.

Rosie.

Esther and Jess serving up the gingerbread house to everyone.

Becky, James, and Jess reading a new Christmas book.

Rosie delighting in every morsel of a mince pie.

I spoke with my family later in the day and found out that Lisa burst into tears when she came into the living room this morning and there were only four stockings instead of the usual five. I felt a little guilty about not missing my family too much. Many things here remind me of home, but thankfully they didn't make me homesick. (I think a lot of this is due to the prayers of family and friends back home.) I miss my family, but I'm just having too much fun to mope around about it!

Christmas Eve

Margaret, Henry's mom, put me at ease by greeting me with a hug at the train station and the family has been great. His brother James and sister-in-law Becky arrived yesterday evening as well and the rest of the family will come over on Christmas Day. The Browns live in a beautiful, big farmhouse on the edge of town with hills rising steeply behind the house.

I forgot to shoot a photo of the front of the house, but this is a shot from the hill behind the house. The farmhouse is in the foreground, centre/left and the big buildings to the right are their barns.

The view from an upstairs, front window.

The view out a back window.

Late this morning a few of us loaded into the jeep and headed to a field about 10 minutes away where some of the sheep are kept. It's a beautiful area with rolling hills and ocean views so James, Becky and I took a walk to reach the field. I learned a bit about the sheep they keep, found out the meaning of calling someone a “black sheep” so I won't be doing that anymore, and spent Christmas Eve in a way I've never spent it before... as James put it, “'So, what did you do on Christmas Eve?' 'Oh, we went out and de-wormed sheep.'” Henry actually did the dirty work while we chatted and watched. He also loaded some sheep into the trailer and brought them back to the farm to be turned into lamb chops next week... poor, tasty little things. But he didn't choose the black/brown one who looked like a teddy bear so I was happy. I didn't realize what we would be doing so I didn't take along my camera... could have snagged some fun photos, but I'll get them eventually.

I love listening to conversations around the table during meals - it's like living in a movie. The phrases they use are fabulous. The only way I can think to describe it is that they all use words like “lovely” and "extraordinary" in everyday conversation.

I also discovered today that fans of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas need to unite and spread the joy of "fahoo fores, dahoo dores" to the UK. These poor folks are missing out on singing along and watching the Grinch's heart grow three sizes in one day.

Although it's different to not celebrate Christmas in the usual ways, there are little reminders of Christmas back home and the differences are a good kind of different.

Prepping for Christmas

Many people have asked me about my Christmas plans and how I know the people I'm staying with. When I was first planning to travel to the UK, a family friend back in Canada who is from the UK asked me what I wanted to do while I'm here. I told him I wanted to work and travel and make quirky dreams come true. One of the dreams was to spend some time on a sheep farm during lambing season; get a taste of the work involved and take lots of pictures. I wasn't expecting him to actually know a sheep farmer, I was just mentioning the idea as an example of the variety of experiences I wanted to have over here. Turns out he had more connections than I thought he would and he put me in touch with Henry Brown at Chalk Farm in Eastbourne. I first emailed Henry back in June or July and he said I'm welcome to visit the farm during lambing season (probably April). We've stayed in touch by email and phone since then and at the end of November he invited me to join in the “mad house” at his parent's place over Christmas – the crowd includes his brother and sister-in-law, sister and brother-in-law with their two daughters, his parents, grandma, and random other people who will be stopping by.

Today I started packing and getting things together for my trip to Eastbourne tomorrow afternoon. I think the reality of going away for Christmas finally hit me and I realized that I was really and truly spending Christmas away from my family. Although I'm looking forward to meeting the Brown family and the little I've heard about them has been good, every little thing set me off crying today... and I'm not a big one for crying. It got a little out of hand; I'd just read a note from a friend or my dad and I would sit in front of my laptop with tears streaming down my face, feeling utterly ridiculous that there was really nothing to cry about. By this evening I decided I needed some serious “me” time so I filled the bathtub, lit some candles, and played some music. A friend emailed me earlier today and included the suggestion to just “breathe and listen” so I figured a bath was a good way to do that.

I'm now going to bed cheerfully with warm feet.

A Little Taste of the Old Christmas

My favourite Christmas memories usually revolve around church activities. Serving at banquets, helping with events welcoming the community to celebrate Christ's birth, working with kids, and the laughter and fun that comes along with those things. Today I got a taste of the old Christmas.

Today was my third Sunday attending a church in Basingstoke. This morning the church organized an event for the community instead of holding a regular church service. It was their first time organizing an event like this, though the church I attended as a teenager held many such events so it brought back lots of wonderful memories. They brought people through the church in groups of 20 or 30 and there were different "stations" - one with Mary's mother speaking about her excitement about becoming a grandma, another with a centurian talking about the census, King Herod talking about killing the baby boys under the age of two (the kids' eyes were huge!), the inn-keeper's wife, a shepherd, and it ended in the parking lot with a petting zoo set up with miniature donkeys, goats, geese, pigs, chickens, and the accompanying chaos.

