family time and france

balloons above the roofline

its been so special to be able to share some much needed family time with those we love here in England, as we've previously posted some of our nearest and dearest are going through some tough times at the moment. Maz' mum has successfully completed a course of chemotherapy and undergone a major operation to over come some cancer cells, my (Tim's) mum has endured the invasive surgery to remove her right hip and replace with a brand new titanium model and Maz' dad is going into hospital at the end of this week to find out whats causing him so much discomfort as well.

eli looking for the balloons!

that said we have had chance to spend time with two of our sons and their wives or girlfriends as well as our three wonderful grandchildren. this time started with a trip down to Bristol to visit Chris and Claire who were house sitting for some friends who were away on holiday and what a house it was too. we enjoyed

noni and claire filling up the pool

playing football in the large garden, fully equipped with 'real goals' which was a hit for me and Alfie (our eldest grandson) who is completely crazy about football, the weather was warm enough to fill up the paddling pools (for the children of course) and we even had a braai on a throw away BBQ which was a feat in itself.

and it's all over!

on our journey down we listened transfixed to test match special where we heard the clatter of Australian wickets on the first morning of the fourth test. incredibly it was all over in 18.3 overs with the tourists making a paltry 60 all out which led to an england win by an innings and 78 runs.

more balloons

what with all the fun time the best part of the weekend must have been the fact that we timed the visit perfectly with the Bristol international balloon fiesta which was held in the grounds the Ashton Court estate just down the road. each morning Maz made sure that we were all up early (like 6.45am which is early for us these days!) to see the multitudes of hot air balloons literally sail (do balloons sail?) over the rooftop of the house. the mornings were all still and clear and it was a sight to behold as balloons of various shapes, sizes and colours made their regal way over our heads. the boys found the minion (was it called Stuart or Brian i can't remember) shaped balloon their favourite, mine was the more traditional ones flown by the french in the 1800's.

BBQ at cosh's

after leaving Bristol we wound our merry way up the M4 motorway towards the notorious M25 (the 117 mile ring road that circumnavigates London) where we sat with hundreds of other holiday makers on a sunny Sunday afternoon as we made our way to meet josh (our middle son) and his girlfriend who we were going on holiday with to her family home in south west France.

haddy and josh in france

our flight from Gatwick to Toulouse was uneventful however as we landed we were greeted by some hot sunny weather, something that we haven't experienced on many occasions during our English summer (although my sister seems to think that it's been the most barmy summer ever but since she's too young to remember the fantastic English summer of 1976 I'll have to forgive her).

Josh's girlfriend, Haddy, has a beautiful home set in rural France which her family has owned for around 20 years, most of the property is thirteenth century (and yes for all our friends from the USA, South Africa and Australia there are buildings and history in the thirteenth century) and built from local stone, some walls are over 1000mm thick and it's been restored to it's former glory by Haddy's mum who certainly has an eye for detail.

haddy's home!

we'd never visited south west France before but we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the area, sunflowers and maize filled the fields, unfortunately their heads bowed after a full summer of sunshine, the tiny roads linked small villages which invited one in to explore their medieval streets lined with family owned shops selling their wares to the locals who make their visit to the butchers or bakers each and everyday.

fresh fish at the market

the feel of the place is something that we seem to have lost in England, our high streets are littered with chain stores with bland or even boarded up shopfronts with superstores enticing people to part with their hard earned cash in their out of town warehouses packed with every item required by the modern English family. in France we enjoyed walking round the local market with our senses overwhelmed by the plethora of brightly coloured and locally produced fruits and the smells of fresh meats and fish all displayed on unstable rickety tables.

we enjoyed a couple of meals out, sharing fantastic french cuisine in town squares and tiny restaurants perched on hill top towns, but we mostly cooked at home, enjoying a BBQ with some family friends sitting under shooting star filled skies and supping locally produced wine.

