A photo gallery of my visit to Guernsey- May 2007

Next to people and cows... there is a high population of very well educated seagulls! As you can see here they stand to attention and follow proceedures to the letter! I love it... The foto is taken at the slip way at Cobo Bay on the eastern coastline.

Guernsey is...what can I say??? ... beautiful. Here you see me in this sunny but windy scene which overlooks Fontenelle Bay on the northern tip of the island. It actually isn´t as cold as it looks, but the wind surely takes your breath away...

This is my sis taking a pic of me taking a pic of her... you know those kind of corny things you do when your a teenager!!! Well, I still haven´t grown up yet!!!! This is taken in a very small lane that didn´t even have a name on it.... My sister (being the classic first born and into details like this )would know the old name.... but I don´t! It´s in town.... and it´s very steep!

This is the view overlooking Cornet street and the castle pier/harbour. In the back ground are the islands Herm and Jehou which can be reached by boat..

Sunset at Cobo Bay.Ooh isn´t just soooooooo romantic?

This is one of those typical Guernsey roads that has stood the test of time and still looks like it did when I was a little girl.....Does anyone know what the steps are for?? (I know..let´s see if you do!!!)

The best and most wonderful bro and sis in the whole world.....having a pub lunch in the Rockmount overlooking the sea... of course!

Delancey park... overlooking the Easterly coast.

A beautiful Guernsey cliff path where I went for a walk with my bro and his dog!

One of the highlights of my trip.... a suprize flight organized by my wonderful brother in a private plane to Alderney and back!!!!!

The Cherry on the cake..... the Liberation Dance.

It was like going back in time to celebrate Guernsey being liberated from the German occupation during WW2 on May 9th, 1945. The pilot fellow ws just a fellow guest...no idea who he was or even his name... but his outfit was so cool he deserved having a pic taken!

What not to do when EMILY arrives!

This is an imagine of Hurricane Emily.... and maybe this is the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the word Emily.... But that is not the one I am talking about today....

The first time I became acquainted with "Emily" was when I was 18 and freshly arrived in Spain. We are talking about 1983 and yes, now you can guess how old I am!

The phrase that my new American friend shared with me back then was, "Oh dear, Emily is coming for next week for a visit. I better get prepared!!!!"

Now not having been exposed to the Big Wide World (I had just left the island!) and being the unsuspected Brit that I was, I had absolutely NO IDEA who Emily was, why she was coming to visit or what exactly my dear friend had to prepare!!!!

Needless to say, it didn´t take too long for the proverbial penny to drop and all you women out there will recognize this visitor intimately! She comes once a month to us females and one simply MUST be prepared!!!



Emily, naturally was a code name. This was of course of great importance working in mixed company. One had to be able to discuss these things without the "other party" cottoning on to it! Just the mention of her name and the feminine crew will stand together as one in understanding and in support!

Yes, Emily brings a great big hormonal upheaval with her. Even though we know she is coming, somehow she always seems to catch us unawares.... I don´t know how that happens.

(now what would he know????)

I mean, I consider myself somewhat of a logical creature so why does this phenomenon always seem to catch me unprepared if it is so regular?

Well, as the years go by, I can only say that when the weepy feelings come accompanied with that mighty urge to bite some undeserving soul´s head off or having to resort to the "fat" clothes in your wardrobe... you just learn to not let these feelings get the better of you as opposed to being dominated by them....

It´s kind of like walking by faith and not by sight. You don´t allow that tainted vision to distract you from what you know is real and you learn to recognize that these feelings too shall pass.............

For a bit of fun I thought you would like to know what my years have taught me not to do just before and/or during a visit from a dear friend we all know and love.... Emily.....!!!!

1. Don´t decide to change your hair style.

Funnily enough I have had this urge happen to me several times over the years. Sadly on more than once occasion I have succumbed to it and consequently left the hairdresser in tears.

My advice: always wait a couple of days before you make this decision...sometimes things look better after a few days... and if not... you can still be radical and go for that super short cut that looks really good on famous people like Demi Moore!!!!!(not very often on REAL people!!)

2. Don´t go and try on clothes in your favourite shop

I honestly believe that even on non Emily days, the mirrors in clothing shop changing rooms do nothing for one´s self esteem. (You think they would cotton on to this and make mirrors offering a better reflection than reality consequently generating greater sales as people would buy more stuff) Anyway back to the point. ...

When you have Emily visiting, this experience seems to be multiplied out of all proportion and you body gains bulges and kilos before your very eyes. If you weren´t feeling bad before you went into the changing room, chances are you will feel very fat by the time you leave.... And this all happens before you even take the desired piece of clothing off the hanger to try it on...

