A Year in Lambeg

Canada Day came early

2010-06-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

We chuckled all through supper as a Joni Mitchell CD played in the background at the restaurant--how's that for a welcome for Saskatchewan folks? Then we came home and watched one of the movies that former renters had left behind--and laughed when the credits rolled: it was filmed in Burnaby, BC!

Well, you made it

2010-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

(Our family has a favourite story that ends with the phrase started in the title of this post. I won't complete the phrase here.)
My thesis defense went very well--I received a clear pass, something I never would have expected. Thank the Lord for his mercy and for many, many faithful friends who have supported me in prayer.
To celebrate, we went out to a wonderful restaurant just a few minutes' walk from our NI home away from home.
Gwen has been calling everyone she knows and congratulations have been pouring in.
Again, we are so blessed!

We are so blessed

2010-06-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

We can't begin to recount all the wonderful ways in which God has shown his faithfulness to us--not only in this latest adventure, of course, but that's what's taking our attention "at the minute" (as the Irish say). By no means least is the blessing of good friends old and new. Specifically, I have received incredible support from those who know that my thesis defense is tomorrow. I told Gwen that if my success depended on the number of people praying for me, I would breeze through!
Thanks so much to all--I will post an update in about 24 hours.

A weekend with good friends

2010-06-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Some 7 years ago we first met folks from Northern Ireland who have since become dear friends. This past weekend we were again blessed with their kind hospitality, and we enjoyed the amazingly good weather together, touring favourite spots on the North Coast and discovering some new ones.

Back in Ireland!

2010-06-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

After some adventures in air travel, we have arrived in Ireland and settled back into life in Lambeg for a short time so that I can go through my PhD defense (viva) on June 9 at 10 am.
First, the travel adventures: we got to the Saskatoon airport shortly after 4:30 am for our early morning flight and checked in, but our hearts sank when the attendant pointed out that our passports were expired and voided! Somehow, we had picked up the wrong ones; the current passports were sitting in a drawer in Caronport, 2.5 hours' drive away. What saved us is that we were flying to Montreal so I (Randy) could attend the CETA (Canadian Evangelical Theological Association) conference en route to Ireland. Gwen went back through security and got her luggage and then drove furiously to Cport to retrieve the passports; then she flew the next day to meet me in Montreal. (When she picked up her luggage, she realized that the handlers had taken off the piece that held the clothes I was planning to wear to the conference, so she managed to get an Air Canada employee to sprint to the plane and get them to me just before the plane's door was closed!)
Now, about settling back in to Lambeg: our neighbour, Nan, had said that the house we rented four years earlier was now empty, so we contacted the landlord and he graciously allowed us to use the house for the time we are here. Friends and neighbours have spoiled us again, making sure we had enough in stock for evening tea and much more.
A few things have changed--the kerbs are all one (drab) colour now and the neighbourhood children have grown a lot--but we were struck with how much everything is just as we left it. In fact, pictures we hung on the walls of the house are still in their place and a tear-off calendar we left behind still displays the date we left!
Yesterday we met up with my supervisor and got some business done at Queen's (including finding the location of my viva), we toured the Ulster Museum, which had closed for renovations the day after the last time we went through, and we strolled through the Botanic Gardens & shared a Flake ice cream cone from a Mr. Whippy wanna-be. We then took the train back home and visited at the Parkside nursing home & shopped in Lisburn, getting home footsore, weary, and laden with some of the favourites we remembered from before (such as black currant jam).
Today, we went for a (not so wee) drive with Nan and Tom, going from one restaurant to the next, so the long walk yesterday was all for nought in terms of calories burnt. Not only that--there are butter & cream & Stilton in the fridge, so . . .
All in all, it's wonderful to be back.

Finally - Swimming in the North Atlantic!

2007-07-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

I thought that I should report back to you to tell you that I finally got to swim in the ocean. While we were up at Portstewart we met a friend and her children down at the strand. We played in the sand and then her 8 year old and I went and splashed in the ocean waves - the weather was not warm but at least it wasn't raining!

No time to write a blog

2007-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy with company - that is our excuse for the lapse in blog entries. We just returned from a week stay in Portstewart on the north coast. For part of the time we had company so we rented a car to tour them with Derry, Donnegal and all the tourist attractions on the North Coast. When we were at Dunluce Castle we were treated to a group of experts in medieval fighting and got to try on armor and experience professional jousting.
On Monday we had to take company down to the airport so our mode of transportation back up was the train/bikes. We took the train to Portrush and biked to Portstewart and then today we biked to Coleraine and took the train from there. Jen arrives tomorrow morning - so exciting!

I Saw three ships come sailing in

2007-07-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

Our last couple of weeks have been so busy that it has seemed like a blur! I didn't want to forget to tell you about going to Belfast Maritime Festival. We went down to the harbour to see a number of tall ships which have been used if filming movies like Saving Private Ryan and Shackleton's adventures. The sister ship to the Titanic was also there along with a ship doing an reenactment of the ships used to send the Irish to America during the potato famine. We had coffee and great desserts on a Danish tall boat and were full of samples from the food marque - even had homemade bramley apple ice cream. We took home great cheeses and a loaf of Guinness bread (made with 27% Guinness) I will miss living so close to the sea!

I should have had a touring business

2007-07-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

Our friends tease us that we should have opened a bed and breakfast. Now I'm thinking that I could also be a tour guide. Our friends from Red Lake wanted to go to Scotland and left it to me to plan their itinerary. Well, I'm comfortable planning tours of Northern Ireland but I broadened my horizon with the Scotland trip. It was sort of fun finding tours, trains, ferries, accommodations and sites of interest in Edinburgh. The sail and sail from Belfast harbour involves 4 transfers so I decided to make the trip with them and show them around Edinburgh for a few days. I also got to spend time with our friends the Friesens. I win the prize for their most frequent Canadian visitor. While I was away my 2nd cousin from Winnipeg arrived and Randy got to cover again for me - must learn not to double book my services! Well, tomorrow my cousin from England arrives for 5 days and we are planning a stay at Portstewart at a guesthouse there. I'll update later.

Company coming

2007-07-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

It seems like company comes in waves! We picked up our friends from Red Lake Ontario on June 28 and they stayed with us for 8 days. We did all the touring routine and added a few extras to make it interesting. We had a two day excursion to Galway and saw the Burren and Connemara. The scenery was amazing. Yes I did get to see the sun go down on Galway Bay. We have the pictures to prove it!

Great concert

2007-07-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

We went to a concert of a group called the Leading ladies at the Lisburn Civic Centre - the variety was amazing! We were entertained for over 2 hours and the Pond Park senior choir also sang a few numbers. The fun thing was that when we got there we were surprised that we knew so many people there - from living here a year we have met a lot of friendly people and it's starting to feel like home. Strange thing is that we are leaving in just over a month and when I looked at the pictures of the block party that our neighbors had for Jen when she was leaving for Prague it made me realize that we have many good friends at home and I'm starting to long for the prairies!

I have completed my task

2007-06-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

My friend in Scotland worked as a domestic in a small care home for a few months. When someone noted that she had quit her job, she replied that she would prefer to say that she had completed her task! Well, I'd like to announce that I have completed my task at Parkside! It was a great day at work - the staff had bought a farewell cake, flowers, a present and a card. I felt loved. The day before, one of the girls had told me to bring a change of clothes, and it's a good thing I did because as I left the building they showered me with eggs, flour and red sauce! They reassured me that they only do this for those they like. Sorry, no picture of the mess because the cameras batteries had died.

Off to the Scottish Highlands

2007-06-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

From June 14 -20th Randy and I went to visit friends in Scotland. We flew to Edinburgh and stayed overnight and then headed up to Inverness by bus the next morning. The trip through the highlands was beautiful! Our friends George and Ethel met us there and took us to stay with them at their home in Cullen - a picturesque fishing village on the north coast of Scotland.

