'May it be to me, as you have said...'

Today has been another lovely Christmas in Karachi.

I arrived back after the Midnight Communion, and had a hot chocolate, with a nip of something to keep out the cold, after all the temperature had dropped to about 16 degrees Celcius!!

The this morning it was back to church for the Nativity. The children were wonderful and it was great to see them enjoying themselves as they retold teh Christmas story.

For there, after a quick change, it was to Kathy and Zulfi's once more for drinks and nibbles, Then to Judith and Bunny's for Christmas Lunch. I am very fortunate to keep being invited back. The food is always delicious and the company fantastic. We laugh and sing, well Bunny does and we have a very relaxing, very enjoyable time.

I have spent the last couple of hours calling various places in the UK and passing on my greetings and getting a low down on the current snow situation. I am now going to settle down with a drink and some 'Midlife Christmas' courtesy of Miss Victoria Wood.

One of the most challenging parts of the Christmas Story, for me, are the words above, spoken by Mary to Gabriel, after being told she would be the mother of Jesus.

Mary was probably no more than 14 years old when the angel came to her. She lived in a society where an unmarried mother faced being stoned. Yet when Gabriel outlined God's plan to her, her response was, 'I am the servant of the Lord. May it be to me as you have said.'

I have to be honest, this has not always been my response. There have been times when I have struggled to accept God's will and even time when ihave actively worked against. However, every time I hear Mary's words, I am challenged once again.

My prayer for 2010 is that I might be the servant of the Lord, and be as willing as Mary to accept God's direction of my life.

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you,
scatter the darkness from before your path,
and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;
and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be upon us, and remain with us and those for whom we pray,
this Christmas time and always, Amen.

To Hala and back...

Yesterday, 17 of us made a road trip into interior Sindh. We departed Karachi at 8.30 and set off for the town of Hala, about 4 hours drive. Hala is famous for its pottery, particular blue and white tiles.

We visited the pottery and watched one of the potters working on a hand powered wheel. He made it look so easy and produced six pots in about as many minutes. Faraz, one of our group, was persuaded to have a go, and although it was less 'Generation Game, than had I had a go, it was certainly more difficult than it looked.

Kathy was very excited to find a brick in the yard with her initials on. This was good news for Zulfi as it's Kathy's birthday next week and now he has the present covered!!

From the pottery we went to the bazaar and purchased some traditional Sindi products including a Sindi Topi and Ajrak shawl for me!

After this we more on to the block printers and saw the time and effort required to prepare the Ajrak cloth. All the printing is done by hand and there are 18 processes involved in making the cloth, including at one point, camel dung!!

After a visit to teh shrine a Bhitshah we headed back to the city. We had intended to visit Hyderabad, but when it was reveal that its only attraction was a Pizza Hut, we decided we would rather get back to the city in the light.

today has been most relaxing. Just after 11 I set off to Clippers to place myself in the strong and capable hands of the marvellous Mavis. After a haircut and a shave, Mavis set to and gave me a wonderful head and shoulder massage and facial. Just under 3 hours later I emerged very relaxed and with a face like the baby's proverbially!

I collected fresh bread from the bakery, and after my shower, tucked into a delicious sweetcorn chowder prepared in advance by my own fair hand.

I am now listening to the service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge, being reminded, yet again, of the wonderful news that 'unto us a child is born, and unto a son is given'. That amazing and outrageous news that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.

Jesus, the living word, has dwelt amongst, lived here on Earth, that we might know him and that he might set us free. May you know the love of Christ in your life, this Christmas time and always...

End of term...

It is with much rejoicing that we have reached the end of term! Yesterday was a fun one in school. It was party day in the Primary school they had Santa as their guest of honour. He was not played by me! I pointed out during my first year here, that my natural bonhomie should not be mistaken as festive spirit!

In the Secondary school we had an inter House competition with a variety of events including a quiz, football, table tennis, badminton, chess and bridge. The Vikings were the victors (no pun intended as all our houses are named after warriors) and we passed a very pleasant morning. Sadly, in all the business of the week I forgot to ask anyone to order the doughnuts, so we had to go without!

