http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXIicgSM-g
Oh, to be in England,
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England - now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows -
Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray’s edge -
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower,
- Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!
A maudlin opening - no reason, just seemed appropriate. I will be there in April though - Spring, my favourite time of year. But NOT February - Worcestershire weather 6.6°c high and river floods! Ongole weather - 29°c high - (feel like 31°c).
I'm posting this specifically on 2nd February - the day before my son Jon's 37th birthday and 3 days before mine and Ann's 42nd Wedding Anniversary. And, before you ask - flowers have been ordered (but don't tell her in advance).
Without their support, help and encouragement (they kept pushing to get rid of me!) - I wouldn't be out here. So please feel free to pester them concerning their dates.
How do I plan to celebrate our big day? Digging up concrete and demolishing a smelly old outside toilet with the mosquitoes - planning to turn it into a washing and planted area.
By the way - if you hadn't noticed - I am currently in Ongole - situated in the Bay of Bengal.
I've got a room in an apartment with 3 American young men on the World Race Team (same as the girls in Hyderabad that I'd previously mentioned). They're part of a group made up of more young women and they'll be here for a month before going on to Nepal. The plan is that over maybe 3 days, some of the girls will be able to help me. This will be at Victory Home which is where the older boys and young men live.
I travelled to Ongole with Sarah and her mother-in-law who told me quite a bit about local plants and trees - she's quite an authority and I plan to get her into my team for the buying and planning operations when we start 'planting' - I'll try to get a photo of her in action. The trip was about 10 hours long by car - much of it toll motorway. They're not a bit like UK motorways - there was so little traffic that you could choice any of the 4 lanes you want to stay in (unless someone else is coming to wards you on the same lane (!) which happened quite frequently (remember - NO RULES). 'Overtaking' was on any side that you want and if you want to 'ask' someone to let you in as you force your way through - remember to politely honk your horn.
Here in Ongole - there are a number of homes for the children each with a foster Mom. As well as Sarah - these are the ones who I stand in awe of - young, lovely American women who clearly love the children in their care. Just at random I took a couple of photos of 2 of them - they were dancing with some of their kids and weren't posing for the pictures. Meet Nikki and Marla:
And when Sarah walks into the rooms - this is her reception:
While I was here I met up with Christopher - a lad whose education Ann and I have been sponsoring. He read from a book for me various details about Indian states and their capitals - then I put my hand over the list and he recited them exactly again - the little cheat! So - I got hin to read a different section of the book (in English) and he read it perfectly! Fantastic.
Oh, to be in England,
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England - now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows -
Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray’s edge -
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower,
- Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!
A maudlin opening - no reason, just seemed appropriate. I will be there in April though - Spring, my favourite time of year. But NOT February - Worcestershire weather 6.6°c high and river floods! Ongole weather - 29°c high - (feel like 31°c).
I'm posting this specifically on 2nd February - the day before my son Jon's 37th birthday and 3 days before mine and Ann's 42nd Wedding Anniversary. And, before you ask - flowers have been ordered (but don't tell her in advance).
Without their support, help and encouragement (they kept pushing to get rid of me!) - I wouldn't be out here. So please feel free to pester them concerning their dates.
How do I plan to celebrate our big day? Digging up concrete and demolishing a smelly old outside toilet with the mosquitoes - planning to turn it into a washing and planted area.
By the way - if you hadn't noticed - I am currently in Ongole - situated in the Bay of Bengal.
I've got a room in an apartment with 3 American young men on the World Race Team (same as the girls in Hyderabad that I'd previously mentioned). They're part of a group made up of more young women and they'll be here for a month before going on to Nepal. The plan is that over maybe 3 days, some of the girls will be able to help me. This will be at Victory Home which is where the older boys and young men live.
I travelled to Ongole with Sarah and her mother-in-law who told me quite a bit about local plants and trees - she's quite an authority and I plan to get her into my team for the buying and planning operations when we start 'planting' - I'll try to get a photo of her in action. The trip was about 10 hours long by car - much of it toll motorway. They're not a bit like UK motorways - there was so little traffic that you could choice any of the 4 lanes you want to stay in (unless someone else is coming to wards you on the same lane (!) which happened quite frequently (remember - NO RULES). 'Overtaking' was on any side that you want and if you want to 'ask' someone to let you in as you force your way through - remember to politely honk your horn.
And when Sarah walks into the rooms - this is her reception:
She clearly loves them all and they adore her. Sarah is a remarkable lady - she knows the intimate details of each child and would fight like a mother lion protecting her cubs for each one of them - Mother Teresa MkII
While I was here I met up with Christopher - a lad whose education Ann and I have been sponsoring. He read from a book for me various details about Indian states and their capitals - then I put my hand over the list and he recited them exactly again - the little cheat! So - I got hin to read a different section of the book (in English) and he read it perfectly! Fantastic.
There are still quite a number of such needs at Sarah's Covenant Homes - particularly at present the need of 2 specialized wheelchairs for 2 older boys who are pretty immobile and spend a lot of time lying on their backs because they cannot be supported. Such items would make a tremendous difference to their lives.
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