I think there must exist some biological explanation for this, and that the hormones somehow play havoc on your retina, leaving your eyesight somewhat out of whack for a few days. My advice: leave well alone until hormone levels have been stabilized and normal eyesight is restored!!!!

3. Don´t go shopping for a speedo bathing cap!

Have you ever noticed that even the most beautiful woman can look horrendous as soon as she has one of those sleeky Lycra or plastic swimming caps on? This process of metamorphosis can happen to any unsuspecting female who attempts to do a few lengths in her local indoor pool to keep off the extra pounds by putting one of these deadly caps on.

It never ceases to amaze me that as soon as I put one of those endearing caps on my head, I become instantly ugly. My advice: avoid all contact with this vinyl head wear unless it´s absolutely necessary.

4. Never trust a mirror

For the same reason as mention above in point 2.

D.V. D. T. H. H. I.

(defective vision due to high hormonal influence)

Mirrors can not be trusted at this time for confirmation of beauty. One must rely solely on husband or best girl friends opinion to ride out this temporary deficiency.... My advice: a good dose of biblical truth never goes a miss . Great verse, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made!!!!" will help to keep this insecurity at bay.

5.Don´t do a meditation on all your defects, your spouses and kids defects, the worlds problems etc!

A tremendous temptation during Emily´s visit is to want to try and put the world to rights or focus in on everything that is going wrong in your life. This is a particularly difficult hormonal power to deal with at this time is called: focusing on husband´s faults hormone.

This hormone then triggers off another hormone that controls the mouth and voice box, consequently producing the following monologue:

"I mean it´s about time he knew what I go through and started to appreciate me more... I work around the house, fix his meals, take care of the kids... and he doesn´t even notice.... arg.... "

These words are usually followed by the incredible urge to run away....at least for a couple of days.... just long enough for the whole family to realize what a wonderful woman you are!!! This temporary dysfunction is an override of the basic well being system that is safely established on non Emily visits that often rights itself after a couple of days.

My advice: Tape your mouth with Duct tape or any other such adhesive to avoid verbal explosion or hysteria, bite your tongue or and re read your diary the 101 reasons why I love my husband/children/life written during a non Emily transition and this will work like an antidote...pretty much guaranteed!!!

I´m sure you can come up with more such ditties... but I didn't want to end this post on that note....

I wanted to say that my main antidote to survive Emily´s visits and other stresses and strains in life is: LAUGHTER!!!

Of course it goes without saying that once I leave my cares with the Lord and trust Him with what concerns me and mine, a whole hearted laugh is Nº 1 on my to do list. Yes I would put it right up there with a good cup of tea! Find something that you enjoy or find funny and tuck in.

I love watching "I love Lucy" or "Home Improvement". Both sitcoms always manage to break me into a smile and lift me up.

I have always liked a good laugh... humour was a staple in my home growing up and it seems that now, scientists have finally got the message and are declaring it "healthy" (the bible has said that for centuries...laughter does good like a medicine...)

There are even laughter therapies out there.... so ladies... don´t let Emily get you down.... turn your frown upside down.... and go on...have a good laugh.

Other "endorphin" freeing activities include singing (as if no one can hear you...you know...right from the heart....) and dancing (as if know one can see you... like really boogie to your favorite CD...whoa yeah..go girl!!!)

Oh yeah...before I forget... chocolate is beneficial to this hormonal state... so a few squares with a good dose of laughter and/or romantic movie is just what the doctor ordered.... REALLY!

To bite off more than one can chew!

To try to do something that is too difficult. If you bite off more than you can chew, you try to do more than you are able to.

Do your best. Do whatever you can, but don't bite off more than you can chew.

It has been busy since I last wrote...a trip to Guernsey, visitors and then beginning the practical of my studies at a Nursing home nearby.

I wish I could say that I am plodding away through my practical, enduring.... but I can only share that after one week I had to terminate this initiative.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place: to "abort" my practical with all the feelings of failure etc that accompany such a decision, and or to continue working in this situation that inspired such worry and anxiety to the extent that I wasn´t eating or sleeping??? It was a case of Hobson´s Choice! What was the lesser of the 2 evils?

On May 14th I started my first day in the Nursing Home and sadly instead of being a "shadow" to a profesional I was pretty much left to sink or swim. Thrown in the deep end as it were to fulfill the tasks of an auxiliary. It was frightening to say the least!

One is not dealing with mere files or books that can be moved about with out fear of damage or rather if they do get lost or harmed; no lives are at stake. But when you are dealing with people, this prospect takes on a whole different persepective plus a tremendous weight of responsability. I found this and other experiences I encountered there to be overwhelming....

One size too big!

