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Showing posts from October, 2012

BEN AND JERRY'S, A VON TRAPP AND A REAL HUNGER AT HUNGER MOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

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Vermont is full of surprises. This was our first visit to the state. It turned out to be too brief and we are looking forward to going back again next year.  We had been there a week for a Fatherheart School and each day brought new surprises.  First there were the autumn colours disappearing fast as the week progressed and as the wind blew them away. We did get to drive up to the hills on the first Sunday afternoon for a tantalising glimpse of the beautiful surroundings.  Then there were the many tourist attractions that were on offer which will have to wait for next time. Ben and Jerry's Ice cream was founded and created just down the road from where we were staying. Alas we didn't get to take the tour and the obligatory tasting that is involved. There was also the famous Cabot cheese factory and store, Green Mountain Coffee, maple syrup, cider apple donuts, the list goes on and on.  This is the perfect place for a foodie like me. We visited the von Trapp family lodge, th

NEW ENGLAND IN GLORIOUS FALL COLOURS

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I was not expecting the drive to State College from Newark, New Jersey to be so memorable. It was in fact spectacular.  The Fall colours which are legendary, were in just about the height of their glory. I was completely taken by surprise. I have seen autumn colours in the UK and New Zealand and they are very beautiful.  However this was something else.   It was mile after mile of fabulous breath taking magnificence.   Hyperbole is inadequate here.  For mile after mile every hillside, valley and river bank, was covered in masses of colour. Each turn of the road revealed another amazing view of golden tones and hues.  There were almost every variation of the pallet from yellow to purple, there were golds and russets, reds and browns and colours I have no name for. The colours demanded description but they also defied it. Each tree, normally subsumed and lost in the vastness of wilderness and forest, seemed to be displaying itself individually in its final shout of joy before withdra

MORNING GLORY

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One of the signs of getting older is shorter nights I've decided.  I find I am increasingly waking up earlier in the mornings such as today, 5.30 am and I'm up. Ive been on Facebook, answered overnight emails and now I'm writing a post on the blog.  Added to that it's my birthday and its a big one!  I should be really laying in bed and just enjoying.  But I'm actually enjoying being up.  I like the quiet of the early morning.  I occasionally get to see a lovely sunrise as a result.   This one was taken in August from the beach in Zanzibar where we were having a a couple of days break before starting a Fatherheart A School on the main land in Tanzania.   These early mornings are so often times of reflection for me. I know that doesn't work for everyone but they do for me!   I'm finding that there is great benefit in just sitting and being. After I've done the emails and things and made a cup of tea, there is time in the early morning to sit with my Fath