Tim & Debs

Shadows

2007-07-02T17:49:00.000+02:00

The Shadow was heavy upon me; weighted darkness on my back.

Despair grew in my stomach; my chest filled with loss.

Where there once was life, now was a desert of bones.

A home filled with love became a mausoleum.

Standing on cliff tops waiting for them to crumble,

and leave me lying ruined on the rocks.

But I will trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding,

for surely as darkness crowds in, day break will come.

Therefore I will trust in God,

for he will make a way and life will come again.

Tim's Map

2007-06-26T12:53:00.000+02:00

3 o'clock in the Morning Prayer

2007-03-08T23:41:00.000+01:00

Search me O God and know my heart,
for the dirty monster's sly.
Test me and know my anxious thoughts,
for the rabid black dog hides.
See if there is any offensive thing within me,
for the heavy shadow lies.
And lead me in your way everlasting,
if it's just for one night.
Amen

Lament for Icarus

2007-03-08T23:27:00.000+01:00

Let the piper play in the street, let him wail, let the lament sing.
I have nothing to bemoan,
The train left and I'm still here.
I lament for I have nothing to lament!

All is laid bare, ripe and full, acres of choice,
I choose not for I have too much to choose.

Entertained, enhanced and eschewed. So I change channel after channel after channel. Applause, links, products, credits, actors, awards, skin, tears, speeches, applause.

The sin of lonliness, can't tell anyone or they'll lock you away, after all you've got the TV, DVD, Surround sound, dolby 5.1 Twenty-First century lifestyle! How dare you be lonely.

Emptiness the socially transmitted disease.
Should've used protection.
Went to the clinic and stood in-line, they gave me bread and wine, just a crumb and a sip to keep me hungry till next time.

Iniquities for Oxbridge, sin for me.
Pray in the chapel, practice sin at home.
The preacher man tells me for half-an-hour to not be ashamed.
I am ashamed that I am not ashamed.

So I should, but I do not.
I sin, therefore I am.
Where is the rain for tonight I need to fly.

Saturday 10th Feb.

2007-03-08T23:18:00.000+01:00

It went like this, the day grew darker as the sun forgot to rise. Grey it began & black it became. Of course it rained, how else do these things get written? But I like the rain, it cling-films the lonley days, keeps the silence at bay and lets me drift. When else do I think? Let's be honest, the reason I watch so much TV comedy is so that the laughing hides the silence & the thinking.

[I think I may have been suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder when I wrote this last month]

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

2007-03-08T22:25:00.000+01:00

Rabbi Simlai said, "Six hundred and thirteen commandments were given to Moses, 365 negative commandments, answering to the number of the days ofthe year, 248 positive commandments, answering to the number of a man's members.

Then David came and reduced them to eleven [Psalm 15].
LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

Then came Isaiah, and reduced them to six [Isaiah 33:15-16].
He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil- this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him.

Then came Micah, and reduced them to three [Micah 6:8].
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Then Isaiah came again, and reduced them to two, [Isaiah 56:1]
This is what the LORD says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.”

Then came Amos, and reduced them to one, [Amos 5:4]
This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

Or one may say, then came Habakkuk , and reduced them to one, [Habakkuk 2:4]
"See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith' [Talmud, Makkot 23b-24a]

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
[New testament, Matthew 22:34-40]

Take it to the Max

2007-03-05T21:36:00.000+01:00

Ok, this is really random, Deborah brought me a gift of salty snacks back from her recent trip to Bosnia.

Click on the image and look at the top right hand logo and see what these Bosnian Chicken flavoured crisps offer. Weird!

I am hungry

2007-03-05T21:26:00.000+01:00

I came across this piece by Father Martin Morgan. Apparently he delivered it at a Brighton Labour Party Conference church service that he was presiding over. Take it as you want.

I am hungry
And you pray for me
I am sleeping rough
And you pity me
I have left home and parents
And you wonder whose fault it is
I am young and sell my body in order to eat
And you hide in your morality
I am naked
And my nakedness makes you uncomfortable
I am in prison
And you are glad that you are out of harm
I am a single parent
And you tell me what a drain on resources I am
I am 'black'
And you feel you have to be nice to me
I am gay
And you secretly despise me
I am old and forgetful
And you know what's best for me

You throw money at my problem
But I am still here
And so is the problem

But most of all day-by-day and week-by-week
You pray for me

Prayer is supposed to change us
So why have you not changed?
Because when you do
Then so will all of us
And you and I will see the world
Through God coloured spectacles

Confessions of an Ordinand

2007-03-05T21:13:00.000+01:00

Here's something I wrote for the Stukely Parish Magazine:

Firstly you might be wondering what an Ordinand is? Put simply it's a person being ordained to be a priest in the Church of England. Put more fully, it's a mix of being a theological student, where I go to lectures, and spend a lot of time reading, well, mainly getting books and intending to read them! I also expend hours pondering and discussing life's big questions like 'Who is God?' Why are we here?' and 'What's for lunch?' During term time I study in Cambridge at Ridley Hall, commonly known as the vicar factory. As I'm over thirty years old, I'm supposed to have more life experience and wisdom, so they allow me to take two years to qualify rather than the usual three. During this period, before they let me loose on some poor unsuspecting parish, I'm supposed to crystallise my sense of what it is to be an 'Anglican Church leader'. I'm still only part way through the training so I still feel far off from that moment, I know the day is coming when people will inevitably just see my dog collar and not the blundering student underneath it.

