Susan's Stories

 The sky is light at 7 AM, it is not raining, and the day is cool, 55 degrees. While eating my porridge I read more about ship building in the UK. Shyamala and I discussed what I had Googled and what J learned in their book describing the coast of the entire island. The painter arrived to complete his painting of the trim of the windows and elsewhere.  Shyamala stated there wasn't much more to visit and that she would just stay at home. Today is a bank holiday, both Rajkumar and Shyamala have the day off. What I neglected to note are the daily phone calls from both Prashanth and Joanna and Asher in Amsterdam accompanied by videos of Asher walking increasingly more conveniently as well as phone calls from Priscilla. Interesting is that she is urging her mother to stop working and travel. Shyamala says she enjoys working. Rajkumar works three days a week. Queen's Park was wonderful as usual. A special gift was that I saw a second swan,  on one sitting at the lake Inwatched ...

 Yes, it was raining heavier than I have seen here, and it continued through the time we walked to Christ Church, during the service, and on the walk home. The small choir led the singing of hymns and other portions of the Eucharist, thank goodness,  for I recognized only one hymn tune. The sermon was short compared with those at All Saints, Pasadena, as was last week's sermon. After a cup of tea and checking the current weather and forecast for the afternoon we decided to drive to Liverpool to visit the Maritime and zskave museums. Arriving at the docks sermed complicated to me, and as Rajkumar could find no parking he let us out to begin visiting the two museums and agreed to be in touch with Shyamala by text. The next time we saw him came when he picked us up at 4 PM. In front of the the Beatles museum was a long line. There was no line in front of the Maritime museum. Shyamala stated that all museums in Britain are free. The Maritime and Slave museums share one building on...

 The overcast began late for me. However, at breakfast I learned from Shyamala that she had spoken with Prashanth who reported that his speech yesterday in Amsterdam went well, that he felt good about it, and that there are 30,000 attendees at this conference. He has a poster presentation today. Sunday and Monday he can enjoy with Joanna and Asher. Shyamala had also spoken with Priscilla who reported that her regular flat inspection went well and that she hoped to see me in California. We talked about their family visiting me in Pasadena and Prashanth's comfort driving on the right hand side of the road,   Shyamala left for a long walk,  and sun came out briefly,  and I began packing. When she returns we will do her grocery shopping for the coming week at Aldi. The German grocery store had only a handful of items from Germany, far fewer than the Pasadena Aldi - most interesting. We had sweet corn and chicken soup and Rajkumar had a Sri Lankan inspired tomato-based so...

 It begins at noon, and the plan is to visit Queen's Park enroute. Well, at 7:30 AM the sky is gray,  and I see rain from Priscilla's bedroom window. The forecast is rain off and on. After the painter arrived and started work and Rajkumar left for an errand I began Tony Blair's book. A Journey. I enjoy his conversational style.  After Rajkumar returned I left for the day, around 10:30 with umbrella, just in case. It was still overcast and cool. In fact, mittens would have been welcome.  I went to Queens Park and walked on several paths and made it to the lake to watch the waterfowl.  The ducks were noisey and often chased one another. They floated around in groups, pairs, and also singly.  The swan was on the bank. It watched it come near the water and reach its long neck into it. I also enjoyed seeing the swan extend and flap its wings, as in a morning stretch. Near noon I walked to Victoria Square where the 18th annual four-day Food and Drink Festival was...

The day is overcast and cool, and a few sprinkles of rain. The prediction is of no rain. Shyamala left for work before Prashanth and Joanna and Asher arrived to leave their car key for Shyamala to go to the Lostock train station and retrieve it and bring it here until they return Tuesday the 29th. We shared hugs and high fives until they needed to go to the train station. They have a noon flight to Amsterdam where Prashanth will deliver a paper tomorrow.  He said he will go over his speech again tonight. The painter arrived to paint the outdoor window frames, and Rajkumar left to pick up a couple grocery items. I will leave for Queen's Park after he returns. I departed around 10:30; about a half hour later I arrived at the park and sat on the first of several benches, this time around the formal garden. The patterns of flower planting looks formal with yellow and red flowers in in a specific pattern in eight settings. Throughout the day I followed many of the walkways, up and down ...