They have a Labradoodle dog called Bradley that weighs around 100 lbs and is full of life. Bradley added lots of fun to our visit there.

We enjoyed wonderful meals and great day trips to see Spey Bay, Walker's shortbread factory and the Brodie visitor centre. The area is also home to Baxter's factory and a dozen or more whiskey distilleries. We visited friends we met who had been to Mortlach, Saskatchewan a couple of years ago and they sent back a bottle of Macallan's whiskey for us! Any suggestions for it? On Sunday we attended the Old Kirk in Cullen - it was pre-Reformation and still has the laird's box and the seating in the shape of the cross. We were also able to spend a couple days with the Friesens in Edinburgh exploring museums and art galleries and breathing in the good Scottish air while we strolled along Princes Street and the Royal Mile.

You'd love our neighbours!

2007-06-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

When we returned from Scotland on Wednesday our neighbour met us at the airport. When we got home we found that his wife had made a lovely meal for evening tea and had it waiting for us on our kitchen cupboard (and she had also bought fresh milk and bread and left them in the fridge). We have been so blessed to have such kindness shown to us!

Cousin Judith's visit

2007-06-22T06:15:00.001-07:00

My cousin Judith and her husband Duncan came for a visit in Northern Ireland. Judith is just a couple of years older than I am but has always had the reputation of being the crazy, fun-loving, unpredictable one. They get the points for being the only company we have had that we didn't pick up at the airport; in fact, they drove us to the airport when we left for Scotland. Yes we abandoned our company! We left in the evening and they left the next morning. Don't worry--we won't make a habit of it. While she was here we phoned back to Brandon to talk to Aunt Rose visiting from BC and Judith's mom, Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary and Aunt Rose are my mother's only sisters so it was special to think that they were together when we cousins were together.

Longest day of the year

2007-06-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

It is 10:45 pm and time for bed! We have just had to turn the lights on in the house. I love the long evenings but it always take you my surprise when you see how late it is. Summer has officially started and I look forward to all the adventures it holds. I packed 2 bathing suits and haven't had a chance to swim since I came so I'll let you know if I get enough nerve and warm weather to swim in the ocean.

The Reason Mothers pray

2007-06-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

(image from this website)
Our son Jonathan has been working out in Prince George BC on a tree planting crew this summer. Because he puts in long hours and is far from civilization we don't hear from him often. It was so good to talk to him on skype a couple of days ago. His job is to check the sites to make sure they are planted properly. He was out in the woods checking - he saw a grizzly bear not far from him - between himself and the truck he was driving. He said he was afraid and then he heard something run behind him - he looked around and saw a big moose. There he was out in the middle of nowhere playing "pig in the middle" with a moose and a grizzly! To make a long story short he took it slow and circled around to get back safely into his truck around an hour later. So that is why mothers pray. Thank God He's always with those we love.

"I'll give you a daisy a day girl"

2007-06-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

When Randy and I were going together our song was "I'll Give You a Daisy a Day." He often sings it to me and I have always loved daisies - in fact there were daisies in my wedding bouquet. Growing up on the prairies our spring childhood pastime was to make sharp whistle sounds using a wide blade of grass. Apparently here it is to make daisy chains. Our back garden is full of small daisies so this morning I sat down and made a daisy chain. You form it by splitting the stem and inserting the next daisy in the tiny split. Right now I am sitting here with my daisy crown on - I think I'll take it off before I head for work. No need of a crown there!

Here's a close-up.

Another day another picnic!

2007-06-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today I had a day off work so we planned a picnic by the sea. My friend Hilda and her 2 daughters and I went to Crawfordsburn Park for the day. We had our Teddy Bear picnic and then went for a long walk on Helen's Bay along the seashore. We found shells, made a sandcastle, ran in the tide and enjoyed the sunny day. Of all the things I'll miss about Northern Ireland I think the coast will be near the top of the list! We had so much fun together they decided to have supper with us - good homemade perogies!

Dear Old Donegal

2007-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

"You are as welcome as the flowers in May to dear old Donegal"- actually we were there June 2 and 3 but we still felt very welcome. We went for the weekend with friends from Broughshane and had a wonderful time. We stopped at the Belleek china factory on the way there and had a tour - it is their 150th year in operation so I bought a vase to celebrate! We went on to wander the street of Donegal town. It was a long weekend and there was a lot of celebrating - at least 3 weddings going on and every third building on main street is a pub. We arrived at our B&B early and went into the wee fishing village of Killeybeg for "catch of the day" fish and chips. The next morning we had a big Ulster fry for breakfast and headed out in the rain.

The scenery in Donegal is rugged and has its own beauty. I was fascinated to see the miles and miles of peat being dug up for fuel. Apparently a lot of people still use it as their primary source of heat. We enjoyed the afternoon at Glenveagh National Park and castle. There was flower arranging seminar there that was great and the flower gardens and walks were amazing. We finished the day with a barbeque at the Ulster-American Folk Museum in Omagh - the rain held off but it was cool and breezy.

There!

2007-06-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

When we moved to Northern Ireland I said that I wanted someday to cycle around Lough Neagh, the UK's largest lake. Well, now I can stroke that off my list. I set out at about 5:45 on Wednesday morning (May 30) and, with two wrong turns costing at least an extra 1.5 hours of cycling and one stop to fix a flat tyre, got home at 7:15 pm, having travelled some 200 kilometers, or 125 miles.

So . . .

2007-05-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

. . . that's finished. I made it through my differentiation interview, so I am now officially a PhD student! After the meeting, I cycled home (again, through insane traffic--where on earth is everyone going at 3 in the afternoon?) and, since Gwen is working, celebrated alone--first with a wee nap. Is it obvious that I'm now 53 years old? Before lying down I put in a load of cycling clothes to wash and then hung them on the line when I got up. When it seemed like they'd dried all they were going to, with evening coming on, I brought them in and no sooner got them arranged on the drying rack than the skies opened and we got a gully-washer of a shower that lasted about 15 minutes. Now the sun's shining again and life goes on as before. Timing's everything, right?

Happy day

2007-05-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Born in '54; now entering my 54th year . . .
Gwen came back from an outing to a nursery last evening with a birthday present for me. I can't think of anything nicer (as a Rex Stout fan and all). The only problem will be having to give it up to a good home when we leave.
I also got a NYTimes Crossword book from the kids--stashed away since their visit at Christmas. It's a good job they did ask their Mom to hide it. After Friday (my differentiation--the biggie that determines whether I will continue with my studies), I should feel less guilt doing crosswords than I would have earlier.
Thanks to everyone who emailed for all the good wishes!