local produce for lunch

in fact i celebrated my 48th birthday on the Thursday and since France has been producing wine since the sixth century we were eager to visit a couple of local boutique vineyards who were offering wine tasting. the Cahors appellation is famous for the use of the Malbec grape (which is one of the six grapes used in the Bordeaux blends) and is my favourite grape varietal, recently it has become a grape synonymous with Argentina due to it's love of hot sunshine but any red wine produced in the Cahors appellation has to have a minimum of 70% Malbec and is often blended with Merlot which suits my pallet beautifully.

wine tasting on tim's birthday

it was great to chat to the winemaker, hear about their methods and talk about the recent vintages and the best ones to look out for, it certainly was an eye opener and has led us to discuss planting some vines on haddy's land!

after an incredible thunderstorm Dan (Trefor and Mandy's son) and his girlfriend Lucy joined us on Friday and on the Sunday morning we woke early to venture further afield to enjoy an afternoon kayaking down the river L'aveyron, the 12km trip took us around 4 hours to complete, setting off from St-Antonin-Noble-Val we meandered between high cliffs gently down the river, over man made weirs and natural rapids which kept us alert.

beautiful france

as always time flies too fast and unfortunately our week long holiday was over too quickly but as josh dropped us at the airport for our return flight to England we were already planning our next visit to this wonderful part of the world.

(we've updated our reading list on the right hand side of the 'home page' and would inform you of the current Podcasts that we are listening to.

Rob Bells - Robcast
Richard Rohrs - Homilies 
Dr Gary Stevens - History in the Bible
and Pete Holmes - You made it weird)

six months and counting.....

family time with our parents plus josh and haddy

enjoying time with my sister and brother-in-law

we can hardly believe that we've been journeying for over six months since leaving the Village of Hope at the end of January, but before we answer the question that is on everyone's lips and look into the future (people really can't stop asking) we have written this post as an update of the last few weeks where among other things we have had chance to provide some support to Maz' Mum and Dad, chill out with Tim's parents, hang out with both our Sisters and Brother-in-law's, catch up with old friends from near and far, house and horse sit, garden and repaint the sables, as well as taking some time to enjoy the beauty of England in the summertime including trips to Silverstone to watch some motor racing (which was fantastic). 

more food with our adopted family (thanks Beth!)

so what follows is a quick snapshot of the last few weeks which we hope you'll enjoy reading.

England in the summer time (no our house or car by the way!)

firstly it has been an apt time for us to be home, it was sort of planned but we had no idea of the real need as Maz' Mum underwent some extensive chemotherapy and then a large operation, which seems to have been successful. much of the care and support that Maz' Mum has received had come from Maz' sister so it has been great from Maz to step in and help out with her Mum in the mornings, cleaning, ironing, gardening and being around to provide support as and when needed. we are blessed to have been given the use of a car during this time so we were also able to take Maz' mum to a follow up appointment at the hospital in Oxford. Trefor and Mandy continue to bless us with the use of their wonderful home which is only five minutes from where Maz' Mum and Dad live.

not sure who's more worried!

We enjoyed a quick trip up to London and back to meet up with Josh to celebrate his 26th birthday, it was really special to be there to enjoy the day with him and his lovely girlfriend, Haddy (we are so looking forward to spending more time with them next week as we travel with them to France for a week's holiday!)

busy boy....

Trefor and Mandy enjoyed a well earned rest time as they attended the New Wine conference with some friends from the Aylesbury Vale Vineyard church so we were left in charge of the house, horses and a few maintenance jobs which kept us busy whilst they were away. Cara (their youngest daughter) was at home, although she was working away during the days, so it was a new routine for us to be around for the horses to feed, water and let them out into the fields at the correct times. that all sounds a bit stressful but there was only one horse that needed our immediate attention and I think Maz quite enjoyed making friends with the huge beast.

summer fruit picking

We picked the ripe blackcurrants, redcurrants and raspberries which will all be used to top luscious summer deserts during the remainder of the year and although the sun hasn't shone too much we have really enjoyed being outside.

whilst Maz was busy at her Mum's I carried on with some maintenance on the stables, it was quite therapeutic sanding down, preparing and then painting the wood, in fact I spent so much time listening to podcasts and enjoying Test Match Special to hear England soundly beat Australia in the third test that time seemed to fly by.

more food with great people!