 They has begun grey with a few sprinkles. I learned that Prashznth and Joanna and Asher will arrive this evening to spend the night before they fly tomorrow late morning to Amsterdam where Prashanth will deliver a speech.. Shyamala and Rajkumar reminded me of the directions to the Bolton city center.Armed with map and written directions AND UMBRELLA I departed. The painter is here. After a brief conversation with the painter I departed for the town center with umbrella,  as the sky was grey. I felt only a few sprinkles; the umbrella was not needed. I followed the booklet map shown me by both Shyamala and Rajkumar as well as goggle researched before departing. I took a slightly different route from earlier in the week, Tudor Road to Spa Road. A few intersections were challenging,  without crossing lights. I usually walked further down the street, away from traffic and where the street was narrower to make a safe cross.  After asking directions a couple times I came u...

 It was dry and sunny, as the day began.  A couple hours later the sun went away, and the sky was grey. Shyamala walked her long walk on this, her day working from home, and Rajkumar is taking leave from work this week, as a painter will be here Wednesday through Friday.  I left around 1030, and about 15 minutes alon it began to rain. It was not predicted, and I didn't have an umbrella.  Never-ending, I found trees and dry areas near buildings for shelter. The rain and I continued to Queen's Park, my destination for the day,  I sat on a wet bench near the lake and sat and ate my peanut butter sandwich and pear and crunchies which Shyamala had given me. My clothes were soon dry as I walked around the park - watching families feeding the waterfowl, people strolling,  Hildreth playing on play equipment and later - people enjoying the sun which came out later. I spent the next four hours enjoying the quiet, the sounds of birds and people talking, and the blue s...

 I do know how to spell August.  Today, although overcast and cool with only a mild wind, there was also sun.  On my three hour walk into town mid morning I needed to remove my jacket. It took willpower to put down Priscilla's book When Breath Becomes Air which I was reading in the conservatory, for the non-fiction story is compelling.  Today I walked further into town. This be an older section, for many buildings were closed, they appeared uncared for, and litter was a common site.  After having walked through a Bolton School gate and marveled at the historic brick building and walked through more of Queen's Park I continued into the city. At the law courts building I requested to use the facilities and was treated most respectfully by the security who inspected me, my jacket, and my small travel pack.  Making my way back I remembered correctly the places where I had crossed streets, i.e. only where there were signals. I returned to Queen's Park and explor...

 Rzjkumar had already been at the church to open it when Shyamala and I arrived for the 930 service. We were warmly greeted at the door and picked up a hymnal with words and without music. In the hymnal was a copy of a generic liturgy and a leaflet with the readings and hymnal page numbers and parish news. The music was totally unfamiliar.  Shyamala told me later that all the music sung this morning was very familiar music. The rector preached from the chancel steps and without notes. The peace was widely passed around the congregation.  Impressive. Shyamala went to sork preparing the lunch for visitors - Rajkumar's nephew and wife and three children,  ages 9, 7 and 9 months. They had just arrived in London  yesterday from Australia for a three week holiday visiting family in Enhlanc and then attending a wedding in Italy. Ptashanth a d Joanna and Asher also came.. The spread was wide and delicious, the conversation lively, and the sounds of the two little ones, ...

  It is a day begun with my alarm, unusual as the morning light in Priscilla's room has awakened me this past week. I prepared my tea and porridge and learned that preparing I need to practice more to make the porridge smooth. We left home a little after 10 AM for the Blackpool neighboring town of Lytham where Prashanth and Joanna and Asher live. Shyamala had prepared sausages and onions and tomato sauce for our picnic. Their flat is modern and two storey with a patio window/ door which opens completely to let in fresh air.  Well, it was windy; after all the town is on the coast of the Irish Sea. Asher was taking a morning nap,  and we could see him on the baby monitor.  Our reunion was very happy.  After initial greetings we watched and talked as Joanna prepared food for our picnic in a local park. She sliced a baguette and laid on each slice a mixture of small shrimp and mayonnaise and seasonings and then baked the combination briefly. She also placed tiny pie...

 Shyamala and Rajkumar have left for work, the sky is cloudy, and tge wind is blowing off and on. Shyamala and I talked about travel to Israel while we ate our porridge and I had tea. I thoroughly enjoy our morning conversations.  We noted that rain is predicted this morning, an that it will be clear early afternoon. We agreed that is a good time for me to walk. Until then I will read. And, would you believe  - the conservatory is a bit too cool for sitting and reading? I read the rest of the day - until both arrived home. I could have walked in their absence, it didn't rain; it was just windy and cool. But I didn't.  Instead I went upstairs and finished reading The Kite Runner. I just could not put down the book.   After the book was put away, and they were here I watches the TV new and drank tea with them. The major news is about a 33 year old English nurse. After a 10 month trial in Manchester and 5 day jury deliberation she was conducted of killing 7 ba...