In between musing and stroking my non-existent beard at college, the second part of my training is acting as an apprentice vicar. In practice this means following Rev. Nick Devenish around, watching what he does and doing the things he asks me to do. This involves; preaching; praying; leading a Sunday service; but it also entails going into local schools; helping to run an 'Alpha' course where people come along and are able to ask open questions about the Christian faith; and participating in the monthly 'Thursdays@7', held at All Saints Huntingdon on the first Thursday of the month, which is a place of spiritual reflection, life exploration and space for growing a sense of community over a good meal.

With the theoretical aspects covered at Ridley and the practical application given around Huntingdon, I'm hopefully getting a more rounded understanding of what it means to be an Anglican vicar in the 21st century. I'm also starting to realise a few things about you out there. It's amazing how people treat me differently when I put on the cassock and surplice (the white large-sleeved tunic that makes me look vaguely like a Christmas fairy). When I wear them it's like I become the queen, people line up to shake my hand as they're leaving church and our conversations are full of pleasantries, but we don't say much.

It's also interesting going out to the villages, as I was brought up as a 'townie'. Villagers seem to have a connection with the old stone tower building, with its bells and gargoyles, at the edge of the village, but hardly anyone thinks about what might or might not be going on in there. It's strange, if the church was a local shop and it stocked nothing that people really wanted, nobody would frequent it. To avoid bankruptcy it would have to find out what its customers wanted and how to market it to them. But, for some reason, because it's a church we feel it's important that it's there, why is that? Does it represent a bygone era that we look back on but don’t know how to recapture it? Is it just a piece of historical architecture that shapes the village sky-line? Or could it be a symbol of the ‘soul’ of the village? Whatever your view there’s a challenge to all of us. For those of us who find ourselves sat in those ancient buildings on a Sunday, we must ask ourselves ‘are we just running a club for ourselves that baffles brave visitors with it’s practices and formulas?’ And for those of us who like the idea of a local church, but would only be seen dead in it, we need to discover this beautiful ‘soul’ in our midst, before it’s too late.

Happy Valentines Day!

2007-02-14T16:02:00.000+01:00

Dear all,

Im spending my half term in the delights of Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia.
Feeling really sleepy so not up to writing much now but thought Id just say hi to all and wish you my best valentines wishes.

Debs

Ridley Lent Book Reflection

2006-11-04T13:07:00.000+01:00

At Ridley we were all asked to write a piece for the yearly Lent book. I chose the reading from Luke 10:29-37, the parable of the 'Godd Samaritan', this is my humble reflection:

Have you ever been ‘moved with pity’? If you’re anything like me, you may have felt sorry for a poor small furry creature, bewildered by your car headlights, so you swerve to miss it and let it live to dice with death another day. Or maybe you’ve felt a pang of guilt when images depicting starving kiddies in a far off country crept up on you during the ad break of your favourite sit-com, so you ring the number, give a few quid, feel good about yourself and get back to your show.

But what about real pity, the kind of loving-pity that grabs you and moves you with compassion? The pity of the Samaritan that the Worldwide English New Testament describes as wanting, ‘to share in his troubles.’

One summer I was in Malawi with my fiancée and her mother. Speeding along an empty highway we came across a horrific accident, an overcrowded minibus had driven off the road and flipped over into a ditch. It was chaos. My mother-in-law-to-be leapt into action and began to organise and attend to victims, but I froze with fear. All I could think about was the blood and the prevalence of HIV, Aids, Malaria and Hepatitis. Pity was the furthest thing from my mind.

Jesus teaches us that to be a neighbour is to be moved with pity and into action. To see the battered bloodied individual as not just a problem; cross barriers of prejudice and fear; get our hands dirty; allow the stranger into our personal space; and give generously of our time and money.

Lord,

Help us to be true neighbours.

2006-11-04T12:16:00.000+01:00

Greetings everyone from Sunny Cambridge. We've been back for over 2 months now although sometimes it feels like we've never been away! Tim has started college and I'm back working at the school I was previously. Our blog has been severely neglected so for any die-hard bloggers, you'll be able to catch up. Now where was I....

So we went back up to the North Island and had a wonderful last week. We had amazing weather whilst in Roturoa and went on a tobogon run which Tim professes to be the best adrenalin N.Z. thing he's done. I however managed to fall off whilst children zoomed past me on the all age 'safe' run. Sarah (my sister) and I went zorbing which is basically like tuning into a hamster and running in a giant ball down a hill. And then we headed further north to the Coromandel. We had the most beautiful clear blue skies and though it was meant to be winter it was lovely nad warm. We spent out time on the beach digger monster sand castles with the kids, and then there was the massive hole...