Assorted musings about our month of canadian company

2007-05-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

I am sure that even the most devoted of friends will not attempt to read all these musings but I wanted to write down our activities so they will not be lost from our memories. March 26-28 we had a friend from Caronport come for a visit with her daughter who is studying in England. The first day we rented a car and went up to see the Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, a walk on White park Bay and went home via the Glens of Atrium and the coastal drive. We stopped for tea at our mutual friends in Broughshane. The next day we explored the Cathedrals in Armagh and went home by the Mourne Mtns. April 4-6 our neighbour from Caronport and a fellow student she was studying with in Germany included us in their world-wind tour of Europe. We tried out public transport and spent the day on trains and buses exploring Londonderry, Giant's Causeway, Port Rush strand and Coleraine rose gardens. The next day it was biking on the Lagan Tow path. That weekend was Easter and we had 11 people over for Sunday dinner - we even had an egg hunt in the back garden along with bird whistling. On April 12 my sister Marilyn arrived - we initated her with a 80 minute round trip walk to Lisburn and an extensive visit of Parkside care Home - she almost met every resident. I hate to admit that one grandma thought that she was my daughter which was impossible because Marilyn is 14 months older than me! The next day we went to Hilden Brewery and had a traditional Irish meal by the fireside in an old Linen baron's estate. We picked up the rental car and went for a ride to see Armagh and went south to Monaghan which is in The Republic of Ireland. We had a coastal drive and ended up at Newcastle to have a late picnic on the shore viewing the Mourne Mountains. Marilyn thought that the weather was not really ideal for the picnic and we ate quickly and rushed back to the car to defrost. April 14th we had a private tour of Hillsbourgh Castle - the Queen's official residence in Ireland. We got to sit on the throne and Marilyn inherited a piece of Tyrone crystal with the Hillsbourgh design on it. That afternoon we went up to Londonderry and dear old Donnegal! What a drive - Dunfanaghy, Horn Head, Sheephaven and the Atlantic drive. The countryside was very rugged and beautiful and the road dangerous! We slept overnight in Port Rush at a friend's summer house. The next day we went to Dunluce castle, Bushmills, Giant's causeway and walked on the strand and saw a sunset. the next day we drove back the scenic route and stopped at our friends in Broughshane for tea. April 16-18 Marilyn and Gwen went to Paris - Paris in the spring - the weather was amazing! We saw all the tourist things - Louve, Eiffel Tower, Arch D'Triumph, Notre Dame, Champ Elysee, and the modern Grand Arc where we went on a tower to view the city. Marilyn enjoyed here shopping - we had numerous meals at outdoor cafes and enjoyed the wonderful orchestras and performers in the Metro. April 19 - we relaxed(sort of) and went into Lisburn to shop - Marilyn was surprised to find that we didn't have to walk into Lisburn and that we could practically get there from our doorstep to the main street via public transportation! it was the only time I've ever had a round trip bus ride to Lisburn. Marilyn loved the charity shops! That evening we spent out on IslandMagee at a very old (1630 country Presbyterian church were our friend Karen Campbell was ordained - we got on the bus at 5:30 pm and didn't get home till after midnight. The service was wonderful- the music amazing and the food the best church supper I've had In Northern Ireland - served in the pew on Royal Doulton china. April 20th - picked up the car rental and took Marilyn to airport for her trip back to Canada. No time to rest - my brother Dan and his wife Viola arrived the next morning at 7 am. We picked them up and came home for scones and tea - they had a short nap and we were off to Hillsbourgh and walked around the lake and explored the old fort, we went out to the country and walked up the backside of Slieve Croob from which you can see the Irish sea and the Mourne Mtns. We drove around the country taking in the lush green landscape and stopped to see Legananny Dolman on the way home. April 22 - we went to our local Presbyterian church in the morning and then went down to Armagh and went to the RC Catherdral and heard a wonderful international choir recital. It was our 29th wedding anniversary so we celebrated as usual with a picnic in the Mall-greens in Armagh. The only rainy day in the whole month of Canadian visitors was April 23 - we drove to Londonderry and up to Donnegal on the coastal road up to Malin Head - we stopped at the northern most Pub in Ireland - very small and full of entertaining locals - all 5 of them! Dan said that it was the smallest pub he had ever seen. We talked to one of the men who was a fisherman and he told us that we could buy fresh lobster and crab from the local fisheries co-op. We came home via the Magilligan ferry with live seafood in our boot! We stopped for a walk on the Benone Strand and then had a feast of seafood fit for a king! We stayed over night at our friend's summer home in PortRush. April 24 - we went to Dunluce castle, Bushmills, and a long walk on the top of the Giant's Causeway. We came home for a meal and then headed out and walked from Dunseverick Castle remains into sheep pastures and down to the coast to a tiny coastal village where we saw a group of seals and walked on the rocky coast till we came to White Park Bay. Dan was still in the mood for walking so Randy, Vi and Dan walked to the Carrickarade Rope Bridge - I stayed in the car which turned out to be a brilland idea because just as they got over to the island it poured buckets and they had a 25 minute walk back. We have pictures of them pouring water out of their runners and squeezing water out of there soaked apparel! Straight home for the soaked rats - well actually we drove through the Glens of Atrium past the Vanishing lake but it was so foggy that we were happy to be able to see the road! April 25 - We borrowed bikes and Dan and Viola had an adventure biking into Belfast on the tow path - they even made a visit to to Irish centre on Falls road. April 26 we went once again to the Downpatrick, Strangford, and then the coastal road down to Newcastle - we stopped at Ardglass and bought fresh cod which we cooked at our friend's summer home in Newcastle. Dan and Viola took a break and went off by themselves for a couple days to explore the Mourne Mtns and climb Slieve Donard and stay at our friends summer home - so thankful for generous friends! April 27 th was a special day - my best childhood friend came for a visit with her husband. I was so thrilled to spend the day with them and so thankful that we didn't scare them off with all the company we have had. April 28th - we picked up a friend I worked with back in Canada and a friend from Shellbrook. We had a tour of Parkside care home, went Biking on the Tow path and spent the afternoon at a fun fair in Lady Dickson Park known for it's beautiful gardens. The flowers were amazing. Dan and Vi came home and we went out to Portadown to have a meal with friends. Got up and made scones and served tea on my china dishes and it was off for Dan, Vi and Gwen to explore the south and find family! Randy stayed home to get caught up on his studies - the problem was that I had left Cathy and Laurie because they were staying for a couple more days - the short story is that Randy rented a car and gave up studies for chauffeur duties. April 29 - we went to Dublin, Gendalough, New Grange and arrived in New Ross, Wexford that evening. We went out for a late supper at the Brandon Hill Hotel - it was fun for us because our father was born in Brandon Hills Manitoba Canada! We stayed at a great country hostel - the road there was rough and narrow. The hostel was a converted chicken coop - it was terrific. When I looked out my window the next morning at 4:30 am there was a sheep around 3 feet from my window - bleating for my attention. That day we visited with our father's cousin's son - Bobbie and his wife Julie. Dan had met Bobbie 36 years ago when he was in Ireland touring on his motorcycle after completing his university. Lovely to met family - in the evening we went to met their son and his wife and their little boy. During the day we saw Dunbrody Abbey, drove by JFK memorial more than a few times, and went off to the Hook head and saw the world's oldest operating lighthouse. on our way home we stopped at a port were there was a fishing trolley coming in with it's week's catch. I asked if I could buy some fish and they gave me a big cod and a whiting fish which I passed on to our relatives to enjoy! May 1 we walked the tow path by Brandon Hill and then went to Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey .We were able to see where our great grandparents (Waylands) were buried in White Church. We met up with a relative John Fryday he took us to Dundrum to see where the Frydays were buried. When we were talking he mentioned that he remembered visiting in Winnipeg when he was young - he said Jack and Mae Fryday - guess what I also remember visiting them when I was young! I was able to see where my grandma Prowse grew up. The place that we stayed in Cashel was wonderful - we had a lovely homemade meal and also made a dessert to share when our relatives John and Sheila came for a visit. The next day we looked around Tipperary in the morning and then went to John and Sheila's for a wonderful roast ham and chicken feast. It was so nice to meet one of their daughters and granddaughters. John and Sheila had 15 children! Sheila sent home some fresh rhubarb from her garden and we got in the car and drove straight home to Lisburn without even a pit stop. ( Around 5 hour drive) Yes it's a long way to Tipperary! May 3 - Dan and Viola left to go to Germany and I had a long sleep - thankful for all the opportunities and adventures this last month had given me.

Songs in the night

2007-05-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

Early this morning we were lying in our bed with the not-so-faint (!) sound of songbirds ringing through our open window - it was 4:30 am. The latitude of Belfast is 54 degrees and Moose Jaw is 50 degrees so the sun rises early and doesn't set till past 10 pm. There is one bird that does an imitation of a police siren - must have been an old bird that had lived through the "troubles". We are off to church - so glad that it is only a 5 minute walk!

