Kotek's Food Box

The box with the cartoon-type owls is Kotek's food box, full of biscuits and sachet food, so it comes as no surprise that he's always hanging round the box.

Galway-Donegal Stopover Place

This was an interesting-looking place that we stopped at for about 15 minutes on the coach run from Galway to Gweedore, Donegal last summer.

Love the river gushing through the town centre alongside its quite tall buildings.

Really felt free making my way up to Gweedore last summer, a far cry away from being a de facto prisoner in my flat in Warsaw now.

Canterbury: Mary Tourtel Plaque

While looking at the interesting houses below in Canterbury, my eagle-eyed travelling companion, noticed the Mary Tourtel memorial plaque above, located on Ivy Lane near the Chaucer Hotel.

Have just discovered that Mary Tourtel is buried in St. Martin's church graveyard in Canterbury; started off by drawing animals in children's books; and with her husband, Herbert, was a keen traveller. Moreover, her first Rupert Bear serial was written in 1920.

Have also just read that Mary and Herbert Tourtel remained childless, which is interesting in light of her Rupert Bear construction (can vaguely remember Rupert Bear TV serials from childhood).

Canterbury: Passing St. Dunstan's

Another shot from Canterbury last summer, passing St. Dunstan's church on the junction of Whitstable Road and London Road.

Used to pass St. Dunstan's every day while living on Whitstable Road in the early 2000s.

Of course, St. Dunstan's is famous for containing (or being said to contain) the head of St. Thomas More. Have just read that St. Thomas More's daughter, Margaret, recovered his head from a spike on London Bridge and took it back to the family tomb of her husband, William Roper, inside St. Dunstan's.

Have also just discovered that St. Dunstan was a late 10th century Archbishop of Canterbury, and that Henry II started his penitential pilgrimage for having St. Thomas Becket murdered by changing his clothing into sackcloth at St. Dunstan's church before walking down to Becket's tomb inside Canterbury Cathedral.

More Good Food

More good food from the lock-down in Warsaw, starting with my wife's vegetable soup, thickened with millet, above.

While below, there is my wife's curry where the taste of the curry thankfully overpowered the garlic:

Watching the Traditional Latin Mass Online

Like many Catholics worldwide, I'm unable to get to Mass because of the coronavirus situation.

For me, Mass means the traditional/old Latin Mass.

For the last two Sundays, I've been able to watch Mass online, streamed from an SSPX church in Florida.

Last week, a priest gave a great 30-minute talk about the deeper meaning/symbolism of Good Friday before Mass, and today he did the same about Holy Saturday.

Canterbury: Revisiting the Cricket Ground

Another nostalgic trip in Canterbury was revisiting the wonderful St. Lawrence cricket ground.

There was a nice cafe inside the ground where you could sit outside looking out on the pitch and wonderful stands.

Couldn't help but think back to some of the Kent matches I'd seen there 15-20 years ago when I lived in Canterbury.

My wife and I used to sit up in the Frank Woolley stand looking down on the action, it was fantastic.

Also saw Neil Fairbrother emerge from the stand nearby in the picture in his last match for my native Lancashire.