DAY 5 - Sunday Singing in Norbury Church

Sept. 7 - What a Special Day with My Ancestors...Dead and Alive!

I really enjoyed the views out my window of the farm of my ancestors for at least 400 years.

This is a view looking over the area where everyone loved fox hunting...including Prince Charles!

This is out my front bedroom window looking at one of the out buildings.

Jayne let me borrow her wonderful keyboard so I could play and sing for church.  We helped her take it to the beautiful church of my ancestors.

Getting ready to sing for the church services.

Jayne set it up and tested it before the meeting.

Timothy is getting ready to know how to introduce me.

My cousin Lloyd is saying a few words about why we are visiting here at the Norbury Church in England.

Helen and Jayne look beautiful as the service is about to get underway.

Lloyd had wanted me to sing You Raise Me Up, but I also brought with me my great grandmother's music of The Holy City.  Since she taught voice and piano, I'm sure she sang this song in this very same church MANY years ago - about 1870.



The Vikar told me to sing both songs.  I was so excited to play and sing.

These two were so fun and a great help for the church.

Timothy took us on a tour of the church by beginning with these tombs.

So many questions and interesting facts about this beautiful church!

Their dad, Lloyd Sr. had presented this Bible to the church about 30 years ago.

The stain glass windows are just beautiful.

Such a great feeling with all these wonderful people after the service.

The Vikar's wife and the groundskeeper told us some interesting facts about the tombs.

This little door was thought to be used for various reasons throughout the years.  I have several letters from a distant cousin to my great grandmother.  In it she mentions that the choir boys would use it.  It's also thought to be used for the Vikar to enter from outside.

Here is where the choir would sit.

One of the oldest pieces in the church - the baptismal font.

Also very old - from the Saxon period

Timothy pointed out how the Saxons would sharpen their arrows on the church walls.  Can you see the marks?

Here are our ancestor's graves - the first ones outside the front doors.

Lloyd and John Clarke stand with their great-grandfather, John Clarke.

Such a beautiful church - we loved strolling around it on such a gorgeous Sunday!

Looking out from behind the church.

Timothy and his wife, Anne, had us for a lovely Sunday dinner, inviting several others to mingle with us and give us some England hospitality.

Lamb Roast, honeyed carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.  YUM!

Let's toast our American guests with some champagne.

Timothy and Anne had several Dutch paintings in their home.  I loved this one.

Lloyd always has such a big smile on his face!

This lemon meringue cream pie was dee-lish!

Talking about various information that I had brought to the table about our ancestors and historic tidbits about the church and people in the community.

This is the oldest part of the farm house, where our great grandparents were born upstairs.

William and his girls take us on a tour of the farm and the house. 

John has never been here before, so he is quite delighted with all of this.

Up we go on these twisty narrow stairs to the oldest part of the house.

Foxes, cows, pastures, and vast grasslands make up their back yard.

Maybe this is the room our great parents were born in??!!

Their great-grandfather & my great-grandmother were both born in this room!

The original door.

This is the room I feel that they were born in - great view of the hunting grounds/pastures.

Another bedroom in the oldest part of the house...we'll never really know!

Can you tell which one is older?  Neither one of them!

LOVE this family!  Can you believe he is 98 years old?  Joan passed away just a year ago.

This is originally the barn, where the hay was shoveled out from above through the little window.

Jayne's front door - the large wooden beam on top was from the original farm home.

Jayne & Helen had a lovely supper spread for us.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?  or The 3 Stooges?

Another view of the back yard and fields.

Mark, Helen's husband gives Cousin Lloyd some real English hospitality.

Mark, Jayne's son, Mark (Helen's husband) and oldest daughter, Laura.

What a fabulous Sunday it was....good company, great food, beautiful music, and new friends for a lifetime!  Thank-you to all who is making this experience a 'once-in-lifetime' adventure!