There's a place called hot water beach where you can go and dig a hole to create your own spa pool. Due to the thermals in the area the water is schorching hot and all you have to do is fill it with a bit of cold to get the temperature right. The important thing to know, if you ever happen to go, is that the thermal area are very localised and so you have to check where they are before you start digging. You can just feel them if you put your hand on the sand. This is the imformation my sislter forgot to tell us untill after tim had dug his big hole, in a cold area of the beach. anyway, some Japenese tourist had inherited a boiling pool from some previous tourists and so they let us share there's after laughing at ours. The amazing thing is our was about a meter away and too cold to stand in, there's however was too hot to stand in!

The last day in the coromadel we spent visiting cathedral which was just the most beautiful day and I'll let the photos do the talking.

Our penulatamute weekend in New Zealand was spent with some of Sarah's friends and us in a beach house complety isolated. It was very relaxing with Tim trying his first attempt at fishing and spending most of our time on the beach. The landscape was really beautiful and it felt that there wasn't a care in the world, no need to rush. And then before long we were transported to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.

The story continues...

2006-08-08T04:15:00.000+02:00

So after the hill we started driving up the East coast. First top was the moeraki boulders. We really liked these! They're amazing almost spherical boulders sitting on the beach like God's giant marbles! The best thing is they're not behind some fence but we were able to scramble on top and jump from marble to marble!

Back in the car we decided to take one heck of a detour through a mountain plateau through Duntroon, Kurow, Omararma past lake Pukaki and stopping at Lake Tekapo to take in the view across the lake and enjoy a very welcome break from the fog which enshrouded us most of the way. It was the most idyllic view point with a cute little stone church of the good Shepherd, nestled between snowy mountain peaks which were reflected in a beautiful blue green lake. With the sun beaming down it felt we could stay there all day just soaking the peace and beauty in. I musn't forget to mention the statue of a dog also on the shore of the lake. Can't remember exactly why it was there, but there was a bronze dog none-the-less.

Back on the road we drove onto Christchurch for the night. We couldn't find a place that was more of a home from home with a river running through (just like Cambridge), punting, old religious buildings ... the lot! Anyway highlights for us were visiting the cathedral which had wonderful artwork. They were celebrating an anniversary and had art work that involved contributions from the whole community woven together. They also had photos showing some of the different activities that had gone on including an animal service with loads of pets and livestock in the church! Our other highlight from Christchurch was the Antartic centre where we got to ride in haagland (the vehicle they use for the icy terrain), and also experience blizzard conditions.

After Christchurch we continued North and stopped in Kaikora. This place is built up due to the whales that live in the surrounding waters. Previously this meant a booming whaling industry but now it is based on tourism. We took an amazing trip to see the whales which was really exciting! We'd head out on the water and they would stick a little funnel thing in the water to listen to the whales call. Then we'd all suddenly zoom off across the waves and find the amazing huge sperm whales which would spout up their water and bob around for a while before their tales would come gliding out of the water and then effortlessly disappear. Incredible! Kaikora is translated as 'eat crayfish' so for lunch we thought we better - yummy!

So that just about rounds up the South Isalnd.

Back on the North Island we visited Napier which was built during the Art Deco period after a big earthquake and so looks a bit like a film set. Really lovely place to wander round along the beach and soak it all in. We then met up with my sister and family again in Rotorua for a weekend. Many of you have probably heard of this place as it is a thermal wonderland! Steam coming up out of drains and bubbling water holes. We went to a cultural evening and Tim was chosen (out of the party of over 100 - how does he do it?!) to be our chief.

Anyway got to go to dinner! Bye!

Has it been that long?!

2006-07-31T10:16:00.000+02:00

Well time flies when you're having fun and I realise the blog is lagging behind a little. Since last writing we've done a big road trip touring the south island of New Zealand. We first arrived in Wellington (picking up a 1/2 German 1/2 New Zealand surfboarding male-modelling American-evangelists-son hitch hiker who lives in Japan - it's amazing who you bump into!), N.Z's capital, is not known for nothing as the wet and windy city, as we soon found out! We squelched around for a while bracing ourselves for the gusts and then found shelter and a happy moment for Tim, A Lord of the Rings exhibition. I'm probably not the right person to give a write up for this as all I can say was there were some costumes, bits of set, video clips of the ridiculous amount of time and money that went into the film etc. etc. Highlight being we got out photo taken using the giant wizard people/midget hobbit types camera trickery - very clever!

My sister and bro-in-law very kindly lent us a car which we then took over on the ferry. After 2 years of marriage it's amazing what you can learn about each other, like your husband gets seasick for instance. Anyway after a nice choppy crossing we arrived in Picton. The first leg of our journey took us down the west coast with mountains on the inland side and desolate beaches as the road hugs the coastal line. A very beautiful and dramatic part of the world. We visited what is known as the pancake rocks, so called because they look like, well, pancakes. The amazing thing is geologists don't really know how this rock structure formed as these thin layered, towering structures - quite unique!