Last night, I went to Pompeii, not the city in Italy, but the fantastic Italian restaurant here in Karachi. They really do serve the most delicious food and the world's best creme brulee. I went with Andrew, as he was wifeless, Tamkeen having left for Dubai on Monday to spend a few days with her parents. Andrew will collect her on his way through today so they can spend the winter break in England. They are also making plans for next year, and sadly it doesn't include staying in Karachi! Whilst I will miss them dreadfully on a day to day basis, the bonus is that I will hopefully, have a new country to visit, during my far too infrequent holidays!

This next week will see me celebrating my third Christmas in Karachi and I am really looking forward to it. What I love most about being here is that I miss all the materialistic build up that is experienced in the UK.

We have our Carol Service on Sunday evening which is conducted in both English and Urdu and is a great experience. We follow that with a bonfire and barbeque in the cathedral compound, which is a lovely way to spend a Sunday in December! Given the weather reports I suspect there won't be many barbeques back in Blighty this weekend.

Monday and Tuesday will involve washing and ironing and getting ready to leave on Sunday, and probably some preparation for next term. I will also try and squeeze in some Urdu lessons, as I have been very lax over the last few weeks and I really do need to start putting in a little more effort. If I, like the secondary students, had received an Effort and Attainment report from Akhtar on Friday I suspect it would have been D4, and that would have been generous!

Wednesday is Road Trip day! The Keirle-Ali's and various others are boarding a Coaster and driving off towards the horizon. We are heading to Hyderabad and some other places, but at teh moment have no idea where! I will give you more details when I get back.

Christmas Eve will involve, my now traditional, trip to Clippers for a hair cut, facial and massage. This will be followed by a steaming bowl of Sweetcorn Chowder and The Service of Nine Lessons and Carol's from King's College, Cambridge. Then dinner with the Keirle-Ali's and Midnight Communion at the Cathedral. Christmas Day will start with a service at the Cathedral and then I will be joining friends for a meal and celebrations.

Boxing Day will be final preparations for my trip and then drinks and nibbles round at Gill's.

Then early Sunday morning, the wonderful Methab will collect me long before the sun has risen and take me to the airport and Oman Air willing I should arrive in Cairo around 3pm local time. Thomas will leave Manchester that afternoon and Turkish Airways willing should arrive in the early hours of Monday morning. After an evening in Cairo we shall fly down to Luxor and have three nights by the Nile which will include the 'complusory' (it really does say that on our reservation!) New Year Buffet at our hotel. Then back to Karachi in time for school on the 4th January!

Last Thursday, after school, I wandered out of my office onto the playing field and found the secondary boys in the middle of their football practice with Mr Turner the PE teacher. As I stood there, in my short sleeved shirt, on the 17th December with the temperature a very pleasant 20 degrees, a smile came to my lips and I thought once again how much I love being here. I am well aware that Pakistan is by no means perfect!! But at the moment there is no where else on earth I'd rather be...

Poorly, sick not well...

I am writing this from my bed of sickness (well to be pedantic, my chair of sickness). I have been feeling lousy for the last couple of days and finally succumbed this morning and have taken the day off. There is nothing seriously wrong, but school has been like Eyam the last few days, so it is unsurprising that one of the little darlings has given me some of their nasty germs!!

The Christmas season has begun here. On Tuesday, Robert Gibson, British Deputy High Commissioner for Pakistan, played host to the British Women's Association's Christmas Carol Concert. It was a lovely evening with a mixture of carols and Christmas songs. I took part by retelling the Christmas story and the evening was rounded off with mulled wine, sandwiches, Christmas cake and mince pies out on the lawn. By the time I got home I was feeling very nearly Christmassy!

There are now just six school days until the end of term and we are all ready for the break. There are still several things left to do, end of term reports, parent teacher conferences and an Inter House Competition on the last day. Roll on December 18th...

Happy New Year...

Now you might be thinking that this a strange way to open a posting on the 30th November. My reason, is not because I have gone completely barmy(though I am), but because today is the 1st Sunday in Advent and for Anglicans worldwide this is the first day of the church year.

This has led to me putting up my Christmas decorations, a process that took about 90 seconds!! I have arranged my 5 candles to form my Advent crown. I have also placed Mary and Joseph into their positions in the nativity, to await the arrival of the infant Jesus.

Yesterday saw my mother depart back to the UK after four very enjoyable weeks here in Karachi. She has had an absolute ball and has thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her time here. She is already planning her return trip, when she has saved enough for the fare!!

