1 It’s always good to be home but this time tinged with sadness as we don’t know when we’ll be seeing D,A and Grandbaby N again. Getting a Visa to visit the UK seems to be a nigh on impossible task. Even though our son is British, born here in the UK, bringing in his Senegalese wife and daughter just for a holiday takes months to organise as they jump through innumerable hoops, provide masses of paperwork in triplicate and have to have us as sponsors.
2 There was an enormous pile of post waiting for us, mostly routine but with one delightful letter, our first from the child in Senegal whom we have just started sponsoring through Plan. Such a strange coincidence – her name is A as our daughter-in-law and N like our new Grandbaby! Steven, our first sponsored child who has now reached 18, shared a family name too and had the same birthday as my Dad – something serendipitous happening here!
3 I heard yesterday that Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is very ill at this time. Please join me in sending healing energy to this humble global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings on mindfulness and peace.
Thich Nhat Hanh
On a lighter note, I am pleased to report that my recipes are getting a lot of traffic and my recipe for Runner Bean Soup has had a remarkable 2,407 hits in the last month and comes top when you Google Runner Bean Soup! There have been some pleasing comments too!
mybeautfulthings
September 14, 2014 at 6:25 am
The Visa process has always been so. It took them many months, many visits to offices, all our financial information as sponsors and hours of time just to get a two week visit last Christmas.
I am not familiar with the Zen either but know and love The poetry and philosophy of this gentle man.
Hudson Howl
September 14, 2014 at 2:47 am
Coming home, and the feeling it brings, all part of the experience of travel. Sorry to hear that feeling is shadowed. Has the procedure always been rigid or this recent due to Ebola out break in West Africa?
Yes, it does sound as if something good is in the air.
Am really not that familiar Zen, nor of it’s teachers, but I’ve heard of Thây for obvious reasons over the years. So yes I can drift and think deeply. And I will take it a step further and go back and dedicate the post I made tonight to him.
mybeautfulthings
September 14, 2014 at 1:33 pm
The Visa process has always been so. It took them many months, many visits to offices, all our financial information as sponsors and hours of time just to get a two week visit last Christmas.
I am not familiar with the Zen either but know and love The poetry and philosophy of this gentle man.
Hudson Howl
September 14, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Sorry for being a nosy parker, but am curious. Is it difficult at both ends or just the UK. Here they’re wishy washy, and it say all requests are looked at on a individual bases and merit -translation your at the merci of an immigration officer. A visitors permit request with one spouse a citizen and child almost a slam dunk. Then again, Canada has a ‘kitchen mentality’ for the most part -the more the merrier.
mybeautfulthings
September 14, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Happy to explain but on your blog if that’s okay with you. 🙂
Hudson Howl
September 15, 2014 at 2:09 am
sure, you can even take my comment off here as well, I believe I understand why you might
mybeautfulthings
September 16, 2014 at 8:18 am
You – and others – may find this link useful in explaining why it is so hard for our lovely family to come here, even just for a visit!
http://theconversation.com/family-first-government-tears-couples-apart-with-visa-rules-30836?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+26+August+2014+-+1875&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+26+August+2014+-+1875+CID_bd8477df83f072c8f2cf599e537fa48b&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Family-first%20government%20tears%20couples%20apart%20with%20visa%20rules
Hope it works! It looks crazy!