We drove onto see New Zealands glaciers the Franz Josef and the Fox. Although Tim thought the Franz Josef sounded cooler being close in name to the band Franz Ferdinand, I unknowingly booked us onto a tour up the Fox glacier. Luckily they're within half an hour drive of each other so we got to the right one and got kitted out for our expedition. As it was raining we we're given a complete set of water proofs and our crampons to stick to the ice. We looked absolutely ridiculous stumbling along in our matching baggy outfits, only to find that a slip had occured and so the area was unsafe. It all sounds quite dramatic but unfortunately/fortunately we didn't see any of the destruction in process. We went back to base and warmed up by a roaring fire taking in the local culture by drinking beer whilst watching the All Blacks beat the Asturalian rugby team! The next day we had better weather so set off up the glacier again. It was amazing. The glaciers are actually advancing and you can see the spikey fingers of ice at the front of the glacier pushing into the rocky floor of the valley, churning it all up. I think it advances at about 70cm a day! So we spent the morning stamping around on the ice, trying to to slip off! The ice is truely beautiful as the bluey colour glistens as we walked through huge cravices.

We then headed on towards Queenstown. It was such a privilidge to be able to drive in this most gorgeous scenery at our own pace. We watched then sun go down over snow topped mountains creating the most vivid
sunset of pinks and purples. We reached a place called Wanaka and decided to stay the night and found the coolest cinema there. It was kitted out with loads of old sofas and reclining armchairs, even and old morris minor with cushions in! You were able to take a beer or glass of wine in, and half way through they stopped the film for freshly home cooked cookies and home made icecream - now that's a cinema!

The next day we went to Puzzling world. It's a museum set up by a guy who was really into optical illusions. I don't really know how to explain it on paper (or screen as the case may be) but one room for instance was built completely on an angle but they had put in all the visual cues to make you think it was actually on a level. The effect just made your head go crazy as the messages just didn't make sense in you subconscious mind. We both felt really dizzy and at one point Tim just suddenly fell over - absolutely hysterical!

We spent 5 nights in Queenstown and beautiful city on a lake with mountains as a backdrop. It's a completely action packed, go-go-go kind of place, home to the bungy jump and all other sorts of crazy, 'why would you want to do that', kind of stuff. The first day we went on a jet boat through the Shotover canyon - great fun! They drive you at high speeds into the awesome towering rock face, then dodge at the last minute. We were really lucky to have blue skies and the sun shining down at quite a comfortable 15 degrees, whereas the previous week they had been jetting through ice which was splashing into everyone!

Then 3 days of skiing. Such a beautiful ski area as you can see right down into valleys still green, lakes and other snowy moutnain tops. We're getting a bit braver with our skiing down and went down to 'hang' with the boarders and try their 'fun boxes' as Tim likes to call them (jump ramps and stuff as I like to call them) I tried a few although I'm sure you can all imagine spent more time watching Tim flying off this and that.

Milford Sound had been really recommended to us so the next day we took a coach trip to see for ourselves. I found out a Sound is a flooded river valley whereas a fiord (NZ spelling) is a flooded u-valley left from a glacier. Milford Sound is a mis-named fiord (our blog is becoming educational and entertaining!). Unfotunately there had been another slip meaning we couldn't get to Milford Sound (boo) so got a free upgrade to the Doubtful sound trip (yay!). Another amazing part of the world with towering valley sides rising above us. We had another great day with blue skies and were blessed with a visit from a pod of dolphins, a fur seal and an albatross. This Sound is really in the wilderness as we had to travel across a lake and on a private road to access. When the boat cut it's engine there wasn't a sound! Part of the trip was also to go to a underground power station. Tim was quite excited as we went down a really long tunnel to get to it. I can't think of anything else interesting to report back on it though!

Last day in Queenstown and Tim had to do a bungy jump in it's birth place, and, if he was going to do it, he had to do the highest. We drove out to a remote setting where a pod had been built in the middle on a canyon. He took a ride out to it the then jumped off a ledge with 134m freefall, the highest bungy jump in NZ, third in the World! I watched from a safe stable distance!

Leaving Queenstown we headed East to Dunedin. Dunedin was a Scottish settlemant and it really felt as if we'd somehow travelled back to the Northern hemisphere with statues of Robbie Burns and Queen Victoria and stone buildings rather than the usual wooden structures of N.Z. Our main reason for this stop off was the Otago penisual which is home to some rare penguins. We visited a conservation project which have built a series of tunnels and hides so you can get up close to the yellow eyed penguin in their natural habitat, without upsetting them. At one point we must have been only 2 meters away from a pair outside their little nest. We then spent a while watching them come in from a days fishing. Swimming in then waddling along the beach - so cute! I could have spent hours there!