When I called to organize a ride last night (a couple at church insists on picking me up or arranging a ride for me) I told them I'd be happy to be put to work this morning. When I walked in the door, the pastor pointed at me and said, "You want a job, right?"

I loved being involved in the event. It was a great opportunity to meet more people at church and get involved with serving. A few people made joking comments about how I was being put to work so quickly but that's honestly when I'm happiest - I hate standing around feeling useless when there's something that needs to be done. It's also a great way to meet people at church because they notice when a stranger is helping!

The couple who gave me a ride invited me to lunch and I had such a great visit with them! Maggie hadn't planned anything for lunch so we ended up eating kind of late into the afternoon and by the time 4:30 rolled around they asked if I wanted to just stay until 6:00 and attend the candle-lit service. I headed back to church with them and it was great to see the tongue-in-cheek health-and-safety version of a candle-lit service: glow sticks passed out to each person! Somehow standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a room full of people with candles held in each hand provides a far more beautiful connection but the glow sticks gave a humerous and modern slant on the idea.

Tea, coffee and cookies were distributed on trays after the service. I asked if they needed help and was promptly handed a tray of coffee to carry around.... and that's when I experienced one of my favourite "firsts" in England. I approached an older man I've seen at church before and asked if he wanted a cup of coffee. As he took a cup he said, "I love the Canadian accent. You can just stay here and keep talking as long as you want."

I've had people make comments about recognizing my accent as being Canadian, or even saying that they like the Canadian accent, but it cracked me up to hear somebody say they just wanted to listen to me speak! Normally I'm on the admiring side of an accent, but it's nice to be on the receiving end for once! It's absurd for a comment like that to make me feel fabulous, but it seriously made my day.

My Confusing Fascination

I've had people laugh at me numerous times for aiming my camera at door knobs, hinges, door knockers, and mail slots. I have no idea why I'm so fascinated by these things, but the designs intrigue me. Here's a collection of photos from my time so far in England.

I saw this plaque on a very narrow street in the Cotswolds. I kept walking down the street, repeatedly reading it in my mind in utter confusion. About four houses away it finally clicked and I burst out laughing and walked back to take a photo.

The door of Anne Hathaway's cottage.

Picking it Up and the Webcam

Picking it Up
I just want to say that it's very weird to hear myself saying decidedly British things without thinking.

Whenever I type the word "cell" on my blog, you're pretty much guaranteed that I first typed "mobile" and then switched it to the Canadian version. Recently I've heard myself say things like, "You only paid 10 quid for that?" and "Do you have a fiver?" although I still keep referring to "pence" as "cents". I also seem to have incorporated the word "yeah" into my vocabulary, as in, "The bus stops at town centre, yeah?"

I usually pick up an American accent really quickly so I'm surprised I haven't picked up more of the British accent. Maybe the wide variety of accents keeps my brain from picking up a distinct way of speaking. Although I don't have the accent, I still often hear myself say things with a British inflection to my phrasing. Sometimes I've written a sentence or two in a blog post and when I go back and edit I'm shocked by just how British it sounds. People here have a subtle way of putting their words together differently than in Canada and I think I'm picking it up.

Webcam
I love my webcam! It's been wonderful to stay in touch with my family and be able to hear their voices and see their faces on a regular basis.

Here's a typical view from my side of things:

It's a No

Here's the response from the employment agency:

"Just had a call back and unfortunately it was a no, but only because of the time you were available. The team decided they will probably need someone for about 6 months now and were worried about the fact you'd be leaving around April(ish) but said with regards to skills and team fit, you were the best they saw."

It's nice to know there are jobs that would be a good fit. Going home for David and Keri's wedding, other week-long trips in the spring, and planning to travel with my parents for a few weeks is really messing with job prospects. I'm not as discouraged as I thought I would be... it would have been great to have a job, but there's a plan... I just don't know what it is yet! In the meantime, the job hunt continues!

Road Trip - Day 8 - the final day

I left Lacock and returned to Bath, getting completely lost in Bath when I tried to find the car rental agency. They didn't have a specific address, just a street name. Well, I didn't get completely lost. I have a decent sense of direction so I mainly knew where I was, but the car rental place wasn't showing up where I thought it was supposed to be. Very weird. I eventually found a landmark that made sense and quickly found my way. The crazy thing is, after driving for five days in villages, towns, cities, and six-lane highways, I rarely had any close calls, but during the last 10 minutes in Bath, I was ridiculously close to getting smacked up several times. Probably didn't help that I was distracted by being lost. I decided that I don't like driving in that city.

My road trip covered 668 miles/1,075 kilometres of driving. You can view the route by clicking the GoogleMaps link on the sidebar of this blog.