In our back garden

2007-05-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

I caught Gwen out in her blue jammies under the blue tree in our back garden. It's so private that there's no problem sneaking out dressed like this to hang up some clothes or get something from the freezer in the garage. That should be "garage": it's great as a storage place, but you would never be able to get a car into it--or at least would never be able to get out of the car if you ever did get it in.

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to make friends with the neighbour's cat. He feels quite welcome in our back garden and on our front step, but he doesn't care to acknowledge that we live here. He was basking in the sun today, lying on his back until we tried to get a picture. The wind made him look rather ruffled for this portrait.

The blessing of Motherhood

2007-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

We have mail delivery on Saturday. Just as I was getting up I heard something drop through our mail slot. It was a Mother's Day card from Jen in Canada. I love the way she is able to express herself in word - she almost always make me cry and laugh simultaneously! I am so thankful for Jen and Jon - they have brought so much joy and love into my life and I am very proud of them. As a dutiful big sister Jen wrote a little note from Jon knowing that he would be out in the bush in Prince George and wouldn't be near a phone or computer to send his own greetings. Jen sent a note to Randy to get him to pick up chocolates and flowers. When we got home from Lisburn we sat down to a steamer and some wonderful chocolate truffles - does life get any better than that!

Day out with my friend

2007-05-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning my friend picked me up and said that we could go wherever I would like. For some strange reason I've wanted to go and see the Tayto Crisp factory( Crisps are potato chips) in Tadragee. It is based in a castle and is very popular with the school groups - I think it has something to do with the free samples and give aways. On our way there we found a wonderful place for lunch out in the country just on the outskirts of Banbridge. It was a bakery/cafe and the food was amazing! We also stopped at a pottery shop that was based in an old Linen Factory. I can't believe the # of Linen mills there were in this area. When we finally found the Tayto Castle they told us that they didn't have tours on Friday afternoon. We decided to go and find the Bronte family home and the museum was listed as open - well the scenery around the Bronte Homeland is beautiful but the museum and church were not opened. The good thing is that we didn't have admission charges and actually it was almost as good just to be able to see the countryside. We stopped in to the new outlet mall on the way home and had tea. I am so thankful for friends - life is so much richer because of them.

Nothing like trying to get caught up!

2007-05-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm still overwhelmed trying to think back at what we have done in the last month. Poor Randy has tries to keep his nose in the books but has not always been successful! He became the expert at driving the car-hire on the narrow winding roads and only found time to read when Gwen would take the visitors on expeditions while Randy sat and read in the car. Randy must not have been too anxious to get back to studies because it wasn't hard to persuade him to come with friends this last Saturday to Omagh to visit the American Ulster Folk museum. This museum is very well done and had people dressed in period costumes. We had a great picnic and went home through the Sperrin Mountains and stopped in a wee village to see a 12th century celtic high cross. The weather has been very sunny for the last month but since the company has gone it's back to overcast with spotty showers. I guess it's true we all need a little sunshine and rain!

Time flies

2007-05-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

There - I finally did it! You know how you put things on your list to do and keep putting off doing them? We wanted to work on our blog but there has been so many things to do and the further behind we got the less appealing the job became. We had 6 sets on Canadian company in one month and have been enjoying life as tour guides and B&B hosts. I'm not sure how we can write all the fun things we have done but I think that I'll tell you about our most recent outing - the floral fair at Lambeg Parish Church. It was a 4 day event and the floral displays were based on spiritual themes - amazing arrangements of orchids, roses, exotic flowers and every kind of flower you could imagine. They were masterpieces - some 6-7 feet high and just as wide. We have certainly enjoyed a year of constant flowers - I don't think that there has been a time this year that I haven't had fresh flowers in our house. Those are the joys of living in a more temperate climate.

Now in our 30th year!

2007-04-22T02:01:00.000-07:00

It's been donkey's years, as Nan next door would say--29 to be precise--since we said "I do" before God and a company of witnesses and pledged our troth to one another. As I count my blessings, this is always #1: I need look no further for proof of God's grace than that Gwen has been enabled to put up with me all these years. I am blessed beyond measure, and it's such fun that we're celebrating our 29th anniversary in Ireland. (Gwen just received an email from a 3rd cousin once removed who says she is a direct descendant of Brian Boru and of Edward III, so now I have even more cause to brag!)
Actually, high praise is more seemly than bragging, and certainly due to the wife of my youth. May God's blessings continue to follow us: "May the road rise . . ."

Mothering Sunday

2007-03-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Gwen is making the most of the fact that the UK celebrates Moms in March and Canada celebrates in May--at least she's hoping that she'll reap the benefit of the second installment! We went with friends for a great trip to Castle Ward and then the ride home up the East coast by Strangford Lough. It was a blustery day, but we got in a bracing walk around the Castle Ward grounds and a very interesting tour of a spectacular house that is an enduring monument to marital disagreements--half of the house is built in a classical, half in a (modified) Gothic style. Below is a pic of some of the flower arrangements that now grace our hearth.

Snow!

2007-03-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Winter couldn't let go without giving us a taste of snow, so we got a little on the day before Spring. There was apparently about 6 inches in the hills, but we saw only enough to make a snowball. Waiting for just the right moment to get a picture of the snow-covered hills, I missed my opportunity, so you'll have to take my word for it unless more comes tonight, as they're predicting.

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

2007-03-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

What a privilege--to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the land where he spent his life as a missionary. We got up early and caught a ride to Saul, the spot where he landed and began his ministry. There we attended a service and then joined a prayer walk to the cathedral in Downpatrick for another service complete with Irish music and dancers. After the service we enjoyed a wonderful Irish stew dinner, checked out the museum, and watched the parade, and then we visited the ruins of Inch Abbey on the way home. Our pics are in our flickr collection, beginning with this one of the church in Saul.

Pigeons!

2007-03-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Jimmy, a neighbour just around the corner, is a pigeon fancier. For more than 46 years, he has raised and raced homing pigeons. We spent a wonderful afternoon with him, learning much more about pigeons than we ever expected to know. He showed us chicks from newly hatched to 14 days (a fortnight) old and explained that he starts training the ones born now in May-June and racing them in July! More experienced racers are shipped to the south of Ireland, to England, and even to France and released to make their way home. His best racer ever flew nonstop from France (400 miles) in just over 12 hours and immediately--without even pausing for a drink--sat on her nest.
I kicked myself for forgetting the camera--maybe we'll pop over another day for some pics.

Gwen off to see the Queen

2007-03-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I went down to Queen's Film theatre with a friend to see the academy winning film- The Queen. It was an interesting film. I thought that I would be sitting in the theatre with college aged students and thought that I would feel old. Actually it was more likely alumni from half a century ago - they are apparently the ones most interested in the monarchy in Northern Ireland. I have a friend that works at Hillsbourgh castle - the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland - he is planning to take my sister Marilyn and I for a private tour when she comes in April. I'll make a post to tell you our observations!

Great craic for cheap!

2007-03-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first Spring day when our son has astounded us with his ability to come up with innovative ways to have a lot of fun. Yes, that's a ditch filled with water, and I think that's his snowboard.

Guess who's buying books?

2007-03-11T06:40:00.001-07:00

Randy has always been the book buyer in the house. We brought only one book to read on the plane besides our Bibles. Randy has shown a lot of restraint in accumulating books that will have to be transported back to Canada and often has 12 - 20 books out a time on loan from various libraries. Gwen on the other hand has taken a fancy to buying children's books to read to our little visitors and to send home with them. You can learn a lot of local vocabulary, lifestyle and history from reading these books.