When we left the next day we did a detour to see the Worlds Steepest street. On arrival we did the whole 'well I don't think it's that steep' demeaning it. Then we started to try and walk up it. It was actually really steep. After half way I decided I had expereinced enough so headed back to the car, Tim of course had to go up to the top. Once there he beckoned for me to drive up to pick him up, I really didn't think it was a good idea but not sure how long I'd have to wait for Tim to return I decided I best give it a try. I revved up but on reaching the steepest section lost power, and even with the best hill start couldn't inch up any further. Slamming on the brakes and slightly shakey I gripped onto the steering wheel to see my dear husband hardly able to walk as he was laughing so much. As he reached me I asked him to take over but as I took my foot off the brake, even with the handbrake pulled as tight as possible the car just started sliding back. So all in all it really was quite steep!

Safely back down we started our journey back north. But that I think I'll save for another day! Hope you are all well, missing you all! Lots of love, Debs

Remember us?!

2006-06-13T13:01:00.000+02:00

Hey there! I know it’s been a while but you are not all forgotten! We spent 2 weeks in Bosnia Herzegovina, and Croatia with family. My (Debs) sister got married and with all the preparations and catching up with family we didn’t get a chance to up date the blog. Now we’re relaxing in New Zealand so thought I’d fill you in on some of the highlights!

Our first full day in Bosnia we visited a place called Pocitelj, an old Turkish town. I think it was over 30 degrees so choosing to climb up this hillside village at midday might not have been the most wise move as we acclimatized, but we got some great views! Having worked up a bit of a sweat we headed to a nearby waterfall. The setting was just idyllic although the water temperature was not. Tim dived in although I stayed on the bank having dipped a toes into the freezing water. Then seeing my 4 year old niece jumping in the challenge was set so I joined them, screaming and squealing as never before as I hit the water!

That evening we went into Mostar to have a drink and admire the new Bridge. For those that don’t know, the bridge Stari Most, an icon, of Mostar was blown up in the war (early 90’s I think) and was rebuilt last year amongst great celebration. I guess my lasting impression of it is how it must be the most slippy structure I have ever been on! It’s marble and walking along in my faithful Birkenstock style sandals was pretty hopeless.

The next day was civil ceremony day! In Bosnia you have to have a wedding in a registry office where they read out the family law. Parties of about 4 or 6 were waiting for there turn and we marched up in a group of about 20! We crammed into the little room and listened to the detailed reading of exactly who owns what if you received a present before you were wed, or if you received it after you got married as a couple, or if it had one particular persons name on it . It was all very precise even going into what to do in the case of a lottery win!

Later that day we went for a walk in a local park and thanks to my Mum spotting a tortoise on the roadside Tim had a holiday highlight as he got to pick it up, at which point it felt the need to relieve itself! Anyway, here’s the photo!

Saturday was the day of the big wedding. We’d all been busy with responsibilities for the flower arrangements and furniture arranging and car dressing (flowers and ribbons and sweets, will explain later!). Naomi looked absolutely stunning of course and the wedding was beautiful. After we all jumped back in our cars for the local tradition of processing. Usually the wedding party going to the reception drive with their cars dressed (hence earlier need for flowers and ribbons) and toot the horn throw sweets to kids and car drive through red lights. I’d seen a procession earlier in the week and there were about 10 - 15 cars. Now, the U.K. and the Netherlands guests (did I mention Naomi’s Husband is called Herman and from Amsterdam?!) had 20 cars between them already, including big people carriers with flags from both representative countries billowing out behind them. Plus all the local crowd (there had been about 200 in the wedding congregation), I think we just about brought Mostar to a standstill as we all drove round waving, sweets and flags flying and hands on car horns!

The rest of the day was filled with good food, fun, dancing, music. To any that know Adele Cushing, she didn’t let the side down, when the band stopped for a break she offered to take the mic and did her own Abba tribute (with the help of a few other Norfolk types, e.g. Emma Thurston and Sam I believe).

On the Sunday the celebration continued as we went to church together and then had a bbq. In between Herman asked Tim to take his parents to see the bridge. Why ask Tim I don’t know as they got pretty lost BUT lucky as he is, by the time he found the bridge who should he bump into setting up to film, none other than the legendary Michael Palin! When he got back to the main group and shared his news some of Naomi’s team said, Oh, that must have been the film crew we disturbed yesterday as we traveled past in convoy! So look out! If you happen to be watching one of Michael Palin’s travel shows and see a noisy wedding party in Mostar it could be us!

The following Monday Tim, Mum and I traveled to Dubrovnik. Sarah (N.Z. sister) and family were already there and Rachel (France sister) and family arrived a couple of hours after. We had a relaxing few days in this medieval city. We walked the 2km around the city walls, spent some time by the sea and caught up with the latest member of the family, Jonathan Hodgson.

(can you see us in the photo?)

(try looking at the small huddle just to the left here!)

