Our first time at Snettisham

This morning we had to take a long drive to the beach, to the village of Snettisham. Fortunately the rain had stopped and the road was not as busy as it is Summer. We were warmly welcomed by everyone and had a good time of worship and fellowship. The church was beautifully decorated and after the service we all enjoyed a welcome cup of coffee while also enjoying the fellowship. The trip home was longer because there was much more traffic. The people were taking advantage if the sunny day and so were no doubt heading for "Sunny Hunny".

Carol service at Hilgay

Tonight we had a free night but as there was a Carol Service at one if the villages, we decided to attend. The service started at 6.30pm and although it had rained today, the rain had stopped so it was not too bad driving there in the dark. The church was full and the selection of carols was good so a good time was had by all. After the service tea and mince pies were enjoyed and after a lovely time of fellowship we eventually made our way home. We took the scenic route so we could enjoy the lights on display at several houses in the neighbourhood. A quick supper and then it will be bed time. Tomorrow will be hectic. We have a service at Downham and after that its Christmas Dinner at the church and then home again for the Queen's message.

Off to the new Sainsbury Mega store

It was our day off so we decided to do the new Sainsbury experience. I had been there once before but it was Douglas' first time and because it was a cold day we knew that we would at least be warm.

We took the bus to Lynn and then caught the Hardwick six bus to Sainsbury. It is very convenient as there is a bus every 20 minutes and the stop is outside the front door of the new shop.

I was impressed by the man who showed drivers where to park

After walking around the shop and buying a new clock radio for me to replace mine that had died, we caught the bus back to the bus station and had lunch at the Chinese restaurant before heading back home again. The bus was full but everyone was chatty so it was a fun ride even though it was the one that came home via Watlington, the scenic route. We will miss all these outings once we are back in SA.

Christmas Decorations

This year we are on our own for Christmas so decided to cut back on the decorations. We have been blessed to receive many cards from members of the congregations and putting out a few decorations of our own has been sufficient to make the place look Christmassy. We are also not exchanging gifts but rather focussing on the greatest gift of all. I have my Elvis and Bing Crosby Christmas CDs to play and have recorded several new and old Christmas movies that we will enjoy over the holiday period. There are some lovely services too that I have programmed to be recorded while we are busy with our own service. We will join the people who are on their own for Christmas dinner at the church and then rush home for the Queen's message. Our last Christmas in the UK so we will enjoy the cold weather and the chocolates that have been on special this week and store up memories for the years to come.

Christingle

Yesterday we had the joy of having the junior section from the local school walk over to the church for their annual Christingle service.

The little ones were so proud of their Christingles and loved the huge Christmas tree in the church.

We are blessed to have wonderful members and the Power point that Ralph put together was fantastic. The Story Teller group took part and Douglas did all the prayers. The children sang their three songs with such enthusiasm and joy that it was infectious and we all left the building with a skip in our steps.

On the way out I noticed that some of the raisins had been eaten and I am sure that by the time they got back to their classrooms there would be no raisins left.

2nd Sunday in Advent

This morning we had a service without communion for a change as we visited one of the village chapels for an Advent service.

 

I was so excited to see all the Nativity scenes on display. These had been brought by an American Supernumerary minister who is a member of the congregation there.

Since our arrival in the UK we have had to get used to Christmas trees in the churches and it was lovely to see these Nativity sets as they reminded us of our set back in SA.

Another Christmas dinner

Today we had another Christmas dinner. This time it was at one of the Care Homes where Douglas meets with the residents every month to have a communion service with them. We parked our car in the train station parking area as we knew we had to make a trip to Cambridge after lunch.

The food was out of this world and the decorations reminded me of picture book illustrations.

We enjoyed the food and Douglas had fun "visiting" with everyone. They all loved seeing him as much as he enjoyed seeing them all. Some were unable to come downstairs so, after lunch, we went to visit the lady who was also born in Pretoria and seemed to have adopted Douglas.

After a lovely half hour of chatting we went downstairs for pudding and then off to the train station to catch the train to Cambridge. This time the trip was uneventful except for the one bus that did not go where we thought it would go so we had a rather long walk in bitterly cold weather.

We managed to catch the special train that only goes as far as Downham so were home by 17h00.

It has started to snow

We are into our fifth year in the UK and still we get excited when we see the snow fall.

This morning I heard a strange shout from the kitchen and went running there in case Douglas was choking only to discover him standing at the kitchen window looking at the snow.

Huge flakes were falling but as it had rained during the night these flakes melted on contact with the ground. After a few minutes they did start to collect on the grass and cars but this did not last long before the rain started again. It was -2 outside so I hope we don't have black ice on the roads when I have to drive to the care home at lunch time.

Our Holiday in Qatar

  We have been back in the UK for two weeks and I have finally found a few moments to look at some of the lovely pictures that Wendy took while we were visiting them in Qatar. Such happy memories looking at the pictures so thought it would be good to share them with you.

There are so many beautiful buildings but most are the same colour, the colour of sand.

I have tried not to include some of the pictures that have been used in previous posts here and on the Lynese Morris blog.

Enjoying watermelon juice at lunch in the Souq.

Walkabout at the Souq

How did they get the chickens to be these colours?

The Eid parade at the Souq

We were taken to many different parts of Doha so we could absorb the different culture found there.

I tried my hand at more professional photography.

Father and Son watching the antics on the water

It was always very hot during the day so the only time we could venture out doors was in the late afternoon. The Park was a popular place as the cherubs could enjoy the equipment there as well as ride on the bikes while the adults followed closely behind to ensure their safety.

After all the activity the cherubs enjoyed their picnic supper in the park before it was time to start the homeward journey.

On another day we went to see some different sights and were impressed by the beauty of this Mosque.

At home, where it was cool because of the air conditioners,  we enjoyed playing card games together.