The amount of rainbows we see in Wales is really quite spectacular. I wonder if I’ll ever tire of them. The left side of this one was so incredibly vibrant it looked like you could touch it if you got close enough. Quite the sight.

Another couple of weeks have gone by. Full and busy weeks. I try to capture pieces when I can.

First, we celebrated our anniversary. 18 years. We had a very full weekend before it, so we opted for calm celebrating and went out in town for a coffee and cake after the girls left for school. Shepherd’s Parlour had a really good Pumpkin Spice Latte much to my surprise.

And last Friday we went out with dear friends and introduced them to some amazing sushi. We miss sushi, so it is lovely to hit the nearest city and splurge on a fancy sushi night every so often. So much fun and so delicious.

Date to Ross-on-Wye

Last Saturday, Mark and I left mid-afternoon to go on a date in Ross-on-Wye. It is about an hour drive from Hay, and we specifically went for a special talk by linocut artist Angela Harding.

But first, tacos!

We didn’t get to Ross quite as early as we hoped, so we did a quick walk around to see the town and pop into a few shops before they all closed. I’ll never quite get used to the towns rolling up the sidewalks by 4 or 5 every day.

We scanned several restaurants for ideas and I was sold when one of them had gluten free tacos on the menu. Always a win for me! It was called Tweet and it was pretty decent. A bit trendy of an atmosphere and the music was overly loud, but the tacos did not disappoint. I also got some nachos and they were quite delicious. Oh how I love tacos.

My drink was a fun beauty too! It had juices and mint and was quite the challenge to drink before it all melted and overflowed the glass.

The main reason we went all the way to Ross-on-Wye was to see this event hosted by Rossiter Books.

*Rossiter Books hosted a talk with linocut artist Angela Harding*

I recently became aware of the many gorgeous prints by Angela Harding and I was excited to realize she was coming close by to talk about her latest release: Winter’s Song.

She gave an hour talk about her starting point and how she works now and showed lots of examples of what she makes. She was very relaxed and interesting, though I wish it was a bit more detailed and organized and not just a meander through her life and work.

*After the talk, I perused all the pieces she brought to show process. These were some of her sketches for a book cover. And a large linocut map on the right.*

One of her big linos. I had no idea she worked so large. And she has a super interesting process where she paints the whole grey lino with black ink first and then sketches the design on it in chalk before she carves it out. She thinks quite brilliantly in reverse too!

*A few more large linos. Really incredible to see the scale and detail she puts in.*

*And a picture of the roof of St. Mary’s where the talk was held. I love old churches.*

It was a really fun night out. I hope to get back to Ross-on-Wye for a bit more exploring sometime. It is a lovely town up on a hill.

Now for some links.

THINGS I BOOKMARKED

What if the Point of Christianity isn’t Getting to Heaven? – I really appreciated this article. I have long enjoyed Wright’s preaching and teaching on theology and this is one of the topics that has excited and energized my faith for a few years now. Escaping vs engagement is something I think every Christian needs to analyze and address in the Bible. This article is a good starting point.

Why is Wright Misrepresented and Misunderstood by so many of his Reformed Critics? – And just in case you have already heard criticism and caution against Wright, I think this is an important article to read. We were blessed to have learned about and from N.T. Wright many years ago and really valued his work – before encountering people who threw up red flags about him. I would agree with Alastair’s points here, especially that when you come at anything looking for wrong, you will find it. Wright is not perfect and he is likely incorrect in many places; but that doesn’t warrant a heresy hunt and there is much to learn from his thoughtful, humble approach to theology. I especially love how much attention he pays to context.

Missing the Point of N.T. Wright – Another good thoughtful article about Wright encouraging people in the way of the Bereans – to evaluate everything Biblically and not based on whose teachings you prefer to follow.

Awesome 2025 Books – I started going through this post by Colby Sharp and it made me oddly homesick for NYC. I do miss the amount of incredible picture books that are constantly coming out of the US. We can’t get them as quickly or easily here in the UK. I miss USA public libraries too!

WHAT DOES THE DEFENCE OF SLAVERY HAVE TO DO WITH COMPLEMENTARIANISM? – I guess I’m going for some strong posts this week, but I really liked this post by Sheila Gregoire. I have loved reading several of her books and always appreciate her insights into cultural gender issues and the Bible. This post takes a good look at why complementarianism unchecked can lead to needing to back and defend slavery. Whew!

A Home that Proves You Can Never Have Too Many Books – And a light and lovely post Mark shared with me because he loves me and totally gets it too.

THINGS I LISTENED TO

Pale, Through the Window by Ruston Kelly – I’m still really into this new album from Ruston Kelly. If you haven’t checked it out, I’m saying it again.

How Green Was My Valley – so I’m cheating with this one under listening, but we watched this on our anniversary. I read the book last autumn and have been wanting to see the much acclaimed film. I quite enjoyed it, though it isn’t a feel good movie. This scene in particular has stuck with me and feels so relatable living in a super small town.

THINGS I FOUND

*Spotted another classic Mini rolling around town this week.*

*The George House wisteria is looking gorgeous and autumnal. And yes, our skies have been grey and ominous this week!*

*This sweet pup waited so patiently for the coffee cart barista to notice and toss him a treat.*

*There’s a new post box topper for Remembrance Day this past Tuesday.*

Genevieve has been busy in the spare room with Legos. This is the most Genevieve thing I’ve seen in a while. Though you should see her Apothecary model from the 3rd Harry Potter she made for her English class!

*A giant post box topper in Ross-on-Wye. It’s hard to tell the scale here, but this post box is twice the size of our town one.*

That’s it for little pockets of joy this week. I leave you with another glimpse of the rainbow Wednesday. Good to look back on as we are currently being pummeled by rain from Storm Claudia. So much local flooding! I think we’ll be sticking around home this weekend. 💚

notes from a rainy Friday

Date to Ross-on-Wye

THINGS I BOOKMARKED

THINGS I LISTENED TO

THINGS I FOUND

October Reads