getting back up to speed

Here's a bit of a news catch up for you after a period of slackness on my part.

Entering into our 3rd year we feel so blessed as a family to be here, whilst still of course, missing you guys. We feel very connected to and protective of the church family at One Way church in Margate, and we now feel they view us in the same way.
We have so much to thank God for here and even through some tough things we have seen the reality of Romans 8v28. Our goals this year for our church family are all expressions of 'being a
family that loves...' ...to pray ...to share the gospel ...to grow in godliness.
Family wise, Rosie has started school and loves it... really loves it! Alys is now in grade 1 but is in a mixed class with grade 2 pupils. This has been a big step for her but she seems to be taking it in her stride. Nathan is starting to express himself a little more these days... but he continues to be very chilled out... just biding his time until he can turn the tables on his sisters!
Alys has taken a fancy to tennis, and is very proud of her pink racquet. This matches her pink ukelele and her pink guitar, and pink bike, roller skates etc etc.
Ali has taken steps to get back into nursing. Despite a squeeze on resources in the health system over here there has been so much support given to her including a team of nurse educators who will work alongside her to help her get up to speed.

Anyway, more to follow!

The credit crunch

After 2 years we now have a credit card... so we can now buy presents over the internet for those folks back home in the exalted category of people who could reasonably expect a pressie from us. As these and other purchases are made we will be cranking up Qantas frequent flyer points... although you probably couldn't class us as frequent flyers... maybe we're wannabe frequent flyers!
I'm looking forward to 10 years time when we may have enough points to fly one of us back over seas!

On the home front we're just about to get the Christmas Tree out for the summer(!) and things are both winding up and winding down on the church and school fronts.

Ambitions in the garden remain high as I try to produce tomatoes, courgettes, lettuce, potatoes, capsicums and chillies as well as the ongiong herb empire which now has basil and lovage! I have also come round to the conviction of not having a petrol lawnmower... but to reduce my carbon size 13 footprint by the acquisition of a push mower! It's a lot more bovver than a hovver... but it's more healthy too... and leads to a tremendous sense of well being... i think!

The Australian government has also just informed anyone with dependant children that they will recieve $1000 per child on Dec 8th. That means no more excuses about getting the garden finished!

Green things

Well folks... we have a garden of sorts. While I haven't been posting on my blogs I have been levelling my land, spreading out topsoil, laying turf and covering our garden beds with copious quantities of gum bark mulch. We also have a fine array of native plants as well as a little fairy garden for our 2 little fairies... (it is unclear whether Nathan will be admitted to that part of the garden - I guess it depends on what sort of day the fairies are having).
Our herb garden continues to surprise us by its resilience to our amatuer gardening skills and we have managed to get a veggie patch up and running with some tomatoes, zucchini and lettuce.
It has been good for us as a family to get on with this. The kiddies now spend much more time outside. I even had to put the trampoline back up. (yes I'm still personally over the weight limit)... now for the deck!!!

Links to the motherland

It was nice catching up again with Wim De Haan who has just spent a while over in the Uk and who is a member of our church family in Kingston. He appreciated the time he and his wife Julie spent at Hook Evangelical Church. Just chatting with him reminded me of you all and of the peculiar ways in which God joins his people together in networks and contexts that you'd never suspect!

We do think of you all often (friends and family in UK) ... and actually we'll be thinking about you all a bit more as my sister has been getting on very well indeed with an absolutely wonderful guy she met here when she was out here visiting in February! It's going to cause one of those slightly weird clash of context things... the New Year bash that my family has... and that we will miss... will now be attended by one of the elders from the church i pastor here in Margate!

God is good!

Any way, feel free to leave a little comment. It's always nice to know people have connected with us from the motherland.