Sunday

We have a tented village of protesters outside our Cathedral, camping on land that belongs to the church but is made available to all.  They are I presume, protesting about capitalism, Government wrongdoings, the Bankers and lots more things that I sometime agree with and other times disagree with as is my right in what we like to think of as a free country.  But I am not trespassing and refusing to leave!  I am in agreement with the fact that they are being allowed to stay where they are so long as they do not cause any trouble to people wanting to use the Cathedral.  However, the media are determined to get a story out of this and are forever present - this morning they were camped outside the door pushing microphones toward people leaving asking for a comment.  The Dean had already warned us that they were there and the back doors had been opened so that as many as wished could leave that way - about a hundred or so did that but I came out of the front door as my 'dear one' was waiting there to give me a lift home.  How odd that Sunday after Sunday and many times during every week I leave by that door totally invisible to the world outside but it only takes a few tents and suddenly we are NEWS.  We are all aware that whatever the outcome of this we, as the church, will be in the wrong - big time.  St Paul's have become world news because they also tried to allow a free protest - one man has lost his job and many others made insecure and unhappy.   The protesters know all the questions just like I do, but also just like me they don't seem to have any answers.  Shouldn't they be camped outside Parliament?

Edmundo Ros

Today we heard of the death of Edmundo Ros, who was a popular star from the 1940's
until the mid 1970's. He had a Latin American Orchestra and laterly a Rumba Band.
A very nice man who lived close to us when we lived in Spain. Here is a picture of he
and Roy at his house in Javea, Spain where he died this week at 100 years of age. RIP

Dohnuts..yummy!

My grandaughter came home from school with a letter and the news that 'OFSTED' had
awarded their school OUTSTANDING status.  Great rejoicing as this has made their school one of the best in the country.  The Headteacher paid each class a visit to tell them the good news and congratulate them for their part in making this report possible and ended his visit
with the magic words..........'free dohnut and a drink for all'  which was greeted with cheers.
What made us laugh was the incredulous comment from Miss Hickett - 'Guess who was fighting to be first in the queue for the treat?'  We couldn't guess!  'Well, of course all the girls who make rude comments to other girls who dare to bring food that is not seen as being 'healthy' in their eyes.'   Oooooh! she was cross.

Protesters

I have done three tours in my local Cathedral this week and seen the village of tents on the green outside and the dozens of young people coming in and out of the Cathedral to use the loos but they are not close enough to the doors to make visitors feel threatened.
Having just read the problems the protesters are making for St Pauls ie., having been given
permission to plant themselves outside if they are good, the Cathedral authorities have lost
their daily visitors along with their contributions, no customers in the cafe and none in the shop.  This has made the Cathedral take an about turn and have to ask the little village to
up tents and leave or they will not be able to function and the daily wages of their staff will become a problem.  This is a shame because in our country we have the right to protest (not that I am at all clear just what they are protesting about!) but they are doing just what they would hate anyone to do to them and that is stopping people earning their living as cleaners, vergers, workmen and scaffolders - all the people the Cathedral have to employ to keep the building safe and consequently have to PAY. Many of these young people think the church has bottomless pockets but it is people like me who give what we can that are the bedrock.  Our local Cathedral costs £2 for every minute of every day to keep the doors open to anyone who wants to come in without charge and to pay the wages of all who work there.  There are two sides to every story and they have to look again before they refuse to move. 

menories

This is a picture od Las Casas Colgades - the hanging houses of Cuenca.
I have visited this walled city in central Spain many times and took this
photograph standing on the bridge of San Pablo - my husband was
unable to stand on the bridge which straddles the deep gorge of the rivers
Jucar and Huecar being overcome with terror. My memories of Cuenca
in the Province of Castile - La Mancha was stirred yesterday reading of
it's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a beautiful ancient city
divided into two parts by the gorge - the old city and the new of course.
Millions of pictures have been taken from the bridge of San Pablo of
what is left of the hanging houses which is now a restaurant and a Museum
of Abstract Arts.

Man of the Match

My lovely grandson leaving the field of play. He loves playing rugby but is the
first to admit he is not the best player in the team and too often spends the
second half on the bench having been substituted. This never diminishes his
appetite for being out there on a cold and frosty morning or running up and down
in training each Tuesday evenings in all weathers, so it was with great joy that
we heard he had been named 'Man of the Match' after playing a local derby last week.
It might be a very small thing seeing as he only plays in the 13/14 years old boys
team but what a difference a small thing can make in our life - he had a really
good week in school getting house points where none were expected and by the
end of the week found himself named for the school team; it took a lot to wipe
a smile from his face. From little acorns.........................etc.,

The Duchess of Alba with her future husband

Another Royal Wedding!!!

I read in the papers this week of the wedding of Dona Maria del Rosario...etc., etc.,the Duchess of Alba and the most Royal woman in the world.   She is now 85 years old and growing old disgracefully....that is she is doing exactly as she wishes, as she always has done and as anyone worth more than £3 billion in her own right is entitled to. When I lived in Spain she was a sprightly young 70ish and would commit the most serious of crimes like wearing colours which other people thought did not match or in their opinion did not suit her - or worse should not be seen on an important Royal Duchess and was she worried? - not a jot.  She is, I think the aunt of Don Juan Carlos, King of Spain and he is obviously very fond of her as are most of his subjects.  This latest escapade is the announcement that she is to marry for the third time (she has been widowed twice in the past 60+ years) this time to a man 24 years her junior.  This has caused the press and her children to have many sleepless nights and to say many inappropriate things which she has allowed to go on without comment.  I love the fact that she has now made a statement to the Spanish press in which she told them that she has divided all her fortune equally amongst her children and that her future husband has signed away any rights to her assets, having enough of his own; and at that she said, smiling sweetly into the camera "my children's objections simply melted away, but I am not dead yet and until then everything is still in my hands."   Still  pressing her for more she was asked what if there was still no support from the Royal family, her friends and her countrymen?
"I wouldn't care, I'd get married anyway."    Good luck on Wednesday Dona Maria.  I'm sure she will look lovely whatever she chooses to wear and for Spain THIS is the Royal wedding of the year.   For me and I'm sure for the rest of the old ladies of Europe she is a great inspiration.