Fiddlehead Soup

I know, I know, you are wondering how I keep coming up with such wonderful titles for my blog entries.

Well this morning I waqs round at Joanne's house for a cup of tea. As is the way here it wasn't that simple with the wonderful hospitality. She was to bring me back to the church in time to get organised for the funeral. She showed me round her lovely home and showed me her quilting room. The church where I am on placement has a prayer quilt ministry. There is a group of ladies who get together and make these beautiful quilts as gifts for the sick. The quilts have individual designs and a cross on the back. i have photos but unfortunately I didn't bring the cable I need to load them up so you will have to see when I get home. The ladies leave various ties loose and there is a meditative time when these are tied and the persons tying them each say a prayer for the recipient - who they will know something about. The 3-4 ladies who stitch the quilt together give a guarantee of daily prayer for the individual for a year after the quilt in handed over. It is a real gift from a church community to the sick. The quilts are the size of a single bed and so beautifully made. It is truly special. They were amazed I couldn't think of anyone who quilted in Ireland. Anyone know of an Irish quilting group?

So Joanne thought that an early lunch was the way to go instead of a simple cup of tea and had made a local dish, fiddlehead soup. To the ignorant, like myself, a fiddlehead it the very top of a fern just before it unfurls. these are taken here and cooked in various ways including being deep fried. Soup was made with these, a little onion, sweet potato and a smidgeon of garlic. The end result when purified is like a broccoli soup. It was lovely.

The funeral went without a hitch. There was a tenor soloist who sang so effortlessly and beautifully at the end I thought I wouldn't hold it together. It was sad but a celebration of life. Harold's family honoured his desire to be an organ donor and there were 8 organs harvested. What a legacy.

This evening we were taken out by Julia and Neil and their friends Bruce and Carol. Bruce is currently the head of the Church Army in Canada. It was a lovely evening and Neil was very kind to Jonathan especially and has given him some scouting memorabalia from his own collection. We met their dog, Molly- a beagle, and they took us round the sights as we haven't really done much of the touristy things. So we have seen a little. It is a very provincial city but despite the oil refinery and paper mill in the city centre it is nonetheless very nice.

I am ready for bed. Just to add HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA! We rang her and she is having a lovely time and has just arrived in San Francisco.
That's enough for today. X