Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dreaming Spires

Courtesy of Mike's iPhone and the WiFi at a cafe, I'm able to blog here in Oxford, whither we came this afternoon. Having just attended a sort of "evening service" at Christ Church cathedral, we're about to see the new "Sherlock Holmes" film at the Odeon.

This morning we went for to hear Mass at Brompton Oratory,but got the time wrong, so we paid a visit to Westminster Cathedral - I took the chance to pray Lauds and Pretiosa - before breakfasting at our hotel, then returning for a late morning Low Mass at the Oratory; we arrived in time for the very end of the OF Mass before it, with a solemn blessing for the New Year.

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Yesterday, after meeting at Heathrow and checking in, we went looking about (saw Buck House, paid a visit to Westminster Cathedral) then heard a Latin Novus Ordo at the Oratory.  I noted several rubrickal irregularities!  (Only joshing, Fr Dominic...)

But still, such a ne plus ultra of OF drest up as EF was nearly as good as the real thing... Interestingly, just as we reached the Oratory yester-day we caught the Last Gospel of a private Low Mass at a side altar: both priest and server were Aussies, as I was later informed - Cooees may email me for details: I would like them to improve their quality of gossip.

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I enjoyed the film; Mike fell asleep.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Finalizing Holiday Plans

Persevering readers of this blog (if there are any) will know that I am heading to England, Scotland and Italy for a holiday at the very end of this year and the start of next - which is quite typical of me, being so contrary as to head to the far north in mid-winter! I know Traddies like to be climate change deniers out of a general sense of contrariety, but I for one wouldn't mind some warming coming up very soon...

While I have to sort out the English leg of my holiday, it will be spent in London and Oxford; but for the benefit of my Scottish contacts, my very distant relatives, I can confirm that I'll fly up to Edinburgh on Monday the 4th of January, and stay in the Athens of the North over three nights, before departing for Florence on Thursday: so I'll keep Epiphany in Scotland.

Firenze - città bellissima! I can't wait to get back there - I'll stay at my usual hotel on the banks of the Arno for two nights, and then take the train to Rome on the morning of Saturday January 9th. The local Carmelites tell me I simply must make it to the shrine of one of their incorruptibles, St Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, of their Order...

Once in the Eternal City, I will catch up with several other Aussies, and we should have a pleasant time, hopefully at last including a day-trip to Assisi, before I have to leave for Australia on Thursday the 14th: I will have the weekend in Melbourne before finally getting home on Sunday afternoon.

Burns reminds me that best-laid plans gang aft agley... I trust the Lord will preserve and guide me, as He ever has.