Hever Castle

This is the fifth year I have taken students to the medieval jousting event at Hever Castle and this was, by far, the largest group. It really is one of my favourite days out. There is so much to see and do and the grounds are so beautiful. 
Even with a zillion children and families around you can find yourself a nice quiet spot to simply relax.

Personally, I didn't go in to the castle  ...  instead, I was enjoying a coffee and the sunshine :-)

Just enough time to relax
before the display begins.

Everyone did their own thing, until it was time for the jousting display.

 

  

 
Oh, pay attention now  ...  King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn have arrived!

The jousting display was a tad late starting so a few of us left early in order to have time for boating on the lake.

It really isn't that easy!!

Trust everyone had a great day out.

If you have photos or comments you'd like

added to this post, please let me know.

Thought for the week ...

University of Kent Graduations

Graduations are a bitter-sweet experience for me. On the one hand it is wonderful to see students at the end of their degree journey, especially those I've had the privilege of walking alongside for a season. Yet on the other hand, it means more goodbyes, which are often tinged with sadness.

As always the beautiful, historic cathedral in Rochester provided the setting for this years University of Kent Graduations.

Well done, Arun! Thanks for all your
help over the years with various events,
especially our Carols on Campus.
What will I do without you?!

Congratulations, Chantelle. It was lovely
getting to know you through the Christian Union.
May God bless you abundantly in your
next season of life.

Collins, well done and BIG
CONGRATS on the 2.1 :-)
Thanks for all your engagement
in CU, for your questions and
your desire to grow.

I was especially moved this year by one of the honorary degrees, awarded to Mavis & Ray Nye, whose story of a battle with mesothelioma (lung cancer caused by asbestos) and her resulting tireless work to raise awareness and help other sufferers was truly inspiring.

My little gold nugget that I will take away from all that Mavis said is this:

"Passion is Priceless"

For more information:

https://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/mavis-nye-starts-fund-mesothelioma-research-33170/

"Morning Lynne, the Lord is so wonderful. I have received the appeal outcome and it was successful. I have officially graduated with a 2.1!!! A huge thank you for all your help and support and prayers."  Collins

"Hi Lynne, it's a shame that I didn't get to see you on Tuesday ... I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your support over this academic year. When I first met you in December ... I was really unsure of how I was going to cope. But your weekly sessions on the Purpose Driven Life were such a blessing to look forward to. Although I didn't share my story at the time, you still helped me tremendously and I'm so grateful that God put you in my path. As I move onto my next chapter in life, I'll be praying for your ministry, in hope that you can continue to help more students like me! Your faith has been an inspiration to me, and I'm really thankful for the wisdom you have passed down to me.  Blessings"  Chantelle 

On a personal note ...

With Basel's help I have finally downloaded all my photos from Bulgaria (country no. 37) where I've recently been for holiday. I stayed in a nice hotel near Bourgas, relaxed, swam, read and ate far too much!!!  

Also visited a few of the local sites, my favourite of which was Nessebar.

This chicken was most definitely alive but had
no way of escaping its fate!!

In addition to Bulgaria, I took a two-day trip to Istanbul, which was definitely the highlight of my time away (country no.38).  Despite it begin a city of 18 million people, I was amazed at how much green there was; but it is also known as The City on Seven Hills.

We visited the Blue Mosque and the spice market, I took a boat trip along the Bosphorous and, of course, got to sample some wonderful local cuisine.

All in all, it was a great trip!