REFLECTIONS

Well we have just returned from 5 days visiting two of our children and their four children in the Newcastle-0n -Tyne area. It was a really good and interesting experience. We hadn't been there for almost 5 years but it was nearly 40 years ago that we actually lived there. What a change since then! First is the very noticeable amount of cars and in spit of all the many roads that have been built as express ways and by passes there is still jams in places but then in the cities they did all those years ago as well. In the environment though it was noticeable that the shipbuilding, coal mining and heavy industry has all gone now. Thus the rivers Tyne and Ear have far less pollution and the riverbanks are now easier on the eye and the natural world is more visible. Perhaps it is no great loss that the terribly demanding and dangerous work involved in those heavy industries is no longer there and in its place there seems to be an upsurge in places of recreation and entertainment. Is life easier? Are residents happier? Are they better off financially and in all other ways? It's hard to judge but it certainly is very different.

We had a delightful trip with our Son Mark and his wife to Edinburgh. he took a scenic route through the Northumberland countryside through moorland with magnificent views and past Keilder with its Dam the largest human-made body of water in Europe set in the largest human-made forest in Europe. The shoreline of the lake is now 27.5 miles long and it was built from 1975 - 1982 when it was opened by the queen. Interestingly our youngest son Christopher did some work on the electrics there in the latter part on the construction. But the village around the remote farms and the remote shepherd's dwellings made it all very spectacular. The moors were covered in sheep with their newly born lambs and the wild life was left undisturbed in their natural habitat. How splendid! We had lunch in the ancient town of Jedburgh so connected historically with Mary Queen of Scots and we ate lunch in the shadow of the ruins of its ancient abbey church. The end of the journey was at the campus of Herriot Watt University on the outskirts of Edinburgh where we saw our grandson Peter who is in his second year as a student there. It was a lovely campus and it was goo to see Peter. He seemed very happy now after a difficult first year and we were pleased that he had found a good partner in Dax (Alan) that was clearly a real blessing for him. It was so good to see him and to know that he is faring well.

A trip to the North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby came next day. It is an ancient fishing town that we have always enjoyed yet now it mostly relies on tourism for its economy. The last time I was there many years ago it was the weekend of a the annual folk music festival. This time was the annual "Goth" gathering. Goths are people who dress in a particular style involving mainly black with some red and a lot of metal accessories with chains,studs and spikes etc. They are an amazing sight to behold and although many would I am sure be horrified they seemed to be well accepted in Whitby and it was fun to see them there enjoying their time showing off their costumes and meeting others who shared their interest. It was interesting to see the wide age range of those clearly recognisable as "Goths" There were some well into the age of "Senior Citizens" often dressed in what seemed Victorian dress and really quite smart right down to teenagers. and the age difference didn't seem to matter to them at all. It was fun and a cause of great amusement to us as we looked at them, the harbour and the boats. We had lunch in the legendary "Magpie" a fish restaurant which has been highly commended nationally which one usualy has to queue for a long time to get in. The menu was vast and the portions "Yorkshire style large" I had monk fish for the first time and it was delicious! The coat drew us next day to Seahouses and the Northumberland coastline which has its own particular attractiveness. It was a trip down memory lane for sure and there we saw few changes really after all these years. There was a brief visit to the magnificent city of Durham with its splendid Norman Cathedral where I was ordained as an Anglican priest over 40 years ago now. Barely any change there with either the streets the Castle or the Cathedral. It just gave me a warm inner glow and a instant memory of that event and all that has happened since then. What a life I have had! What experiences, changes and great people have been an influence and encouragement to me. I have been richly blessed for sure. And now having see Clare with her artistic talent, Sarah with her love of literature and books as well as David now set on his studies to be a lawyer all I can hope and pray is that they get as much out of life as I have done so far.