After 3 we caught up with Sarah again who’d hopped off to a Croatian Island. Now in the guidebook this island (name escapes me) claims to be the sunniest Island in the Dalmatian coast. It's Hvar (Tim). (Thanks! D). So much so that many of the hotel will give up a free night stay if it rains. So we turn up to grey drizzle, to our beautiful apartment that of course does not participate in this no fee scheme! The next day was sunny again thought and it really was beautiful and well worth a visit. This photo is taken from a Spanish castle in the main town.

Drizzle again the next day but we head back to the mainland as our flight leaves the following day. Although pretty grim weather we have a look around Split which has some incredible architecture due to it’s original purpose as a palace for some retired, er, important bloke I guess ! Anyway, we had a great time over the 2 weeks and it works out as a pretty cheap, really beautiful and amazing place to visit. Go if you get the chance!

So now we’re in N.Z. I forget how long the flight was although Tim did time us. We’ve spent a few days adjusting to being on our head awake when we should be sleeping and vice versa. Yes, it is winter here so you can have a little smug smile to yourself however it doesn’t get so cold here in Auckland, around 14 degrees is the expected winter temperature and we’ve had some brilliant bright sunny skies. However we’ve also had some torrential downpours (yes smile away) and yesterday the city came to a standstill as the power went out for most of the day. Luckily we live out a bit so were OK! On the sunny days we’ve done some walking up the volcano mounds of Auckland, and along stretches of beautiful coastline and dense temperate forest. On the wet days we’ve tasted the delights of their food halls and explored the museum. We’re planning some skiing trips and rafting and glacier walking so we’ll keep you informed. Enjoy the warmer weather up there!

Au revoir!

2006-05-22T11:41:00.000+02:00

Ok, so we havn't written too much recently but the truth of the matter is we've just been having too much fun too spend time sitting in front of a computer! We've been to Cassis and Marseille, we've waded through marshes and been up viewing towers over lakes of leaping fish and flapping flamingoes, we've limboed and caleighed in the dinning room and spotted wild cats, kingfishers, rollers, and yes even ducks and donkeys!

So today we leave! Thank you to everyone who has made us feel so welcome here, to others, I can definately recommend a visit! Next stop is Bosnia and I'm not sure what access we'll have to the internet so our blog maybe quiet again for a while! Au revoir!

Sur le pont d’Avignon

2006-05-20T09:31:00.000+02:00

We went to Avignon 2weeks ago. A city surrounded by towering walls, full of narrow streets and known for it's half bridge made famous in the french nursery rhyme 'Sur le pont d’Avignon' which translates as 'On the bridge of Avignon'. Apparently it originally was sung 'Under the bridge of Avignon' and it was where men would meet certain ladies for 'dancing'...hmmm, so that's what they called it back then.

Avignon is also famous for it's popery. At one point there was a split in the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, and one faction made it's home in this French city. For a long time it was an independant state to the rest of France, like the Vatican is to the rest of Italy. So they built the 'Palais de Papes', when we visited it was VE day and there was a big military parade with the old soldiers lining up with their flags. There were also lines of military types with shiny buttons and guns, but the humourous thing was that the musical accompaniment was a young persons marching band, and thgey were all giggly and embarresed to be there.

One of the high points of our daytrip was the visit to Le musée du Petit Palais with it's outstanding collection of mainly religious Italian and Provencal paintings from the late 13th to the early 16th centuries. Some of the paintings were breathtaking, others just plain confusing. But we found one that has to be the funniest depiction of baby Jesus we've ever seen. I wonder why he's grinning so much? This picture is worth enlarging, you can see his happy tiny teeth. I think he seems a little bit too old to be still posing for this type of portrait!

internet down

2006-05-17T13:52:00.000+02:00

just to let you know our internet has been down since a thunderstorm a week last monday. We're both fine though and will and try and update the blog a.s.a.p!
Love to all!
D & T

He's Back!

2006-05-06T16:57:00.000+02:00

Yes, that's right, only 24 hours later and he's back to his usual chirpy cheeky self. Being the gentleman that I am I don't want to dwell on the gory details for too long, but safe to say I felt and sounded like an over-inflated dead rodent bagpipe creating sounds and smells not meant to be heard by anything even vaguely human. Ok, enough of that.

Well today, we convinced Gabriel to take us to Le Baux de Provence, which is one of the most visited places in France outside of Paris. It could have been a film set for some medieval epic with it's position on a rocky crag surrounded by uncertain mountains and encompassed by fortifications, but instead it was a tourist trap full of crockery, small painted terracotta figurines and replica swords.

We found a small chapel which I thought was intersting because they'd painted a biblical mural on the walls using the local scenery as a backdrop. I liked it because it makes Christ seem more imminent, aproachable and manifest.

Outside the chapel was a beautiful metal cross, they seem to have them al over the place, in the countryside at cross-roads, in market squares etc... I guess they're the legacy of Roman Catholicism to the background of Provence.