Driving in England
It's pretty difficult to describe what it's like to drive here. Some parts of the driving make a lot of sense and I wish we would import the methods to Canada. I have yet to get used to other parts of driving here and I'm not sure I ever will. The proximity of buildings to the edges of the roads makes me feel like I should drive those sections with my eyes closed and just hope for the best. There were so many times that I cringed and braced myself as my mind yelled, "No, no, no!" ...but nothing horrendous ever happened. Traffic also flows differently here - roads that feel like you should have the right-of-way actually make you yield to approaching traffic. I usually stopped at the right spots, except for today in Bath when I passed a yield sign and accompanying dotted line that had mostly worn away (they're painted on the road, not on a sign post). I almost got squished by a bus but I floored it when I noticed the monster flying around the corner towards me. Fun times.

One of the things I found both disturbing and terrifying was a section of road with a sign marked:

Red Route
957 casualties in 5 years
THINK!

I expected that section of road to be worse than the Malahat before the barriers were installed, but it was actually a milder stretch of road than many others I had driven. I guess there's just more traffic on this stretch of road or something. I drove on for a little while and before a section of curves there would be another sign:

15 casualties in 5 years
on curves ahead
THINK!

There were quite a few signs like this and they must work because I kept expecting to see a car crash every time I rounded a corner and I couldn't stop thinking about ambulances and dead bodies. Now that I think about it more, maybe it was actually more of a distraction than an effective warning.

Travelling Alone
I've had quite a few people ask me how I've managed with travelling alone. Yes, the loneliness makes me ache sometimes. There are so many times I'll see something that makes me want to turn to somebody - anybody - and say, "Wow! Isn't that incredible!" but nobody is there. Although the road trip would have been way more fun with other people along, it was good to spend some much-needed time just thinking and talking to God and listening. I've been frustrated about not being able to find work; my plan was to work through the winter and that plan isn't working out. My mom helped give some perspective by telling me to consider that I may not have a paid job, but trusting God is my full-time job. I find it easier to trust God with the vast unseen future rather than the next day or two. So many things during this time away have reminded me of the importance of trusting him for both the tiny moments and the big ones. This is something I wanted Him to work on in my life during my time living here and I can say with confidence that He's working on it! I'm so glad that He holds me in the palm of His hand and His plan for my life is far better than anything I could come up with.

A Job Interview
While I was driving to Bath my cell rang but you're not allowed to talk on the phone while driving here. When I dropped off my car I checked my messages. Turns out that a company in Basingstoke wanted me for an interview at 3:30 this afternoon. I called the agency and told them my train would arrive in Basingstoke in time for me to attend the interview, but I wouldn't be able to go home and change into more formal clothes. A call was made to notify the company and they still wanted to see me.

It was so nice to finally get an interview! It was also a really bizarre experience to show up in jeans. The company is called Shire Pharmaceuticals and they're looking for a three-month temp
(though I got the impression they're thinking more long-term) to provide administrative support to the three team members responsible for organizing training. It's an international company with offices in Europe and Canada (the Canadian head office is in Quebec). Sounds like a good opportunity and they didn't seem put off by the fact that I have plans to travel. Shire also interviewed one person from another agency; my agency sent them six resumes but they only wanted to see me (insert ridiculous happy-dance). I thought the interview went well - thankfully I didn't have any cringe moments. I figure my job is to just be myself and they have the tough job of choosing somebody to hire. They seemed really positive about my experience and how my skills could help organize the department. Hopefully I'll get an answer by tomorrow!

Even if I don't get the job, it's a nudge from God that when the time is right, He'll provide.

Road Trip - Day 7 - Cheddar Gorge and Lacock Abbey

First stop of the day was Cheddar Gorge. There are several caves in the gorge and a cluster of buildings are built into the bottom of the gorge to provide tourism information and restaurants. I'm usually not into the big tourist traps like that, but sounded like it could be an interesting stop along the journey. I went into the largest cave which was sadly outfitted as Santa's Grotto with plastic snowmen, trees, reindeer, and a couple of different versions of Santa Claus. Thankfully the interesting rock formations could still be seen. I also went into a smaller cave that was outfitted with coloured lights and choral music to provide ambiance - definitely preferred the music to the fake snow. The caves were beautiful and it was a nice place to stop and wander around. I also climbed 274 steps to reach a lookout tower on top of the gorge for a beautiful view.

Decorating a cave like this should be illegal.
Yes, that's Santa flying in the background with his reindeer.

The cave is set up with lots of little reflecting pools;
creates an interesting effect and makes it easy to see the underside of the little openings in the walls of the cave.

Looking up the stairs - only the first couple of flights fit in the shot.

The view of the gorge from the top of the lookout tower.

Looking away from the gorge from the top of the tower.

After I finished at the gorge I drove to Lacock Abbey, a National Trust site. I partly went because I like beautiful historic sites, and I partly went because it's a key site in the development of photography, and I partly went as a big shout-out to Lindsay and any other Harry Potter fans because scenes from two of the movies were filmed there (see the Lacock Abbey link above for info).

William Fox Talbot, the inventor of the negative process, created an image of this window in 1835. It's the oldest negative in existence.

William Talbot created images of this bust and I've seen them in books - crazy to see it in person!