In Which We Take a Minute to Catch Our Breath

So we're in Forest Row, England!! Lesley and I are sitting at a dimly lit pub table at Chequers Inn, catching up on email and figuring out what has been going on in the world since the last time we had the opportunity to find some sort of internet signal and a minute or two to utilize it. This morning we went to a Christian Community Church service. The entire chapel was purple (the walls, the chairs, the accents, the vestments) and it created a very soothing atmosphere. The purple mixed with the calming cadence of a priestly British accent mixed with the meditative quality of the service resulted in a soporific effect and I was very, very glad to have had those three cups of coffee before we set off (I have become an expert again at self-caffeination).

Last night we had dinner with some members of the Christian Community (in brief, this particular church is specifically anthroposophical, hence why my Jewy little self was spending so much time in religious circles). The dinner was held in a beautiful old house, the best part being the converted glassed-in porch off to the side of the living room - it was no longer a sitting area, but rather its tables and couches were strewn with a thick layer of hay and was now a hangout for the five sheep living on the property. When we opened the door to get a better look, the most adventurous one, Florence, poked her nose in to try and join the party. We were all so floopy and tired at that point it felt vaguely surreal and totally hilarious (and I completely forgot to get a picture of it). A sheep room is now on the ever growing list of Things to Have on John's Farm.

And! As yesterday was Valentine's Day we gathered together for lunch here at this inn and John invited his most favorite 98 year old lady friend to come join us (we bought her flowers). Also in our large Valentine's Day party was the Christian Community priest and his wife (also a priest) and their friend Galimir, a masseuse who was in town for rhythmic massage training and had a pretty fascinating life story taking him from a destitute Bulgaria to a more prosperous Czech Republic (it turned out his wife was also a Scorpio named Hannah - well, to be perfectly correct, she spells it "Hana", but still). He had such a good time he ran out and made a particular Bulgarian delicacy he had been telling us about and Nicholas (the priest) gave it to us today after the service as Galimir was on a flight back to the Czech Republic. Needless to say, with feta, philo dough and eggs being the main ingredient, it was pretty delicious.

Tomorrow we're off for some London sightseeing and general touristy carousing, then to Amsterdam, then to Venice, and then back to Crete. Whew!! Once I have a minute I fully plan on filling out these past few weeks because, frankly, they have been AWESOME. I feel lucky every day.