Reflection Through The Seasons

TIME TO CATCH UP........

I have to admit and, I’m sure there are many who will agree...... I have not been a good blogger this year.... I have neither posted nor commented regularly and I really do apologise for this.... I apologise too to those who have stopped by recently only to find that I have not updated my blog for a month or more....... I could come up with the excuse that ‘I’ve been busy’..... but aren’t we all? I could tell you that I haven’t been well this month........ this is quite true but again, it seems another feeble excuse. In hindsight, I think I should have simply announced that I was taking a ‘blogging break’ and that would have eased the guilty conscious I am now wrestling with.......

This year has indeed been an eventful one for us...... In May, John and I had the most incredible adventure when we travelled to America to visit my dearest blogging friend Betty & husband Edward. In July we had another wonderful holiday visiting our son Christopher in Switzerland...... and beside all this gadding about..... throughout the year we have been very involved with a holiday home and its grounds that we look after in our village....... so its been two homes, two gardens and a veggie plot that have commanded our attention each week..... I don’t know, maybe its my age catching up with me.

So here I am attempting to catch up and hope that all my blogging friends have not completely given up on me.

I have plenty of material for future posts, but I must finish off recalling the wonderful events of our time in America with Betty & Edward.........

So far I have written of our days up until Sunday 25 May and this is where I now take up the story again........

Betty’s husband Edward is the Minister of Frank Primitive Baptist Church and it was on this day we had the great pleasure of attending Sunday service there.......

The day started with Betty busy in her kitchen preparing dishes to take along for the Church luncheon we were to enjoy after the service. Whilst Betty was cooking, I enjoyed time sitting at the kitchen table, reading and copying a selection of many wonderful Southern recipes from her vast collection of cookery books.

We arrived at Frank Church in good time for the 9.30 am Bible Study..... this was immediately followed by morning service. What a warm welcome we received.... John and I feeling happy and relaxed felt it a great privileged to meet so many lovely people and share with them this wonderful time of worship.

Betty & Edward on the steps of Frank Church.......

A lovely picture of Edward in his pulpit.... it was a great service...... wonderful hymns accompanied by the choir, scripture reading, prayers and thought provoking sermon.......

After the service we enjoyed taking a closer look at the Church

We then adjourned to another room..... in utter amazement we saw the terrific selection of dishes that lay before us....... the lady members had indeed been very busy!....... From this point John and I were so overwhelmed with the hospitality that I completely forgot to take any pictures..... so it is courtesy of ones that Betty took and I have borrowed to include here.

There was such a choice...... Southern hospitality at its best! I thought I'd included a picture that Betty took of the puddings, somehow I failed to upload it..... believe me, it was equally as spectacular........

Felling well and truly plumb tuckered out after all that lovely food we returned home and rested up awhile in the shade of the veranda.......

Betty & Edward's beautiful home..... How patriotic and welcoming of them to fly our British flag........

The afternoon was a hot one, but nevertheless, John and I felt we should set off for a walk to reduce a few of the calories we'd consumed at lunch...... Betty & Edward's daughter Amy and husband Chad together with their wonderful family live next door...... here is a glimpse of their lovely home......... Chad spotted us walking by and called out for us to go over and join him, we stood talking under the pecan tree out for a while then retreated to the greater shade and comfort of chairs on their porch........

I never ceased to marvel at the roads in America....... straight and unbending..... the next two pictures are taken from left and right directly outside of Betty's home. So unlike the winding, bending roads here in Wales....... I know Betty and Edward will really see great differences in the environment when they come over to visit us.

Well..... I'll be moving on to my next post shortly...... Monday 26 May, not only Memorial Day, but Red Hatter's Day too...... check in again soon!