After leaving the slightly damp and overcast Les Alpilles mountains, we headed for the vibrant market of Arles, where we tried to get as many freebies as possible. If we could poke it with a cocktail stick and make it stay it was destined to be a pre-lunch morsel. Sausage, ham, cheese, bead, olive oil (a bit difficult to stab), mango, olives, melon, stuff-we-had-no-idea-what-it-was, all was consumed and enjoyed. Deborah wanted to come away with a puppy, I fancied the live goat, but we left with nothing.

Bon Anniversaire Maman!

2006-05-05T17:18:00.000+02:00

Well, it's just another work day really but I did want the world to know it was my mother's birthday today so please lift a glass or light a candle in a nearby cake and sing along with me! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Mummy! Happy birthday to you!

En Francais, Fridays is a work party day. Oh, but before I get into that I should clarify that I'm better again! yay! Although the sad news is that Tim's has been struck down with the dreaded lurgy. Boo! I don't think he's as badly affected by it as I was so he should be back to his bouncy self in no time. However with this opportunity of him otherwise engaged I would like to point out some flaws in his previous posting. For those who may be a little behind the times France is actually quite civilised now and there is a pharmacy with all sorts of modern medicine, just a couple of minutes cycle ride from our accomodation. Many may also be aware that Tim's organisational skills are not at the top of his very long list of strengths, and so he has failed to notice A Rochas thoughtful list of emergency numbers including a list of several local doctors which is taped to the phone. Actually it has been a brilliant place to be sick! I've felt really cared for as people in the community here have been checking up on me whilst I've been stuck in bed and as I have felt a little bit better I've been able to wander and rest in the peaceful, green and warm grounds.

Back to the work party then. On Friday mornings everyone works together at this centre to tackle some of the garden projects. Todays' was the ongoing tree issue that we started when we arrived. The new strategy has been to let Francoise loose with a chainsaw and just to try and get rid of the piles of sawn off branches. At least we'll know through the winter they'll be able to remember us through the stick piles of fire wood!

We seemed to have timed our visit to France impeccably as we are now about to have a second bank holiday weekend! So hopefully we'll get a further taste of the local area to report to you all.

Finally, there seems to be a problem with leaving comments on our blog at the momment. I've changed some settings to hopefully make it easier so please try again if you have had problems! Alternatively you can always email us. We really enjoy hearing from everyone! Bye for now!

In the Field.

2006-05-04T15:53:00.000+02:00

Because Deborah has been mainly sleeping for the past 24 hours it has allowed me to go out with Francois, the centre ecologist, and check-out flowers, birds and insect life. I saw some amazing things, including sun-bathing carp rolling in the shallow waters of the marsh, kingfishers like blue lightning flashing through the reed beds, colonies of black kites slowly circling above looking for prey.

Francois most exciting moment was when we came a cross a tortoise. Unfortuneately it wasn't an indigenous species and had probably ben set free there, like an unwanted puppy. It got me wondering though, what bad behaviour warrants relesing a 'naughty' tortoise into the wild? Maybe he jumped up at the dining table too much, or worse than that he bit a small child...hmmm, we'll never know.

I have to say I'm not that bothered about the flowers, but Deborah and I've been put on a project to survey the local road-side flowers. A Rocha hope to harvest the seeds and sow a wildflower meadow, eventually collecting the seeds from that and trialing them on a local landowner's lands. A Rocha's hope is to sell wild flower meadow seeds in the future, so that people like us can be more 'au naturale'.

In practice what this means for Deborah and I is that we go along, find some 'interesting' flowers, photograph them, stake and number them and record their location on a map. Trouble is we don't know our rare specis from our invasive weeds, and all the flower books are in french. So it's all a bit hit and miss.

Here's some pictures to brighten up this post:

A Locust laying eggs & black bulls watching us work.

One Down!

2006-05-04T15:39:00.000+02:00

Yesterday Deborah was ill, in fact she's still recovering. She was vomitting throughout the night from late on tuesday to 6am on wednesday, all I could do was empty the sick bowl, give her some reassurance and try and stay awake.

Well, she's on the mend now, she's mainly been sleeping and resting and sleeping some more since then.

I'm so glad for my cast-iron stomach and my high tolerance to grim bodily excretions, it made cleaning up after Deborah a breeze.

It's strange being away from home when you're ill, all your usual safety nets are gone, no car to whisk her off to hospital, no medicine in the cabinet, I wouldn't even have known the number for the emergency services if it had all gone really wrong. So when you're feeling a little helpless all you can do is look to heaven and trust God.

What is 'church'?

2006-05-02T19:16:00.000+02:00

Deborah and I have been chopping wood again today in the Provencal sunshine. All that physical work and blisters let my mind wander. It got me thinking whether 'A Rocha' is a church.

As an organisation their vision is for each project to stand for the following values:

CHRISTIAN charity; committment to CONSERVATION; CAMPAIGNING for the care of God's world; drawing on CROSS-CULTURAL strength of the world-wide church; each project having a distinctive COMMUNITY emphasis.

In practice they live in outward looking communities, they have a definite mission focus on science, research, practical conservation and environmental education and people join the community and become christians. They also pray, study the bible and worship God, so are they a church?

