Morgan Family Travels - 14

Sunday 24^th October we went to New Haw Gospel Hall. This was Trevor's first experience of a Gospel Hall. After church we went out for lunch with a couple our age from the church.

Monday and Tuesday were spent in laundry and packing exercises.

Wednesday 27^th October we flew from London to Copenhagen, Denmark. The view from the plane was almost good enough to make up for the fact that we were all quite motion sick from being stuck right next to the engines at the very back of the plane. As we came into Copenhagen we were met by the sight of a huge row of windmills (like the single one by Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, for those of you there) out in the ocean. We took the train from the very nice, new airport into the city centre, where we had reservations for a hotel that was thankfully close to the station. Although we travelled pretty light for four people for two and a half weeks we still had two medium-sized suitcases, the girls' small suitcase, a backpack, camera case and for the purpose of handling various terrains, Hannah's small stroller and carry-backpack. We can shift it all on our own, but its nice if we don't have to go too far with it!

We ditched our bags at the hotel before going out in search of supper that Hannah could eat. Copenhagen is full of amazing bike lanes that are full of people riding bikes, surprisingly enough! They even have their own set of bike traffic lights. The streets are also full of street musicians – accordian players and violinists abound. Its quite pleasant. Unfortunately there is very little in the way of food that Hannah can eat out. We tried, but she definitely got some wheat in her that night, which is stressful for all of us.

Thursday 28^th October we got up and enjoyed a Scandinavian breakfast in the hotel – breads, yoghurt, muesli, fruit, chesses, fish, salami, etc. It was quite delicious, though I miss having something hot in the morning.

We packed and were out of the hotel before 11:00 to do some sight-seeing in Copenhagen. The city is built practically on a set of islands, and is full of canals that are still used today. We spent the morning walking around and then had lunch in the basement of the big department store in the centre of town. As it was (unsurprisingly) raining by that point, we went round the shop and admired the Danish design. We found one line of products (called Eva Solo) that we really liked the style of.

We were back at the train station fully kitted out again with all our suitcases for the 16:22, two-hour train to Båstad. We were quite glad to see our friend Daniel Larsson's face when we got off the train in a fairly dark, still-raining station! Daniel brought us back to their house where we settled in and enjoyed 'Swedish Pizza' for dinner.

Friday 29^th October was a quiet day at Laura and Daniel's. They live out in the country, in an area of holiday homes, about seven minute's walk from the beach. It was sunny almost the entire time we were there (except the last two days when I was trying to do laundry!) and the sun is so low in the sky that even at mid-day you get amazing shadows and the colour of the light is quite stunning.

Saturday 30^th October we went with Daniel and Laura up to the top of the ridge over Båstad in the morning. We had lovely views from there. We had lunch with Daniel's parents at a very new church plant in the town – enjoying Swedish sandwiches which are open-faced and in this case included meatballs and red beat salad, which is very pink, and VERY good! Then in the afternoon we headed to Helsingborg, the closest 'big' city and had supper together there (again, Swedish pizza, which seems to be the favourite out-eat, at least of Daniel and Laura).

Denmark Pictures

The Canal











The bike park outside the station







The Library Gardens







The McDonald's Bike-Thru - an idea I've always wanted to try on a regular drive-thru, but thought the fumes from other waiting vehicles would be less than helpful!









One of the main squares in Copenhagen

Greenwich and Heather Pictures

Between the Greenwich Maritime Museum and Queen's House.





The entrance to the footpath under the Thames.




The Cutty Sark.




More Cutty Sark.



Sally, Kaitlyn and Hannah by the Cutty Sark.





The sky over Greenwich.




The Greenwich Meridian.




General Wolfe (lost at the Plains of Abraham!)




Heather's new 'do'!

Morgan Family Travels - 13

Hello again! Its actually been a really pleasant (though slightly busy week) this week. We really enjoyed seeing my parents a bit more on Monday, when the girls and I (Heather) went with them to Grenwich (which is in the East End of London) to see an old tea clipper called the Cuttysark and the Maritime Museum and the Grenwich Meridian Line. We are becoming increasingly convinced that we are 'urbanites', and are really enjoying our opportunities to be in the city.

Mom and Dad left Tuesday morning, and we did various bits of catching up from the weekend, including purchasing Mum and Dad Morgan's birthday presents, as their birthdays (and my mom's, for that matter) will occur while we're gone in Scandinavia. Trevor also got a Berghaus jacket, so we are now both 'kitted up' for cold, wet weather - Scandinavia here we come! Canadian ski jackets are great in a blizzard at minus ten (or twenty, or thirty) celsius, but far less valuable at two celsius when its chucking it down with rain! The Berghaus jackets are goretex, which completely repels the water and is breathable at the same time, and they have a fleece that zips into them, so they're incredibly versatile temperature-wise.

