We have reached the one week left stage!
I am currently in the middle of The Great Adventure, which is a Scripture Union Holiday for 11-14, held at St Martin's Ampleforth. There are 54 young people and 27 leaders and I am Chief Caterer. Today is the outing day and they have all gone to Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby and I had a couple of hours in bed! The potatoes are in the oven and the chilli made, teh cheesecake is chilling and so there is only the beans to open and that will be tea ready.
I was getting a little concerned that I wouldn't be ready to leave on teh 24th and so I did the only thing a man can do in this position... I sent for my mother! She and Barbara are coming over on Tuesday to help with the 'last push' on the packing and tidying, this means it will all be done in time, they are great slave drivers those two!
It is finally sinkin gin that I am leaving the country and won't be back for a long time. So much willl happen here that I won't be a part of and that saddens me. The team from One UP are meeting and I won't be there because I will be in the air on the way to Karachi. BUt I know that there will be lots of exciting things for me to do when I get there as well.
My friend Andrew is coming out to see in mid October as part of his travels in his Gap year after finishing at Oxford, and it will be fun to be able to play the host to him. Others have also said that they will be coming to see me which will be great.
So I return to Great Houghton on Saturday, and then Sunday I am at Holy Trinity, Stalybridge to preach and attend a bun fight in my honour. Monday more sorting and a trip to Darlington to drop of One UP stuff at Meg's and say goodbye to here and her sister Dot. Tuesday is the last push and a meal with Dave and Jayne, Gary and Jane, Joy and all the kids. Wednesday move out of the house in Great Houghton, move in to Bill and Gwen's. Thursday last minute preparation and then Friday the same, dropp car of at Andrew's get him to drop me of at David and Michelle's and get them to drop me off at the airport and then the adventure really begins... to be continued!
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Friday, 10 August 2007
There's just two weeks until I go!!
The last few days have been busy ones. I have managed to get some mor epaking done, but there is still alot left to do!! I find it really hard to know where to start and also to get motivated, I am after all a bit on the bone idle side...
I spent yesterday in London visiting my godson Thomas, who is on a four week placement with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO). He is reading Spanish and Arabic at Manchester University and leaves for his third year of studies at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, six days after I leave for Karachi. So this will be the last time we get to spend together for a while. He is coming up to Stalybridge for my leaving do, but its not like being on our own.
Thomas is a great young man of whom I inordinately proud. Not only is he a gifted linguist he is also a gifted musician and all round nice guy!! It is highly unlikely that I will ever have children of my own, but I have been very fortunate that I have had Thomas in my life and if I had ever had a son and he had been half the man Thomas is, then I would have been so very proud. I will really miss not seeing him regularly, but in this modern world we should be able to remain in contact...assuming he sticks to his end of the bargain...which I doubt, as he would say of himself that he is useless at keeping in touch!!
We will be seeing each other at New Year when I go to Egypt and we were talking yesterday of a weekend in Dubai before that.
I still have loads to do before I leave in terms of packing and sorting and cleaning the house. I also have 7 days at another SU holiday called The Great Adventure which is being held at Ampleforth College and I will be chief caterere. This means that I will be responsoible for providing 90 meals three times a day! Thats a doddle! I really enjoyed it last year and I found it far easier to be in charge of the kitchen rather than the programme as I am at One UP. It does mean that I only have five days left once the holiday is over!!!
Well tomorrow is the day for sorting out and throwing out so I had better get a good nights sleep and it already neary 11pm...
I spent yesterday in London visiting my godson Thomas, who is on a four week placement with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO). He is reading Spanish and Arabic at Manchester University and leaves for his third year of studies at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, six days after I leave for Karachi. So this will be the last time we get to spend together for a while. He is coming up to Stalybridge for my leaving do, but its not like being on our own.
Thomas is a great young man of whom I inordinately proud. Not only is he a gifted linguist he is also a gifted musician and all round nice guy!! It is highly unlikely that I will ever have children of my own, but I have been very fortunate that I have had Thomas in my life and if I had ever had a son and he had been half the man Thomas is, then I would have been so very proud. I will really miss not seeing him regularly, but in this modern world we should be able to remain in contact...assuming he sticks to his end of the bargain...which I doubt, as he would say of himself that he is useless at keeping in touch!!
We will be seeing each other at New Year when I go to Egypt and we were talking yesterday of a weekend in Dubai before that.
I still have loads to do before I leave in terms of packing and sorting and cleaning the house. I also have 7 days at another SU holiday called The Great Adventure which is being held at Ampleforth College and I will be chief caterere. This means that I will be responsoible for providing 90 meals three times a day! Thats a doddle! I really enjoyed it last year and I found it far easier to be in charge of the kitchen rather than the programme as I am at One UP. It does mean that I only have five days left once the holiday is over!!!
Well tomorrow is the day for sorting out and throwing out so I had better get a good nights sleep and it already neary 11pm...
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
23 Days to go
Last week was a very busy one. I was away with Scripture Union, on the One Up Holiday, which involves 48 11-14 year olds, one boarding school, lots of hard work and and very little sleep!! It was a great week as ever and a great blessing to see so many young people meeting with God.
Sunday saw my last day in the Parish, I preached twice and a 'bun fight' was held in my honour after the evening service, where i was presented with a new wallet, containing £120. This has been turned into a portable hard drive, to download all the details on my desk top. I also plan to buy a new suitcase with remaining money. Leaving the Parish gives me mixed emotions, but on the whole I am looking forward and not back.
Since returning I have just about caught up on my sleep and have been visited by 'Whirlwind Linda', otherwise known as my mother! She and her friend Barbara were here yesterday, to help with the paking and sorting out. The kitchen is now clear of most things and I have homes for most of the things I can't take with me.
The next 23 days involve a variety of things, including a funeral, visiting friends, collecting my visa, a trip to London, another Scripture Union holiday, this time as chief cook, a farewell BBQ with family and a farewell service and party at my home church in Stalybridge! Oh and I need to finish packing and sorting here in Yorkshire!
The move is becoming more real to me now. It struck me particularly when I return hime asfter the SU holiday and found the house partly packed, I really am moving 4 and half thousand miles in just over 3 weeks...
My feelings remain ones of excitment tinged with apprehension, I know that this is the right thing for me but I am still a little apprehensive about what the future holds...but God knows and where he leads I will follow.
Sunday saw my last day in the Parish, I preached twice and a 'bun fight' was held in my honour after the evening service, where i was presented with a new wallet, containing £120. This has been turned into a portable hard drive, to download all the details on my desk top. I also plan to buy a new suitcase with remaining money. Leaving the Parish gives me mixed emotions, but on the whole I am looking forward and not back.
Since returning I have just about caught up on my sleep and have been visited by 'Whirlwind Linda', otherwise known as my mother! She and her friend Barbara were here yesterday, to help with the paking and sorting out. The kitchen is now clear of most things and I have homes for most of the things I can't take with me.
The next 23 days involve a variety of things, including a funeral, visiting friends, collecting my visa, a trip to London, another Scripture Union holiday, this time as chief cook, a farewell BBQ with family and a farewell service and party at my home church in Stalybridge! Oh and I need to finish packing and sorting here in Yorkshire!
The move is becoming more real to me now. It struck me particularly when I return hime asfter the SU holiday and found the house partly packed, I really am moving 4 and half thousand miles in just over 3 weeks...
My feelings remain ones of excitment tinged with apprehension, I know that this is the right thing for me but I am still a little apprehensive about what the future holds...but God knows and where he leads I will follow.
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