What I miss

2007-03-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me the other day what I miss most from Canada. I couldn't think of anything then, except that I miss the kids. (I think I'm more of an Irish than a Canadian dad in that sense--Irish families are really close and I can't imagine anyone here wishing, as I've sometimes heard in Canada, that the kids would hurry up and leave home.)
Now I know, though, what I miss second-most: the Canadian system of heating. Because the heat only comes on at certain (pre-programmed) times of the day--unless the oil-fired boiler goes all the time, which would take an incredible amount of fuel--the temperature inside fluctuates and, because insulation is not taken nearly as seriously as in Canada, heat dissipates really quickly. By Easter, though, we'll be into warmer temperatures outside.
Of course, I've also missed a Saskatchewan winter. I wonder how I'll face one of those again.

Late afternoon reflections

2007-03-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Dublin - I just thought to mention that, on our bus trip to Dublin, on the dual carriageway (4 lane divided highway) there were miles and miles of daffodils in full bloom all along the side of the road! (Beats the yellow dandelions that grace the Saskatchewan stretch of the Trans-Canada highway in spring.) The walking tour at Glendalough was terrific - I felt like my heart was at home - as a child ( who am I trying to kid? I'm still a child at heart) I had dreamt about how beautiful Ireland was and the walk was like a dream come true. Right now it is pouring rain - this afternoon I walked home from Lisburn with 4 bags of groceries. I always think it's good to save bus fare but Randy just shakes his head in disbelief when I come to the door looking like a pack horse.

A weekend in and around Dublin

2007-03-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

We met some wonderful new friends whose hospitality over the weekend was, to say the least, overwhelming. They served us gourmet meals, introduced us to their very interesting friends (and with them regaled us with story after story), and toured us all around the Dublin area. On Saturday, we visited the St. Kevin's monastery site in Glendalough. You can see some pics at our flickr site: the ones tagged "Dublin weekend" that begin with the one here (a 12th-century cross that sits at the corner of their property). We were well and truly blessed, and we're very grateful.

Rainy Day

2007-02-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

The day was rainy and overcast. The temperature was warm but that could not entice me outside! I got up and did a load of laundry and thanks to our dry press ( a closet where the hot water tank is stored and where it is much warmer than the rest of the house) they are almost all dry! I then made 7 jars of marmalade - so much fun. I can put it away in the cupboard with my homemade blackberry jam, Bramley apple sauce and lemon butter. I started knitting in the afternoon and decided a short nap was in order - I woke up 2.5 hours later. I think that it was a great way to spend a rainy day in Northern Ireland.

Not NIR's finest day.

2007-02-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went to visit our friends in Ballymena - 45 minute car ride from Lambeg. The train ride was not the highlight of the day! We left Lambeg at 0929 and arrived in Ballymena @ 1130. We had an engine go on one of the cars that caused a diesel leak, then at Antrim one of the doors wouldn't close so the train could not start and the third unscheduled stop was not announced because the speakers had quit working - someone jumped out of the train and ran down the track and a few minutes later came back and we were on our way. On the way home our friends dropped us off at the station. We were on time for the 1812 train only to find that it had left a few minutes before. We were stranded in downtown Ballymena with a 3 hour wait outside for the next train. We decided to take a taxi to church and then a kind man drove us back to catch the train. The train left at 2101 and we got home at 2320. What a day! By my calculations we spent 7 or more hours of our day to make a journey that should have taken 1.5 hours. It was worth it because we had a really fun visit with our friends. We also met Terry - a man from their church who called us by name - he had been checking our friends the Murphys' blog and had found our link and read our blog. Interesting way to get to know people.

You call these cookies?

2007-02-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have been busy baking with my 4kg stock of Chipit chocolate chips hand- delivered with love from friends and family from Canada. The other day I was in the Lidl's store with a Spanish friend and her 4-year-old son. He saw "Americano-style" chocolate chip cookies and asked his mother for them. I said that I would bake some for him instead. The next time we visited I proudly brought him a big batch of cookies fresh from the oven confident that he would be very pleased. We had dinner together and when he was excused from the table he went triumphantly to the package to claim his prize. Seconds later he came from the living room with the most disgusted look on his face (a look we'll never forget!) and said something in Spanish. His parents were embarrassed but Randy and I just laughed. Apparently he wanted hard cookies and these were soft. I reassured him that they would be good in a day or so if his mom set them out to dry. I talked to her the other day and she said they turned out very well.

Mild winter, early spring!

2007-02-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's always green in Ireland, but this has been (apparently) a very mild winter so far, and signs of spring are everywhere. Randy cycled past a tree in full blossom the other day, there are snowdrops everywhere, and the park is soon going to be one mass of daffodils. Here, crocuses are poking up in one of the windowboxes that Gwen planted with primrose (which have been blooming all along). What a great place to spend the winter!

International adventures

2007-02-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

This last week in Northern Ireland has been full of times spent visiting with friends around a table. Last Saturday we had Spanish food at friends' from Barcelona and then went out to the Lagan Valley Civic Centre to hear an Irish harpist and a great Northern Ireland band. The next day we had friends who are German and Korean over to our place for Sunday dinner. That evening we went out for supper to the home of a couple from the church and learned lots about Northern Ireland history and the Presbyterian church. On Thursday a young mom who has a three-month-old son was over - I babysat while she ran some errands then we had lunch and made some Cinnamon buns then when and walked around the lake at Hillsborough Castle. The young mom was born and raised in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. On Friday I spent the day with a lady from South America and my Spanish friend and her two young sons - we had pizza together at our place. That evening we were invited to the Minister's home along with the assistant minister and her husband. We had fun laughing and sharing stories but we didn't get home till late and I had to get up early to work a 12-hour shift at Parkside. I suggested that we should have people over for Chinese New Year today but Randy thought that a quiet day at home was in order. We had homemade Chinese food for two - but we can't find green tea here. If my family read this posting they will just laugh because they always tease me that I am always talking about food. Food may not be everything but sitting around a table is a very pleasant way to get to know people. Looking forward to friends from Canada coming over!

Miracle on Ashbourne Park

2007-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I went out to our garage to get some ham out of our freezer to make pizza for lunch. Doesn't sound like a very interesting entry to the blog yet does it? Well when I opened the freezer a saw that most of the contents were defrosted. The strange thing was that the operation light was on and the motor was running. I came in to the house in a panic - (the freezer was full and my way of coping with the high grocery prices in the UK is to get good deals and stock-up). The first thing I did was a phone my friend Hilda to see if she had room in her deep freeze to store the things that were still frozen. No answer on the phone and our neighbour next door were away. I went to find the Argos catalogue(something like the Sears in Canada) to see if we could buy a new one - they would cost between 100-150 pounds ($250- $350 Canadian) I then decided to run to another neighbours to see if she might have room. I was disappointed when she said she didn't have room in her freezer but was amazed when she said she had a freezer they weren't using in the shed. It was a two year old Hotpoint upright! They had just redone their kitchen and hadn't sold this one. They are Christian people and were very pleased that they were able to be a part of God's provision for us. They said that it ours to use for the rest of the year. I was so relieved I started to cry - God does care about the small things. There are very few families in Northern Ireland that would have a deep freeze - the culture here is to make daily trip to the shops to purchase what they need for the day so the fact that they had a freezer was something but the fact that they had one that wasn't in use was a miracle. I was able to cook up the thawed food. I was exhausted at the end of the day - making blackberry jam, meat balls, 4 dozen cabbage rolls, cooked up pounds of hamburger and chicken. I had 2 large roaster chickens so I cooked one and took it over to our neighbours who had lent us the freezer and the other one to made for Hilda to take home for supper. Randy was laughing at me when I was on the phone - I said I was using a big roaster so I would put potatoes and vegetables around the chicken so her meal would be ready - I even said I had a fruit strudel baked for dessert. All is well that ends well!

