Doorman-Priest made the arrangements for our lunch at the wonderful Tiled Hall Café. We pushed tables together, and our group of nine had a very nice meal and a lovely time chatting and getting to know one another. Credit for the pictures go to Erika. I was too excited about about meeting everyone to bother with pictures. In fact, except for two on Sunday, I stopped taking pictures Thursday. I ran out of energy for picture-taking and decided that I want to BE in the moment rather than RECORD the moment. I'm sorry now, because I don't have pictures of places and things I saw that I wish that I had.
As you can see, the Tiled Hall, situated in the Leeds Art Gallery, is beautiful, a lovely space, and the food is quite good.
The Tiled Hall Café photo is from A Quilter's Journal. Janet, an English blogger, gave me permission to use her picture, which I found through a Google search. Click the link to see more photos at her blog, which show wonderful close-ups of the details of the beautiful tile work.
Pictured above are our man from Sweden, Göran, wearing his Ingemar Bergman preaching bands with his clerical collar (So cute!). I know it's not a movie costume but what the clergy wear in Sweden, but I loved the look, and it reminded me of Bergman's movies. Next to him is the man who worked so hard to make the meeting possible, our own and England's Doorman-Priest. Aren't they handsome brutes? They should be in the movies.
This picture is a little embarrassing. What on earth am I doing? Holding forth, surely. Poor TheMe, in the center, is trapped with no way to turn, but Saintly Ramblings, on the right, wisely looks away. Despite my holding forth, TheMe and Saintly Ramblings were charming and showed great forbearance. I was pleased to sit near them and have a chance to talk to them. Unfortunately, that meant that I was not so near others. I spent time before and after the lunch with Erika, Susan, Göran, and Mrs. DP, but I did not get to spend much time with Mrs TheMe, and I'm sorry about that. Another time? Or perhaps they'll cross the ocean one day and visit me here.
Canon Daphne Pullover from the Diocese of Wenchoster attended our luncheon, but declined to be photographed. However, she brought with her, as a gift for me, a packet of mementos from the diocese, which included a Wenchoster Diocese calendar, post cards, refrigerator magnets from the Order of the Holy Hankie of St. Veronica, and other goodies. What a surprise! All of them were hilarious. In the photo I'm splitting my sides laughing as I look at the calendar.
The pictures below are from our dinner at a wonderful Indian restaurant to which DP took a smaller group of us that evening. I include them because I want you to have a picture of Erika, our chief photographer, and her beloved, Susan.
Susan and Doorman-Priest
Göran, me, and Erika
It was great to meet all those lovely people, one of the high spots of my trip. Now I have a raft of new real-life friends in England and one in Sweden. My whole trip had a magical air about it, despite the mishaps and misadventures, and I will never, ever forget it.
Doorman-Priest, thank you from my heart for your hard work in organizing and coordinating our meeting. You're a busy man with your family, your job, and your seminary studies. Thanks to all of you who traveled to attend the gathering. I hope that everyone enjoyed our time together as much as I did.
Oh my gosh! Is Göran touching you? I trust he asked your permission first!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "Tales of the Trip!"
KJ, we are, as they say, rubbing shoulders, and, no, Göran did not ask, naughty fellow that he is.
ReplyDeleteTake a good look at the gray sweater. I wore it every day for 11 days. I traveled light, and I only carried one sweater. At the end of that time, I wanted to throw it away. But it's lightweight and quite warm, a good travel sweater, so I did not. I won't be wearing it here any time soon.
I didn't even notice ;=)
ReplyDeleteAs to the question: Yes I think we did - but it's a bit difficult to measure...
The link to The Quilter's Journal doesn't connect.
ReplyDeleteGöran, thanks. I believe that the link works now.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you enjoyed the items I brought from the Diocese. It was lovely meeting you and the others in Leeds, and the only reason I declined to have my photograph taken is because it had been raining heavily that morning, and my hair was a fright!
ReplyDeleteDoorman-Priest is a bit of a "good-looker" isn't he? A pity he's married.
Must dash - Kevin is at the door wanting me to wash his equipment in the scullery sink.
So nice to put names with faces! (And what handsome faces they are...)
ReplyDeleteI have to say...TheMe looks very much like his avatar of his earlier self. I think I might have been able to pull him out of a lineup. ;-)
Cheers,
Doxy
Canon Daphne! It was wonderful to meet you, too. Yes, sadly for the rest of us, Doorman-Priest is taken. Say "Hi" to Kevin for me.
ReplyDeleteDoxy, I could have picked him out of a lineup, too. And he looks little older than the youth in the picture.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is more attractive than they appear in their pictures. I didn't even recognize Erika when we met at the hotel.
What fun to see the faces of those wonderful people who contribute to your and of course their own blogs. Thank you. You have all built a wonderful community: koinonia in action.
ReplyDeleteSo that's what Goran looks like! The very picture of a learned conscientious pastor.
ReplyDeleteTheMe looks just like his picture -- truly.
Fine pictures and good to have a face to go with Göran.
ReplyDeleteI loved meeting them all.
ReplyDeletekoinonia in action.
ReplyDeleteMA, that IS nice.
Great pics!
ReplyDeleteWhat a hospitable-looking group o' peeps...
Goran looks exactly how he should look. So distinguished. But, I must say, I think those two boutonnieres he is wearing are a bit over the top - especially for a Swede.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere at the bottom of a drawer I have a set of those "preaching bands". I was advised by my Director of Ordinands to buy a pair when I was ordained, yet in 25 years of ministry I've never had an occasion to wear them, nor can I think of one where they would be required.
ReplyDeleteThey're pom-poms, MP.
ReplyDeleteTwas a great pleasure Mimi.
ReplyDeleteS.R. Send them to me.
Daphne: what can I say? I thought you looked quite lovely.
Erika gets all the credit for the pictures.
ReplyDeleteJCF, see how we love one another.
Oooh, you know a French word, MadPriest.
SR, send the "preaching bands" to DP, by all means. I didn't know what they were called, so I learned something new. Perhaps, he'll post a photo when he wears them.
Lapin, exactly. Pom-poms for priests. They're the very latest in trendy priest fashions.
DP, we won't tell Mrs DP about you and Canon Daphne - whatever it is that there is to tell.
great pictures! and nice to have faces to match to names.
ReplyDeleteand Mimi you have now been at two gatherings of the OCICBW/ Fr Jake group.
You can tell us now, which was more fun?
Dennis, I couldn't do that. They were both great fun. For the next gathering, I think we should have a band and dancing.
ReplyDeleteOh these photos - I am just looking at them over and over. What great fun!
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see people whose faces have been previously unknown to me and to see faces that I have seen as well.
What a great thing.
Dennis- maybe I can rephrase the question for Mimi... You have now attended two OCICBW meet ups and on two continents. Which is preferable?
(*snort* she won't answer that either, Mimi being a proper lady and all!! which is but one of the reasons we love her as we do.)
Fran, in truth, I did not prefer one over the other. Both were delightful.
ReplyDeleteI think the group in New York may have been rowdier. It was nightime. The restaurant was dark. You get my drift.
In the Tiled Hall, in broad daylight, we had to, at the very least, appear to be behaving.