London: Harrods to Borough Market

So the other weekend I went on a trip to London with my mum to visit my brother. I will be the first to admit that I strongly dislike London. I hate the way everyone's so driven, and busy, and crowded, and serious, and..... and.... don't get me started on the underground!!! ULGH!

But I have to admit this trip was pretty special, we made two visits, one to Harrods and one to Borough Market. Wow! They were both incredible places but so different!

Harrods was the epitimie of wealth and perfection, anything would could desire, would that be hand-crafted chocolates, or delicatable cured meats, or the COOLEST toys a kid could dream of, or the most lavish ice-cream sunday ever, or a little hoody for your dog (which, to be honest is just disturbing...) Everything is so refined and pretty and there are halls of everything and anything, each one perfectly designed with beautiful ceilings and stunning chandeliers.

Then there's Borough Market, where all your senses are assalted. There's a riot of colours and smells and textures. There are dead pheasants, and sizzling sausages, and mountains of brownies, and rainbow-coloured vegetables, and pungent cheeses, and incredible mushrooms. There's an electrifying atmosphere as you make your way through the crowds and hear bargaining and cheerful sale cries.

So, what did I prefer? Tricky. They were completely different expereinces, where Harrods felt like some sort of dream, feeling slightly out of place with my cheap rucksack and worn jeanes, yet utterly bedazzling. Whilst in Borough Market I was swept on the tide of raw, frost-bitten, harsh beauty.

To let you experience it for yourself I took some photos:

Harrods:

 

 

Borough Market:

 

 

And here are some photos of 'London's best coffee shop' - definitely a highlight of the trip!!!

 

Learning to breathe

Brothers and goodbyes.

My brother has had the longest summer - ever! He spent a year out in UBC and finished in May and then didn't have to go back to Lancaster uni until last Saturday! I've loved having him around for that amount of time - and we've had so many fun times together - so was pretty gutting saying goodbye.

So as a thank you for making my summer really fun - I thought I would do a blog on what makes him a good brother:

1. He's permanently in a good mood - he's rarely grumpy and always up for a laugh!
2. He can't bear it when I'm upset with him - and will often come and see if I'm okay, sometimes even with an apology!
3. Although he loves 'banter' he's quite a deep guy - always thinking through things and we've had some great discussions about theological issues etc.
4. He makes time for people.
5. Got a great sense of humour (although a little random!)

Me and my brother the day he got back from Canada (I iced the cake!)

 

What are your siblings like?

A Summer Adventure.

Although summer feels like decades ago I thought I would do a blog about my summer adventure. My mum and I did some travelling around the French/Italian alpes, using a trainline to get from place to place - staying two nights in each place. It was certainly an adventure! We met some lovely people, saw breathtaking scenes and ate delicious food. I have fond memories filled with sunshine and joy - which I could probably write about for pages - but instead I decided to make a montage-map of our travels.

Enjoy.

The Good Samaritan - a challenge

So I was reading the Parable of the Good Samaritan the other day. I'm sure you've heard it before - but quick recap - man gets beaten up, then a Priest and a Levite (who you would expect to give some help) busy themselves with excuses and cross to the other side of the road. Then a Samaritan (a race who were enemies with the Jews) stops and helps him - bandaging his wounds and paying for his full recovery.

When reading this parable, I had a feeling of sick recognition of both the Priest and the Levite in me. So hears a challenge I wrote, for me and anyone who feels the same way!

What is it that turns us to the other side?

 

When we see pain and shrug our shoulders,

 

Or see an opportunity and march swiftly on.

 

Is it our pride?

 

Is it our business?

 

Self-obsession or fear?

 

Dellusion, commitments, self-importance, self-hatred?

 

 

 

You hear the voice, calling 'help him', 'give that', 'speak now'.

 

How about not turning to the other side?

 

What about obeying?

Love.

 

What is love?

I've been considering this for a while now - as different people I've been chatting with have different views - leaving me a little bit confuddled.

See some people think that love - real love - is an emotional state which results in actions due to the fact that you care so much about that individual.

Whilst others believe that emotions are too fickle and changing - and that real love is more to do with the actions themselves - so you can love people without the smallest bit of emotional feeling.

So what conclusion have I come to? Well I believe that God is love - so to find the answer I thought I would look to Jesus and see how he conducted his life of love. Now it appears to me that Jesus' love seems greater than both emotion and will but rather is a subservient attitude of the soul. However, we can see his love translated in both emotions and will:

Jesus often was moved through compassion:

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things Mark 6:36

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14.

However, in the cross Jesus demonstrates an absolute act of will putting it above his emotional state of fear:

 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:41-42.

Also in Luke 10:27 Jesus tells us to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'

This suggests that when we are called to 'live a life of love' (Ephesians 5:2) it is something higher than just emotions (heart) or will (mind and strength) but both combined with your soul in obedience to God.

I also believe that the Holy Spirit can help us to love - as we are told it is a fruit of the Spirit. So, where loving someone is extremely difficult, it may at first be a complete act of will, however with the Spirits help in time it may be coupled with an emotional longing to love that person too.

But hey - these are just my opinions and reflections on what an attitude of love looks like - I would love to hear what you think!

Raindrops on roses

So, it was raining again today. Grey sky, splattered windows and the accompaning feeling of melancholic nostalgia. I don't know about you but sometimes rain can get me down. But this afternoon it stopped raining - and I'd had enough of being couped indoors so I set foot into my garden armed with a camera. Here are some of the results.

Made me start thinking on a deeper level, sometimes when we encounter hard times (i.e. rain) - although we don't understand the suffering at the time - God's got it all under control and he can turn it into something truly beautiful!

'for we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him'

Romans 8v28



Leaving School

Colours soar through the open door
Grass and sun and study study study,
Time hurtles by
                                 without permission

Exams and deadlines and pressures,
All the while trying to squeeze
Out every moment

Every smile, every embrace, every laugh
Is tainted with a sense that
We are running out of time.

But in all of this choas,
All of this excitement,
All of this trepidation,
All of this panic,
You are.

You are constant, unchanging,
present then, now and forever more,
You plant my feet on your rock,
And lead me on
You are the Prince of Peace,
And I will trust in you

'Cast your anxieties onto him, because he cares for you'

1 Peter 5v7