#24 – Ride the Greenwich cable car

Ever since the Greenwich Cable car opened in June 2012 I fancied taking a ride on it.   Not to reach the destinations either side of the route, they really didn’t really matter to me – it was the novelty of the ride and the hope of good views and hopefully a few decent photos into the bargain. 

So one evening after work we headed into London and across to the O2.  Since we had no interest in visiting the other side of the river we got a 360° ticket which meant we could go over and back without getting off.  We had timed it well and thankfully had a pretty nice sunset to enjoy.  It wasn’t very busy and so it was only the two of us in our cabin.  It is not a particularly long ride in either direction but we kept ourselves busy taking photos and enjoying the views together.

 

Getting back to Greenwich we alighted, took a few more pictures and headed off to find someone nice to eat.  A fairly brief event, but fun.  Thank you to Boris for spending all that money on it just so that I could enjoy a ride!

#23 - Dirty Dancing

As a teenager I was always a big fan of the Dirty dancing film and wouldn’t be able to count the number of times I watched it.  In fact it remains a good go to film for those moments when I want to watch an old favourite.

So when my friend told me they had a spare ticket for the theatre production and did I want it, it was a bit of an “Is the Pope Catholic?” question!  I jumped at the chance!  We went out for a meal first and then fought our way through the early evening London crowds to the Piccadilly theatre.  It isn’t often I splash out on a programme but decided to this time, especially since my joining the group was at very short notice so I hadn’t had much time for internet research into the production.  I was expecting some stage interpretations – after all what works on film can’t necessarily work in the same way on stage.  But it was a surprise reading through the programme to discover that the production had actually added a number of their own songs as well.  Thankfully most of the well-loved songs and the classic lines were left in.

As a production I found it a little disappointing.  Of course it was a favourite film and so watching another version of it in a different format can always be dangerous.  Equally trying to fit actors into those iconic roles of Jonny and Baby was never going to be an easy task.  I didn’t get the same lift that I get from the film and didn’t feel the same connection to the characters.  Jill Winternitz did a great job as Baby, but Paul-Michael Jones just didn’t look enough the part of Jonny.  He was a great actor but he just didn’t have that Swayze factor.

Slightly disappointing as a production but a fun night out all the same.

#22 - Re-visit the treehouses of Longbarn

Longbarn camp is a special place for me.  The long field with its pylon, the woods with the stream running through it, and the field where the bell tents are… even the chemical toilets!  For me more than just a kids camp which I used to volunteer at for a few summers, but also the place of many friendships and a place of so much fun and good memories.  It was an amazing opportunity to be a big kid again and be part of children being children, exploring the woods, building dams and going on stream walks (always useful with no shower on site!), playing some amazing wide games including the awesome Astroblitz, Survival, hot chocolate around the camp fire, sleeping out in the treehouse, and so much more!  It is also a place of peace (even amongst the craziness of that many children), but a peace which only comes from God, an opportunity to leave behind the world outside and just enjoy being for a week.   

 

But it has been a number of years now since I have been able to do a week at the camp.

The original idea we had was for a group of us to sleep over in the treehouse at Longbarn camp.  But due to insurance, security and other boring grown up reasons that could not be.  So instead we had a sleepover at Hannah’s where we consumed considerable amounts of popcorn and Haribo.  

The next day on our way home Andrea and I popped in to a childless, empty, peaceful Longbarn and enjoyed a bit of a reminisce.  We admired some of the renovations which have taken place since we were last there (those we could see anyway since some of them are locked away inside the huts), sat and chatted by the stream, did a bit of hair braiding, tried out the newly installed shower (!!!), wandered in the woods and climbed the treehouse.  We also visited Ali’s memorial tree and remembered our good friend.  

 

It was cold and a little muddy, empty of people and noise but still most definitely Longbarn.  It felt good to be back even just for an hour.

#21 – Visit the Billy Graham library

Whenever I visit our SP head offices in Boone I fly into Charlotte.  When I realised that I actually had time on my travel day home I knew that I had to go visit the Billy Graham library which I have always heard so much about.  I also have memories of seeing Billy Graham at a crusade at West Ham in June 1989 and so feel that he is a part of my story.  All of my colleagues assured me that it was well worth it and to make sure that I allowed a good couple of hours for the visit. 

 

I met my friend Ashleigh for lunch at the BGEA offices where she works and we enjoyed a good catch up.  Then she took me over to the library through a sneaky back route through offices and behind the scenes rooms.  She had to get back to work which meant doing the tour on my own.  But actually that meant I was able to enjoy reflecting in a much deeper way as I went around.

The tour starts with Bessie the Cow speaking to you and I confess that at this point I was concerned that it was all going to be a bit cheesy.  But thankfully it wasn’t.  The library documents the life and ministry of Billy Graham who was one of the most influential voices of the 20^th century and an amazing evangelist.  Billy Graham grew up on a farm and Bessie the talking cow and the barn-styled building are designed to reflect this.  The first few parts are multimedia film rooms where you watch a clip and then move on, but after that you can take things at your own pace and spend as much or as little time as you want in each room and section.

But the library is much more than just a museum of artefacts and information about the lives of Billy and Ruth Graham.  The focus throughout is on Christ and the transforming impact he has had on so many lives – in the life of a young farm boy, and then through him and Ruth across so many across America and all around the world.  It was amazing to see the breadth of Graham’s ministry – the places he had been to and the people he had been able to touch with the love of God.  Although it is the Billy Graham library it is actually a celebration of Christ and what he can do when one man says yes.  An inspiring, encouraging and totally uplifting visit which helped me to keep my focus on why I do what I do and who I do it for.

#20 – Outdoor film at Senate House

Watch a film in the park had been on my very initial list when I first thought up the idea of my 40 things celebration.  Actually I am fairly certain that the same friend who suggested it as an idea then was the same friend who found the opportunity at Senate House and booked the tickets for us.  Thank you Ruth!

I had never seen Guys and Dolls before and in fact knew nothing about the film but I embraced the idea of an outdoor film viewing and once I’d worked out that I was around the dates of it I jumped at the chance.  By the time the date rolled around I was 2 weeks into a migraine which ended up lasting over 3 weeks.  But no way was I going to cancel on this one unless I absolutely had to.  I reasoned that I needed to find opportunities to have fun and not just rest home alone to help myself to recover.  And I’m glad I did as it was a very fun evening!

We arrived in good time and were relatively near the front of the queue so we were able to more or less pick the ground space we wanted.  The cobbled concrete ground was distinctly less comfortable than the grass we had sat on for Shakespeare in the park, even with our blankets over it.  And arriving early enough to get a spot did also mean having to wait a long time for it to get dark enough for them to start showing the film.  But we kept ourselves entertained with silly games and talk of the portable printer we should have brought with us… best not to ask!  And eventually we settled back as the film began.

Throughout the evening we progressively bundled ourselves up more and more as the chill began to set in and I regretted the socks still sitting at my desk which I forgot to grab on my way out.  At one point we all tried to ignore the little droplets falling on us in the hope that un-noticed they would just go away again.  Thankfully it worked!  Even in my chilled state I did manage to drop off slightly midway through the film as my weary head got overwhelmed.  But that said I did really enjoy the film.  I think I’d like to see it again sometime in warmer conditions and with a less achy head to better appreciate it.

Since the film is a long one it was a mad dash at the end to get to the station before last trains which also served as a good warming up technique!  A very late night, especially for a Monday, but well worth it for all the fun had!