Creativity is Messy!

Big Mess is what Nathan's room usually looks like; moving across the ocean and having fewer toys hasn't changed that one bit. Nathan was home this week with another 'British Bug' as the doctor calls it (which explains the fun bedhead) so he had extra time on his hands. One afternoon he invited me to join in his Playmobile set up which you see in the pictures. He had recreated the story of Squanto as told on our radio drama CD we listened to this week. Nathan had the Indian village set up and the British ship which had Squanto and others enslaved in the hull. He even set up the slave auction in Spain and the priest's home who rescued Squanto. For me it was one of those moments when you just marvel. 'Okay, so his room is usually a disaster. So what?' I tell myself, 'Creativity is messy work!' Give me the Playmobile any day over the computer games and Playstation!

A Country of Puddleglums

Two of my favorite characters in literature are A.A. Milne’s Eeyore and C.S. Lewis’ Puddleglum. I have been intrigued by both these figures partly because their pessimistic outlook on life is so different than my own and partly because each contains an element of the heroic, in spite, or perhaps because of their pessimism.

I have fond memories of reading Winnie the Pooh out loud, first to Julie as a young married couple (after all, Winnie the Pooh isn’t just for kids), and then later to my children. Eeyore was my favorite character to mimic. As I read, I found it easy to put on a voice for him, a good grumpy, pessimistic voice. Every now and then I pull that voice out when the kids are acting all gloomy and down.

And then there is Puddleglum, who competes with Reepacheep as my favorite all time Narnian character. Yes he is a pessimist, but there is something unique, and quite noble in his character. As I will explain shortly, Puddleglum very accurately reflects much of the English character.

Puddleglum’s outlook is characteristically negative when he is asked whether or not he will help them find the lost Prince Rilian:

“We’ll I don’t know that you’d call it help. It stands to reason we’re not likely to get very far on a journey to the North, not at this time of the year, with the winter coming on soon and all. And an early winter too, by the look of things. But you mustn’t let that make you downhearted. Very likely what with enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to nothing to eat, and sore feet, we’ll hardly notice the weather.”

But don’t let this pessimism fool you. Although he has a negative outlook on life, there is much more to him. It was Puddleglum, not the optimistic children, who picked up on the witches’ scheme and did something about it. It was Puddleglum that did the brave act of sticking his foot it the fire to break the witches’ spell on the children and wake them back up to reality.

C.S. Lewis does a great job representing in Puddleglum something that I have noticed to be pretty common here in England. I understand that Lewis had his gardener in mind when he created Puddleglum. The English people on the surface have a very negative outlook on life, and it’s been quite fun to play with. For example, if I make a statement about how nice the weather is, I can guarantee their response to be something like, “yes, but just wait, our fabulous winter weather is just around the corner.” I then say, “well, we’ve been here for 3 months and I can count on one hand the number of rainy days”. Nine times out of ten, they will respond, “Yes, very unusual. Our summer was awful, were you here then?” Sound like Puddleglum?

The English character, however, goes deeper than sheer pessimism. This is where Lewis touches something profound in the English character. They are a brave and determined people, and like Puddleglum, have an ability to see reality in a way that we often miss.

Julie and I are really very grateful for the opportunity to explore this great country and discover its people, and are looking forward to what God has for us to learn here.

Thinking of You on Thanksgiving

I had a new feeling today in my 'Bits and Bobs' 90 minute exercise class. You'd think bits and bobs would be benign but today I had 'Feel No Pain Neal' as the teacher. He seemed totally unaffected by the steeper and steeper climbs and longer sets on the spinning bikes. Anyways, back to the new feeling. The music was blaring away, inspiring us to keep pushing with the beat when all of a sudden I just wanted to shout, "Hey, it's Thanksgiving today! I'm from America and it's a major holiday! This is big stuff, people. Peddle those bikes." I restrained myself, all except for the smile that was plastered on my face.