Ten things Gwen likes about Northern Ireland

2007-01-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

These are in random order:
1. The lovely soft water - just a little bubble bath and you have a tub full of bubbles!
2. There is no tax added to your bill - There is a 17% VAT but it is hidden.
3. There is no snow - Once at work they called me to see the snow - it lasted for about 5 minutes and it melted before it hit the ground.
4. Everything is green! I have had flower boxes of primrose, heather, and pansies outside all winter. The spring bulbs are up and ready to bloom.
5. I must confess that I like using butter - it's hard to find margarine and it isn't great quality - there is also a great variety of excellent cheeses.
6. Though not having a car has it's disadvantages - it's been great getting lots of exercise biking and walking. ( when I go to work it is 1 hour and 20 minutes of walking- round trip)
7. I have loved getting to know people at work and the neighbours. They all contribute to the Northern Ireland experience. The Irish have a great accent and have old sayings that are funny and priceless. An example is the neighbour next door said when I had lost my house keys when Randy was away at a conference in England and found them that , " If you'd fallen into the Lagan River you'd have come up with a new suit." Translated it means that I was lucky.
8. The Charity shops. I always head for the bric a brac section( housewares) - I have collected a large tea services of Paragon china which if bought I Canada would have cost hundreds of dollars. A couple days ago I picked up a mint condition wedgwood tray.
9. I am very thankful for our great accomodations. Our house is warm and comfortable -and we live in a good part of town. I am so thankful for the deep freeze. Our fridge isn't much larger that bar fridge and that would mean that we would have to make many trips a week for groceries. As it is we can stock up on food when it is on sale!
10. It's like a second honeymoon spending so much time with Randy. We have lots of adventures and opportunites to see and do things that we wouldn't be able to in Canada. He is very indulgent with me and will play a game of dice, take two, scrabble or Yatzee almost every night after supper. I have always loved playing games.

My charity shop bric-a-brac treasures!
Maybe when it has rained and has been overcast for 6 days in a row I could share with you my list of 10 things I dislike about Northern Ireland.

Back to blogging

2007-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

We had an exciting Christmas with the kids--so exciting that it's taken us a month to get back to blogging! We'll try to catch up, posting now and then about the Christmas break, but just now, about January . . .
We had borrowed a bike and gone with Jon for a bike ride to the Giants' Ring and on the way back, Gwen had a very nasty spill trying to negotiate a turn halfway down a fairly steep hill. I heard her hit the tarmac and break her helmet--a sickening crack. (No damage to the borrowed bike, thankfully.) She managed to cycle home, a little dazed and a lot sore, and we decided later that she probably cracked a rib. She missed some days at work and spent a lot of time recuperating, but she's steadily getting better and has worked 2 days without too much discomfort. Yesterday was such a gorgeous clear day that we just had to get on the bikes and go. We ended up cycling all the way in to the Botanic Gardens, so way to go, Gwen--after a fall, get back on & go again!
I don't know if this photo is clear enough to see the cheeky little robin sitting on my front wheel. He was determined that we weren't going to get any pictures of him!

Happy Christmas!

2006-12-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

We're visiting with friends in Edinburgh for Christmas, and the kids flew from Canada to join us today (at 9:30 Christmas am). Can't think of a better Christmas gift! We've been having a wonderful time (great craic!), eating loads of such good food, enjoying home-produced Christmas concerts, and giving & getting thoughtful gifts. (It doesn't make sense to give bulky items that have to be packed for overseas travel, so extra thought went in to the purchases.) We received so many brilliant gifts from friends and family in Canada--we're so blessed!
Now for some rest before what sounds like a full slate of adventures tomorrow.
Happy Christmas to all . . .

Flowers in December

2006-12-15T03:18:00.000-08:00

It's actually hard to imagine that there's snow at home. It's plenty rainy here, but flowers are still blooming. In front of our house, we still have a rose blooming. Not bad for the middle of December!
Still drying clothes on the line, too (between rain showers):

Armagh

2006-12-15T02:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm really behind at posting--our visit to Armagh with our friend Arthur was almost two weeks ago! Armagh is a lovely city, the "Christian capital" of Ireland, with two St. Patrick's Cathedrals--one Roman Catholic and one Church of Ireland. It's also in the area known for its apple orchards so, though it's beautiful & green now, I imagine the countryside is incredible at apple blossom time. We're really enjoying the local Bramley apples for pies & applesauce, and the varieties for eating fresh are so full of flavour--if we can manage to find locally grown Golden Delicious, etc. We also made a quick trip into the South to Monaghan, and on the way home stopped at an authentic Irish cottage. It was a wonderful day, and we enjoyed to the full our time with Arthur. He told us wonderful stories of his youth and, when we were talking about how people (at work, etc.) are now able to say things in conversation that just a few years ago would have been strictly forbidden because too dangerous, he mentioned a local proverb that Seamus Heaney used in one of his poems: "Whatever you say, say nothing!"

Down in the Dumps!

2006-12-15T02:09:00.000-08:00

From now on, whenever I feel blue, I'll remember Jeannie at G's nursing home singing (and Margaret chiming in for a "wee duet" and soon almost everyone in the front room joining in):
Down in the dumps I'll never go;
That's where the devil keeps me low.
So I'll sing with all my might,
And I'll keep my armour bright,
And down in the dumps I'll never go!
I told Dad about it and he said he remembers the chorus from his primary Sunday School days.
It's really cool to see how Jeannie has brightened up. The other day, she asked me, "Are you a Christian?" When I replied in the affirmative, she said, "I'm a Baptist!"

Signs

2006-11-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

We see some very interesting things in our travels. Doesn't this sign look like an invitation to mischief?

This one has a completely different tone:

PhotoStory files

2006-11-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

We created some PhotoStory files but had some trouble linking to them. Now you can check them out here. Here's the text to go with them:

There's no doubt that Northern Ireland gets more than its share of rain, but we've also had some really lovely days for autumn excursions.
Special days can be difficult when living away from close friends and family, but we had a lot of fun celebrating G's birthday in Northern Ireland.

Talk about changeable weather!

2006-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday it rained all day, on Thursday the sun came out and G got me to drag out the wicker loveseat from the garage to the back garden so she could have a nap outdoors, as you can see! Today started out with steady rain that actually included a few snowflakes at around 9:30 (half-nine, as folks say here) and I found myself, strangely enough, enjoying the idea, though snow here isn't anything like snow in Western Canada, either in volume or in moisture. (It's a dry cold!) Later in the afternoon the sun came out again and I dozed over my book as the sunshine warmed the house. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?

Missing you . . .

2006-11-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

I miss the kids most when we look at the PhotoStory they sent of their Thanksgiving adventures. I miss our friends when I hear that some of them are going through tough times. I miss this goofy carrot-loving hound when I see people walking their Springers in the park. This picture was included in a letter from our good friends in Parkside, SK. We miss you all, and it will be great to see you again. Meantime, keep those cards & emails coming ("lead us not into temptation but deliver us some emails") and tell everybody about Skype!

Painting

2006-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Our rented house is very comfortable, but the walls needed a little freshening up, so we are giving them a quick coat of paint, supplied by our gracious landlords. The paint here is a bit different from at home, as you can see. I think it will cover well, if I can manage to get it on the wall!

Can't stay away from Parkside

2006-10-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

More about my job search: out of curiosity I checked out a care home called Parkside. It's an old three storey house that has been turned into a care home. I started casual work there last week. The people are nice but nothing compared to our beloved friends in Parkside, Canada! (See also here and here and here and here.) I just phoned friends in Parkside and I was tempted to hold the phone out the front door so they could hear the fireworks. Apparently fireworks were banned in Northern Ireland for a long time and now they have fireworks almost every night but on the weekend it lasts for hours, and Hallowe'en is, apparently, the time to bring them all out. Tonight it has been going on for the last two and half hours. What they really like is the loud banging that sounds like booms going off. It sounds like fun to have fireworks so often but I think the youth who are setting them off are getting a lot more enjoyment from them than people in their homes and especially the poor dogs that are scared to death!