I realized that this was not where I wanted to be headed....just like becoming an astronaut and experiencing G force is not on my 10 things I want to do before I die list!

I want to "be" with the dear ones and interact with them & somehow bring sunshine into their day but instead I found myself on a sort of factory line moving pieces from here to there and the more you get done the better.

The pace was intense because of lack of staff. I hasten to add that although they didnt acommpany me as they should; each one of those auxiliaries deserves a medal for the way in which they fulfill their duties with the limited time and energy they have. I take my hat off to them.

I recognize that I personally had reached my limits. Do I struggle with a sense of failure? Yes I do! I like to finish what I start.

Yet, I must be big enough to see that I am not super woman and this was just one size too big for me. I guess my pride has suffered a blow. I must not confuse passion with capacity and it is important to be level headed and honest with myself about my ability to step into this role. After all it´s not every ones thing.

I am encouraged though that I gave it a fair go... To recognize ones shortcomings is not an end, but rather a new opportunity to redefine the initial dream and the way to realize that dream. I have to keep persuing the dream...and try another via....

I am finding rest and peace in the comfort and support (especially from my husband and kids) that many have given me both in my initiation to study after 20 years and now in this moment where I have had to stop the practical. Inspite of my sadness, I do not feel without hope. I say with dear Alfred Lord Tennyson:

I hold it true, whate'er befall;

I feel it, when I sorrow most;

'Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all.

No, I´m not dead!!!

You guessed it..... my computer died................ not me!!! WE just picked it up from Computer hospital where they removed all the viruses and now we are back to system basics!

Also my cat had kittens.... Easter Friday.... a nice reminder of life after Jesus´s death! It definitely was a real excitement to see them being born...all 5 of them. I wanted to write a really cool blog about the whole thing with pics (the above pic I got from google just to add the feeling!!)...but that will have to wait now for a few days until we get everything put back on the computer!

Also.... on 19th Dh and I will be leaving, by car, to be a part of a yearly retreat we help to organize in Castellón... They kids have been "shuffled" out between families....We get back on Sunday pm.

Also... I did discover, by using my husbands work computer, that I have been nominated for the Blog Thinker Award.... A great honour indeed! I shall get on that right away upon my return and write the appropriate post! Thanks to those of you who voted for me.... oh man Im blushing.

Well hopefully I will see you all soon......

"all things come to them that .......WAIT!!!!!!!!!!" ha ha ha

The Farmer´s Donkey

One day a farmer´s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.

Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you _ all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.

I came across this, this morning in my "Enjoying Everyday Life" mag from Joyce Meyer ministries and felt like it echoed a little my week. I have been feeling a little bit like the donkey in the well and looking around and crying about the dirt being shoveled me! This story is an encouragement to me to not give up...

Cup of tea anyone?

I couldn't resist sharing some educational and humorous light on this wonderful English Tradition especially for my American and Non English friends!!! (Actually some very dear American friends of mine not only make a wonderful cup of tea, but know how to appreciate it as well!)

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it's this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it's merely hot then the tea will be insipid.

That's why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that's why the American(or non English) habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink.

The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That's why they don't understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don't know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

Thomas DeQuincy (1875-1959)
Confession of an English Opium Eater Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervouse sensibilities... will always be the favored beverage of the intellectual.

The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things.

Dr. George Orwell has written an article, naming 10 points he considers important in achieving the perfect cup of tea and I wanted to add his final points to compliment the already quality educational insight I have shared until now:

• Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.
  

• Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tea lover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
  
  Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again.

The above has provided great insight about the tradition and technicalities into the art of tea making, but I believe there are still some outstanding points that need to be mentioned so that our tea drinking is the complete an enriching experience it should be!

Henry James
There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.

Having a cup of tea must be accompanied by a break in activity. One must sit down and relax. If tea is to be enjoyed, it must one´s focus of attention. It can only be shared by one thing: good company, This is the other axis to the tea experience. Good friends, sitting down with a few minutes of relax time and this is tea par excellence!

I once said that an invitation to a cup of tea is the invitation for friendship. It says, you are valuable to me, let´s spend some time together. If the tea is a"nice cup of tea" then the ensemble is complete and the experience thoroughly enriching!

~Catherine Douzel
Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.

I thank God that I have good friends (Americans , English and non-English!!) who have learned to appreciate a good cup of tea and accept the invitation of friendship. I do believe that drinking tea is one of the few remnants left in me of my English upbringing! Maybe that is why embrace it so dearly!

Colley Cibber (1671-1757)

The Lady's Last Stake, Act 1, Scene 1

Tea! thou soft, sober, sage and venerable liquid;
- thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing,
heart-opening, wink-tippling cordial,
to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moments of my life.