Wednesday I spent the day with Davita in Croyden on a girls shopping trip, which was lots of fun, and a great time to get to know one of my sisters-in-law better (she's married to Trevor's younger brother, Edward). That evening I carried on into Covent Garden, which I suspect would be much cooler in the daytime when it wasn't raining (on a day when I'd sacrificed dryness for fashionability and left my above-mentioned Berghaus at home!) ;-)

Thursday was again mostly spent at home, though we went out in the evening to meet up with a bloke we'd actually first met on the train of all places. We had a really nice meal together and went and shot pool together (me for the first time ... I think I might enjoy it once I have the chance to practice a bit more). This guy's been a youth pastor for a few years and has a real heart and passion for evangelizing within youth sub-culture's, so he was really interesting to get to know.

Friday evening we put on a three-course meal for Trevor's parents to show off their new birthday presents from all of their kids - brand new cutlery! It was lots of fun, and the looks on their faces when they realised what the table was laid with was well and truly worth it! They haven't ever had new cutlery of their own - they've been far too busy looking after four boys, their wives and their grandchildren, so it was really nice to be able to give some of that back to them in thanks!

Today we had some friends over and the kids played together and the adults chatted, and then I did a photo shoot for them - the first one I've done since leaving Canada. I was worried I'd be horribly rusty, but it actually worked quite well once we got the batteries in my flash units re-charged.

Some thoughts that have come out of this week include the following:

1. We are coming to a greater and greater understanding of who we are as individuals and as a couple, and realising that that process is actually a big part of what we are accomplishing this year. It includes learning that we are 'urbanites'; that we both need to be continuously learning and developing our brains; that we need regular physical activity; that we need to carve out long periods of time for each other, because we are so much more effective in all the other areas of our lives when we've talked them through with each other, and also because our marriage is the most important relationship we have in our life except our relationship with God.

2. We've also been learning more about God - learning that He is who He says He is: God the Provider; God the Comforter; Abba - Father; God the Giver and Sustainer of Life; God the same yesterday, today and forever; God who Answers; God who Directs. It hasn't been in long meditative bible studies the last few months, I'm afraid, nor through great times of congregational (or personal) worship, but we have been getting to know God better by learning to weave Him into our daily lives, and desiring for Him to be leading our every step - and dependent on Him to tell us where to go, 'cos we have absolutely no idea!

3. We've been getting glimpses of a potential for ministry that would combine gifts of knowledge, teaching/discipleship, and apostleship together by encouraging, challenging and discipling church leaders. It has happened a couple of times in the last month or so that God has given us the opportunity to do this, and we are very excited about the prospect. We don't know whether it will lead to anything or not, but I think we are very hopeful that there is a place being carved out - and that we are being equally shaped to fit that place - for us to minister in long-term, even if it does not include a permanent location.

4. I look really good in a spiky-short hair cut! (pictures to follow ...)

We will most likely be completely out of touch while we are away (at the least, please don't be surprised if we are!) If we have the opportunity we may try to send out short blogs for the next two weeks, otherwise expect something after November 12, and I'll do my best to make up for the time without by being very thorough in my descriptions of Denmark, Norwary and Sweden.

God Bless!

London Pictures

This is London's town hall, or 'Fort Livingstone', as Trevor's father calls it.


















A view across the Thames to the Swiss Re building.












An art installation.



















Tower Bridge.












The Tower of London.











The opera house.


















St. Martin's in the Fields.


















This funky bridge links the Royal Ballet School with the Royal Opera house - it's called the 'Bridge of Aspiration'










In the heart of the City.

Morgan Family Travels - 12

Week twelve - have we really been gone for twelve weeks already?!? We miss all of you lots, but life continues, and it has been good.

Saturday morning we picked up my parents from the airport - they are here in England until the 21st of October (or maybe 20???). At any rate, we found them, took them out to an English pub for lunch and watched the swans on the canal as we were eating. It was very pleasant. In the afternoon the girls stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Morgan and we stole my parents away for a few hours to catch them up on our life.

Sunday we set off to London with the entire gang. Robin took us on a very nice expotition of sites various. I think we disappointed him by taking too long to finish all the sites (having been delayed by an hour by lousy train service), but the things we did see were quite fun, and the weather was absolutely perfect for photography!

As we were going round on Sunday we noticed that St. Paul's Cathedral was putting on a free lecture the following evening by Jeffrey Sachs (an economist at the Earth Institute who wrote 'The End of Poverty'). I have really been feeling as though I want to start stretching my brain again after five years of simply mommy-brain. So Monday afternoon I left Trevor looking after the girls and I went into London, found a university bookstore where I bought a textbook on Development Studies, which I am really enjoying, and then went to St. Paul's Cathedral for the lecture. The cathedral had about 500 people in it - all the chairs were full.

