Links...... to St Luke....from .

Christian tradition starting from the 8th Century states that Saint Luke was the first icon painter. He was a disciple of St Paul and accompanied him on his travels. Saint Luke  lived  in a cave for a while during a period of asceticism. Originally he was a physician and was widely educated, particularly in research work and Greek studies.

It  was believed that Saint Luke  met Mary  the mother of Jesus, and it is widely questioned whether  or not,  Mary helped  Luke  compile 'The Gospel of Saint Luke ?   Described as the  most beautiful book in the world.

He was considered to be the first Christian Historian and  the only Gentile writer of The New Testament.

 It was Luke who chronicled the Christian rendition of Christmas .  

St Luke was the only evangelist to provide certain information about the conception, infancy and childhood of Jesus. These events were described in the Bible by St Luke alone, including The Annunciation, (the announcement by The Archangel Gabriel that Mary had been chosen to be the mother of Christ).  This links to the letter  Z where I wrote about Zachariah  when The Angel Gabriel appearing before him to tell him his barren wife Elizabeth would bear a child who would be called John (John the Baptist). Elizabeth was the cousin of  The Virgin Mary. St Luke wrote about this in his gospel.

The words of  St Luke are the basis for the 'Hail Mary' and the Angelus, ( Latin) for Angel.

Saint Luke also chronicled the only gospel account of the Visitation, which contains, what is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful prayers,

 'The Magnificat'.

Going back to the meeting of Mary and Saint Luke I have a feeling that, perhaps they met outside of  Ephesus at her secluded house (LINK)....We visited Mary's house on our way to Ephesus. We know he travelled there with St Paul but I cannot as yet  find a (Link) to confirm this.  Also John the Baptist met with Mary around this time but  again that's another story!

It all (LINKS)  up with my introduction on ABCW next week.

 I wrote of Ephesus recently on ABCW, ( letter E ) I remember seeing the grave of Saint Luke when we visited there .... (Link)...

 

 

 

If it is true that Saint Luke did indeed meet Mary when he was travelling with Saint Paul,  this would be almost more than likely at her secluded house near Ephesus (Link) and I truly believe he did, because only she could provide him with the vital information regarding the Visitation and  the conception of Jesus also details of his childhood 

This LINKS up  to St Paul's visit to Ephesus where he met Mary, she lived in seclusion,  at about 5 kilometres  from the city. 

 

 Icon  of 'The Virgin Mary' created by Saint Luke.

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My sincere thanks to the  LOVELY  Denise for devising ABCW and to Roger for his  LABORIOUS efforts in keeping us going.

Also not forgetting the  LEAGUE of helpers in the ABCW team.

Best wishes to all from Di. ( AKA Trubes).

 

ABC Wednesday: K stands for The Kykkos Monastery Cyprus.

ABC Wednesday: K stands for The Kykkos Monastery Cyprus.: Paphos Beach. During one of our many holidays on the sunny Island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean we visited The Kykkos Monastery up...

J stands for Jungle.

When I was a child one of my favourite bedtime reads was The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. It was a collection of stories about a little boy called Mowgli, who was abandoned in the Indian Jungle,  only to be raised as a feral child, in  by a mother wolf who had just had cubs.

Mowgli has a black panther friend called Bagheera,  who looks after him.

Bagheera and the wolf tribe learn that Shere Khan, a man eating Bengal Tiger, has returned to the Jungle. It was decided that Mowgli should be taken back to the 'Man Village', for his own safety.

I've used illustrations from the wonderful animated version of Jungle Book by the Disney studios. The original sketches from the first publications of the book are very poor and who can forget the enchanting movie.

an assortment of characters.



Shere Khan loitering in the Jungle.



 

Many thanks to the ever JOYFUL Denise for devising ABCW and JUST Roger for  all his hard work in the administration of  this site........ Di.

 

I stands for Islands

We live in England, part of The British Isles

As  nature decrees, there are several smaller islands in the surrounding waters.  Over the years we have had  some lovely holidays on several of them.  Amongst our favourites is The Isle of Anglesey,  It is situated off  the coast of North Wales and is less than a two hour drive from our home.

Access to the island is by way of two bridges, The Menai  Suspension Bridge, built and designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1826,

The  Menai Suspension Bridge



The Britannia Bridge.

The Britannia Bridge was built by Robert Stevenson. It was originally a tubular steel bridge of wrought iron, It was used for carrying rail traffic, but following a fire in1970, it was rebuilt as a two tier, steel truss arch bridge, carrying both rail and road traffic.

 

The stretch of water between the mainland and the Island is known as The Menai Straits, It is a most treacherous waterway, because of differing tides at the two ends, and many have lost their lives trying to traverse it.

Each time we visit the Island we stay at a different place, there is an abundance of eateries serving seafood straight from the sea. The beaches are delightful and safe to bathe from.