As I sit here writing this blog the picture of me taking time to restore the old stables is quite a poignant one for us at the moment, the wood needed to have the old paint stripped back to expose the solid base on which the new paint could be applied, I had to ensure that the paint was applied in large enough quantity so that it seeped into the wood, however not all the old paint or wood was rotten there were some decent patches which would provide a firm foundation to be built upon. looking at that analogy right now that seems to be what's happening to us in this time of sabbatical, we really are allowing

catching up with emma (again)

God time to strip us back to the firmer foundations of our lives and our faith so that we can once again be built upon, or receive a new coat on which we are confident to move into the new season in full protection. I just hope that I was ruthless enough with the stables to ensure that the new paint will last for some years to come!

Mel in England

We enjoyed meeting up with Emma Podmore (twice in a few weeks as she returned again to attend her beloved Granddad's funeral), Rob and Emily and also Mel Kidd who were all over enjoying some much needed down time from their time of giving at the Village of Hope/Thembalitsha Foundation. it was good to see all of them face to face, listen to their stories and bless them as they return to serve the least, last and the lost.

Dad at a wet Silverstone

and finally for now I spent a couple of days, one very wet and the other not so bad, at the Silverstone Classic25 motor racing event which was a celebration of classic racing with literally hundreds of classic single seater, touring car and Group C Le Mans cars being driven at break neck speeds around the full Grand Prix circuit on which Lewis Hamilton won the latest Formula One Grand Prix a week before. the cars worth millions of pounds provided two full days of quality racing and it was great to see some of the cars that shaped my childhood and it rekindled a love of a sport that is close to my heart.

full grid of 1970's and 1980's F1 Grand Prix cars (amazing)

so as we finish typing this post we are expectant on the next steps of our lives, living without support or current direction but trusting God to show us His path that we are eager to follow but in His timing and not mans!

why the silence?

honor with some of her dedication presents

as you may have noticed the blog has been a little quiet over the last few weeks and for good reason, all will become clearer during the next few paragraphs of waffle and ramblings which we hope you will enjoy reading.

the start of our round trip, which included times of silence, retreat and generally walking lightly, begin in Bristol where we joined our family to celebrate the life of our dear granddaughter, Honor Wren, at her dedication. it was so wonderful to be able to spend time giving thanks for this precious life and looking to our Father God to guide her steps and the steps of those close to her during the early and formative part of her time her on earth.

our journey across the seas!

after our night stay in Bristol we made the short jump over the wide river Severn into the eighth country on our six month trip, that country being Wales, we English have a love hate relationship with our nearest (nearest to London, the seat of power for the United Kingdom) neighbour, anyways we paid the £6.50 toll to venture over the bridge and entered wild Wales without being pelted with sticks and stones which was a blessing.

busy beaches

our first stop was to find the tiny port in the walled town of Tenby which transports various items to the tiny island of Caldey which sits about three miles off the southern Pembrokeshire coast. after finding the right place we ventured through an ancient gateway down the sandy beach to a movable pier which acts as a daily access point to join around 20 other people who were also going to be spending a week following the rhythm and rule of the Cistercian monks who have a recently (like within the last 100 years) built monastery on an island that has been considered holy since celtic times.

evening sun setting over the light house

we had a real sense of adventure and separateness as we made the 20 minute journey across the clear blue sea, which was full of huge Jellyfish, to the island that we would call home for a week. on leaving Tenby we said goodbye to the modern day trappings of convenience stores, coffee shops, restaurants, minute by minute mobile technology and the noise that can crowd in during our day to day lives and we both took a vow of silence which we tried to adhere to during the length of our stay.

