97. Another outing.

Yesterday was our Day Off so we decided to go on an outing. We caught the train to Kings Lynn and then the bus to Yarmouth. It was a long journey because it was "Hou still alle stasies" so that meant we did not take the direct route. It was interesting to see the different towns and villages and the field of red poppies and other flowers were a sight to see. We had seats in the top section of the Double Decker bus so had a good view. The trip took two and a half hours but was well worth it. Yarmouth reminds me of Durban in the old days when I was a little girl and we used to spend our summer holidays there. There were arcades with Fun Fairs and rides for everyone. There were even donkey rides along the beach. It is not yet high season so there were not crowds of people but it was good to walk along the malls and see all the different shops and stalls. To my delight we found three "Pound Stores" and Douglas was thrilled to discover that the one had his toothpaste that we had not been able to find since leaving South Africa, "Mentadent P Granules". I also managed to find the "Nivea Soap" I had been looking for. We went for a long ride along the beach front. Our choice was either a horse drawn carriage (there version of Rickshaws) or a small train with carriages. I am sure knowing Douglas'love of trains you can guess what we took. After lunch we walked back to the town center to catch the bus back to Kings Lynn. The roads were busy so we were delayed but managed to catch the train with minutes to spare. Having had the long sit in the bus I was amazed that I could manage the quick jog to the train station from the bus station. I keep reminding myself that I am over 60 and need to take life at a slower pace but somehow that never happens.

96. Summer time

Being away from South Africa has meant that we have had to get used to the changes in seasons as experienced in the Northern Hemisphere. Where we were in Kwa-Zulu Natal, we did not notice the changes in seasons as much as we notice them here. From having no leaves on many trees we now have an abundance of greenery. driving to the villages one often goes along roads that have a roof of leaves over them as the trees stretch out and hold hands. The flowers too have been amazing. Starting with the Daffodils in Spring and then the Tulips and Dandelions, the Rape in the fields and the little Daisies everywhere and now the Poppies in the fields and Roses in the gardens. What a wonderful sight they have been. Driving along and seeing miles of yellow blooms cannot be described. I cannot get over how quickly the changes happened. One day it was cold with darkness from 16h00 till 08h00 and now its light by 04h30 and stays light till nearly 22h00 and although the wind can be cold at times even the temperatures have improved although I must confess that i was warmer in the Winter months than I have been in the Spring/Summer. The reason is maybe because when one looks out of the window it looks warm and so one dresses accordingly and then when you go out it is actually quite cool while in winter it looks cold so you dress up warmly.

95. Home Alone, Church activities

Eventually the house had to be cleaned, the ironing had to be done, and supplies had to be bought. After the busy weekend I had some time to get started on the Monday but it took more than one day as there were still Church activities that took precedence. I praise God that these activities have helped get me back into a normal frame of mind. At one point I was even beginning to wonder if having the family visit had been such a good idea as I had to start all over again with a big hole in my life. This did not last long as I remembered all the good times we had and that I would never have done without. I am counting the days till Wendy and Owen visit for 2 weeks in July while Brendon is in Australia and then Vera, Bradley and Rachel come at the end of January so there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and in the mean time there are the daily Church activities to keep me busy.
On Saturday there was a "Step Out" for "Action for Children" and Douglas decided he wanted to do the 5 and half mile walk. I took him there and had Me time so could catch up on my Reading and TV watching. On Sunday we had a Fellowship lunch at one of the chapels so that meant Fun and Fellowship with the added bonus of no cooking. Next Saturday we have the "Ope House" here at the manse so that is something to look forward to.

94. Home Alone, Time for Owen to go Home

When Saturday arrived and we had to say "Good-Bye" to Owen and Brendon, once again God intervened and helped me cope with the loss. Douglas took them to Stanstead by train and I attended the Website Training Meeting. This did insure that my mind was fully occupied and that there was no time for misery. God is good. On the Sunday Douglas had 4 services and that too helped as we were so busy we did not have time to think. To crown it all I once again had to negotiate the dreaded round-about in Kings Lynn as the evening service was in the beautiful church St Faiths at Gaywood.

93. Home Alone, A visit to Kings Lynn

We were both very sad when on the Wednesday it came time to say "Good-Bye" to Evelyn and Evangeline but God has been good and so as Brendon was here on business, he took them to Heathrow leaving Owen to console us. What a blessing that was. We had some good quality time with him. He went with us to enjoy a meal at the Social Center at the Church, then he slept while the Grandpa took a funeral and only woke up once we had reached the Crematorium in Kings Lynn. The following day we took the bus to Kings Lynn and sat like a Lord looking out of the bus window and checking all the vehicles that we passed on the way. He was so good it was a pleasure to have him stay with us and he was such a help in our grieving process.He even helped Grandpa water the garden.

92. Home Alone, A visit to Church Farm

Once Owen arrived we went on a second visit to Church Farm. Evangeline had a ball. I am sure she must have remembered it from her Birthday visit. This time she enjoyed touching the rabbits and chickens and playing on the special trampoline for under 4 year olds while the other children jumped. She also enjoyed playing in the hay and in the sand. She loved the big horse. Grandpa took her for a ride on the tractor and trailer. Owen had a different routine so he was rather tired after his long trip from Holland and so he just chased the goats and played on the little tractors before going home for a sleep. The Granny was the taxi driver as we could not all fit into our car and so two trips were needed. It all worked out well as Evangeline was asleep when the first trip to the Farm happened and then Owen needed to sleep so he returned early leaving Evangeline to enjoy a bit longer after her tractor ride. A fun time for everyone. granny was glad that the farm is so close to where we stay.

91. Home alone, the Golden Wedding.

It has been a while since I did any posting so I decided today would be the day that I started again. The Family have left and the house has been cleaned, the ironing done and as Douglas is being "shadowed" by a student this week, I have some free time to myself. There is no excuse so here I am.
When I came to sort out the photos I was horrified to see how long it has been since I got down to doing my Bog entries. I hope you will forgive me if some events are out of sequence.
While the family were still here we were blessed to be invited to share in a Golden Wedding celebration. The service was lovely and the lunch afterwards delicious. Unfortunately Evangeline slept through most of the lunch but I did have some time to share if fellowship with a few people. A very happy occasion it was.