Blogging break . . .

Hi yo'all,

Just to let you know I'm taking a blogging break.

I don't think I'll be back in a hurry so please feel free to remove me from your blogroll.

As it's only a few days away I'll wish anyone who pops by, a very Blessed Advent.

Miserable weather but Sundays are never miserable days . . .

A miserable wet day here in soggy Surrey but Sundays are always sunny in many ways.

The Pater Familias arrived home safely from his latest business trip. Interesting that his plane left two hours late but managed to arrive only an hour and a half behind schedule. How do they do that? And is it legal? They must have been over the speed limit to make up half an hour! What is the speed limit for a jumbo jet, anyway?

It was too late for a family lunch so we had family supper instead which meant a lovely restful time after morning Mass before anything important needed doing at home.

After catching up with a few jobs and having a peek at Twitter, Our Eldest and I made our way back to church for Rosary and Benediction. I know I say this nearly every week but is is becoming one of the highlights of my week.

I couldn't find a video which includes all the same settings of the hymns that we sing (O Salutaris , Tantum Ergo etc.) and all of Benediction but this video is beautiful and one of the best I could find of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Friday funnies - 'Tiddly Pom' . . .

I can't remember exactly what we were discussing over our coffee break this morning but whatever it was, it prompted someone to say that it reminded them of Hinge and Bracket.

It's a long time since I saw any of the performances of this entertaining duo so I had a trawl through YouTube and thought you might like to share in the fun as it's the end of the week, and time to relax a bit.

A new game . . .

Thanks to the link on Fr Tim Finigan's blog to the photos of the recent LMS Requiem Mass posted on Joseph Shaw's Flickr stream, I've just spent a happy few moments playing one of my favourite games - 'Spot Our Eldest'.

Thanks are due of course also to Joseph Shaw, LMS Chairman, for taking and posting the photos.

Our Eldest tries to attend all the LMS events which are held in London as it's easily accessible by train from here. I always have a look to see if I can spot him in the crowd. I'm just a typical proud Mum, at heart.

If you'd like to see more of the photos, follow the link on Fr Tim's blog or go direct here.

Finally, Gaudi's famous cathedral may be used for its rightful purpose . .

Marvellous pictures are appearing on various news channels, blogs etc of the Papal Visit to Spain. Finally, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, commonly referred to as 'Gaudi's Cathedral' to distinguish it from other great churches in Barcelona, will be able to be used to for the celebration of Holy Mass, surely it's primary function.

The Pater Familias visits Barcelona from time to time on business and has taken many photos of this amazing building. It must be one of the most visited and photographed buildings in the city, I would imagine.

The BBC has an excellent video and summary on their website here.

This 'n' that . . .

Sorry for the lack of posting recently. Life just seems to be a bit busy at the moment. I'm managing to post a few Tweets on Twitter but don't seem to be able to find enough 'thinking' time to put together anything more than a few words.

I've had a few very enjoyable outings recently. The Pater Familias and I spent a lovely peaceful couple of nights in the New Forest last week to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and my birthday. A much needed break for both of us.

Today I spent my day off with a friend visiting Denbies Vineyard near Dorking in Surrey. We managed to have a lovely walk around the estate and had time to visit the shop and chat over tea and cakes too.

Lots going on in the parish with beautiful Rosary and Benediction every Sunday afternoon throughout October and continuing throughout November too. I love the prayerful atmosphere that envelopes you as soon as you walk into church. Now that the clocks have gone back it's even more atmospheric as we just have the light of the candles on the altar and very minimal background lighting.

I imagine things are going to get busier still as we get nearer 'you-know-what' (the 'C' word)!

Fanny's Farm Shop - a magical place

Another great day off. A good friend and neighbour suggested we visit Fanny's Farm Shop for our Wednesday walk today. I haven't visited for years and had forgotten what a magical place it is. A lovely place to visit with children and also an interesting place for visiting 'grown-up children'.

Today was one of those lovely cold but bright Autumn days in this part of Surrey - ideal for a stroll. We were chauffeured to our destination by a kindly husband so we only had to walk home after a scrumptious cream tea.

It's difficult to describe Fanny's Farm Shop. More than a tea shop, less than a garden centre - quite unique. The creator and owner Fanny Maiklem obviously has a great sense of humour and I would guess is a bit of a 'magpie' judging by the collection of miscellaneous country-related artifacts scattered throughout the farm. She is famous for her home-made marmalades, jams and chutneys but the home-baked cakes are also worth a mention and today's cream tea was absolutely delicious.

Once again, I had taken too many pictures to choose just a few so have put them together in a slide show. Perhaps you might be tempted to pay a visit yourself . . .