evening sunset over pembrokeshire

upon our arrival we were greeted by brother Titus, an ex racing driver who felt the call to leave the world of speed which had claimed the lives of two of his friends who had become formula one world champions for the Lotus F1 team (the great scot Jim Clarke and the first, and thankfully only, posthumous world champion Jochen Rindt) to a life of peace and stillness on the beautiful Caldey island.

silent space

we had booked into the St Philomean's guesthouse which is run by the monks between April and October each year, however as we made the short walk up from the harbour to the accommodation we became aware that there were going to be too many heads for the amount of beds in the main house. after a couple of hours of shuffling around we were offered a charming chalet which was fitted out with two single beds, a tiny sitting room and fully equipped kitchen which was ultimately redundant due to our meals being catered for at the guesthouse, however the peace and space away from everyone that this offered us was a true blessing and one which we thank God for as His hand of provision to us extended once again.

the monastery 

the whole feel of the place was very open and we could participate in as much or as little of the daily rhythm of prayer and services which take place six times a day in the chapel attached to the huge monastery which is home to only a couple of dozen monks, many of whom are quite fail and elderly. we do wonder how much longer the place will continue without some new blood feeling the call to the solitude that this life would offer.

can you spot maz walking along the deserted beach?

I (Tim) found it easier to follow our desired silent retreat as Maz couldn't resist engaging with the others who we joined for meals around a noisy dinner table, although she was very restrained and kept her conversation to the pleasantries of the day, that's not to say that I blanked people but I didn't feel the need to speak out my thanks for passing the butter or opening a door for me, hand signals seemed to suffice.

our chalet next to the monastery 

our days were varied but always included times of solitude of which we found ourselves reading, walking and generally feeling blessed to be able to take some much needed quiet time to settle ourselves before God to seek His face over our next steps. 

I found a delightful little cave set into the cliffs overlooking the Gower peninsular which enabled me to truly get away from the world and each evening after Compline we took a stroll up towards the lighthouse and then towards the west of the island where we managed to watch the sun go down over a wide range of skies. we did also take loads of photos, each blade of grass, stone in a wall or building, creature or bird seemed to offer ample opportunities and we were able to slow down and see God's amazing creation in all it's glory by just being intentional about our steps and how we trod.

artistic shot of the monastery

we know all this seems a little airy fairy but we would really encourage you to visit such a 'thin place' (basically a thin place or thin space is somewhere where it seems easier to engage with our spiritual side, this could be based upon all the prayers that have been sent up from the place for hundreds if not thousands of years) and slow down at least once in your lives.

God seemed happy with our slowness and managed to change the tidies on the day we were due to leave, this meant that the little ferries couldn't launch from the beach in Tenby so we had to spend an extra day and night on the island. this came with the added blessing as the visitors who normally come on day trips to see the monks and stunning scenery were unable to join us, therefore we were able to enjoy the whole island to ourselves!

fruit trees surround our home

on the Saturday morning we had to get up early to catch the only guaranteed boat which would take us back to the mainland and the busyness of daily life, that said we made sure that our coming down was as not as bumpy as it could have been as we had booked a cute gypsy caravan, which was not even big enough to swing a cat in, on a farm a couple of miles outside of Tenby.

no electricity in our tiny dwelling

the caravan was a new build replica but had all the hallmarks of an original, i.e small and dark with a bed taking up one end, a little wood burner and doors opening onto a fully stocked walled garden which hosted a wide range of summer flowers as well as a large greenhouse which we made use of during the chiller evenings and some dreary days. once again reading, walking (to the nearby Pembrokeshire coast), and chatting together was the name of the game and we are happy to say that we fulfilled that task with aplomb.

maz chilling outside our gypsy caravan

William, his mum and the others that live on the site made us feel very welcome but gave us enough space to did enjoy further peace and solitude. we did engage with the gang on Thursday evening where we joined them on their weekly 'gin and tonic' evening which went down rather well and was a tonic from our week of vegetarian dishes and teetotal living with the monks!