 Shymala had a bowl of porridge with raisins prepared for me as I came downstairs.  We shared conversation about the day, her responsibilities,  and school nursing, vaccinations,  and screenings before she left for her long day at work a 8:15. I finished breakfast and tea and fascinating articles on gardening, gut health, alzheimers prevention, home carpets - from the Sunday newspaper. It was 1000 and time to dress to walk. Today I walked in the direction of the city.  The Bolton School which Prashanth and Priscilla attended covers a lage piece of ground. It includes an infant and pre-school. The buildings are surrounded by large trees and grass, and fences, of course. Queens Park is lovely with walking paths, a river, two lakes, undulating green areas, a formal garden, and a memorial plaque to Princess Diana. There is also a war memorial to those lost in both world wars. I came to an intersection where roads were meeting and no traffic lights and turned around ...

 Shyamala fixed us both porridge with raisins and tea. She showed me about emptying the clothes washer and lunch supplies. She had purchased buns and German ham and cheese for me. I am very touched.  I hung out my laundry on their circular line. It a sunny and mild day. Lunch sandwiches while reading a book which celebrates Elizabeth II's 90th birthday.  It couldn't get much better. Sitting in the conservatory I see the laundry swinging, I also watched lawn mowers and edgers come and go. Shyamala and I have Whatsapped, and I think it may be time for a nap. Rajkumar arrived home, and we chatted about tomorrow in Milton Keynes. He then took a nap and later left his daily long walk. Shyamala arrived home close to 6 PM. She had a coffee, and I had tea and a couple cookies and Sri Lankan crunchies. We then left on a short walk, about 9000 steps, and talked about tomorrow.  I decided to change my mind and remain in Bolton and walk, as the day is expected to be dry and sunn...

 Our taxi driver to the airport was as chatty as the driver the very first day. He told about his travels and travel plans and told me that the Mac Millan in my father's family must surely mean that I am part Irish. I have been given to believe. The Dublin Airport is customer friendly. Signs, helpful people,  and wide aisles help the customer through the process. We stayed together through the checking in and security steps, as well as sharing sandwiches and a warm drink. We parted when I needed to locate my gate, and she could . before going through US pre-clearance. My gate was at ground level, and a shuttle bus took members of our flight to another terminal called the South Gates. We boarded almost 30 minutes behind schedule and from the tarmac.  It was nota full flight; it lasted about 40minutes, and we arrived around 15 minutes behind schedule.  There was no immigration control, only a doorway marked " Nothing to Declare". The information booth person was friend...

 Again we began the day later than our days on tour. We walked south again, crossed the River Liffey. Crowds were all around. Premilla read the local map very well and led us toward the Museum of Archaeology. As it didn't open until later we stopped for breakfast in a small Cafe.  Sitting on high stools at a counter we leisurely enjoyed some warm food,  especially an hot chocolate for Premilla.  She stated we were very near our first tour hotel and to the restaurant where we had our first tour group supper. She stated she remembers what she ate, that it was delicious,  and that she would like to eat there again gor our final supper together.  That was fine with me, and we made reservations. The Museum of Archaeology holds a huge collection of tools and human bones and pieces of daily life from life on the island from BC times. Indications are that digging continues around the country to piece together what is known of the earliest residents. Striking were v...

 For us the day began late. We found ourselves walking through crowds, probably mostly tourists. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool. We found a place for a warm beverage to keep us going. Enroute to our goal, Evening Prayer at St, Patrick's Anglican Cathedral,  we enjoyed lunch and a locafe Cafe and wondered how the two year old at the next table would eat a child's portion of fish and chips. His plate was almost as full as the plate of fish and chips of his parents. In St Patrick's Cathedral Park were local artisans displaying their skills and products  - from gold and silver jewelry to a ceramic plate with a rough inner surface for shaving garlic, cheeses, and spices. I remembered my father's love of gadgets offered at the Iowa State Fair. We enjoyed people watching,  children chasing pigeons and seagulls and two frisky dogs vhasing and tumbling with each other. This was a perfect way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Dublin. Evening Prayer was said and ...

 Breakfast in the hotel, final conversations,  and hugs ended our tour warmly. Premilla and I packed once more, checked out, and left our luggage so that we could make our way to the city hall. Our tour guide, Lynn, had another guide responsibility, namely to give a 40 minute tour of city hall. The edifice is immense and the grounds equally extensive.  Outside are two impressive memorials,one to the victims of the recent world wars and the other - to the victims of the Titanic sinking. Outside also is a huge statue of Queen Victoria who decreed Belfast a city in 1888. The inside of city hall is ornate. We visited the robing room, where city council members robe for special events. We also visited the city council chambers as well as rooms where official functions are held. There is also an extensive exhibit on the history if Belfast and its citizens as well as a description of life in the city. I am so glad for this extra time to visit this important part of the life of B...

