A Saturday excursion…

It was just two weeks ago that oldest daughter and I took another excursion from London UK.

Several years ago, I began following the blog of Cherry Menlove in England.  In fact, I bought these two books which she wrote.  They are still available from Amazon.

In the past few years, she has opened a deli/bakery in Petworth in West Sussex.  Never in my wildest dreams had I thought it would be possible to visit someday!  That is, however, where we headed on May 14th!

The train doesn’t have a station in Petworth, and we had to get off in Pulborough.

The interior of the train….

Off in Pulborough….

On the bus to Petworth….

A first glimpse of Petworth from the bus stop…

It wasn’t difficult to locate Cherry’s Deli…

However, she wasn’t at the deli.  She was at Petworth Park, the site of the Antiques and Fine Art Fair, where her deli was the food vendor!

Before we went to Petworth Park, I took this picture of the deli.

She is hard at work!

A guide to Petworth Park.

The menu was on display…

Forgot to take a picture of the salad before I began eating! It was delicious!

The tent, draping at the top with a chandelier created the perfect atmosphere!

How lovely it was to finally be able to meet Cherry!  She was incredibly welcoming and charming!  

If you find yourself in the area, you will be glad you stopped at Cherry’s Deli and Bakery!

All too soon, it was time to board the train to return to London.

Quite a special Saturday memory!  

Another train ride…

On Thursday, May 12, it was another train ride, this time from London’s Paddington Station to Oxford.  

Oldest daughter had spent some time studying at Exeter College in 1994, so we were traveling on familiar ground for her. 

Oxford University is comprised of over 30 colleges, and we viewed portions of two of them.  The following pictures are from this tour.

Flowers were in bloom. I’m not able to identify them.  Perhaps one of you will be able to comment on what kind they are.

Beautiful interior of a chapel.

John Wesley attended Lincoln College.

This is the tree of Harry Potter movie fame!

Prince Charles had been scheduled to make a visit to Trinity College (where he attended) for the opening of a new building around the time we were there.  We didn’t see him.  Someone mentioned that he may have used another entrance.  

Most of the buildings we viewed are part of New College.

More floral beauty in green spaces that the buildings surround.

Other buildings in the area.

It is possible to climb stairs that reach to the top of this church tower.

Maintaining green spaces on the campus.

We ate lunch here, the oldest pub in Oxford.

Stuart Holloway leads us on our Oxford tour.

It was an amazing day, and our time there was not long enough!  

This has been a difficult week for many.  Remember to treat everyone with kindness.  There are those who are experiencing struggles of which we are unaware.  Let’s be their light of hope!

Beauty needed…

On this day of such sadness from the news in Texas yesterday, perhaps these following images will bring some calmness for you. 

It was necessary for me to go to New York City in order to be in place to board the ship.  There are some lovely flowers there, as well as on board the ship, then later in England and Ireland.

Daffodils were still blooming in NYC on April 30.

The tulips were also blooming!

This was a garden near the library/Bryant Park.

The next pictures are from the ship…

Fresh flowers on our dining table for every meal, and changing arrangements on the table in the center of the Grand Lobby brought special beauty!

A courtyard garden in Westminster Abbey…

This sign is for the lower picture…

This is green space in Hyde Park…

These are the wildflowers for the above sign.

The English love their gardens and green spaces!  Is nature’s beauty calming and soothing to you?  

Wesley Day…

To those of you who have no knowledge of the beginnings of Methodism, Wesley Day means nothing.  This day honors John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience.  It’s the day he’s known for saying, “I felt my heart strangely warmed.”

It was just two weeks ago that I was visiting Bristol UK!

This was a place that I most wanted to visit while I was in England.

These are all pictures from The New Room.  I liked seeing all the puzzle pieces displayed, encouraging us to think about how and where we fit in the puzzle.  It was especially meaningful to be able to stand in the pulpit where John Wesley stood to preach when he was in Bristol.  

Today, in London, there is a pilgrimage from John Wesley’s statue in the garden of St. Paul’s Cathedral to his grave.  

I was blessed to be accompanied, once in England, by our oldest daughter who flew to London on Saturday, the 7th, and met me at Southampton on Sunday, the 8th.  Many of our trips to explore were taken via train, such as this one.

Amazing rail service!  We rode an hour and a half from Paddington Station in London to the station in Bristol.  These details are worthy of an individual post.

Blessing to all on this day!