Ok, they don't baptise or take communion (not that I've seen) but neither do the Salvation Army.

Could 'A Rocha' type communites be an answer for the declining church in the West, prophetic communities with a specific mission focus, whether it be conservation, skater kids, or simply young families with kids?

Monday 1st May

2006-05-01T23:27:00.000+02:00

Very exciting day today! We experienced one of the top ten attractions in France (according to the Lonley Planet guide) the Fete des Gardians. The 'Camargue Cowboys' came to town, in a big style! First of all the cowboys and girls congregated in all their traditional finery on the main promanade. They then paraded on hordes of ponies guided by one handed pipers and drummers. The horses quickly attended mass, as all good horses do, to be blessed by the priest and an effigy of St. George.

The festivities had a very Spanish feel with ladies riding side saddle with their big dresses festooned in ribbons, lace and cushed velvet, so we continued the theme with paella and sangria for lunch! We took the lull in the days programme to have a look around Arles. This is the town we are currently living closest to. Vincent Van Gogh lived and died here. His famous street cafe at night painting is of a local street and we visited the hospital he stayed in. Today it is no longer a hopsital but a beautiful garden which Tim and Gabriel can be seen in in our photo!

We then rejoined the days programme for a Grand Spectacle Provencal at the the Amphitheatre. We started off with non-lethal bullfighting which involved bull 'fighters/runners' removing tassels and charms from the bull's horns. It was mainly skinny boys in white jumping over fences as the bull thundered towards them!

The main content of the show was displaying the Gardians' skill and culture. This involved games such as young cowboys on horse back trying to remove ribbons off each others sleeves and men (also on horse back) lancing a ring off a hook at full pelt! The women did some side saddled syncronised horse dancing. Oh la la!

The finales show cased the Garidans' skills with the bulls. They subdued bulls using long poles (non-contact), wrestled a young bullock to the ground, as they would for branding, and herded a group of four bulls by surrounding them in a triangle of horses (see photo!). One of our favourite parts of the day was when a young bullock leaped over the safety barrier, scattering onlooking Gardians much to the delight of the crowd. As the wrestled it back into the ring it then charged after the horse, thus the chaser became the chased!

All the fun of the fete for just 8 Euros!

Thank you for allyour comments, glad you're enjoying our little escapades!

Sunday

2006-04-30T17:00:00.000+02:00

Lazy Day! Went to church where we witnessed the most uneventful child baptism (the parent simply said 'oui' at one point and most of our group didn't even see the church leader put water on the baby's head. Tim assures us he saw the leader tip a bit into his hand before he started) and then have stayed around the centre, reading, playing boules, writing this up, that kind of thing. Wish you all well!

Saturday

2006-04-30T16:49:00.000+02:00

We went on a butterfly tour this morning. It was put on by the centre we're staying at for locals to attend. This meant it was all in French so Tim and I walked along side oohing and ahhing appropriately at the 8 species they caught (and released) but otherwise we didn't really have a clue what was going on!

In the afternnon we went horse riding in the Camargue which was brilliant! We went through poppy fields, pass the bull fighting bulls grazing in fields and alongside the Rhone. We then went to the seaside resort of Les Stes-Maries de la Mer which has a very Spanish flavour with bull fighting rings and flamenco dancing posters. We saw pink flamengos wild, and had a brief look at the local church. This is a pilgrimage sight thought to be the landing site of St. Sarah, Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacob & Mary Salome after fleeing the Holy Land.

Friday

2006-04-30T16:37:00.000+02:00

Today was a non - tree cutting day. We spent the morning accompanying Gabriel, a Spanish Volunteer, who is doing a project on Dragonflies and Damselflies. We also saw a Roller bird which is an endagered species.

In the Afternoon we were asked to carry out some research on local wild flowers and were sent out on our own. We went along taking photos and sticking numbered posts in different flowers species so later they will be able to harvest the seeds to create native wild flower meadows and sell the sends as a fundraising & educating locals about conservation project. Tim and I were'nt very confident in our ability and at times were questioning 'is that a flower or a bush?'

We got our first taste of local nightlife. We were told there was a Provencàl style band in a bar but it turned out to be more Samba with about 5 huge drums playing in a tiny bar with accompanying conche shells (say, 50cm diameter) which were blown. It was a great atmosphere and soon it seemed the local police and neigbour in his pyjamas wanted to join in as they turned up as well. I guess they may have been complining about the noise, but our French isn't good enough to understand exactly what's going on yet! Needless to say we decieded it was time to leave!

Wed / Thur

2006-04-30T16:30:00.000+02:00

Our first two days in France have been as far from tree hugging as you could have thought possible. Two days of chopping down trees! It has been incredibly hard work and my (Debs) legs, hands and arms took days to recover!

We have arrived during an international A rocha team meeting so there are representatives from lots of the other centres. It has been great to get quite a wide perspective of the work this charity are doing around the world and there is a real buzz in the air as we sit down at mealtimes as a group of 22!