 On the coach for the last time with our fabulous driver and person, Dennis, we went to the Belfast shipyards. Before WW2 tge shipyards employed more than 30 thousand people. The last ocean liner built there was in 1961, and the last ship of any kind left the port in 2003. It currently repairs ships. The exhibitions in the building, built as high as the ship and opened in 2012, the 100th year after the sinking, are very moving, Time is spent describing the background, motivation, personalities, and the culture. Times also spent on the design and its approval process. We were then taken on a short ride around the work, it's noise and complicated processes and steps in the building of the ship. It was taken for trials in 1911. The day it departed Belfast in 1912 it still need most of the work staff as well as interior appointments in Southampton. One hundred thousand people had tickets for that event. After Southampton, the ship called at Cherbourg and one other port. Described are s...

 Before breakfast I walked outside to enjoy the blue ocean and sky and cool morning. Yes, it wasn't raining, We visited first the Giant's Causeway. This World Heritage Site is the result of volcanic action and weathering with cracking over the millenia. The California Devil's Postpile is a similar natural phenomenon. Walking over rocks which have been moved by powerful nal forces and weathered into a pattern which appears planned is breathtaking.  It was windy and rained lightly. We were just 13 miles from Scotland. There is a myth about an Irish giant and Scottish giant and their rivalry - the reason it is called the Giant's Causeway. Dunluce Castle which is a large structure and sprawls on the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean. Built in the Middle Ages it was a great fortification. However, the kitchen fell into the ocean in 1639, and the Countess of Antrim, the esidents and staff left. The remains are intact, and the views are spectacular.   Up the road aways is a ...

 The view of fields lined with low stone walls and sheep and cows and woods and hills was what Lynn says, "41 shades of green". That is a gift to my eyes. After a pit stop in Sligo we rode on to Donnegal for lunch. In the coach Lynn talked to us about many things Irish, and specifically what we were seeing and where we would be stopping next. Additionally we have listened to her talk about the education systems, North and Republic,  health care, retirement,  voting,  driving, and drinking laws in both countries. Interesting is that a person must place the letter L in the front windshield whike learning to drive, until s/he passes the driving test.  Then, after the test is passed the letter N for novice must be in the windshield for two years. We found a place for lunch in Donnegal.  The afternoon coach talk was about what things are going to be different, now that we had crossed over the border into Northern Ireland.  Signs, miles not kilometers, pound...

 Ashford Castle in County Connemara is historic, amassing stone palace which is now a hotel, at 6000 EU/noc is located out.side the village Cong. We walked around the castle after visiting stained glass religious images in the appearance of the local Roman Catholic church. Figures are larger than those in older stained glass windows, and designs are also included. A walk through the park around the castle lead to the falconry training center. There our guide introduced us to Puddle the owl, telling us about the training and behaviors and daily activities of the raptors. He was wearing a long leather glove, and showed leather straps tied to the raptors legs. He returned the owl to her cage and brought out a hawk; she appeared gentle as she stood on his glove,, and she had a bell tied to one leg.  We each took a turn wearing the glove, watching her land on the glove to eat a small bit of food which he had placed into the glove. It was thrilling seeing beautiful feathers. We enjo...

 On the coach ride to the ferry port Lynn stated that Irish parents may  send their teenage children to this Gaelic speaking part of the island for three weeks during the summer holiday. We saw the young people walking along the road. The ferry carried about 300 people, and it was full. The ride was smooth, which we learned was a first for Rick Steves tours his year. There are three Aran Islands, and we visited the largest island, Inishmore. The year round population is under one thousand, and the daily visitors number 2000! You can understand why mini buses and vans meet arriving visitors at the port. We were met by Oliver and Patrick and their mini-buses. They drove us on curvy roads and pointed out buildings dating to the bronze age, i.e. 1200-500 BC.  Dry rock walls separate farms, and cows and sheep seem content within them. The highlight on the island is the stone fortress, Duncan Aonghasa, set 300 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. It us reached by a gravel path which ...