 One of the Gastro Pubs on Red Wharf Bay, where Prince William and  Catherine The  Duchess of Cambridge often dined, when William was based on the Island, serving in the Royal Air Force.

The interior of the pub, we usually sat at the table in the left hand corner, which, we were reliably informed, was also a favourite table for Prince William and Catherine, I was most excited about this but unfortunately we didn't have the pleasure of meeting them !

Classic British favourite Fish and chips and mushy peas.

This is the exterior of The Ship Inn, it really is in a lovely setting so, wherever we are staying we always manage to  visit for lunch.

Beaumaris

The main town in  the Isle of Anglesey is Beaumaris,  it has a splendid castle regarded as a great unfinished masterpiece. It was built as one of the iron ring of North Wales castles, by the English monarch, Edward  the 1st  to stamp his authority on the Welsh. But it was never finished, money and supplies ran out before the fortifications reached their full height.

Such a lovely setting, the mountains of Snowdonia are across the water on the mainland. Wherever you are on The Isle of Anglesey,  you're never far away from the sea or beautiful scenery inland.

I could write forever and a day about my favourite Island, and feel so blessed to have a special place to visit, almost on our doorstep.

My thanks to the iconic Denise for devising ABCW and also to the impressive Roger for his intellectual  insight in the administration of  ABCW.

Best wishes to all, Di..xx

G stands for Gocek

Gocek in Turkey.

 is a lovely little village on the edge of a yachting marina . The bay is surrounded by verdant forests that run right down to the water. It's hard to imagine so much greenery in such a hot country.

The village with the mosque in the centre

The Turkish cuisine. 

 

Baked lamb with herbs

Pide Turkish type Pizza with fragrant minced lambAssorted Mezzes usually eaten as a light meal or appetizer.

 

A local lady preparing Pide which is a Turkish pizza with finely minced lamb and fragrant herbs and spices, simple and so delicious.

A market stall selling fragrant herbs and spices, I always used to stock up when visiting.

The beautiful ceramics, many hand painted and glazed.

Whenever I think of Turkey I think of colour and fragrant smells, I have many dishes and bowls that I 've collected over the years.

This holiday was primarily a 'chill out' holiday as we both had been working very hard, me in a busy stockbroking office and Ian as a Senior Account Executive for a national tele- communications company.

 We spent our time tootling around the village markets and dining on the wonderful  Turkish cuisine.

 

Gocek Islands.

Traditional Turkish Gulets.

 

 We took a cruise around the Gulf of Gocek   stopping from time to time to swim in the turquoise waters. We sunbathed on the deck, chatted to the other guest and had a delicious lunch of mezzes, grilled fish and local white wine.

A wonderful day out.

Turkey is a country forever etched in my heart I shall never forget all the wonderful holidays we've had there.

My gratitude to the glamorous Denise for devising ABCW also to Roger our genial administrator for his gigantic efforts in keeping us on our toes!

 

F stands forThe Fairy Chimneys.

Whilst staying on the Eastern Mediterranean part of Turkey, in an small  coastal town called Side (pronounced see-deh), we decided to embark upon a trip to near the central  part of Turkey, visiting a region of great interest, called Cappadocia,  the home of the mystical , 

                     ' FAIRY CHIMNEYS'.

 The breathtaking view that greeted us.

 

 

FABULOUS! Something we shall never forget.

We boarded a coach with enormous windows that gave us stunning views of this amazing, phenomenally ancient place,

 It was almost like a 3-D space movie.

Whilst we gazed in wonder, the soundtrack  from the '2001 Space Odyssey' filtered through, totally awesome!

 

Many people commented upon how phallic these formations looked, but I couldn't possibly comment !

 

 

Cappadocia with the many homes that are built into the rocks, forming cave like dwellings. There are some lovely boutique hotels, in the centre along with locantas' and designer shops.. sadly, the 21st century rears it's ugly side, but then, one has to go with the times, people have to earn a living. I will only buy traditional Turkish goods.

Cappadocia  is said to be one of Turkey's most extraordinary treasures.

I couldn't disagree with that,

The utter improbability of the landscape really has to be seen to be believed, with it's fairy tale cave dwellings , the amusing phallic cones and the warm colour and texture of the rocks.

The cave homes at night.

   We were 
invited into one, along with several other
tourists .....
Quelle  surprise!
 We were given some Turkish coffee then,  an
old lady appeared and proceeded to show us
beautiful hand woven lace table cloths, they were gorgeous.
Needless to say, I succumbed, and purchased a beautiful cloth with real gold thread running through, complete with tiny hand woven tassels, edging it.
It only comes out at Christmas,  Easter, and high and holy days.

 I shall write again, when the opportunity arises, and publish pictures  of the Fantastic fabrics, carpets and pottery, mementoes,  brought home from our Fabulous Turkish adventures.

