This week brought a few job interviews for me. The first was at Sharp’s, a company that builds custom wardrobes and closets (yes, this is apparently a genuine need). Another was for a bank teller. Finally, I interviewed for an IT company where I’d be fielding tech support calls and routing them to the people who can actually fix it. I was offered that job and start Monday. I’ll probably get fired for it, but I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t answer at least one call with:

It’s not the most interesting job I can think of, but it works for now. Both the United Reformed Church and the Methodist Church of Great Britain have told me to talk to them when I’m ready to go back into ministry. I’ve considered it, but really felt burnt out the past few years. If I go back into the pulpit, I want it to be because I want to, not because I feel like I have to in order to feed my family. This job at least gives me the time to work through that.

Anyway, on to happier stuff. After last week’s trip to Windsor Castle, we decided to stay a little closer to home, so we went to the seat of Hampshire (our county), Winchester. It’s an OLD city, even in a country where everything is old. It was the first capital, before London, dating back to 519 A.D. and kept that status until William the Conqueror in 1066.

View coming out of the train station.

Hey, they have Baptists here, too!

We got there right at lunchtime and found a great pub called The Old Gaolhouse, which is exactly what it says. The pub part was apparently the warden’s lodgings. It was full of pictures and info of the city’s history. We got to sit by a rather interesting character. The girls didn’t like him:

We also found a “United Church” which is a joint church of the United Reformed and the Methodists. This would obviously be perfect for me.

The High Street of Winchester is gorgeous. Full of people, shops, musicians, pubs, and pop-up stores (tents).

Finally, we headed for our original destination: the Cathedral of Winchester. This place is huge and fascinating. The current building dates back to 1079, but different parts were renovated and replaced in different stages. So, the nave is Gothic, the north aisle is older, dating back to the Norman Conquest, the east end is Romanesque, etc. It’s like walking back in time just as you progress through the different parts of the building. The scale of the place is what really strikes you, though. I recorded a video from the very west end (I was trying to whisper, so you might need to adjust the volume to hear what I’m saying.)

We took a guided tour, which told us about the history and the architecture. I should have taken more pictures, but I was honestly just too fascinated with what I was seeing to remember. Check out what I did take below and I’ll try to post in a couple of days and let you know how the job is going.