November 24, 2008

I usually try to be sure that I've updated the blog by Saturday night each week, because I know that our Living Proof friends who are printing it off will want to take it along on Sunday mornings. This Saturday we got back quite late from a day trip up to Chatsworth with a Chinese friend of ours. We went to see the grounds, enjoy the beautiful Peak District, and see the Christmas lights and displays in the Chatsworth house itself. Despite being caught in some construction (which I discovered is called "road works" here) we made it there and had a great time. I made my first online order for groceries via Tesco, and it arrived about 10 minutes ago. It is so much nicer and saves a lot of time! He brought things in these green crates, and I unloaded them at the door, and then off he went. No agonized wandering through the gigantic store wondering where they could possibly have moved the soy milk or tomatoes or cat litter this week...no screaming babies, bratty children, or almost getting run over in the parking lot...no parking worries, dealing with traffic...overall, I'm very satisfied with this new system and I expect to keep ordering online forever. :) And the delivery guy was SO nice and helpful! We still do buy whatever is available at our local news agent, but they don't carry much except milk and bread. Please pr for the international group as we try to structure things properly given that in iBASE we're losing most of our students at Christmas. We may join in with the iHUB group (which is for graduate students and post grads) after the first of the year. The ladies outreach that we have been doing with the international moms has just wrapped up, and we're inviting everyone along for the carol services which StAG has during this time of the year. We have about 4 carol services, which are hugely popular for inviting British friends along to, and international friends who have never been to a carol service before. So please be asking that the carol services would be welcoming places for friends to hear the good news. Also G and I are singing in the service on the 30th. I'll end with a few photos from Chatsworth- I wish you all could have been there with us! With Thanksgiving this week I've been feeling that "its a major holiday that you should be spending with your family and friends at home but instead you're in a foreign country that doesn't know about your holiday" feeling. :) That's part of the cost of international work, but it doesn't mean that we miss family and friends any less! Thursday and Friday this week are normal work days here, but we'll be thinking of you all back home enjoying the break and turkeys galore. :)

The local Church of England schools always help make decorations for Chatsworth, and this year they painted scenes depicting Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem for the census.

Apparently there's a book that's famous here called The First Noel that is done in this style. They made giant versions of the scenes from the book and put them around Chatsworth.

This is the chapel at Chatsworth- it was hard to get it all in. The altar is between the 2 pine trees, the marble column looking thing.


This is the Painted Hall, which is like a grand hall entrance. It looked beautiful with the Christmas decorations.

At the end of the house tour you pass through the sculpture gallery. Napoleon's mother is the statue on the right.