Around Town...

For those of you who read this and are long-time friends, you've probably either visited Ilminster or seen more pictures than you ever care to see, but for those of you who are newer to my life, here are some pictures I shot around Ilminster this week :)

I graduated from seminary (Duke!) in 2002 and took an appointment in the British Methodist Church for a year before settling into ministry in NC.  I had 4 little churches (translation:  smallest had 9 members) and lived in the quaint English town of Ilminster in Somerset, which is down in the southwestern part of the country.

Here's the sign as you are heading into town.  I took this pic as I walked along the footpath into town at the end of a gorgeous walk!

And the weather was crappy at the moment so it's dark, but here's the main street through Ilminster.  Yes, it is totally as quaint as it looks!

I just couldn't resist.  Here's the coffee shop in town - this is why I have not had internet access!  I had just assumed that SOME things had changed in the 7 years since I left and that things like wireless internet would be the norm...but I was very wrong!  This is actually the kind of place you stop in for a cream tea and scone and where you sip tea off real china while you chat with a friend...no laptops, no cell phones ringing!  Novel idea!

Here's a picture of Bonner's, the town deli.  Usually there are giant pieces of beef hanging in the window, but there were none left when I took the pic.  I won't tell you that the next day as I walked through one of the major farms and past the herd of cattle, the Bonner's truck came rolling onto the farm to pick up a load...  Talk about fresh!

Here's The Minster, the Anglican church in town.  In this part of the country people are either CoE or not.  And not tends to mean they identify with the Methodists.  May not have ever been inside a Methodist church, but if they aren't CoE then when they die the family declares that they are Methodist!  If I'm remembering right, the main part of the church dates back to the 1400's with some parts being much older :)

In so many ways it's like falling off the planet I know and ending up in a foreign land.  Except this foreign land was home and will always feel like home to me :)  Oh, and all these pics (except the town sign) were taken in pretty much the same spot - this is just one street of the town!