home is where the heart is.....

stunning sunset setting

it's really hard to know how to start this latest blog post as much of what we are going to be updating is basically normal life that we knew prior to us moving out to South Africa in 2008 and although we have been blessed with annual trips home it has to be said life in England has moved on and feels different to that which we left in 2008.

since arriving back from the Caribbean last Friday we have had the opportunity to catch up with some friends and family and so we hope that this post will give you a flavour of the times we have enjoyed back in our homeland.

maz and mandy enjoying some tidy up time

our base for this part of our journey has been with our good friends Trefor and Mandy who, with their family, have made it very easy for us to settle back in, their laid back approach to life certainly helps to give us the space we need to get our heads around some of the bigger questions that our filling our thoughts and they continue to be the blessing to us as we take this time of reflection and planning. it has also been great just to muck in with some daily tasks, such as a bit of gardening, but with the freedom to come and go as we please and we are truly thankful for their ongoing support.

marianne pampering maz!

There have been many highlights during the last week, from the opportunity to meet up with some old friends who we shared life with via our home groups that we led prior to us taking up God’s call for us to set up and run the Village of Hope to us having chance to enjoy one of the traditional English staple foods which we so miss when we are away….what food we hear you ask? The Great British Indian takeaway of course!

man on a mission

We enjoyed a quick trip up to London for a meeting and had the chance to wander down to Marble Arch and the West End of Oxford Street and Maz was also able to get her haircut, the first since we left South Africa in February, hasn’t she done well.

It was a blessing to visit our friend Marianne who pampered us for the morning at her beauty salon and even a visit to Milton Keynes shopping centre was not as bad as we had both feared.

perfectly braiied ribbetje

On Thursday evening I (Tim) was able to share my braai (think BBQ but over a full evening not a flash on a gas grill and run into the house to escape the cold and wet English weather which so many English people think is a braai) skills which were honed in Grabouw. Dave and Suzanne had visited us with their family a couple of years ago and were keen to bring back some good memories of just chilling, maybe even ‘Liming’ (see previous posts here!), around a fire, cooking food (including some lamb ribbetje, inspired by Jannie Wiegman Easter Braai a couple of years ago )and enjoying each others company. We were blessed with some unusually warm weather and a long twilight which eventually turned to darkness about 10pm.

liming at the braai....

alternative route for walkers

Whilst Maz enjoyed being pampered at the hairdressers I had the chance to take a longish walk in the beautiful countryside which surrounds our home town, the Chiltern Hills are such a haven of peace and it was great to spend some time with my Dad just walking some of the old paths that we’d enjoyed in my youth. In fact we walked part of the ancient path called the Ridgeway which is claimed to be Britain's oldest road.

We had to laugh at a signpost which announced that it was an ‘alternative footpath for Walkers only’, that certainly speaks into our lives at the moment!

emma's home!

The week ended with a visit to see Emma Podmore at her stately home (she is currently enjoying a much needed break with friends at Stowe School which shares the same design as Buckingham Palace), Emma, like us, gave up her secure job in England to follow God’s call to come serve with us at the Thembalitsha Foundation, Emma is such a blessing and we enjoyed spending the afternoon with her walking around the stunning gardens and having a bite to eat at the National Trust restaurant.

huffing and puffing

Over the weekend we were able to celebrate Maz’ Dad’s birthday a couple of weeks early as we will be away on the day and then spend the evening watching one of the most traditional English events, yup 'The Eurovision Song Contest', this surreal musical event brings back so many memories of our childhoods that we couldn't resist the chance to really immerse ourselves into the 'Euro culture' we have missed during our time in Africa. well done to Sweden who won for the sixth time, with a catchy song however we don't feel that this act will go on to replicate their 1974 winners success, ABBA, remember them? at least the entry from Great Britian got a few votes and beat those from France and Germany, but finished behind the Austrialian entry (we thought this was supposed to be an all European event!)

On Sunday afternoon we were joined by our middle son Josh and his girlfriend Haddy, amongst others, for a wonderful meal which was cooked by Trefor and Mandy 

selfie with josh and haddy

Finally at the end of that long list we must say that our week has been a total blessing with little to get up for and the opportunity to relax together, this was highlighted one afternoon as we got onto the trampoline (which sits in the garden) and took time to be still and stare into the sky, which at the time seemed so still and empty, however the longer we looked up the more activity we noticed, the sky was simply full of things buzzing around, huge aeroplanes either starting or ending their flights into the International airports of Heathrow or Luton, smaller planes and helicopters travelling more locally, Swifts and Swallows gliding and screeching above the stable yard, Red Kites and Kestrels hovering and then diving over the hills, tiny bees busying themselves with their pollen collection, and the sky filled with majestic clouds of all shapes and sizes. We have entitled this post ‘home is where the heart is’ and it must be said that England is a hard place to beat……

…..’to be in England in the summertime with my love’.