The Adventures of Lynne

Thanks to all the people that work in the transportation industry, I am home in Canada. I met kind and helpful people on and by the various trains I took from St. Ives to Liverpool. From Liverpool to the Tube from the tube in London to the train to London Gatwick Airport, the crew at the airport and on the plane. The Go Bus drivers and ticket sellers and a taxi got me to Julie and Rob's house where I thankfully "borrowed" my car from them which I oddly still know how to drive! After a good nights sleep, I am heading north. I have been thinking about all those bus, train, air and ship people working to get people and goods around the world. That's where my feeling of gratitude goes this morning. The emptyish trains, buses and plane shows me that people are getting the message to stay at home which is great. I liked the marked off area of the first Go bus, giving distance to the driver from the passengers. All plane crew, train crew and busdrivers were wearing glov...

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances;  and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.  Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy: This wide and universal  theatre   Presents more woeful pageants than the scene Wherein we play in. As you Like It Before I came here to St. Ives, I spent the day wandering around Stratford-upon-Avon. I was the only tourist in the Tudor museum, and actually woke the museum attendant who had fallen asleep in his chair waiting for customers. In the few open places that I entered, I tended to be the only one! I was disappointed of course, that all the theatres were closed. The Swan Theatre looked pretty spectacular! Back stage The pathway along the Avon had swans of course and was very pretty in the grey drizzle. The Tudor Museum I had a nice chat with the museum man and enjoyed my little tour around the muse...

I spent a couple of days in Southport, which is a pretty town where I accidentally lost my whatsapp. In order to get it back I needed my regular phone service which took a bit of effort, but it allowed me to call my Mom at last! Then I visited Debbie and Mark in Ainsdale for a week. Debbie calls me her cousin, which is so sweet because I'm actually her ex-cousin-in-law! Debbie and Mark could not be kinder, caring for me in luxury in their beautiful home. They have wonderful senses of humour and we laughed many times. Debbie is such a good cook! I ate such delicious meals with them! One night, we ate haddock that Mark had fished out of the sea off the northern Scottish coast on his latest fishing trip there. Debbie prepared it with a dusting of flour and made 'chips' to go with it and mushed peas. That haddock was so delicious I salivate as I type. Mark makes a wonderful cup of tea too! Debbie made it possible for me to finish my forest therapy guide practicum...

Please be assured that I am well--very well, and am paying attention to the updates on the virus. Don't worry! I have medical insurance, I am being careful and I'm having fun to boot. Please don't worry. xo

I returned from the Vipassana retreat to Gloucester at about 9:45am on Sunday morning (the 8th) in time to catch the 10:15 service in Gloucester Cathedral so I could hear the boys singing. It was a good thing that I saw them in advance. One boy's hair was sticking up all which way, one was swinging the sleeves of his robe, another was chewing on the corner of his choir folder. This convinced me that they are real boys which was a good thing because otherwise I would have thought they were angels. The angels sang Poulenc with the purest, most beautiful sound. I returned to the cathedral on Monday morning for a tour. I happened to be the only customer for the 10:30 slot and I was so lucky to have had "Jeremy" as my guide. He is an 83 year old historian. He calls himself an amateur medievalist. His family has had architectural connections to the cathedral for over a hundred and fifty years (that he knew of). When we finished the tour, we had a coffee together in...