It was a normal day here with school and work. In fact the girls each have several large examinations for the next several days. Tonight we ate leftover Enchiladas and pumpkin cake. We did have some ‘Dinner and a Question’ kind of activity centering on God’s provisions for us in the transition to a new place. Unfortunately, a spirit of gratefulness does not ooze out of us each day so we have to help each other. It doesn’t take much though, for us to remember that we are full of thanks for your place in our lives.

We did celebrate on Saturday with the Americans on Dennis' team and hosted the Brits that were in town. (I just now got back to completing this blog entry) Julieanne is showing one of the British daughters what to put on her plate. Everone did a part of the meal. The guy waving in the back is Dennis' boss, Dick, who smoked turkeys through the night. The feast was complete with stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan tart and cranberry apple crumble. It was a taste of home but the people we gathered with were new friends. I guess it was like that first Thanksgiving sharing the feast with new friends that had helped learn a new land. These are some of the faces God has given Dennis to 'learn a new land.'

The Man of the Hour

You know how you never seem to win any of those great raffle prizes or door prizes? Well Dennis won't be able to say that anymore! At the Sellafield Contractors Ball on Saturday, he actually won a prize... a good prize too, a 4G iPod nano! Please know that all of the technically advanced in my family already have iPods so Dennis decided to give it to me. What do I need my own for? I just listen to theirs! (Shelley, I've worn the bridesmaid's dress yet again)

We celebrated Dennis' birthday #43 on Monday night with a yummy lamb dinner. In his mind, a great gift is a really nice meal that you spent lots of time on. (That came from his family who valued time around the table with people. His love of good food came from his mom who is a culinary whiz!)Not that I slaved in the kitchen all day by any stretch but enough to have a special meal on the table. Nathan was in charge of ambiance so he had the table set nicely with enough candles to catch your shirt sleeve on fire. He was going for the 'Lights out but still enough light to be able to see your plate' atmosphere. The meal ended with Julieanne's chocolate layer cake made in "cookery' class or what we would call home economics. Of course, we had to use the tricky relighting candles which you can see Nathan helping to extinguish. You have try to 'get' Dennis any way you can. For those of you that have tried, you know what I mean.

Dennis is working hard, as you would expect. He's wearing many hats at the office, primarily leading the transition which has had its bumps in the road. They have been negotiating the details of the contract for a while and still it is not official. Unfortunately, the take over day keeps getting pushed back but the deliverables deadlines are staying the same. Go figure. That means it will be a lighter December which is good for our family to have more of Dennis but not good for the transition. Dennis has good rapport and an unusual ability to understand and embrace a new culture. The Brits on his team really like him and his way with people. Growing up in Spain continues to come in handy. As Julie Blakey put it, he's dispelling the 'Ugly American' stereotype with those he comes in contact with.

Life in our home is certainly more funny, more adventurous and more significant as a result of the man of our lives! We celebrate God's generous gift of you to us.

Bonfire Night

Remember, remember,

the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

We see no reason

Why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot!

This is one of the British ditties to help little kids remember an important moment in their history like our, "Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492" On November fifth, 2007, the valley of Whitehaven was ablaze with massive bonfires and fireworks in celebration of the failed attempt to blow up the Parliament building in 1605. Queen Elizabeth I had just died and nearest relative, Scottsman, James had become king. Elizabeth had created one church in England - the Church of England which to put it very simply looked a lot like Catholicism but the beliefs were more Protestant specifically in the conviction that the Scriptures should be available to all not just clergy. She tolerated no challenge from the Catholics. After her death, about 14 Catholics decided to do away with the King in hopes of bringing England back to Catholic faith. They placed 36 barrels of gunpowder under the parliament building for their fatal plan. The plot was leaked and the guy down in the cellar waiting to light the gunpowder, Guy Fawkes, was tortured and hanged. Afterwards, bonfires were lit to celebrate the saved life of the King. Nowadays, on the 5th of November people go crazy setting off fireworks and standing around massive bonfires (not the marshmallowing roasting variety, the dangerous, have to be roped off kind.) My brother and Dennis would have a blast setting off these fireworks.

