Over the Pond (5), Day 2 -- Norwich

You never know how travel will be from trip to trip. My flight to Heathrow was full but I was somehow upgraded to Economy Plus, with its 4”of extra leg room. It was probably the first overseas flight in ages where I haven’t watched a movie, as I was reading a new novel, Duane’s Depressed by Larry McMurtry. I’ve been on a McMurtry kick for about a year, the Lonesome Dove and Last Picture Show series. I was able to doze for a few hours, despite the plane being at capacity and my nagging backache. And whereas I spent over an hour last spring negotiating Passport Control, this time I breezed through in under 10 minutes. (I looked back and realized that our plane had arrived just before 2 other international flights, as I saw their passengers flooding into Passport Control as I was leaving. Timing is everything!)

I spent the weekend with some friends in Norwich. (Where’s Norwich, you ask? Here it is.) Mel and Hazel are the parents of longtime friend Sean Gladding, whom I’ve known at the Texas Tech Wesley Foundation, and again at Asbury, and again at Communality. They are gracious hosts and we’ve had a good time.

Last night, I was fortunate to see Martyn Joseph perform at the Assembly House. Billy and I met Martyn when Sean booked him to play at Asbury’s Kingdom Conference in 2001. His music reflects a faith that is vibrant and realistic and pissed off about the tragedies of our world, and it’s pretty amazing to hear. Plus he’s self-deprecating and witty and generally a nice guy. We spent a few minutes after the show catching up about our families and the busyness of life.

An unexpected treat was attending the show with Sean’s brother Lee and his wife Lynette. They are great folks, and Lynette and I had a great time drinking gin & tonic, discussing marriage and motherhood, and admiring each other’s sense of style. (Hers is better, hands down.)

Tomorrow I’m headed up to Durham on the train, and study begins Monday. After several trips where I’ve stayed by myself in a bed & breakfast, I’m looking forward to lodging with friends again. More conversation, less moping around by myself.