One of the jobs we managed to do whilst mum was here was spend the rest of the money I inherited from my grandmother. Mum and I went with Maria to Afghan carpets and bought a couple of rugs. We were very grateful that Maria was there as she is a whizz at bartering. With her help we managed to reduce the asking price from Rs 104,000/- to Rs69,000/- and, as you can see, I am now the proud owner of two fantastic carpets.

Last week was a busy one at school with meetings regarding parent handbooks and parent involvement in school on Tuesday and Wednesday. These were followed by the PTA Meet and Greet on Thursday. Normally this would have happened early in the year. However, the first couple of weeks of this term was Ramzan and so we waited until after Eid, then sadly there were security concerns and so it was postponed until last Thursday.

There are now only 3 weeks until we finish for Christmas and I am really looking forward to the break. We do need to give a bit of a kick start to the rehearsals for 'Hobson's Choice'. As ever, some of the cast seem reluctant to learn their lines! Also the accents are causing some what of a problem, the lad playing teh Scottish doctor, sounds as if he comes from Mumbai, and the lad playing Willie has a fantastic Tyneside accent, it a real shame that Willie is from Salford...

Introducing the Reverend Michael Pearson...

I am now a clergyman!!

During today's morning service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Karachi, I was ordained Deacon, by the Rt Rev Sadiq Daniel, Bishop of Karachi and Baluchistan. I was also welcome as an honoury member of staff at the cathedral.

It was a wonderful service and I was very touched that many of my friends here in Karachi took the time to be there and support me. It was also very special to be able to have my mum and godson here as well. The service went really well and I am really looking forward to role in the church.

I am really pleased that Thomas has been here, and even more so given the horrendous journey the poor lad had. He left Cairo on Tuesday night, three hours late, which meant that he missed his connection in Doha. Qatar Airway.s first suggestion was that he wait 24 hours and then fly on the next morning. This idea was rejected!! Their alternative suggestion involved Thomas flying to Dubai and picking up the 8am flight and arriving in Karachi only 6 hours later than planned.

This seemed an excellent solution and in fact would fit in well with our plans. So the flight departed on time and Thomas drifted off to sleep. Then, an hour and half into a two hour flight, he awoke to discover that he was heading once again for Dubai!! The reason was high winds here in Karachi meaning that the aircraft could not land.

He finally left Dubai once again at 3.15 and landed safely here at 6.15. Mum and I met him at the airport and then headed straight off to the Country Club. We passed a very pleasant couple of days by the pool. The water looked very inviting but was icy cold and so we were only in for a few minutes, and took refuge in the sauna and steam room.

The rest of the time has been spent shopping, mainly for clothes, as Thomas likes the kurta that are available here as they are very suitable for the Egyptian climate.

After the service, a group of us retired to the Sheraton Hotel for a lovely breakfast and then the three of us came back to the house. We had a game of Super Scrabble (like ordinary Scrabble only with a bigger board and more tiles) and I am pleased to say that I won, and also managed to get out three 7 letter words!!! Then this evening we had dinner with the Ryans which was a lovely way to end what has been a very special day for me.

I am also grateful for all the messages of encouragement I have received from my friends in England, Northern Ireland and Kenya and for all of you who have been praying for me. Please keep it up as I move on with God into this new phase...

A grand day out...

Today was the first day of half term and so we packed up the car, and headed off to Hawkesbay for the day. We were accompanied by Kathy, Zulema and Zayyam and we really did have a grand day. We went to Turtletops and had a couple of hours in the sea playing with the waves, with a delicious lunch thrown in for good measure. It was lovely to be out of the city for a few hours and water was the perfect temperature and the sun was warm but not over powering.

Mum is really enjoying her time here, and is looking forward to getting out a bit more this week, whilst I am on holiday. Her greatest worry is that she is going to put on a hugh amount of weight. She is convinced everyone here is trying to fatten her up!! She is slowly coming round to the realisation, that when you are invited to someone's home they will roll out plenty of food to go with the drink.

Thomas finally has his visa and so Qatar Airlines willing he should arrive here at 5am on Wednesday morning. The three of us will then go to the country club for a couple of nights, before returning to the city in time for my ordination.

I am now getting quite excited at the prospect of becoming a clergyman. On a day to day basis it will not change what I do. I will continue in my work at school and will continue to work at church as a Non Stipendary Minister (NSM). The main difference now, will be that I get ot wear a dog collar, though not one made of leather with studs, as one of my friends suggested...

