Twilight and rolling hills, sweets and 1100s.

My Wednesday afternoon was full of a variety of intrigues. A Katy, Malcolm and I went into High Wycombe and split off, I to a bookshop to get the next Twilight book, Malcolm off to school, and A Katy for a bit of shopping. The large mall was quite a pretty setup, seemingly open separate shops with a pedestrian street between. Three story high shiny new buildings with lots of nice glass and attractive shop windows, but as I looked up realized there was a nearly clear covering high over the walkway, bridging the 2 sides. Given the grey clouds at the time it blended in and was nearly invisible, but would serve as protection if it rained. I found the bookshop right away, walked in and breathed deeply. Always love the smell of books, new and old. Decided to get the rest of the series as there was a 3 for 2 deal, although annoyingly the last book was only available in hardcover. Now I have 4 enormous books to tote around with me…I think I’ll try to post them off to Perth as I finish them…More wandering, debating what to get for lunch because I realized my little granola bar would not suffice, and kept wandering back and forth in my indecision. Was quite certain the other shoppers (a few of whom I did pass multiple times…) thought I was lost. Decided to walk into a grocery store and get some cheese and crackers, instead bought an egg sandwich and these new Mars chocolates – Mars Planets – the various parts of a Mars bar separate and in chocolate balls. YUM!

After some more wanderings met A Katy at Morrisons (big grocery store she shops at) and we headed off to West Wycombe, a completely charming, ancient (1700-1800s) with some buildings being so old as to be brick with wood. We parked next to one said building, with an old-fashioned Sweets shop next door, and trundled off down one of the side streets to look at the pretty gardens and old houses. I feel a bit like Meg Ryan’s character in You’ve Got Mail because the old building with wood reminded me of The Prancing Pony in The Fellowship of the Ring movie – should places remind you of movies???

I commented to A Katy what it must feel like to be living in a place where if tourists do come by they certainly gawk and observe you and your normal life. And then I immediately followed that with, "well actually I know what that's like - probably highly similar to being a foreign white skin in Indo..."

Note: 1722 date above door on right

The old houses had such short doors and small rooms. Some on the main street were shops, someday I’ll have to visit again and look at more of them.

(yes, I realize I'm just standing here, and in a later one, rather than doing anything remotely interesting in the photo, but hey, sometimes one can't quite be as original as one wants)

real milk bottles!!!

Yah for beautiful countryside!

One thing I am loving about England is the vast amount of countryside, even immediately off of a city. Just past that person’s house one can see rolling green hills, with comfortable grass. Soft grass. The sort you actually want to go tramping along, and sit down on with a good book, journal, or picnic lunch.

Following our absolutely necessary perusal of the Sweets shop we drove off to Horsley’s Green – where the Wycliffe and SIL centre is. Waay beautiful and fun to see. I always feel at home walking into places like that, even though I don’t know any of them there, I’m a part of it, and they know where I’m from.

We just did a quick walk around and then headed off, via back roads, to Fingest where the Parish church of Saint Bartholomew was located. A church, I might add, built in the 12th century, the tower in early 12th century, the other part slightly later. I can’t even imagine a place that old. Quite cool. I bought a postcard for 25p on the honour system. This is one of the churches that A Katy’s friend is rector of as well, along with the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ church. Real churches. Pretty cool, even if they are much more traditional than I’m used to. Their friend preaches the gospel, and God was just as alive and real then as He is now. Very cool, God’s amazing faithfulness and love over the centuries. (and now I've used 'cool' 3 times to describe this in the last few sentences. uncool.)

After that we drove back home via some more excellent countryside. What a beautiful day.