to play in Elisabeth's Garden (part 2)

My journey through Belgium and France to Dunkirk went very well, thanks to the angels that drove along with me and kept me safe during some narrow escapes on the road. My car and I were 'rowed' to the other side by the ferryman and there we were in Dover. On the road again, all the old sories came back from the time br Roy Davies wanted to paint the road orange for us, so we could find the way to his home. Well, I found the way to Englefield Green alright but there I got lost on the sports grounds of the university so I had to give sr June Davies a call before I could get to her home on Vegal Crescent. Just about five minutes after I had arrived, Ron and Frances Russell joined for dinner!
I was staying for about two and a half weeks at June's and the days were filled with lovely little talks about God and authors like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien and visits to elderly people, like the goodhumoured former neighbourlady Doris, reading books like the ones about the abbot of a Benedictine cloister and his brothers (Penelope Wilcock: The hawk and the dove, The wounds of God, The long fall),Biblestudies and birthday dinners, concerts and walkinggroups. Yes, walking I did a lot. The trees were just starting to wake up from their winterbreak and the weather was lovely. So one day I put on my walking boots and walked all the way from June's house to Windsor, walked around and in the afternoon took the bus home. Or we walked together round Virginia Water, with the walkinggroup through the fields of daffodils or with Ron and Frances in Savill Gardens.
We went to an organ recital of an American, Carlo Curley and a 15year old boy from Englefield Green, Hamish Dustagheer. Very impressive! Five ladies sang to the retired nurses group, old English nature songs, beautiful.And before I left we went to Dvorak's 'Stabat Mater' (following the sufferings and death of Christ through the eyes of His mother. Dvorak wrote it after the death of two of his children), for Ron's retirement celebration.
I also saw Nicky, June's youngest daughter and her family (especially her youngest, 3 year old little Alex) and was invited to come to Bristol by Gareth, June's son, who lives in Bristol with Grace, his wife and two children. I haven't seen Diana and John yet, maybe at the end of this journey.
On Sundays I could go to Bishopsgate in the morning and later on Ron and Frances took me to the evening meeting in Didcot.That was a long way to drive for them but they took me more often than they would normally go themselves, which was very kind of them. So I could also see the transmissions and the Brunstadfeest with all those well-known Hungarian faces: Weiss, Kalko, Muller, Daniel Illes, etc! One Wednesday I had a job (!); I was allowed to go and help Lester Gale clean a hotel (he cleans carpets and furniture e.g.) and after we'd finished the job, he showed me around in Oxford. We went to New College, the oldest college in Oxford!
On my last Friday in Englefield Green June and I went to London by train, from Egham to Waterloo Station. We went on the London Eye and had a wonderful view over the city from up there! Then we bought tickets for a Duck-tour at 2 p.m. In the meantime we had time to walk to the Globe Theatre (of course I was 'dying' to see it after I had 'done Shakespeare' with my sisters Deedee and Meredith in Detroit!). But once we came there, we had only time to eat our sandwiches and hurry back along the Thames, passing the skateboarding youngsters and painting artists.
The 'Duck' was an amphibean vehicle from the wartime, painted yellow for its new job of showing tourists around London and even 'splash' into the river and look at the Houses of Parliament from the water. A very funny experience. The fun was even increased by the fact that the tourguide, Matthew, would 'rattle' about history mixed with nonsense and funny stories, questions and answers to the passengers of the vehicle and exhuberant greetings flung to the passers-by in the streets. I couldn't really follow everything he said but at least I could answer the questions that had to do with Ireland. He thought that was well-done for a crazy Dutchie!
April Folls was a funny day. Twice the Lord's Supper was hold: in Bishopsgate, where they asked me to read the Scripture (Mark 11:1-11: This donkey (me) is needed by the Lord!), and in the evening with the friends in Didcot, where David Heaven talked about 2 Cor 8:1-9: Jesus became poor to make many rich. Lord, let me get to know you more!!!
After the meeting Lester Gale told me I couldn't stay with them the first week, his dad had to go to hospital, but I could stay with Sarah and Hannah Turner who had just moved into their new home. Hannah is a splendid young sister, she has 'hypermobility' (everybody who reads this could send up a special prayer for her!). Walking and talking is hard for her but she is always cheerful and funny. In the week I stayed with them, she became a very good friend. But that is a story I will tell you all about next time. This report is of considerable length now, isn't it!?
C.U., God bless, Claudia