Holiday

This post is a little later than usual as this past week my son Diego and I have been away on the Isle of Wight.  We got back after 9 pm last night because of a delay on the ferry crossing.  This morning has been about sorting out cases, washing and shopping for those fresh essentials that don't go in the fridge or freezer.

We have never been to the Isle of Wight before and I have often thought about going but never made it until now.  We had a lovely few days being driven around by our very helpful and good-natured South West Coaches driver.  Now I no longer drive we look for alternative ways to have days out and holidays and found the coach company very good.  It's nice for someone else to do the driving.  It means that I can enjoy the passing countryside as well as being less tired and stressed by traffic.  

I took a few ebooks with me with the intention of spending some time reading and thinking but that didn't happen.  Instead I enjoyed the conversation of people I hadn't met before and was able to soak up all the new experiences and what was going on around me.  We visited some very interesting places and saw some historic sites and some new innovations .  I didn't go looking for some deep meaning or mini-sermon in situations.  God is everywhere but we don't need to go looking for some spiritual lesson.  I worshipped and sensed God's presence just by simply enjoying the things I saw and living fully in the moment of what was happening.  

So this week I just want to share some photos from those few days away.

Osborne House - the summer retreat of royalty

excellent indoor show of fountains 'dancing' to music

The model village - this is where we had a drink in the real Griffin Hotel
but discovered it was the most expensive in the town!

the model village at Godshill

the model village

Diego in the model village

in the botanical gardens

in the botanical gardens

in the botanical gardens

me beside the fountain in the botanical gardens

the steam train that took us on an hour's journey along the country track 

Shanklin old town

Shanklin old town

tea rooms in Shanklin old town where we had a very nice cream tea
with apple and ginger scones - very yummie!

A Day Out

This week my son Diego and I had a day out with South West Coaches.  We spent the morning at a centre called World of Country Life and the afternoon in Exmouth.  It was a good day and the rain kept away although it did rain in other parts of the southwest as some of the roads coming home were a little flooded - as if the winter storms hadn't been enough!  Everyone is given allocated seats when you book and ours was right in the front of the bus.  Behind us sat two ladies in their 40s who had very loud voices so loud my son and I couldn't have a conversation with each other as we couldn't hear ourselves above them.  As we got off the bus we realised that one of them was with her parents and had a few learning difficulties and lacked some social skills.  Just past the reception area of the centre there is a sort of museum with loads of exhibits portraying 19th and early 20th century life in rural Britain.  Diego made a joke and so the young woman, mentioned above, stated that he was her tour guide and comedian!  She sort of tagged along hanging on every word, waiting for another joke.  A little later we did go our separate ways before the situation became too tiresome - for us that is.  The young woman was having a brilliant time and thoroughly enjoying every minute.


Part of the centre had an exhibition of birds of prey that we enjoyed very much.  Knowing that the birds are really really captive and kept in enclosures, it was good to see the ones in the exhibition enjoying flying freely around, although they always came back for food and eventually back to their enclosure.  It reminded me of a picture I saw some days ago with an empty bird cage.  The wording says 'This is not an empty cage, it is a bird that is FREE.'  I can't help thinking that whoever had originally had the bird in the cage would be thinking more of their loss than the fact that the bird was free to fly.


The afternoon we spent in Exmouth.  After a pub meal right on the coast we sat on some seats on the promenade and just watched the world go by.  Ah, so relaxing. It wasn't too hot to be uncomfortable nor did it rain to make it miserable - just right.  Then it was on the coach again for the return journey.  This time the loud conversation from the two in the seats behind us somehow didn't seem so intrusive or annoying.  Maybe it was because it wasn't so unexpected.  They had enjoyed their day out and that was good.  Everyone had had a good day.

It seems that in much of life there are two sides to a situation.  We naturally think of things from our own point of view and how it affects us personally.  There is nothing wrong in that.  We were beginning to be a little irritated with the young lady while from her point of view she was enjoying our company.  It was good the see the birds flying freely but this could only happen because there are centres that cater for such exhibitions and keep the birds in enclosures.  So I was left with a reminder that not everyone thinks or feels the same as me.  Others have the same legitimate right to have their opinion and way of doing things and it's helpful if I can accept that and respect them for who they are.  We are all coming from different points of reference and so see things differently.  There are different ways of looking at the same thing.  There are other points of view that are different from my own but equally valid.  It was a good reminder that a different way of seeing/doing/interpreting something is not necessarily wrong, just different.  And often we can learn something new by looking at things from a different point of view.