 I could write forever about Turkey,,, but enough for one day..

Sincere thanks to the most  famed Denise  for devising this fabled and interesting blog site. ABCW has given many folk an opportunity to sit back and write whatever comes to mind for the relevant letter.

It is also most fortunate that we have the fair -minded Roger to facilitate our efforts with great fortitude.

Felicitations to one and all....... Di..xx 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E stands for Ephesus.

The library.

Among the many wonderful memories of our  holidays in Turkey, are of a visit to the most  amazing ruins, I have ever seen.

 We stood on the top of a hill and looked down upon the most wondrous sight ever. There was a long road lined by pillars which lead to the Library of Celcus.

The beautiful turquoise blue sky created a wonderful backdrop for façade of the library.

Ephesus is the site of an ancient city,  and it is the best preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean. It is among the best places in the world to get a feel what life was like in Roman times. Ancient Ephesus was a great trading and religious city, a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess. Under the influence of the Ionians Cybele became Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon. 

  A  fabulous temple  was built in her honour. When the Romans took over and made this the province of Asia, Artemis became Diana and Ephesus became the Roman provincial capital. It's temple of Diana was counted among the  Seven Wonders of the World.

The temple of Diana and below the ruins.of the temple.

The Great Theatre.

I can't believe we actually sat in the centre of this theatre. I believe visitors are restricted to where they can walk, now, as it is crumbling in parts. There is  presently a programme in place restoring it.

When I have the opportunity,  I shall write more about our visits to Turkey, it is such a special place and holds many wonderful memories for us.

My sincere thanks to  the ever entertaining Denise, for devising this most excellent ABCW blog site and also to Roger, for his earnest endeavours in the administration of the site.

 

 

 

 

 

C stands for CATS

 

I just love cats they are so cute! As so many people know I have a much loved cat called 'Princess Chloe'. She is the light of my life, wherever I am in the house she is never far from my side, except when she slopes off to a suitable warm place for her afternoon nap. When I am tapping away on my keyboard she curls up on my lap, occasionally making her input by tapping the keyboard.

Princess Chloe aged 13 years.

 

Famous Cats.

T. S. Lewis. wrote the most enchanting stories about Cats, his book called

 'Old Possums Book of Practical  Cats'

was turned into a musical and called CATS which was a smash hit worldwide.

 Who can forget the celebrated singer and actress, Elaine Page's wonderful performance of   'Memory' in Cats'.

 

This recording launched her into a fabulous, enduring career, she went on to star in Evita,  Chess  and many more wonderful Lloyd Webber music.

 

Macavity by T S Lewis.

Macavity is a mystery cat : he's called the hidden paw -

For  he's the master CRIMINAL  who can defy the law.

He's the bafflement of Scotland yard, the Flying Squad's despair.

For when they reach the scene of CRIME - Macavity's not there!

 

And they say that all the CATS who's wicked deeds are widely known

( I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)

Are  nothing more than agents for the cat who all the time

just controls their operations the Napoleon of crime!

( 1st and last verse)


This is part of T S Lewis's .

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

My thanks to the creative Denise for devising ABCW and the careful Roger for being the administrator, also not forgetting all the little helpers in the team, Wil, Gattina, Joy Leslie, (come back soon leslie we miss you), Pheno  et al,

All good wishes to my new found friends in ABCW, and hoping to make many more, from Di  xx


 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B stands for Hilaire Belloc

Hilaire Belloc has to be amongst my favourite poets I particularly liked his funny poems, here is one of them it is called.......

 Rebecca Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Miserably.

A trick that everyone abhors

 In little girls is slamming doors

A wealthy banker's little daughter

 Who lived in Palace green, Bayswater

 (By name Rebecca Offendort)

 Was given to this furious sport

She would deliberately go

 And slam the doors like billy-o!

to make her Uncle Jacob start, 

She was not really bad at heart,

But only rather rude and wild; 

She was an aggravating child....

It happened that a marble bust

 of Abraham was standing just

   Above the door this little lamb

 Had carefully prepared to slam,

And down it came! It knocked her flat!

 It laid her out ! She looked like that.

Her funeral sermon (which was long

 And followed by a sacred song)

 Mentioned her virtues, it is true,

 But dwelt upon her vices too,

 And showed the dreadful end of one

 Who goes and slams the door for fun.

Hilaire  Belloc  1870 -1953  was an Anglo French writer and historian. He was also a known orator, poet, sailor, satirist, man of letters, soldier, and political activist.

 His most enduring legacy must be his verse, particularly his humorous 'Cautionary Tales For Children. A great favourite with our family which included 'Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies' and was eventually burned to death. I was tempted to include this too but time and space disallows! So more of Hilaire Belloc at a later date!

My thanks to the bonny lass Denise for creating ABCW and our brainbox admin man Roger for keeping us all in line... Best Wishes Di.... ABCW team.