re·treat
rəˈtrēt/
noun: retreat; plural noun: retreats
- a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax.
"their mountain retreat in New Hampshire"
synonyms: refuge, haven, sanctuary;
a period of seclusion for the purposes of prayer and meditation.
"the bishop is away on her annual retreat"
synonyms: seclusion, withdrawal, retirement, solitude, isolation, sanctuary
When Vancouver Cathedral advertised a "family retreat", images of quiet solitude filled my mind, where perhaps a friendly novice nun, accompanied by her guitar, might entertain the kids while we adults sipped cocktails in the hot tub, discussing the bible or whatever.
It seems that the people who run the idyllic Rivendell Retreat Centre may have had similar ideas, judging by the talk on the first night about how we should quietly open and close the doors, and remember that some people were spending the weekend in silent solitude. I didn't hear it all - I was too busy chasing cackling two-year-olds up and down the corridors.
The retreat centre is at the top of a hill on Bowen Island. Unfortunately we missed the ferry from Horseshoe Bay, but during the hour wait for the next one we ate fish and chips. We finally arrived to join the 30 other people from the cathedral, and made ourselves at home amongst the pines, shining stars, lapping water, screaming kids, etc. There's a magic number at which children become self-governing, like in a nuclear explosion, and adult responsibility can diminish. I decided we reached it.
The weekend disappeared far too quickly in an endless stream of drinking and eating and talking. Some of it was even quite spiritual. Pete's regular partner-in-crime Jacob came too, so there was no end of mischief. It being St David's Day on Sunday I did wear my rugby top, and Hannah baked Welsh cakes for breakfast and they were all eaten. I also found out that St David was baptised by St Elvis! No joke! My life is complete.
On the way back a pod of killer whales swam past the ferry (whales/Wales - some kind of divine intervention, surely). Having started with fish and chips we decided to finish with ice cream on our way home, which capped the perfect weekend getaway. And now, even with Pete here, things seem rather quiet...
Taking a ferry into the Canadian night.
Ha ha. Yeah.
How do you entertain yourself on a retreat when the kids have gone to bed? Outburst: Bible Edition, that's how.
Sunrise. Nice.
Andrew is left in charge of breakfast on Saturday.
It's time for a pilgrimage...
...to the coffee shop at the bottom of the hill.
Who would have thought a retreat centre would contain disruptive spirits?
Our children's worker Rosie leads some Godly Play.
Hey guys - if we use this thing we can make even more noise!
Time to get out.
I took it upon myself to spread the gospel of cricket, using of course our recent set from NZ.
Sea monsters.
Not even the fish in the rock pools got any peace.
Second night after the children had gone to bed - Bible Outburst was deemed too cerebral. So we did this instead.
"Have you got any Welsh in you?" was the first thing I asked Hannah when we met.
Marnie, rather happy with the communion port she managed to score on tiny Bowen Island.
Such an idyllic,
Back on the ferry to go home. Ah...family holidays in France...
Killer whales! Honest.
It may not be California weather, but we can still eat ice cream.
