Happy Birthday Dickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Blog Header

Yesterday, along with two birthdays, a Geography Bee and an expedition to Trader Joes we went to the Zoo. It was absolutely lovely. The cold yet gorgeous walks taken between the warm buildings created just the right mix. We visited: the monkey house, enjoying the whole rambunctious lot of them, but especially the playful Bonobos, the birds, the cows, a few seals and the big cats. My personal favorites, the pair of Lions are responsible for my new blog header. The first thing we saw upon entering the abode of the Big Cats was the Lioness inches away from the seperating glass. After ooing and aahing picture taking for quite some time, we moved on to the next window and found her mate similarly positioned. More of the same naturally ensued. Not long after, we left with cold faces, a ton of pictures and a strong resolve to return very soon.

Found in The Wisdom and Innocence by Joseph Pearce:

"...this splendid stir and thrum was to have a marked effect on Douglas Hyde during a train journey through south London:

Through my mind, in rhythm with the wheels, ran a verse from Chesterton's
Ballad of the White Horse I had re-read not long before:

Therfore I bring these rhymes to you,
Who brought the cross to me,
Since on you flaming without flaw,
I saw the sign that Guthrum saw
When he let break the ships of awe,
And laid peace upon the sea

Could there be so many Catholic Churches? I asked myself, as cross
followed cross. Why had I not seen them before? Through Herne Hill, Tulse Hill,
smug, suburban Streatham, the crosses came and went. And still the wheels
hammered out Chesterton's lines:

Out of the mouth of the Mother of God
Like a little word come I;
For I go gathering Christian men
From sunken paving and ford and fen,
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.

Hyde was, at this time, a leading member of the Communist Pary and newseditor of its paper, the Daily Worker. Soon after, he resigned from its ranksand became a Catholic."

Emma

From our first performance of Emma: Jane Austen (who narrates the play), with her literary creations: Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Emma Woodhouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.

A Slighty Random Photo

GilbertGirl and I at Caddie Woodlawns house on the way back from ChesterCon!

Our Prop Table

At one of our recent Emma practices.

Busyness

WOW, I'm almost to three months inactivity here, tehe (:

Need I say it's been busy? But oh it's been incredible.

Grandparents 50th, CA cousins in town, ballroom dancing, preparations for the TMAH production of Jane Austen's Emma, catechism, madrigal choir, my first job, Shakespeare lit program, latin club, of course some school, John Bosco Youth Day and a thousand other things have kept me most delightedly busy, and led to a sad neglect of this blog. But stay tuned, we have TONS of pictures from the time elapsed since my last post.

Fringspield 08

We just got back last night from an incredible weekend of "cousins and cousins of cousins", dancing, swimming, stories, laughter and of course an absolutely lovely wedding.

Airport Detour

On the way to ChesterCon. Guess who we got to meet!

Happy 4th

Dancing!

There has recently been something of a ballroom dancing revival in our homeschool group (hurrah!), and so my cousin and I have been dancing lately, but this is us about 10 years ago!