We were treated to our first British holiday, Guy Fawkes or Bonfire Night, thanks to St. Bees School where we warmed ourselves by the bonfire (from about 20 feet away or more), enjoyed a barbeque and fabulous fireworks. The girls stayed for the 'disco' or dance while we went home for a bit. Remember, remember, the fifth of November, we will!

Stamberg Visits the UK

Our good friend Jonathan Stamberg visited us here in the UK, less than a year after his missions trip to London. Although the visit was short and sweet (Jonathan is a very efficient lad), it was great to see our dear friend. It shouldn't surprise many of you who know him that he had no problem donning a Scottish Tartan and showing the locals how to play the bagpipes. Jonathan: is there any instrument you can't play?

A picture of Jonathan with Nathan and Julieanne.

Ahoy, Mates!

There was only one trick or treater in the Thompson family this year, Pirate Nathan. For several reasons we decided the girls were done with their days, I mean nights, of trick or treating.

Halloween is not a big deal here but they really go for the scary, wicked stuff for their 'fancy dress' or costume. In other words, there weren't many pirates or princesses or Larry the Cucumbers. Nathan was invited to a friend's for some Halloween games and trick or treating. I went along at the end to walk around to the few houses they visited. I was encouraged by the fact that they were content to walk to a few houses of people they knew and then call it an evening. Back in the States often it seemed that the goal was to see how much of a sugar horde you could haul in. Nathan and his friends shared one bag to 'collect' in and then dumped it on the floor afterwards to divy up. They each came away with about 15 pieces of candy and a few coins. Some people give money rather than candy. Back at our house, we only had one knock at the door while we all watched Hannah Montana and ate candy.

Our Ship Has Come In

On August 23, the belongings we chose to send across the ocean to England were packed in two wooden crates. The ship arrived just six weeks later. (Actually, it was here in four but took two weeks to clear and make its way to the northwest.) Two British guys cheerfully unpacked some of “home.” How wonderful to have glimpses of many of you right here in our living room! Later in the day I told Dennis how unpacking had made me cry. He marveled, "How could you still have tears left, didn't you cry enough when we left?"

Well, here was one difference between how the two of us experience life abroad. First of all, you need to know that the saying, “variety is the spice of life” is a motto in Dennis’ life. He says he loves variety in everything except women (good thing he added that little caveat). So, for him, moving here has brought all sorts of variety! New challenges at work, new culture to understand, new people to get to know, new places to explore, new foods….it’s all great!

I, on the other hand, am jumping into this new life but not without missing life with our dear friends. I am actually enjoying being here but I’m not 'gung-ho' about change. Dennis and I have had many a conversation about our differences. We want to try to understand how the other is processing the change without judging or berating the other but our views are still different. Dennis thinks that my love of relationships back home, may prevent me from making friendships here and I say to him – work hard to stay in touch with your friends at home. The point is we need to be fully here but we still need the valuable relationships God gave us at home. There’s nothing quite like the weathered friends that have been through much of the muck of life with you and continue to love you and point you to the King. (Actually, I am doing the hard, slow work of getting to know people and Dennis does miss life with people who know him well) The old jingle, “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold” is true. We trust God will add silver relationships to us here in Britain but we surely love the gold friends back home. We are rich indeed!