The program was titled:

Global Poverty: A Challenge to the World

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, and Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the MDGs.

Respondent: Rt Revd Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester, author of Grace and Mortgage: the Language of Faith and the Debt of the World (DLT 1997) and formerly William Leech Professorial Fellow in Applied Christian Theology at Durham University.

(see http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerID=60465B73gevhBnNtYs0FcJJ7fGNpbL9M)

Jeffrey Sachs spoke for about 45 minutes, outlining his thesis, that is basically "extreme poverty can be ended ... we've already pledged enough money to do it, we simply need to actually give the money in question". The main issues he addressed were the effects of poor access to transportation routes, anti-malarial bug nets, and agricultural answers. He spoke about how globalization had helped in some areas, but was not the panacea answer for everywhere, as sub-saharan africa was seeing worsening conditions, as were Central Asia and the Andes Region.

He said that we need to stop blaming the poor for their problems - that good governance does NOT equal development. Furthermore, these areas face specific problems geographically that set them up with problems affecting development from the outside: many are landlocked nations with no roads or ports, but food is grown in interior highlands; savannah climates are very variable, increasingly with current climate change and poor farming methods only extend these challenges; and these regions are gripped by malaria.

The Rt Revd Peter Selby then offered his comments. These comments and concluding statements were followed up by a few questions from the audience. All in all it was a good beginning to mental stretching. I haven't decided yet whether I agree with what Jeffrey Sachs has said, but it was really nice to get out and go to a lecture!

Other events of this week include a fairly conclusive decision that whether it is Celiac Disease or not, Hannah's system does unquestionably better if she is on a gluten-free diet. So, we have stuck with it, and are very thankful (particularly as she's gotten it into her head to take her nappy off whenever she gets the chance!!!) We will be put into the queue to see the pediatric dietician here in England, but it probably won't happen until the end of November. This will be to make sure that she's getting the right balance of food now that she's missing the wheat, and also to discuss whether we should try reintroducing dairy. For now, her little tummy needs time to heal, and we are very thankful to know what has caused to many months of problems.

We also this week had the opportunity to book our next 'trip' - this time to Scandinavia. We will be leaving on Wednesday 26th October and will be gone until Saturday 12th November. We will spend one night in Copenhagen, a week with our friends Laura and Daniel in Sweden (about two hours by train from Copenhagen), a night in Oslo, and eight nights in Bergen (also in Norway, but the other end of the country). Bergen is notably half an hour away from the farm that my great-grandfather left when he was a teenager, and I am very excited to get to meet my (very distant) cousins.

Mull, Iona, Oban in Pictures

Celtic Cross











The Abbey's Laundry?







Kaitlyn in Iona











Waves Crashing (they do that a lot!)







Oran's Chapel and Graveyard







Oban at Twilight







Iona Post Office

Edinburgh in Pictures

Street Entertainment











Make Poverty History - Even the scaffolding's bought in!







Heather in Scotland







Daddy & Kaitlyn in Scotland











Nelson's Monument











Colonnade's











Edinburgh Castle











Scottish Parliament







Fleshmarket Close











Baroque Hits Edinburgh

Morgan Family Travels - 11

To Scotland this week. We went to Edinburgh on Saturday morning by train, arriving late afternoon. After stowing our bags at the bed and breakfast we went and walked around the old city a bit, stopping for supper before heading back to the B&B for the night.

Sunday we spent exploring Edinburgh. We climbed up from Holyrood Park, which gave us a fantastic view of the city; walked past the Scottish Parliament buildings, which are very funky; browsed in a bookshop; played in a park; ate food and browsed Scottish Tourist shops. All very fun.

Monday morning we were up very early to catch the 7:00 train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, to connect to a train from Glasgow to Oban (the last station on that line), to connect to a ferry to the Isle of Mull, which connects to a coach across the island, which connects to another ferry to the island of Iona which connects to a van from the hotel where we arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon! Feeling tired yet? Well, that's okay, because Iona is rugged, quiet, beautiful, and mostly tourist-free at this time of year. We were originally booked in just for one night, but decided to enjoy a second night there before tearing ourselves back to the mainland. We took lots of walks around the island, took in a couple of services in the Abbey, attended a Ceilidh in the village hall, chatted with other guests in the hotel, particularly Cristiana and Michael, and thoroughly enjoyed being pampered by the hotel staff!

Wednesday we returned back to the mainland and spent the night in Oban before spending ALL day Thursday on six trains to get home.

Please see the pictures on the blog - they tell the part of the story that words are simply incapable of.