an evening of gin and tonic with new friends

we did venture into Tenby on a couple of occasions, enjoying a meal of freshly caught mackerel and a pint or two of locally brewed beer. thankfully contact with the outside world was kept to a minimum but we were mindful of both our daugher-in-law Claire and Maz' Mum who were both very unwell during our time away. in fact Maz is off visiting her Mum as I write this post and we pray that the chemotherapy and further operations will have cured her cancer and that Claire will know the hand of healing on her life.

clouds above ffald-y-brenin

once again the week seemed to rush away with us but it was with excited anticipation that we made our final stop on this section of our adventure at the stunningly beautiful Ffald-y-brenin, a retreat centre set in the Pembroke National Park just an hour north west of Tenby. prior to our visit we had read the book 'the grace outpouring' which reflects the Spirit of the place and the work that God is doing at this wonderfully converted farm which serves to be a blessing to those who visit.

we ended our time in wales with a visit to the cathedral

 city of St Davids, as you may be aware this is little more than a town but the cathedral boasts the tomb of the welsh patron saint and thus makes it a city. (we only posted that to show off a couple of photos taken at this beautiful place)

red house outside the cathedral walls

our long journey back to Buckinghamshire was made all the easier as we stopped off to see Chris, Claire and their children for a couple of hours before spending the evening chatting with our great friend and mentor Mal, thanks to him for keeping us focused during this sabbatical time, which is coming ever so quickly to an end.

the cathedral at st davids

what's next? well watch this space.... and in the mean time we will continue to update the blog with news of meetings and further electronic communication which will hopefully provide some much needed clarity for the journey forward and what we will remember from this special time in Wales is to take things slowly, make the most of each and every moment, have fun, smile and talk only if you really do have something worthwhile to say!

p.s we've updated our reading list if you are interested, see side panel

north east and west and north east and west again....travels around northern ireland

glenariff waterfalls

since leaving sunny England a week last Monday we have been enjoying the wonderful country of Northern Ireland who have been having a mini summer heatwave from the moment we arrived. it's not exactly been bikini on the beach type weather, I've never looked good in a bikini anyway (Tim), however we did buy ourselves a wee BBQ from the local Tesco's and have cooked on it every evening, we did get some looks from the local staff who were surprised that we dared to tempt the sun to disappear however we think it enjoyed our pluck and stuck around a bit longer in fact people have been asking if we might be able to stay on as they have attributed it's appearance with our arrival and are afraid it might leave with us when we fly home.

lough foyle car ferry

that said we're worried that if the sun shone here all the time the place would be a little less green and a little more crowded as the beauty of the place is truly stunning, so we think we'll take the sun with us and leave behind the rain and wind which keeps this grand place the way it is!

Northern Ireland isn't new to me as it was a place that I frequented a lot during my time working in the shopfitting (that's shopfitting not shoplifting) industry so I know the place quite well, however it's funny to return to a familiar place under a different guise, in the late 1990's and then on until we felt the call to give up our 'regular jobs', home, family and friends to set up the Village of Hope, I used to travel all through Ireland, both north and south with my work, however during those times it was a quick visit, complete the job and then return home, and although I did get to meet some great people I never had chance to stop and enjoy the view or the craic with longer chats so this last week has been absolutely amazing and it's been great to show Maz around my old haunts as well.

photo taken at 10.30pm (no enhancing)

one thing that I had forgotten were the little sayings that accompany the Northern Irish accent and its been lovely to listen again to those ditty's that are normal to those living here on this green isle, I hope to use some of those througout this post which we hope you will pick up on, this is meant as a term of endearment and not to make a joke or light of the beauty of they way individuals or even nations speak.

most northerly pub in the whole of Ireland

we've really enjoyed travelling around this wonderful country so we have, our friends Andrew and Margaret not only lent us their house but also their car so we have been able to travel far and wide, hence to title of this post, during the first week we spent three days exploring three different areas, the north coast with it's wild cliffs, including the stunning and somewhat crazy freak of nature, or God's creative hand, that of the Giants Causeway, then we travelled west towards the lakes of Fermanagh popping into visit the little town of Omagh which was hit by a huge terrorist bomb in 1998 two days after I'd left for my summer holiday that year, more of which later, on the third day we ventured east to the Mountains of Mourne which weren't quite as spectacular as we had have hoped to be sure.