Contrasts

CONTRAST:
put in opposition to show or emphasize differences;
the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
the act of distinguishing by comparing differences

This weekend Dh and I had the privilege of staying in a 5 star hotel in Oporto, Portugal. Wow, wow, wow! Yes, indeed! It was a special gift certificate from my dear sis in law for Christmas! All we had to do was: get there...which we did...using Ryan Air (for next to nothing!)

The hotel was, naturally, out of this world! Our room was an Executive Room, decorated with modern style geometric furniture, very fashionable chocolate brown curtains and accessories, plus "sink your feet into it" luscious beige pile carpet. The bathroom had a Japanese flavor, with heated marble floors and towel racks!

We mustn't forget to mention the two hotel bathrobes and matching slippers that hung invitingly in the bathroom (reminded me of Pretty Woman) and the twice a day chambre services which included a special "pull the bed down" treatment at night with ferrero roches on the pillows! There was of course a plasma tv and other typical hotel commodities that made "the cherry on the cake" to this nothing lacking hotel stay experience.


On a lighter note, I must add that the wall to wall mirror in the bedroom and bathrooms, although giving a feeling of expansion and light, made one somewhat self conscious and not very flattering to say the least! After all, I am no longer 18 !

We arrived at this destination of dreams around lunch time and then later on in the afternoon we discovered a Lidl (very economical supermarket chain - to not use the word cheap!) and bought a few little bits and bobs like water, nuts etc) We smuggled this back into our room and enjoyed our treats while watching the travel channel!

It´s amazing isnt it? Here we were in the "lap of luxury" sipping down sparkling water that cost 40 cents and not the 4 Euros 4 0 cents that the minibar service offered! I couldn't help but ponder the contrast of our situation and let out a little giggle!

We both knew too well that we really didn't "belong" to the typical 5 star hotel profile. We aren't part of the jet set who call for room service, use the hotel bathrobes or drink the sparkling water without batting an eyelid! Yet here we were here enjoying every detail of this amazing situation! What a contrast! What a contradiction!



Yes, life can be full of contradictions! You can be sad and happy at the same time (especially women have this capacity during pregnancy and monthly hormonal fluctuations!) poor in finance and rich in family, dreams and reality, living on earth yet belonging to heaven, servant and king....

Jesus was a servant... yet a King.... what a contrast, what a contradiction! At least to our human thinking, our "limited" dimension. In the Spiritual dimension these apparent contrasts and contradictions begin to make sense, take on real value and make possibilities out of problems.

It makes me think of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-11

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are thos who mourn...for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth...
etc.....

God calls blessed what we would call the opposite.... God sees everything in the light of who HE is and what He CAN DO.....I am reminded today that even though I felt uncomfortable with the contrast of drinking my Lidl sparkling water in a 5 star hotel, God does not feel uncomfortable or limited with the impossibility of my life´s contrasts.....my life´s questions...

Sadly some of life´s contrasts cause us pain. It´s inevitable. But there is a place where every tear will be wiped from our eyes and there will be no more pain. God does say that on this earth we will suffer all kinds of trials, but he does promise us not only that he will be with us now...but also that he has gone to prepare a place for us..... and it for sure is better than any 5 star!!!!!

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father´s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am"......... John 14.-3

Family day out to see the planes!

On the first Sunday of every month (except January and August!) Madrid´s museum of historic planes, offers an exhibition of their planes both in flight and on land from one of the oldest airports in Madrid: Cuatro Vientos.

I was so excited, that I woke up at 7:00am. I think my enthusiasm was contagious because each one of us (including no 2!!!!) was anxious to arrive. It took about 1hr to get there, but the trip was well worth it!

These planes, dating back as far as 1925, were a real sight to behold. Not only are they well maintained, but it is so beautiful when you can contemplate them from so close up. Some people even got to sit in them... not me... a bit green I was actually....but hey... some day.

There were so many bi planes which are my very favorites! That said, the plane I admired most in this exhibition was not a biplane but one of the earlier commercial airplanes with seating for about 10 max a Beechcraft 18 Spantax, The plane you see above. But all in all, a fantastic treat especially for me!

No 1 took all the photos.... all 96 of them, which obviously I will not include in this post.!! The air show was sooooooooo exciting and was topped off by some very daring acrobatic stunts that made you hold you breath and clap your hands furiously, although I don´t know why... the pilot can´t hear the applause!

This was a really good day.... and I enjoyed every minute.....I am truly blessed.. I am happy!

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best,"
and then he had to stop and think.
Because although Eating Honey
was a very good thing to do,
there was a moment just before
you began to eat it which was
better than when you were,
but he didn't know what it was called.
~A.A. Milne