Grateful for travelling and for coming home

I was away for a couple of days with work recently, travelled to Newcastle for some training. We were blessed with an amazing view from the room where the training was held, right on the main Newcastle beach. I may have gotten distracted at times....

Grateful for the chance to catch up with Carli, a very old friend who is studying in Newcastle. She put me up at her place and we got to know each other all over again as we saw the sights, had great coffee by the beach, cooked dinner, went out on the town....

But always grateful to be home,

exploring new walks and undiscovered beaches,

spending time with friends...

Throwing birthday parties, BBQ's and enjoying eating outdoors as the weather begins to get milder.

And being inspired by the Watoto children's choir

These children are all orphans, some in the most horrific circumstances, but they have been found by Watoto, a group that house orphans with widows, who would otherwise have to turn to begging or worse and create families, villages and communities. I was overwhelmed by the joy of these children, the healing they show and their passion for life and for God. This picture shows just a tiny bit of their energy as they danced and sang (and tried to get us to join them)

grateful for the garden

Thankful for chickens digging me up some sweet potatoes! I didn't even guess they would be ready. They were orange, decent sized and delicious.

Thankful for getting an egg from every chicken today - four brown and one blue/green (from speckles the bantam)

Thankful for willing teenage hands who were happy to mow the lawn in return for a free feed.

Thankful for the opportunity to invite said hands to church, and even more so that they came!

Thankful for the rain that fell last night (of course watering the garden will always bring that one on :)

Thankful for the bees and wasps, working hard to pollinate my flowers. Looking forward to apricots!

I could go on for so long, the garden is growing, the birds are laying, the fruit is ripening. I just need more time to get it all done. Last sunday I doubled the size of the no dig garden to surround the small walnut tree, need to do another layer on top before it's ready and then looking at planting a lot of my spring veges like beans and corn there. Can't wait to watch it all grow and then to eat it all.

Don't you love this image - Listening to Nature. It's by Rob Ryan who does the most amazing work with papercuts. Drop by and have a look.

Grateful for snow

I am grateful for legs that can take me places I cannot go in a car or a bus.

Places where only footsteps go.

I am grateful for moments of quiet beauty,
where my breath is almost taken away by God's amazing creation,
where I am reminded of how great He is,
and that He loves me.


I am grateful that I have the resources to go and enjoy this.
That I have a great job that is flexible.
That the sun shone...



I am grateful for moments to have fun, and play and laugh
I am grateful for family and friends to share my life with.