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Last evening whilst returning from the petrol station, with yet more petrol for the generator, I saw something I had not seen before. In front of me was a guy riding a motorcycle with a pillon passenger. Nothing unusual in that you might think, however, the rider of this bike was not only talking on his mobile phone, but also on another phone he was sending a text message. Only in Pakistan!!

Life is returning to normal after the school closures of the other week. Sadly, there have been further terrorist attacks in Rawalpindi and Peshwar, with further loss of life. The bomb in Peshwar killed many women and children as it was detonated in a market place. The one in Rawalpindi was exploded in front of a hotel. Thankfully, Karachi is still peaceful, but many are wondering when trouble will come here.

School will be closed nest week for half term and we are hoping that after the break, everything can return completely to normal. I do have several things planned for the holiday but more of that in a moment.

On a brighter note, the mothership has landed in Karachi!! My mother arrived on time at 13.55 on Saturday afternoon after having had a very enjoyable flight in business class with Emirates. She had been 'facilitated' from the plane door, to the car park which made her pass through immigration very smoothly.

She has been keeping herself busy since then with some shopping, and lunches out. She has also been to the British Women's Association weekly meeting and she is now part of the team running this year's Christmas Bazaar!!

On Monday, along with Kathy and Zulfi and their children, we are off to the beach for the day. Tuesday after another BWA meeting mother and I will take lunch and have a little light retail theraphy in the afternoon.

Wednesday, should see Thomas arrive from Cairo and then in the afternoon we will all head of the Country Club for a couple of nights of peace and quiet and a little luxury!

Saturday, Thomas and I have an appointment with the marvellous Mavis and her colleagues at Clippers where we will be treated to a few hours of pampering.

Then on Sunday 15th November, I will cease to be a layman, when I am ordained Deacon and become The Reverend Michael Philip Pearson B.Ed(Hons), but you can all still call me Michael!

I am collecting together the necessary paraphanalia of my new condition, and already have my clerical shirt and dog collar and I will be able to collect my cassock from the tailors on the 10th. I am really looking forward to the service and am delighted that mum and Thomas will be here in Karachi to share the day with me. After the service a group of us will be heading to the Sheraton for a breakfast buffet. Then in the evening, the family, ie mum, Thomas, Andrew, Tamkeen and I will be having a celebratory dinner chez Ryan.

After half term we have just five weeks and then we will be on our winter break. After spending my third Christmas in Karachi, I will be heading to Egypt to spend a week with Thomas. Our plan is to fly down from Cairo to Luxor, which will be a new experience for Thomas, and spend a few days in a family run hotel just a few minutes walk from the River Nile. We shall see the new year of 2010 in at a party organised by the hotel, and hopefully a fuluka ride on the Nile.

Until then there is much school work to be done, and so I suppose I should get on with it...

An unexpected day off..

Today is Wednesday and in the normal scheme of things I should be in my office dealing with the results of some recent testing we have done. Unfortunately, school is closed today on the orders of the Provincial Government. This is in response to terrorist attacks in Lahore and Islamabad and a concern that trouble may spread here to Karachi.

At the weekend, the Pakistani Government started an offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, and the terrorists have responded by attacking various targets in Islamabad and Lahore. Yesterday's attack was against the International Islamic University in Islamabad and so the government has decided to close schools. At the momnet we don't know how long this will last. Pakistan is need of much prayer, yours would be appreciated...

News from the east...

We enjoyed a five day celebration of Eid and now school has kicked in with a vengence. All our 'Enrichment Activities' have begun and so I am once again busy with the school production and the school swimming club.

This year's production wil be 'Hobson's Choice' by Harold Brighouse. The students had asked for a comedy after two years of drama, and so I decided on this. I was able to see a production whilst I was in England and when I suggested it 't'committee', they were all very keen.

Auditions were held last week and all the parts were cast. The Production Committee are gather helpers for the backstage work and so it's full steam ahead. I have some ideas for the set which will need to be communicated to Tanveer Carpenter, who I hope will provide us with another excellent set.

The school Swim Team is entered for the Sindh Open which happens in two weeks and so we are training 5 nights a week. When we first started training I thought I'd taken over the Ladies Guild Swim Team!! Thankfully their times are improving and I think we should do ok!

