We have now been back in South Africa for two extremely busy
weeks and this seems like a really good time to update you.
We travelled home for Christmas in the middle of December
sorry to be leaving both the warmth of the South African sun and the incredible
warmth of our South African friends. We arrived back to the chilly UK winter
and most people busy with their Christmas preparations. It took time for people
to acknowledge we were there but as our own Christmas preparations took over we
acclimatised, albeit slowly, to the change of climate.
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| Sarah, Chris, Samuel and Keira with a Christmas Dalek |
It was wonderful to have David and Jess home for Christmas
after their short trip to the Prague Christmas markets. We all went together on Christmas Eve to
watch the new Star Wars movie, definitely one for the aficionados – we were all
singularly unimpressed with the over familiar storyline. However we went round later
to Sarah and Chris’ house for supper and games which was very enjoyable.
Next day we gathered for a traditional Christmas lunch at
our house with my brother, his girlfriend and her son and our nephew. I do enjoy
mass catering and turkey with all the trimmings for 11 was no problem. Chris (son-in-law) was working but we did
have a fleeting visit from him and his ambulance to get the neighbour’s net
curtains twitching.
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| Sarah, Chris, Samuel and the ambulance on Christmas Day |
However the next day all our immediate family that is in the
UK gathered at Fiona and Arran’s house which was lovely. We walked in the damp,
chilly air, opened presents and ate.
The following week was a little bleak both with the weather
and socially. Family and friends were
busy so we entertained ourselves with a trip to London which was cold but very
pleasant. We avoided the worst of the post Christmas crowds. On New Year’s Eve
we babysat Samuel and Keira so their parents could go out to a murder mystery
evening.
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| Covent Garden |
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| A young man raising money outside the National gallery by creating huge bubbles |
However we had a wonderful time hosting 15 of our good
friends from way back to Sunday lunch. We all enjoyed meeting up again and
catching up. The conversations were lively and at times profound.
Good friends are hard
to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget.
After packing away Christmas for another year, we set off
for a chilly week in Salem Massachusetts to meet our latest granddaughter
Rebekah Charis and spend some quality time with Jonathan and Alyssa. Skype and
Face Time are great but absolutely no substitute for the real thing. Jonathan and Alyssa are doing really well as
parents and we spent time trying to be helpful, cooking and doing anything
required. We even managed some
sightseeing in the sub zero temperatures taking Rebekah on her first trip on
the Boston Metro and she slept though it all. |
| Day out to Portsmouth New Hampshire - chilly! |
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| Salem Massachusetts with a little snow |
Jonathan is doing a course this semester at both Boston
University and Harvard School of Divinity so we all accompanied him whilst he
registered for his courses.
Whilst away our UK church welcomed our new pastor Carl and
his wife Dani and already there feels a great sense of optimism for the
future. Carl’s father was our pastor at
St Albans about 10 years ago.
Now we are back in sunny Fish Hoek and we have hit the
ground running. In the first 10 days we
caught up with everyone over a meal or coffee. We have attended a two-day house
group training course, a home group together evening, various prayer meetings,
and I have re-started my Wednesday afternoon Bible study. I have even preached
for the first time here. It went very well I am assured.
Well we didn’t come to sit in the sun and play golf and
bowls though we have done all of those but it is good to be back and put to
work.
Tomorrow we eagerly await the arrival of Fiona, Arran, Isabel and
Lewis for a two-week holiday.
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| Rebekah now two months old |
