Whiteworth Univ. crowd

One of the Whitworth University students who recently visited us just sent me this picture I took of their group outside the Kilns.  Great to meet you folks! 

BBC Radio 4 recording today

Today we had the pleasure of hosting Nicola and Helen from the BBC for the recording of an episode of the Radio 4 program "Open Country."  The program is about outdoor life in the UK and how landscapes can affect our lives.  The idea for their recording here today is that the C. S. Lewis Nature Reserve, which is behind the Kilns, is a favourite outdoor destination for locals.  But they were especially interested in the opportunity to record a program dedicated to C. S. Lewis, which will air on Maunday Thursday this spring.  They are both Lewis fans.  And to their delight, we were able to arrange for Walter Hooper - Lewis' personal secretary toward the end of his life - to be here to speak with them.  A one hour recording session turned into two hours.  We had a blast.

Sheila took a picture of me, Walter, Helen, and Nicola in the "common room" of the Kilns near the end of the recording.  We subsequently went up stairs for a bit. Walter is so full of good stories about Lewis - the ladies loved it.

Here we have Nicola and Helen recording Walter.  I was intrigued by the enormous fuzzy cover they had for the microphone!  Hilarious.  I wonder if it has a name. :-)

The team also recorded some conversation up in the nature reserve with the reserve warden, a representative of Holy Trinity Church, and a class of youngsters who were enjoying an outing today.  The program is only 25 minutes long, so there will be some heavy editing; Nicola has her work cut out for her.  As I said, it will be broadcast on Maunday Thursday, but available for listening and downloading for a year afterwards.  We'll probably have a reminder here plus a link when the time comes. 

Wildlife Visitors

Had some interesting visitors outside my desk window at the Kilns the last two mornings! A pheasant and a muntjac deer.

A couple of friends

This is a couple of our resident scholars while at the C. S. Lewis Society meeting last night.  Kari Anne, on the left, is from Oslo and a school teacher; she goes home this week.  The other is Maria, a medical researcher working on her Ph.D.  She's from Florence, Italy and will be with us for several  months.  Please pray we will be salt and light, the fragrance of Christ with all those the Lord sends our way.

Seeking God in the commonplace

Just read a sermon by Phillips Brooks on how our daily circumstances can be like little sanctuaries, little chapels, where we meet God.  A critical lesson in the spiritual life.  We are seeking the presence of God in little circumstances as we wait for Him and seek to be useful to Him.

Yesterday, I gave a tour for a couple who live near Brighton and are facing an unexpected ministry in a troubled church.  We seemed to have a lot in common in this time in our lives and we prayed together before they left.  

Today Sheila and I hope to gather details from various Bed and Breakfast establishments nearby to help the Foundation plan for their summer seminars in July.  

We will also take our resident scholars over to the local C. S. Lewis Society meeting tonight.  The presentation is going to be on the Left Behind series!  I'm anticipating some interesting discussion to follow from that!  

I will be spending time on some ongoing correspondence related to people visiting us in the future.

I have also got to compose some information for a young lady who is going to start helping us with our tours.

Then there's house maintenance: yesterday I had to unstop a troublesome toilet.  Today we have to buy some more light bulbs; they keep going out on us.  The voltage in the house needs better regulating, I believe.  

Tomorrow afternoon, we are having a neighbour over for tea.  He is an elderly man who has recently lost his wife. 

Little things here and there; but each with its own reason, its own place in God's plan for us and who knows who else.  And the same can be said for us all who seek Him.  

More company

We currently have a recent widower staying with us for a few weeks.  Saturday, a medical researcher from Italy will be joining us for 4 months.  Sunday, a Norwegian school teacher will visit for a few days.  Gathering quite a little company here lately!  They all need prayer, please.

A little snow is nice!

We got 2 inches yesterday in the wee hours.  This is the gate from the street to the Kilns.

This is a gate to a garden space at the front of the house.

A dinner with newlyweds!

Recently we had Jimmie and Allie over for dinner.  They live in our neighbourhood, but we met them at church.  Jimmie is going to be a student at Gordon-Conwell Seminary starting this fall.  They both work full-time with the church at the present.  Allie's family are from here, but Jimmie's folks are Virginians.  We'll be praying for them and we really look forward to what the Lord has in store for them in his service.

Lewis' study

Hi!  There's a couple of good pictures of C. S. Lewis in his upstairs study, where he probably wrote the Chronicles of Narnia.  The room has been empty, but I've undertaken to recreate the scene in the photos for the sake of our tourists.  I just got started today.  What I need now are two straight, long-stem pipes, an old tobacco tin, a square glass ash tray, a big mug like the one in the pictures, an old box of matches, a bottle of ink, and an old, dip pen. 

Once I get these items, it'll look pretty good.  In the meantime, I've put a few things on the desk to help.  I've got a facsimile of one of his letters on the desk that looks like the original; the more of that I can use the better.  The pictures show him working with manuscripts of his writing that are clipped together in bundles.  Wonder what they were!!!

I have also hung the two pictures over the mantle, both in the same frame, for reference.  I think they'll need to be bigger, so I'll reprint them and put them in separate frames.  Wish me luck finding the items I need!

I've also got a towel rack like one in the pictures as well; it's going to be cool.