Whilst living here I have been a member of the congregation at Holy Trinity Cathedral and have been part of the preaching team. Over the last few months I have been having discussions with the Bishop regarding ordination. This a question I have visited before and have never felt that the time was right to go forward and be ordained.

The Bishop and I have now had several meetings and discussions and we agreed in principle, before the summer holidays, that I would be ordained Deacon. We have now set a date, 15th November, during the morning service in the cathedral.

Before the service the Bishop and I are going to meet weekly for further discussions of a theological nature. Last Friday we started with an easy one and were discussing the Trinity!

We have choosen November as my mother is visiting for the whole month and so will be here, and Thomas is coming from Egypt as well. Also November is cooler and so more comfortable for the Bishop when he is dressed in full regalia!!!

As the Church of Pakistan is part of the Anglican Communion, my ordination will recognised where ever there are Anglicans, and we have branches everywhere!! The plan will be for me to be Priested at some point in the future, on a date yet to be decided.

I willl continue to work at school at least until the end of my current contract which runs until July 2011 and then who knows?? Thankfully the answer to that question is that God knows, and that is the best situation to be in.

I would value your prayers at this time...

Only in Pakistan...

I have had a couple of those moments, this last week, where one says, 'only in Pakistan'!

The first was whilst shopping for food on Thursday. Many of my readers may know that I am a 'part time vegetarian'. Personally, I have no moral objection to the eating of meat. However, I do have a real issue about how animals raised for meat are treated. I can see no reason, other than financial, for the obscene factory farming that goes on in the UK. This is particularly true in the production of poultry and eggs. Confining 4 or 5 chickens to a cage not much bigger than a microwave, is to my mind obscene and totally unnecessary. In my mind all animals should come under the personal care of Hugh Fernley Whittingstall and live as a good a life as they can before coming to the table.

Imagine my dilemma when I bought eggs at Ebco, to find on the label, not only were they battery eggs, but there were photos and an explanation of the virtues of the said methods of production!! Usually, it is very difficult to find information on the source of meat and eggs in Pakistan, so I avoid eating meat whilst here. It looks now that eggs may also be off the menu!

The second moment came on Saturday. Now, Health and Safety are two words that do not figure largely in the Pakistani vocabulary! After all this is the country where the electrician 'plugs' his extension cable into the wall by inserting two bare wires into the socket on the wall!! So imagine my surprise when I was told on Saturday that I couldn't buy matches at the petrol station, because it was unsafe!!!

Last night was Chand Raat (Moon night) which marked the end of Ramzan and the beginning of three days of Eid. this means that school is now closed until Thursday which is great. Tomorrow, Mr and Mrs Ryan and I am off to the country club for a day by the pool and then they are hosting a brunch at their house on Wednesday.

Saturday saw a select birthday party for Tamkeen (Mrs Ryan), chez nous. It was presents all round as the Ryans presented me with my birthday present, a beautiful Afghani rug and I had bought Tamkeen an earthenware cat from Prague. This was to replace her real cat that had to be rehomed after Andrew developed an allergy to him.

Swimming training starts in earnest on Thursday for the school swim team. A small squad are entered for the Sindh Open in October and we have about 3 weeks to get them up to scratch, so we will be training 5 nights a week. We are also entered for the BSME Inter School Swimming Chamionships, but theses ar enot until April so we have time yet to prepare. One of the jobs ofr these days of is to come up with the trainning schedule so I hade better get on with that.

May I wish all my readers Eid Mubarak...

Here I go again...

I had very similar feelings on landing back here in Karachi, on Monday morning, as I had had when arriving in Manchester. That being a feeling of never having been away! Everything was much as I had left it, and I was welcomed back home by the sound of generators running!!

The other slight inconvenience was that the fridge had given up the ghost, whilst I had been away. Thankfully, a couple visits by the engineer and Mr Habib doing a little shouting the fridge is now functioning normally and Biquees is able to fill it with lots of delicious food.

School started back on Wednesday for the staff, and we have a series of meetings and CPD sessions. I have also finished the timetable, which I thought I had done before Wednesday. When I arrived in school I was told that our part time maths teacher had resigned, as her husband had a new job in Jeddah! So it was back to the drawing board. I now have a version that works, and although it's not perfect I am pleased with the outcome.

Friday after school I needed to pop to Clippers for my pre season beauty treatments. I had two very enjoyable hours in the chair, in the capable hands of the marvellous Mavis, and I also discovered that I am part Ferengi!!

