Summoning the Ancestors

Use cash Anti-climb paint Free Apples Shop front Field Fayre Truffles cafe 1984   Quaker house The man of Ross Crystal shop

In the grounds of St Mary's  

The Rudhall street almshouses were founded by the wealthy Rudhall family in the14th century to provide accommodation for 5 'poor' men or women and are still serving the same purpose today. In the past monks, nuns and friars often cared for those most in need. After the dissolution of the monasteries rich people often left money in their wills for the construction and maintenance of almshouses and 'hospitals'. The main, if not only, source of funding. These ones that I walked past yesterday in Copse Cross St were built in1612 byThomas Webb, a successful carpenter, to provide accommodation for 7 people or families. There are many other almshouses still standing in Ross-on-Wye- a testament to the quality of construction and (maybe) the generosity of the wealthy.  Another example of consideration for the less fortunate is the cottage where I am staying which was originally built by the estate owner as 2 cottages for widows.  Now merged into one home with 2 huge fireplaces. ...

On my first morning in Ross On Wye  I was u p at dawn with no sign of jet lag! I wandered around this beautiful historic town Ross-on Wye which I am exploring  for a few days.While I was admiring the exterior of the 13th century church overlooking town, an elderly well-dressed gentleman who i think was a priest came out to greet me through the rather incongruous self- opening electronic double doors. He pointed excitedly up at the ancient bell tower saying "Look ,what can you see?"  I was able to (thanks to the efforts of my eye surgeon) spot a fluff of feathers high up on the edge of  the belfry which he proudly told me belong to a juvenile harrier which he hopes has come back to stay.  He then invited me to explore the interior of the magnificent church. It was pretty special because he left me to have it all to myself for my own personal  communion, and to receive a blessing for my journey. As the first of the congregation began arriving for 8am mass, I ...

After landing at Heathrow the plane was held on the tarmac for almost half an hour before we were allowed to disembark. Some people were getting quite irritable. There had already been a long delay before leaving LA and they were tired after over 11 hours flying. One young woman who was at risk of missing a connecting flight, tried to get her luggage from the overhead locker and was visibly upset when told sternly to sit down and fasten her seat belt. There was tension in the air.  Once we were allowed to move a Ukranian? mother was pushing her daughters along in front of her down the cramped passage way while manoeuvring  her large carry on, so I stayed sitting to let them pass. Naturally I smiled at the the older 6 or 7 year old child when she looked at me. She responded by reaching past her mother and first slapping me on the hand,  then grabbing it and trying to sink her teeth into it, all the time staring at me with wild, almost maniacal eyes. The mother pulled her a...

 I have downloaded the free version of an app called Timeshifter. It's pretty cool. You program it with your times of departure and arrival and it calculates when you should sleep,  drink coffee, when to wear sunglasses and when to expose yourself to bright light, all with the aim of assisting your circadian rhythm to reestablish as quickly as possible when you reach your destination. Of course once you are travelling some of it becomes impractical (well that's my excuse) but it also helps you prepare in the days leading up to your departure and after arrival. Up until now I have strayed a long way from its advice!  I've also been taking the homeopathic Aurum 12x/cardiodoron since a couple of days before I left. Again not always practical because it should be taken every 2 hours during travel and at least 15 minutes away from eating. I would have liked to try melatonin but the powers that be won't allow it to be sold over the counter in NZ. Timeshifter screen

 Los Angeles to London: 4 hour flight delay. All my conniving to book a flight which landed in London at a reasonable time for Jo to pick me up failed. The sole purpose why I came through LA was to avoid landing in Heathrow after 5pm. Ho hum.  However I have access to the nice Quantas lounge with wifi, and a lunch/dinner (I've lost track of time) of tasty curry, fresh salads and overly sweet apple crumble.  Of course there are lots of options that others would like too. All you can eat and drink. And I even had a shower which took quite a bit of figuring out how to use the unlabelled dial.  As I write this from my convenient spot in the lounge  the ceiling beside me is leaking through the light fixture. I hope the planes are better maintained. Drip in motion leak in business class lounge