Day 40, Sunday, October 25 "Church and Packing"

Hello everyone and welcome to another rainy day. Today we worshiped with our new friends here in Edinburgh at St. James Scottish Episcopal Church.  It is a walk of about 1 1/2 miles from our flat down a path that we found out today used to be part of a railroad line from Leith (the port city of Edinburgh) to Edinburgh.  Here is one of the sights along the path that takes us to this church.

It rained lightly on us during the whole walk.  When we arrived, we were wet but not dripping.  But here's the good news.  So was everyone else!

The church has its services in the casual setting of its fellowship hall.  Services combine both formal and informal elements.  For example, there are prayers, confessions and responses that are read, recited and sung the same way each week.  And then there are very informal elements.  For example, at the end of the service all the children come in with small musical instruments, drums, shakers and play as we sing the final song, usually something from Africa or the third world.  It is great noise and great fun, a cheery way to exit. Today, for the "reflection" or sermon, they did a play complete with props, actors, script and "stop action."  Everyone participates.  Men, women, children.  It is not a performance by the ordained.  Afterward everyone stays for tea, coffee and often there is a lunch for those who can stay.

The church practices open communion, meaning that they invite anyone to come forward and receive the bread and wine during the eucharist.  Because of the threat of swine flu, they dip the bread in the wine instead of drinking from a common cup.  A sensible response.  Don't you think?  In fact, it is an ancient practice called intinction.

We were going to head to high street for a bit more shopping and last minute sight-seeing but the weather was dreek, so we decided instead to do most of our packing today.  Carol, the weather person, said tomorrow would be a better day ("settled with some sunny spells" as they say).  So that is what we did.  We washed clothes and put them on our dryer.  Yes, on our dryer.  In Scotland we have all the "modcons" (modern conveniences) so here is our dryer.

Seriously, dryers are rare here.  Most people, even those well off, hang their clothes in the garden or in their flats in order for them to air dry.  And yes, you have to use fabric softener or they will be stiff as a board!  It takes about 3 days for a pair of jeans to dry.  But if you put it on the radiator, it dries in two!!!  Now you know.

We pulled all our suitcases out, opened them on the floor and started sorting through our clothes.  Here is our dresser after a bit of packing.  We purchased two new suitcases while we were in Carlisle at a going-out-of-business sale at Millet's, a fine outdoor shop here.  Originally, they cost 40 pounds each ($65) but we got them for 10 pounds ($16.50).  With the added space we hope to get home most of what we bought here.  

In addition to packing we are cleaning out the kitchen and eating all the leftovers we can. We are excited to be coming home and are looking forward to seeing our Houston family and beyond.  We ended the day on Google Chat and SKYPE.  We have a little more Internet time so we spent some time video chatting with our kids in Houston, my parents in Georgia and my brother in Iraq.  The good news is that he is fine after the two big explosions in Baghdad on Sunday.  He asked us to remember in our prayers the many who died and were injured and their families.   That we are glad to do.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Edinburgh.  David will spend several hours in meetings at the university and then we go to Princes Street Gardens to see the floral clock and climb Calton Hill to see the Follies.  You'll have to tune in tomorrow to get more of our witty reparte.  Now, off you go!