I have spent today in my jarmers and it has been nice just to lounge around. Tomorrow will be church followed by a trip to the supermarket to stock up on a few essentials and then finishing getting for Monday morning. The best news is that Ramadan is half way through and that Eid will be in two weeks, so that means school will be closed, it's a hard life being a teacher...

This is your Captain speaking...

I am currently sat in the business class lounge in Abu Dabhi. This is a very pleasant experience as ever, the only down side is that I susposed to be in the air!

All was going very well and then the captain came over the radioto tell us that they had identified a fault. Unfortunately, they were unable to rectify it so we are now waiting for a replacement aircraft from Bangkok!

I am looking on the bright side though, they could have found the fault after take off and we could now be taking an unscheduled dip in the Arabian Sea!!

This now means that I won't arrive in Karachi until 4.30am PST and I have been up since 5 am BST so I am not sure how sleepy I am supposed to be!!

I have heard from those already in Karachi that it has beeen raining again, so there maybe flooding and what is far worse no electricity when I get back!! Welcome Home...

When I look back upon my life...

... it's always with a sense of shame, I've always been the one to blame. So sang the Pet Shop Boys.

I on the other hand,when looking back, only feel shame for some of the things I have done. I would be lying to say otherwise. On this my 39th birthday, I have to be honest and say that there are things in my past of which I am not proud and which I regret with all my heart.

But I can also look back on my life with a sense of thankfulness for all the good thinks that God has given me. I am particularly grateful for this last nine weeks of holiday here in the UK.

A particular verse of scripture has been going round in my head and it is John 10 v10 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.' Now some Christian will interpret this verse to mean that God will give us big houses, large cars and vast fortunes. I am certain that this is not the case.

What I think it means is that, what ever we are doing, we will know the presence of God with us and that he will sustain us and bring us joy in that situation. I have known the fulness of life over these past few weeks, whether travelling in business class, or cooking three meals a day for 60 people for a week. Whether sitting in an expensive restuarant in Prague, or cleaning the loos. God has blessed me greatly in the last few weeks, have had the chance to catch up with my family and friends, some times planned and sometimes by 'accident' by the checkout in Sainsburys or by the milk fridge in Tesco! I've had chance to work, rest and play over this holiday and I am very grateful to God and to all my friends and family for the wonderful time I have had.

I really thankful for all the people that God has brought into my life and the love and support that I receive from them, I am only sorry that I haven't been able to see you all this time, 9 weeks just isn't long enough!!!

The car comes to collect me in just under 7 hours so I had better head to bed and catch a few hours sleep. So what will my 40th year hold, I just don't know but I know a God who does!

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown.
And he replied:
Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.

So let the adventure begin...

The lazy days of summer...

The last couple of days have seen some rather late starts. In fact this morning we didn't get out of bed until after 11 am which is almost unheard of for me, but thanks to the very thick curtains and comfortable beds of the Marriott, sleeping in does not seem to be a problem!

During our concious moments we have been seeing the sights of Prague. As I mentioned in my last update, Wednesday, was spent wandering around the city and included lunch by the river. What I forgot to mention was that with lunch we had a bottle of water, which came in a very nice shaped bottle and tasted like, well, water! You can imagine my surprise when the bill came and I realised we had just paid £6.50 for the water, which was more than I had paid for my rissotto!!

Back across the river we ascended the tower overlooking the Old Town Square, which thanks to the marvels of modern science is equipped with a lift! More ancient monuments should have these facilities in my humble opinion, spiral staitcases being over rated! The views were stunning but sadly the sun was behind the castle which has meant the photos we took were not that great.

Yesterday, we bought tram tickets and headed out of the city to Divorka Sarka, which is a national park containing an open air pool. The sun was very hot which was a blessing as the water was very cold! As not only is the pool unheated but it is feed by a stream that runs down the mountain. Andrew tells me the temperature is similar to the Solent, in October, in which he paddled with his girlfriend Imogen.

After lying in the sun for a couple of hours (minus socks!!) we headed back into the city having committed the cardinal sin of the tourist, by purchasing a drink from McDonalds. Our only defence being we were parched and there really was no alternative.

After dinner on the Old Town Square, we were treated to an hour of classical music by an ensemble from the Prague Royal Orchestra, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and some bits by Mozart!! The Smetana Hall was very imposing and the music was excellent.