Culture in Belfast

2006-10-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is a busy city! There's no way we could take in all the events, and they take place at a variety of very interesting venues, from the new Waterfront Hall to fantastic heritage buildings and everything in between. (Lisburn, too, has a lot going on at the Lagan Valley Centre, but we haven't made it there yet.) There are lots of museums and art galleries, too (like the Naughton at Queen's). Today we found the Ormeau Baths Gallery--a very cool place. Last Saturday when we were looking for it we bumped into a Canadian from Kingston, ON who is working in England and was visiting Ireland on a holiday. Yes, we invited her to our place, and she stayed with us 2 nights before moving on to Dublin.

Belfast Festival at Queen's

2006-10-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying the (free) classical concerts that are part of this festival--which in the UK is second in size only to Edinburgh's. Last Saturday's featured two very accomplished vocalists and today we enjoyed a fantastic concert of saxophone & guitar--classical, but recently composed music, so very interesting fusions with jazz & some folk. Several of the compositions were from Ireland, and a couple of them were being played as their "world premiere." Last Sunday evening we went with friends to a concert at the Ulster Hall (from the festival blog: "This year’s BBC Invitation Concert will feature the world premiere of a major new work by Belfast-born composer Deirdre Gribbin. Gribbin wrote Goliath for percussion and orchestra but has used the distinctive drumming patterns of the Lambeg Drum complement the symphony orchestra. This performance at the Ulster Hall on Sunday 22nd October will also feature virtuoso solo percussionist Colin Currie"). Currie tired us out just watching him move from one instrument to another (a total of 21, if I remember rightly). "Goliath" very effectively captured the city's shipbuilding heritage and promise for the future. I'm usually unimpressed with "new music," but this was very good. I really enjoyed the two lambeg drums. "Lambeg" (the name of our community) means "little church"; the only connection I can think of is that the drum is almost as big as a small church!

Finding part time work

2006-10-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

The time had come for me to find a part-time job. I went to the job centre to find out more about how to go about it. The only thing I gleaned from there was that I needed a National Insurance Number. So, first things first: I phoned to get an appointment to apply for a NIN. They asked allsorts of questions and made me an appointment for a week later. They mailed out 15 pages of information, all of which repeated itself over and over again. When I went for the interview it took almost an hour. They photocopied around a dozen various forms of ID: electrical bill, marriage certificate, driver’s licence, passport, birth certificate, student visa, rental agreement, etc. I’m sure I signed my name over twenty times. They had said that I'd need 2 letters from businesses to say that I'm actively looking for a job. I asked about employment in over 30 businesses before I got my 2 letters. Apparently here you don't drop off resumes - you can only apply for jobs that have been advertised and most businesses use employment agencies ( that take a % of every pay cheque) It's a catch 22 situation! After I'd finished applying for the NIN he said that I could have found a job without the number! He said I should hear from them in 3-4 weeks to let me know if my application was accepted or not. I have applied for a couple of jobs and in the next post I will describe the results.

Telephone fun

2006-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

The day after we arrived we signed up to have our phone activated. Unlike Canada you are charged for every call you make. During the day you are charged 3 pence per minute and 5.9 pence per call in the evening. The old phone that was in the house was really bad; it sounded like we were in the remotest part of Siberia because the static was so loud. We made a trip to Argos—for those who remember Consumer’s Distributors, it is that kind of shop—and bought a digital phone that works well. Our friends told us about Tele-Discount, who only charge 1 pence per minute. We just checked our BT bill and found that in the last month I have phoned Canada and talked for 8.9 hours! We also have signed up for wireless broadband and are enjoying using Skype to talk to family free of charge.

Thanksgiving

2006-10-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

We invited two sets of Canadians over to celebrate Thanksgiving. We started 3 weeks early to prepare for the event, trying to procure the necessary ingredients. It took a long time to find a turkey—Thanksgiving is not a celebration in Northern Ireland, though most churches mark the harvest on a Fall Sunday of their choice. I finally found a Butterball Crown turkey, which means just the breast and wings. R was a little upset with me for carrying a big bag of potatoes and the 7-pound turkey all the way home from Lisburn. We were unsuccessful in finding canned pumpkin so I got a recipe from Parkside and made a pseudo-pumpkin pie out of carrots. If you want the recipe just email us. It tasted just like pumpkin pie. What about the cranberry sauce? Well, we looked at many shops but could not find any, but we went on line and found that there was some @ Tesco. So off we went for an hour and a half walk to hunt down the cranberry sauce. When we got there, we found pallets of the stuff! All the shops are gearing up for Christmas already, so cranberry sauce has suddenly arrived on the shelves. On Saturday night a couple and their 2 young daughters, a young Irish man from Belfast Bible College and a girl from Saskatchewan came for supper. As it turned out, she was born and lived about a half hour from Parkside. On the airplane we had met a young lady from B.C. who was coming to Northern Ireland for a year to do youth work. She came over and stayed the weekend. On Sunday morning, the church that we attend just 5 minutes from here just happened to celebrate Harvest Sunday, so the church was beautifully decorated and we were thrilled to be able to sing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” We told the pastor how nice it was for them to plan their Harvest Sunday to coincide with Canadian Thanksgiving! That evening, four Queen’s University students R had met at the induction (orientation) for international students came over. We had a great time celebrating with our new Canadian friends. Surprising how bonding it is to celebrate away from home. We have plans to do a monthly meal with the Queen’s students. We really have a lot to be thankful for!

Market Day in Lisburn Town Centre

2006-10-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

You’ll have to come to downtown Lisburn on a Tuesday. The place is packed with shoppers, and the vendors have a great array of wares. There are fishmongers, folks selling fresh produce (some of it from local market gardens), and others selling bedding, clothes, jewellery, crafts and art. On the main street there is always a Brethren preacher who is preaching using old-fashioned language in a voice that makes him sound like a town crier. Just around the corner last Tuesday a busker who appeared to have emigrated from India was playing an accordion. As I listened more closely, I realized that he was playing the song, “Red River Valley.” The incongruity made me smile but so did the song because it made me think of growing up on our farm in Pipestone.

Kindness of neighbours and friends (some of them new)

2006-10-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our next door neighbours have been such a blessing. In the first few weeks it was hard to find the things I was looking for in the grocers. I had asked my neighbour about where I could buy fast-acting yeast. The next day she was over with some for me. I had borrowed some cinnamon to make cinnamon buns and gave her some to taste. A few days later she was over with 2 bottles of cinnamon for me. Her sister (from whom I borrowed the Toyota sewing machine) was over for tea and, in the conversation, she asked if I liked to knit. Three days later her sister brought over a big ball of wool, a pattern for easy slippers and some knitting needles. That was very kind of her. What made me smile was that the wool was a very bright pink. Her sister said that the choice was very limited: either a dull grey or the pink. Her sister said, “G is such a cheerful person; I’m sure that she will want the pink.” I knit them up that evening and told R that I will wear them with pride and celebrate pinkness! The parents of the man from whom we are renting the house have also been very helpful as we settle in our new home. She has brought over baking pans etc. which I have really appreciated. (She said that she doesn’t bake any more so I was welcome to use them—seems like a common theme. Every time I bake something and take it to the neighbours they are surprised that it was homemade. They say that they just buy theirs at the bakery. R and I enjoy playing Scrabble but had looked for a long time for a game and couldn’t find one. We mentioned it to our landlord’s parents and they must have remembered because just the other day they brought over one they had got from their friends.

