Wordsworth's Daffodils

Thought it was appropriate to share some Wordsworth at this point...

Daffodils (1804)
I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine


And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they


Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie


In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

There is something about daffodils in the Lake District that captures your heart and attention. These flowers spring up everywhere (from the side of the road to fields around the lake) and look quite spectacular. No wonder poets have created verses about their beauty and in particularly inspried Wordsworth. They are simply wonderful.

Blessed

Melanie: "Hurry up and put more pictures up and update your blog!"

Yes, it is about time that I update my blog. Sorry about that.

So! Gabi came to visit. That was pretty darn exciting. We had one awesome weekend full of experiencing Cumbria. Typically, if you come to the Lake District the following things are a MUST:

- Kendal Mint Cake


NB: The brown label means that the Mint Cake is brown and the white label means the Mint Cake is white. I don't think we figured out which colour label chocolate covered Mint Cake was...but nonetheless had an interesting time figuring this out.

- Sarah Nelson's Celebrated Grasmere Gingerbread




NB: Don't end up with two whole bags of gingerbread if one person of the pair ends up not being partial to it!

The Verdict:

Gabi - Kendal Mint Cake
Steph - Grasmere Gingerbread

- Fish and Chips



NB: Australia definately has the best fish and chips around!

Other Cumbrian Specialties include:
- Lakeland Special Tea (which consequently we sell at the Tea Shop!)
- Toasted Tea Cake (which we also sell)
- Damson Jam (usually combined with freshly made scones)

At the moment I can't remember the others things they have. Oh well.
Had an amazing day with Gabi and it made me realise how blessed I am to call her both friend and sister. Thanks Gab! You're incredible!

Easter was a lot of fun here. On Easter Sunday we all had to get up at 5.30am for the dawn service. As tiring as it was, it was so worth it! It went from everything being pitch black to walking out of the church knowing it was Easter morning as well as it being light. There was something very peaceful about it and the tradition of a higher Anglican Church was different but very refreshing in a way. In the afternoon we had a community Easter Egg Hunt. Gosh it was fun and kinda hard too! The eggs were hidden in the formal gardens of the Hall:



We got a little competitive as we ran around in circles trying to find these Creme Eggs (which the English really love). It's funny though, because I feel like I have a little family (well it's not so little with 12 of us living on community) and so Easter was fun to be with them.

The weather is warming up! Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I even got to sit in the sun and read and later go for a walk to look over the Lake. It is really on these days when I am reminded of the absolute work of art that this place is. God must have had fun the day he made it! The Lake District (namely Rydal, Grasmere and Ambleside) is stunningly beautiful and I'm so blessed to be here experiencing it!

I'll keep you posted.
Steph
x