After our late start this morning we returned to Prague Castle to 'do' the inside bits. I always find ancient places fascinating from the point of view of the ordinary people. I like to imagine what might have been going on in Prague Castle in say, 1781, which, as far as I know was a fairly ordinary year. Yet the the walls of the Castle and Cathedral have stood for over 600 years and have seen many things in their time, if only they could speak!

Tomorrow is our last full day, though the weather is forecast to change to rain, either way our plan is to hire a pedalo on the river, there will be more news after that, Inshallah...

I must remember I am not in Karachi...

I am typing this sat in Coffee Heaven in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Now my brain knows I am not in the UK, and so I keep thinking that I must be in Karachi. This has two problems, one is that I have answer questions a number of times in Urdu, though this only usually, Ji (yes) or shukrea (thank you), so not a major problem.

The second problem is the bigger one, as it involves currency. The general rule with the Rupee is to divide by 100, so RS500/- is roughly £5. However, to convert Czech Crowns to Sterling requires you to multiply by 4 and then divide by 100, hence 500 Crowns is roughly £20!

Prague is lovely and warm and dry, which is an improvement on Lancaster last week! I was in Lancaster fo rmy second Scripture Union holiday of the summer, THe Great Adventure (TGA) where I am chief caterer. This is my fourth year on TGA and it is great fun. It is very different to SUbmerge as I have a complete different role, but enjoyable just the same. I have to confess that I find providing 60 meals 3 times a day far less stressful than running the programme at SUbmerge. This year my food was so popular that I was awarded a pair of oven gloves signed by all the guests on the last night, which was very kind of them.

Andrew and I are enjoying Prague, we were slightly delayed on our way here, but it didn't cause any real problems for us. On MOnday, we had a wander around the city, including a rathere large detour, on our way to Wenceslas Square, which is a little worrying as he has an AS level in Geography and I teach it!!

For there we continued our wanderings punctuated with stops in various tearooms and bars and with a swim in the hotel pool and a laze in the Jacuzzi.

Today has been more energetic with a 6 hour walking tour around the city, seeing all the highlights of Prague. This also included a trip on the river and luch so we weren't on our feet
for the whole six hours. We have also had another swim in the hotel pool and are now availing ourselves of the free wifi in Coffee Heaven.

Tomorrow, the plan is to go to the open air swimming pool and mix swimming with some sun bathing and reading. Thursday, we have booked tickets to hear the Czech Royal Orchestra, with a programme of Pachabel, Mozart and Vivaldi. We are here until Sunday, so there will be more news to follow...

Fresh Expressions...

I had a great day yesterday, with more new experiences.

I am now the proud owner of an Oyster card and have used on both buses and underground. This again is an everyday experience for thousands of Londoners but I am enjoying the novelty. I can't actually remember the last time I was on a bus, it must now be several years ago. Buses are, in my opinion, something to be avoided in Karachi, both whilst driving and also as a means of transportation!!!

The number 4 bus carried me from the end of Aberdeen Park, all the way to St Paul's and it was then a short walk over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern where I met David. We then went on a wander round the gallery, but I have to confess that we spent more time reminiscing and catching up than we did looking at the artwork, so my knowledge of modern art is not that much greater than it was before I went. Though I do now know that the Futurists were, and I'm quoting, ''a bunch of facist b******s''!

I haven't seen David in 7 years so it was great to catch up and see what he is up to at the moment. He is currently waiting and working for his big break! He has done some set designing for smaller productions in London and is now working freelance on a variety of projects and waiting to make the connections necessary to progress in the theatre world. It was great to have the chance to go back over his time at school and catch up with news on other members of his class. It also reminded me of one of the reasons I love teaching so much. I looked at David and saw a young man brimming with possibilities and I had, if in only a tiny way, contributed to making him the man he is today. It is one of the greatest joys, but also biggest responsibilities, that my job entails.

After a delicious dinner at the British Film Institute we went of to church at St Mary's, Wolnott. This is the church where John Newton wrote Amazing Grace and is currently the home of Moot, which is an experiement in new expressions of church by the Diocese of London. After a week of teaching the guests at SUbmerge that we cannot put God in a box, it was interesting to be with a community of christians that are trying to live that out on a daily basis, trying to find new and different ways to worship God through all their actions and words. They are currently in a state of flux with many exciting possibilities ahead of them, so I will interested to see how their ministry grows.