R’s cousin’s daughter and 3 of her friends stayed with us for a few days while they visited Northern Ireland. We really enjoyed having them here. A couple of weeks after their visit a big parcel was delivered to our door. It was from Canada, and contained a wonderful array of items that are impossible to find in Northern Ireland: maple syrup, Kraft peanut butter, Chipit chocolate chips, maple leaf-shaped maple cookies and homemade Nanking cherry jelly. What a wonderful surprise! And then, when we looked at the parcel, we realized that she had spent $92.00 to send it. Her kindness overwhelms us.

G's Projects

2006-10-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

I like to take on projects. Within just a few days of arriving in Belfast I had been down to the greenhouse to get a bag of soil and off to the market to buy flowers. The front of the house is adorned with heather, pansies, primrose window box and two very large pink fall chrysanthemums. I’ve furnished the house with a variety of articles found in charity shops and second hand shops. We were in need of a couple tablecloths for the dining room table. I found a shop on Chapel Road and purchased 6 metres of material—enough for 2 tablecloths and some napkins. I thought I’d just hem them by hand and then thought that it would be a whole lot faster if I could borrow a sewing machine, so I went to the neighbour next door to see if Icould borrow one. The neighbour said that she had never used one before but that her sister had bought one from a boot sale last year and that she was sure that I could borrow it. The machine was a 1960s model Toyota sewing machine! We have always driven Toyota cars, but I had never heard of them making sewing machines. Except for the unpredictable tension, it works fairly well. The next day I walked back to the store (35 minutes one way from home) to buy some material to make napkins for a birthday present for a friend and a gift for our neighbour and her sister. I found some really beautiful designer material that was on a fantastic sale so I bought a few more yards. That project went so well that I decided that I should go back the next day (35 minutes each way) to buy the rest of the bolt. It was 50 pence cheaper a metre if I bought the whole thing. I thought that it would be around 8 metres. Actually, it was 17 metres, so I lugged my big parcel home and started making more tablecloths, wheat bags, aprons and napkins. I know it’s hard to comprehend, but I went back one more time to buy just 1 metre of material to make some more masculine looking wheat bags. Do you wonder what you are getting for Christmas?

A Curious Message

2006-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

I (R) chatted with a young fellow named Robert from Colorado while standing in line at the international students’ orientation days. He was interested in my bicycle and said he’d like to get a bike while he’s here & do some touring, and we exchanged email addresses & phone #s. The other night we got a phone call. G answered it and was very quiet for a long time, listening to a message, so I came over to see what was up. She seemed puzzled, even serious, and I was getting worried. She replayed the message for me, and it took me a while to figure out that this was a computer reading a text message. It was a female voice and the message sounded like poetry or some kind of code, so I was flabbergasted until I heard “Robert” and remembered that the first line was, “So I got a bike . . .” I was so flustered, though, that I just hung up, so I've lost the message and I can’t for the life of me find the scrap of paper that I wrote his info on. Tonight, though, when I told that story, one of our new Canadian friends over for Thanksgiving said, “I think I know Robert,” so I may be able to return his call—and we may even be able to take the bikes for a ride!

Update: I bumped into Robert at Queen’s & found out that he had indeed got the message from Des, but his bike has a flat tyre (note NI spelling!), so the ride is still postponed. Meantime, I’ve been cycling in to Queen’s a couple days per week, so I’ve been keeping the clothes washer busy!

Little things of interest

2006-10-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Funny how a person notices little things in a new culture. People say "Hiya" when we meet on the pavement (sidewalk), and a man will often nod, but not like we nod on the Canadian prairies. (I remember a hilarious essay on the varieties of hand-waving you will likely encounter in Saskatchewan as you meet someone in a pickup truck, but when walking, people nod.) We do a quick down-then-up nod that seems to say, "Yes, I acknowledge you as a fellow traveller. I agree that it's a good day, but we could use some rain . . ." Here in Ireland, the nod is more a wry twist of the head that makes me think of, "Ach, yes, things are tough, so they are, but we'll make the best of it, so we will!" I haven't got the hang of it yet, so I don't dare return it. Maybe by the time we return to Canada. Then all the people I meet on streets in Saskatchewan will wonder, "What does he mean by that?"

People just like me

2006-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's pretty obvious to me that I have roots in Ireland; besides the fact that Nolan is a well known surname here, I have been fascinated by how many times I have met a man in the street who looks like my grandfather or one of my uncles . During the induction (orientation) sessions for international students, the pro vice chancellor who welcomed us to Queen's said that we would notice how briskly Belfast people walk--he joked that, with all the rain, they choose to get wet quickly. Maybe that's where Grandpa Nolan got it. He was born in Manchester shortly after his parents emigrated from Ireland. After the war, he began work as a mail carrier in Regina. When I got to know him he was retired, but he still walked at a pace just short of jogging; in fact, he did everything with verve, and his enthusiasm never seemed to flag. When he was in his 70s, he discovered Hockey Night in Canada, and Grandma showed us the spot in front of the TV where he had worn out the run by "skating" with the NHL players up and down the ice. At about the same time, he started writing poetry, and in his 80s, he taught himself to play the keyboard so that he could put his poems to music. My dad clearly has the same genes; even now when he's in his mid-70s (how can that be?) I haven't a hope of keeping up to him.
Now here I am in my 50s, bringing the family line full circle by coming back to Ireland. I'd love to do some searching to see if I can find the link back from Manchester to Ireland--and I will, if I can find the energy.

Finding a church

2006-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

We're experiencing something new--to this point,our choices about where to worship have pretty much been ready-made for us, but now we have to decide whether to attend the church closest to us geographically or denominationally or in terms of age bracket/distribution, or the friendliest, or one in which we think we might be able to contribute, or . . .
A friend from Northern Ireland knows that we are having trouble deciding, and has been recommending hers: Finaghy Presbyterian. The first time she mentioned it, I had to suppress a laugh--because the Irish pronunciation of "gh" can sound to the undiscerning ear much like "ck," I thought she said "Finicky." I thought, "The last thing I need is to hang around some finicky Presbyterians!" We haven't made it to that church yet; it's a bit beyond the comfort zone for hiking in dress shoes. What compounds our problem is that Northern Ireland is so churched. There are all kinds of churches within walking distance of us, and I just cycled today past one I hadn't seen before. We both feel like it's time to decide, to just pick one and see how we can serve and worship together.

2006-09-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today is a rainy, overcast day in Northern Ireland. To cheer us up our friends came over for lunch. I served perogies, cabbage rolls, homemade bread and apple dumpling for the meal. Our friends had spent two years in Saskatchewan Canada doing their Master's studies and thought that the meal reminded them of the time they spent there. Funny how we associate memories with food. We drove into Lisburn to purchase a much needed phone - the one in our home was from the ark and it had such a buzz in it that you would think we were living in northern Siberia. While we were there we also bought a mircowave. A couple of days ago I made a couple of rice bags that you can heat up in the microwave so I was anxious to see if they whould work as well as our trusty wheat bags we have used in Canada for years. The answer is yes - they hold their heat well. I think that I shall rewarm my rice bag and sit down with a good book.

Cycling like mad

2006-09-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

We've chosen not to use a car while we're here, but we get around fine on foot & on our bicycles (which Zoom Airlines allowed us to bring free!) and with public transit. Lisburn is not that far away, and we regularly cycle or walk there for shopping, though we do frequent the local Mace shop around the corner--as does just about everyone else in Lambeg, it seems, it's always so busy--for things we need immediately. We outdid ourselves yesterday, though; we brought home all the groceries you see in this flickr photo in R's bike panniers and in the backpack he was wearing! No wonder the neighbours shake their heads.

Our Adventures in Ireland

2006-09-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

We've come to spend one year in Lambeg, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, while Randy works on PhD studies at Queen's, Belfast. This blog is intended to record, for family and friends, some of the fun we have been, and expect we will be, having.