Life's a Journey, Aye!: Getting Ready! T= 11 days till blast off!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Getting Ready! T= 11 days till blast off!

Welcome to my Everlong Adventure......
Called after a great tune from the Foo Fighters, and significant to me in that life is an Everlong adventure, and should always be appreciated in that spirit! I have been busy re-discovering so many things..... music........ my own adventurous spirit, yes, it is still there, alive and well..... and soon - new places!

"Blogging" is brand new to me..... and it does seem a little like bragging....!!
The purpose of this one, is to write about the experience of breaking with the everyday, and keeping friends and family up on the adventure of travel and new life!

I have been very fortunate in my life to have done some travelling, and am looking forward to "Going Abroad" to see Europe. I took the plunge 01 December 2009 and booked a ticket to London, England. And so I shall - 01 February 2010!!

The flight leaves Prince George, BC, Canada 01 February in the morning, and I will spend the day and night in transit to Heathrow Airport in London, England 02 February at around 1:oo pm GMT. For those in Western Canada, GMT is +8 hours to our Pacific Standard Time, for those in the Eastern time zones...... well, I know you can do the math!!

The flight from Prince George to Vancouver, lasting only an hour, will put me into YVR fairly early in the day (1040), and I have opted to spend the day in Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge, which is truly a treat, before boarding the flight to London late in the evening (1815).

So, preparations to date for the trip, are:
Trusty old suitcases out of the garage- two

Read all the crazy new security gyrations in place!! Hopefully by the time I fly no new restrictions will be in place, and we will all be able to keep our underwear on for the flights.......

Have searched out and found some interesting "Canadian" gifts to bring with me - Olympic scarves, pins, Canadian flag pins (thanks for finding these Afton!!), and of course some small bottles of maple syrup :)

Bought a lovely red Olympic coat to wear that says CANADA across the front, so there will be no mistaking where I am from!!

Lots of great music downloaded to my Ipod, in an attempt to amuse myself on the long flight!
Planning to take my laptop, and some DVD's as well.......
And a good book.......or two....... (did I mention that I am not the biggest fan of flying??)

In progress........
Still looking for a decent long raincoat to take with me..... but ...... it isn't the best season to be searching for such things here in the middle of Canadian winter. Perhaps will chase one down in London!

Getting the house ready for Nicole to move into for 16 days!

What to wear?? Help..... I need a fashion consultant!!

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone! And as we let our light shine, we give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Get out there, and let your light shine! (and yup, that last bit added by me!)

A quote often attributed to Nelson Mandela, but written by Marianne Williamson. Shared with me by my sister Noelle.

Change in Direction

Have been watching with more and more horror the images which reach us here in our nice, warm, safe home of Haiti, post-earthquake.

Many calls have gone out for help, and many have responded in ways they are able - donations, time, with prayer, and deeds.

The thought of all they are suffering has been niggling at my conscience. So. I asked my sister if she knew of aid agencies taking volunteers She did, and put me in touch with a very large and well known one. One with resources and 'pull' - one which is respected and known around the globe. Seemed snesible to me to volunteer with one which is well known, and has resources to support its activities and its volunteers.

So. Tuesday I sent in my application to go as a paramedic to serve in the field hospitals/clinics of Haiti.

If accepted I will go.

So from you dear readers, I will need a continuous supply of positive thoughts, and encouragement. My stint will be for only 2 weeks but I fully expect it will be a life changing experience.

So this will be a different sort of blog that I usually write. No night shots of the Eiffel Tower, no cathedrals, no castles, no Scottish countryside scenes, no flower gardens. I expect the only monuments I will see are those of human spirit - struggling to make themselves and their country right.

I will start by posting some facts about Haiti, and you shall learn about this country right along with me as I do.

I have always known a certain saying, and have always felt it applies to me, in that I have been quite blessed in life. The way I remembered it is:

"To whom much is given, much is expected".

-Michelle, to whom much has been given - and who is staring into the near future, hoping to be more than adequate to the job ahead.

The History of the Scottish flag - The saltire

From http://www.scotlandsource.com/ -

It has been believed by generations of Scotsmen that the national flag, the white saltire on a blue background, the oldest flag in Europe, originated in a battle fought here in Athelstaneford (and I am going there, wahoo!!) in the Dark Ages between the Picts and Scots on the one side and the Angles of Northumbria on the other. (around 832 AD).

There are many versions of the story but they generally agree that an army of the Picts under their King Angus (or Hungus) aided by a contingent of the Scots was invading Lothian (then and for long afterwards Northumbrian territory), and found themselves surrounded by a massive force of the Angles under their leader Athelstan. King Angus and his host prayed earnestly for deliverance to God and the saints.

That night St. Andrew (the Patron Saint of Scotland) appeared to the king and promised him victory.

On the next day when battle was joined, the vision of a white saltire (the diagonal cross on which the Apostle had been martyred) was seen by all against the blue sky. This so encouraged the Picts and Scots and frightened their adversaries that the former won a signal victory.

In the pursuit, so the tradition goes on, the Northumhbrian leader Athelstan was slain at the crossing of the Peffer or Cogtail Burn, the site of which is marked by Athelstaneford Mains Farm, about half a mile south-east of the village.

The probable site of the battle is at nearby Prora Farm,where there is a field called "The Bloody Field, close by the Peffer Burn, (this burn runs into Aberlady Bay, to the west, whereas the first mentioned Peffer Burn runs east to the sea).

The Saltire is also known as the Saint Andrew' s Cross.

Robbie Burns

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was voted by the Scottish public as being the Greatest Scot.

Life's a Journey, Aye!

In the words of Ewan MacGregor, "The Long Way Down"

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Getting Ready! T= 11 days till blast off!

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Lands end in Dorset....... next stop... FRANCE