 We were informed two of our group tested positive for Covid; with their travel partners we have lost four members. I feel sad, for one of the four was my buddy. So now I have a new buddy, Mike. These four have to find a place to stay to quarantine and then adjust their travel plans - what a disappointment.  I neglected to write about the Gallarus Oratory which we visited on Friday. This is one if the best preserved early Christian churches in Ireland. It is shaped like an upturned boat and constructed of dry fitted stone walls, and it is still waterproof.  Only one window, it could hold a dozen worshipers. This is a work of art. We drove through countryside green and sunny, one after the other. Thehehe village of Annascaul the home of revered Antarctic explorer and rescuer, Tom Cream. Lynn summarized his dangerous journeys, indicating why he is so revered. She also talked about cultural and political changes in North and in the Republic in the South.  We crossed the...

 Shuttle bus service from the next door B&B, Milltown, brought us on the five minute ride to the center of Dingle. We made our way to St. Mary’s church.  Two of our group were to meet relatives there and spend the day with them. Premilla and I went to the former convent of the Sisters of Presentation to view rdnouned stain glass windows of the artist Harry Clarke, but the door to the convent museum was closed, and the posted sign informed us the museum is open only Monday through Friday. This was a big disappointment,  for we had learned on our walking tour that these windows were unique and honored. So,we began to shop. Most interesting were conversations we had with shop proprietors.  Conversations came easily and were sprinkled with laughter. I inquired about a lovely, thick, round piece and learned it is a snood. That word fascinates me. We ate lunch at the department store  afterwards and supper at the Fishbox, a popular local place. Awaiting our shuttl...

 The breakfast presentation was a colorful surprise. We ordered from the offerings listed on the chalkboard. The food was presented on a plate with the addition of a leaf of lettuce with a few pieces of fruit as two blossoms cut from their flowers.  A gorgeous fuchsia is one and the other is round and gold in color. Our first stop was to Dingle Cristal. The master craftsman,Sean, worked more than ten years to achieve that rank. He began at Waterford Crystal and then set up the crystal engraving in Dingle.  He demonstrated the process on a bowl with a specialized wheel and water. We learned there are 8 design of course,they are stunningly beautiful.  Dennis, our coach driver, drove us further west on the Dingle Peninsula. On it we visited the visitor center of the Blasket Islands. There we learned of daily life of the people descended from the Vikings. There was a minimum of arable land on the six islands. The last residents left in 1953. Thr views of the six islands ...

 This morning began with a 10 minute walk to our coach  our luggage had been taken there by van. Thr weather was cool and sunny - a great start to a travel day. Our first stop was in the town of Kenmore. There we visitedthe bronze age stone circle. Located  apart from the town itself it wasa circle of large stone we walked around them and were informed their purpose is unknown. A burial site is one possibility; another possibility is to measure time. Nearby are two "fairy trees" to which we hung wishes and messages. An extra treat was a demonstration and explanation of the game of hurling; the young man at the stone circle ticket booth was the demonstrator. It appears similar to cricket and baseball. We had time to eat lunch or explore the town,  I visited an exhibit of the history of the town located in the tourist information center. I appreciate the time and effort people go to in order to educate others. A sheep farm was our next stop. Inwatched in amazement as t...

 Barry, our local guide, walked with us around this small town on a bay of the Atlantic Ocean and gave us the historical importance of the location. In addition to the sinking of the Lusitania, a passenger ship the size of the Titanic. It was bound for Liverpool from New York and sunk into minutes after receiving a torpedo from a German U boat in 1915. This event brought the US into WW I. We visited an Anglican church cemetary with grave markers beginning in the first world war,we learned about the reclamation of land from the bay, as well as the town's participation in the annual "Tidy Town" contest; it has won the award several times in the past 30 years. The town is awash in color with flowers in pots and window boxes and hanging baskets.   With Dennis, our coach driver, we rode to Fort Charles, a former military fort since England claimed this country in the 1600s. The stone structures, located on a hill overlooking the entrance from the ocean to the bay, housed 200-4...

 I had porridge for breakfast. At 8:30 this morning we met our coach driver Dennis who loaded out luggage. Country law is that seatbelts must be worn at all times. Lynn spoke about our plan for the day, and we departed on a 15 minute ride to Kilmainham prison. Our guide,Tom, walked us around the former county jail which closed in 1924 as a prison which housed and executed political prisoners. Around 4000 non-political prisoners left from this location gor Australia. After early reform and before it became crowded the treatment plan was solitude,  silence, and supervision. We visited cells and the outside area where the male prisoners stones cut stones/ rocks, the execution site, and saw final letters the political prisoners sent to their loved ones. Fourteen men were executed in a period of 10 days in 1916. This aroused the populace toward greater support of the cause of independence from Britain "at all costs". The war of Independence had begun and was won in 1922. This was ...