Edinburgh - The Athens of the North

The kids just completed their “half term” which is a week off of school (kind of like a Spring Break, except they get three of them throughout the year). I took Thursday and Friday off and we all ventured into Scotland to visit the city of Edinburgh (pronounced Edinboro). The city is about a three hour drive from us and is on the East coast of the island. Edinburgh is called the “Athens of the North” and although we have never been to Athens, we can see why it called that. The pictures that I have seen of Athens show and old city built around hills and water with great Roman monuments and ruins visible in prominent spots. Edinburgh is much the same; it is a city built on a very unusual landscape. There is the coast to the east, a large volcanic mound in the center, called Arthur’s Seat, and a large castle built on another volcanic mountain. The city is an intricate maze of cobble-stone streets that surround the castle mountain. There are thousands of little shops selling everything from Scottish tartans (the famous plaid fabrics representing Scottish family lines) to expensive wool sweaters, to touristy junk. It is not unusual to see a family completely dressed in the Scottish attire, knee-high socks, a kilt and a formal looking vest. While back home, people would gawk and perhaps laugh, here it fits in and looks almost normal. The streets of Edinburgh also are filled with the sounds of bagpipes. I’m sure that this is sponsored by the tourist department, but it still is quite nice and adds to the unique charm of the city.

The pictures we've included here help depict the beauty of the city, but do not really do it justice (by the way, if you "double-click" on any of the pictures, they should enlarge for you). There are many spots in the city where you get a 360 degree panorama of the entire area. The castle is one of them. This castle, parts of which are more than a thousand years old, is built on a very large rock formation that juts up in the middle of the city. From the castle towers, you can see the North sea to the east, and the lush green hills of Scotland to the west, and the entire city that surrounds it. It was fun imagining what it would have been like defending the castle from attacks. Nathan got into it, but most of his sound effects included modern guns (he's just about perfected his machine gun sound, almost as good as Caleb Westergreen). Every afternoon at exactly 1:00, they fire one of the cannons from the castle over the city. Again, like just about everything here in England, this has been traditionally done for centuries. I think the only time they missed a firing was during the World Wars.

We also climbed Arthur's Seat, the second volcanic mound in the city. I call it a mound, but it takes more than an hour to climb to the top. Once there, you get another amazing view of the city. This time, you can see the magnificent castle and the surrounding city. The kids complained about my desire to scale Arthur's seat (especially since we had spent two entire days doing nothing but walking) but it is the type of mountain that is just screaming to be climbed. I'm certain that God created mountains for us to enjoy and for us to conquer.

Thinking About "EWE"

An everyday view for us is green fields dotted with sheep. The Cumbrian or local sheep around here are not used for their wool but rather their lambs and meat. Their wool is more coarse and actually ends up costing the farmer more to sheer than the wool is worth. They have to shear the sheep each year from May – July. One bonus or job perk for the shearer is velvety hands due to the lanolin found in the wool which is used for the production of cosmetics! Usually an individual can shear 250-300 sheep in a day with the record being 720! Wool has many beneficial qualities such as warmth in winter and coolness in summer, fire resistance, no static electricity and long lasting! Doctors have written that people who sleep in wool get approximately 15% longer deep sleep periods. (Pam, you better get a wool nightie!)

Over the half term break, I took the kids to the Cumbrian Wool and Sheep Centre to learn the answers to some of our questions about the sheep we see. Once, we got past the lovely sheep odor, we were able to enjoy the “show.”

Julieanne and AC pose with a Herdwick, their favorite of the 19 Cumbrian breeds we saw. They are hardy animals not bothered by the rain and cold and independent of the need for humans to feed or protect them during the long winters. They stick to their own fell (mountain) never mixing or mingling with other herds from other fell farms.

Nathan and his friend, Ben, check out the Merino Sheep most famous for its premium quality wool and ability to go two weeks without water. This sheep is more common in Australia as it doesn’t like the Cumbrian climate (too much water).

Nathan was not too sure he could trust the sheep so he was reticent to stick his hand out.

We all enjoyed watching the Collie display his superb herding using ducks as they fit on the stage better than a herd of sheep. They train for six months and then work in their prime for only 3-6 years before “retiring.” For large herds of 2000 or more like the herds in Australia, the Huntaway dog will walk across the backs of the sheep to accomplish its herding.

Sheep are totally dependent on shepherds for protection, grazing, and water. They would not survive long without a shepherd. That’s why the Herdwick is valuable here as it needs little to survive.

Isaiah 40:11 says of Christ, “He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms, and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”