Iona

I travelled up to Lancaster the day before we went to Iona and was taken out for lunch- very nice indeed! Then I went and stayed with the Charman's overnight. Up bright and early on the Saturday morning for catching what was supposed to be a train at 7-10. However on arriving at the station we discovered that we were now being put on Coaches and Bryonny and Becky a taxi (Becky is in a wheel chair). We were already on coaches from Oxenholme- but Lancaster to Oxenholme is longer than 20 minutes by coach! Meaning we missed the connecting coach! So Steve Kay and Steve Charman went and bent the ear of the station manager- meaning they put on the stand by coach to take us to Carlisle. If they hadn't have done this we wouldn't have been leaving Oxenholme till 9am when the train we needed to catch from Carlisle was 9-10 and was the only train to get us to Glasgow to get us up to Oban if we were to get across to Iona on Saturday! So off we went on the coach- but still pushing it to whether we would make Carlisle in time- Steve spoke with Bryonny to try and get the train held up! Eventually they did- but it was a performance! Becky and Bryonny saved the day! Bryonny stood half on and half off the train to make them wait!

So after an eventful start to the journey we arrived at Carlisle Station to have a welcome party to hurry us through to the now delayed train! From then the journey was straight forward, arriving on Iona at 6-10pm! So a very long day! It was good to spend the week with Steve and to be with friends that I had made at University and on Iona last year. The theme of the week was "resident aliens" (which I will blog about later), exploring our place within God's story within the world. It was good! The food was great and it was good to be able to do some walking and splash in the puddles, in an attempt to soak Mr Kay!
It was great to be able to sing lots too! This year I also took part in a sketch as a narrator in the Abbey. We also spent several evenings in the pub! Yes there is a pub on Iona! It was a good week! The week included April fools day which was good fun! I even managed to pull an April fool off without laughing and giving it away! I told Steve Charman (university chaplain) that I thought I should be a deacon rather than a presbyter!

The journey back was straight forward! It was great to be in the company of friends and special friends again! Am hoping to see Steve (Kay!) in a few weeks, I miss not seeing him or talking to him at present!

Tonsilitis and a long journey home

Well a good week back in London, Monday morning I wake up with a sore throat! Great- tuesday wake up and feel even worse, sore throat, neck, glands up so I decided I didn't think i'd manage a day at the day centre. Spent until 5 in bed- don't think i've ever quite done this before. Late on Tuesday night I found my torch- looked in my throat and decided perhaps I ought to see a doctor. SO I found a local Dr on NHS direct website and phoned them yesterday morning. Went and saw the Dr, he took one look told me to close my mouth, not to speak and gave me some strong antibiotics. Apparently I am highly contagious. He said I'll give you a sick note- didn't think that was neccessary but suffice it to say I am off ill. Working with people who are vulnerable means they are probably even more seceptable to illness!
When I spoke to Mum she said it'd make sense to be at home. So yesterday evening- once the trains are usually quieter from Kings Cross to Cambridge, I went to get a train to discover there was signal failure at Kings Cross. So people were being sent to Liverpool St- great apart from the Underground was so overcrowded the police had closed it off. Didn't feel like the underground and thought well if need be I can go home tommorow. Trains eventually started again, but only 3 trains coming in per hour. They couldn't guarantee when another train would go to Cambridge- if it would even be last night. So after 2 1/2 hours of waiting I rang Mum and Dad and agreed if I got to Stevenage they'd fetch me from there! Thank God for parents like mine! 4 1/2 hours it took from leaving my room to getting home! On a journey I can usually do in an hour.
So am home now, drugged up and resting. Don't know whether my voice has improved from yesterday- no one to talk to at present. So it maybe a quiet household again tonight! Am hoping when Mum gets home from work She will make me some triffle! A regular food for when I have tonsilitis! This bout of tonsilitis is my second since November. Its crazy I've had more time off between November and now than in my entire degree.

One of the questions asked often in theological training is where is God in all this... currently thinking on where God was in all the chaos of last night! Will blog about it soon.