panorama at malin head 

all of this travelling was usually done on the tiny back roads which were being used by the very very busy farmers who were making the most of the dry weather to cut their silage so the roads we packed with tractors and their trailers, it was incredible to see the amount of tractors working in the tiny fields, it seemed that they were all out at once which made some maneuvers of the road very challenging so it did.

showjumping at armagh show

over the weekend we joined the throngs of people, mostly families with young children or ladies on horses, with very few men who must have been busy with their tractor work, at the Armagh country show, therefore the ladies on horses weren't out of place, in fact they put on a very good display as we enjoyed watching the show jumping. we also loved the tent full of show poultry, were a little scared of the huge male pigs and fell in love, or at least Maz did, with the cute Alpacas who strutted their stuff in the show ring. we had a grand time but i can safety say that I've done my country show stint for this year.

alpaca and maz

so.......(long pause for no real reason).....

on Sunday we made the short visit to the local vineyard church here in Dungannon so we did and we greeted by a joyful congregation who seemed very pleased so see us, they meet in a local school, which isn't that surprising given the nature of the vineyard church movement who not only seem to have a monopoly on the doughnut consumption of the world but also the use of school halls for their Sunday services, however what was simply wonderful was that this school was a mixed school, meaning that unlike most state schools this accepted both catholic and protestant children and taught them in the same classes.

lake in the mountains of mourne

the topic of the mixed schooling or should we say the predominately segregated schooling that is provided throughout Northern Ireland is one of those difficult subjects to be bought up, this segregation can still be seen, mostly in the poorer areas of most towns with British or Irish flags flying in certain areas as well as curb stones and walls with red, white and blue showing off their support for one side or the other. with a nation and people who seem so friendly, open and welcoming it's still something that we're finding hard to get our heads around, we are well aware that like the issues taking place in South Africa there lays a deep and long set of problems which have led to the current state of affairs however its very hard to comprehend as an 'outsider' and having seen and lived through some of the violence that took place whilst I was working in Omagh way back in 1998 where 29 people lost their lives is something that is hard to understand.

fermanagh lakes

that said great strides seem to be been made and we welcome the steps that have been made to see this wonderful nation come together and live in harmony, it might take another generation, but as in South Africa this generation can greatly influence the past and we continue to see this happen, here, there and all over the world.

around the causeway coast

not content to stay in one place for too long we made the longer trip over the border into the Republic of Ireland where we visited the county of Donegal, famous for its west coast fishing villages and the most northerly part of the whole of Ireland, that of Malin Head. now if like me you listen (or should that be endure) the shipping forecast, which usually interrupts my enjoyment of listening to the cricket on Test Match Special, you we know that Malin Head has a weather station that provides information on the upcoming weather to ensure that the local shipping around the British Isle is kept safe. it was great to visit this promontory and to also enjoy a glass of the black stuff in the most northerly pub in Ireland.

at the giants causeway

we stayed the night in an airbnb home and were hosted by charles and his wife who made us feel very welcome, the area around their home is stunning and with the sun not setting until well after ten o'clock in the evening it was lovely to be able to venture down to the local harbour and watch some dolphins happliy playing and jumping clean out of the water.

walks around the causeway

our journey back to our hub in Dungannon was made via the vehicle ferry across the wide Lough Foyle, one side we were in Eire (or the Republic of Ireland) on the other back in Northern Ireland, where we continued our venture through the glens of Antrim stopping off in Glenariff where we enjoyed a walk up and around some waterfalls in Glenariff Forest Park.

time for another pint?

Margaret's family and friends have made us feel very very welcome with ideas of where to visit, the provision of maps and even a meals out with them on both Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime. it must be said we will miss Ireland but hope to return soon to enjoy some more sunny weather and walks in the beautiful country side.