Changes come...

So you will notice that now only signed-in Xangans can access this site. I'm still happy to share my comings and goings and musings with all of you, my friends, but now I think it's about time to be a little less public about it...

Meanwhile, here are the goings-on for this week: After another difficult week at work, I managed to escape Cambridge for the weekend (it's a coping mechanism, really...), this time with some friends from my Bible study group. We made for the western city of Bath, where we were fortunate to stay in the lovely home of Ruth's family. She took us hiking through the hills, and we laughed over games in the garden, and had a great barbecue, the Englishness of which provoked great laughter from Matthew, our resident Australian! We also explored the Roman baths, after which the city is named, and were duly impressed. All in all, the sunshine and camaraderie of the weekend were more than sufficient to wipe away the woes of the week. (How's that for alliteration?) Here are a few photos - enjoy!

Here's a castle we passed on our tramp through the woods:



The very English barbecue... note the small size of the disposable grill (the weather's only good enough to do this a couple of times each year!) and the smile on the face of the Australian (who knows what a real barbecue is like!).


And two from the Roman baths: the water was a bit too green for my swimming preferences... but the heat from the natural spring was indeed impressive, even without getting in! I was glad to go with Matthew, a Roman scholar, who appreciated the experience more knowledgeably than I... and we were happy to chance to meet a  Legionnaire, who enthusiastically related the story of a 'recent' rebellion of Iceni that they quashed in the Eastern province. He chalked it up to the superior discipline of the Roman troops, giving them an advantage over the barbarians.