Today, I will be making my third theatre trip in 5 weeks, as Kirsten and I head of to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria theatre. We are also planning to have dinner in China Town before hand, and if possible I would like ot squeeze in dessert in Hagan Dars in Leicester Square, but in the past it has always been very busy in there.

I am also thinking forward to my trip to Prague in a couple of weeks and was looking yesterday for a church to attend onthe Sunday morning. A little later I overhead a conversation nteh lounge and it turns out that a couple staying here at the Highbury Centre, are members of the International Church of Prague! So I have collected information from them and will hopefully, be joining them due my trip. Just another example of the goodness of God...

New Experiences...

I am glad to report that at nearly 39 there are still new experiences to be had!!

I spent last week at SUbmerge in Salisbury, which is the Scripture Union Camp for 11-14 yaer olds. This is my 19th year as a team member and it was a sobering thought to think that all the guests and some of the team had not even been thought of, when I first joined the team.

I am also sat typing this inthe lounge of the Foreign Missions Club, Highbury, which is where my SU adventures started in May 1991. We used to use the club as a base for our team training, so it is nice to be here again. I would recommend the FMC if you are ever looking for accomodation in London. It is very reasonably priced and has easy access to the city centre, and it even comes with free parking!! It exsists as a place for missionaries to stay when they are here on fulough, but is happy to let rooms to anyone when they have spare capacity. Check it out if you need a place to stay in London www.thehighburycentre.org

SUbmerge this year was fantastic, the guests were amazing and the team were outstanding. As ever it was a tiring week, lots of late nights and early mornings but God was at work and we had a great time. We had a couple of visitors during the week including the Chief Exec of Scripture Union (ie big white chief) and of course he was there when I was leading the session on the last full day! He was very complimentary which was encouraging.

The new experiences that I speak of started yesterday thanks to the directions I was given by the AA routeplanner website!! So fo rthe first time ever I found myself driving through central London. Now I am aware that for many people this is a way of life, but for me, it was something new. Idid get lost a couple of times, but thankfully, Kirsten was on the end of a phone with her A-Z and was able to direct me accordingly. I have to say that I found the driving very easy and it was nice to be able to switch back to Karachi style driving again. ThoughI did have to remember that although cutting people up is required in London, so is stopping at red lights!

After a couple of detours including a short drive in Hyde Park, I successful navigated to HIghbury and had a quick shower and then headed of to Islington High Street to meet James and have some dinner. We strarted in Sampler which has a system by which you can sample a variety of different wines. Sadly, my knowledge of wine is about as extensive as my knowledge of the Ukranian film industry, so it all just tasted of wine to me. That being said, in one of the red wines I did detect the 'overtones of cherry', unfortunately, the 'hint of nutmeg and woodsmoke' completely passsed me by!!

Today I am meeting David, who is one of my ex-pupil, who has just graduated with a 1st in Theatre Design, and he is going to take me on another first, tour around the Tate Modern. Again, my knowledge of modern art is in the same catergory as wine, and Ukranian films, so I am hoping that David can act as my teacher and I will come out filled with a new understanding!!

Then tomorrow after a day of lounging I will be meeting up with Kirsten so that we can head of the to the theatre to see Billy Elliot.

As I wandered along Islington High Street yesterday I thought to myself what a wonderful life I have. I have a job that I love, and it gives me the time and money to enjoy my time away from school. I do know that I am blessed adn I thank God, fo reach of those blessings, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time in the UK. More news later...

Why is it always the radiator...

Since I passed my test in March 1994 I have owned 7 cars, both here in the UK and in Pakistan and out of those 7 fine automobiles all but the first one, has had some sort of problem with the cooling system!! The car I am driving at he moment, kindly provided by Bill and Gwen, has had a trip to see Paul, my mechanic, this week. So it came as no surprise at all when I was told ther ewas a problem with the cooling system. Thankfully, this was only a minor problem with a hose, as opposed to the heater matrix which needed replacing in car number 6 last summer!

I have had a very productive few days. Almost all the things that need doing for SUbmerge have been done, in fact, all that remains is to plan the sessions that I am leading, which I shall do in the next few days.

I had a lovely time in Belfast and was very impressed at the speed in which I was able to get to and from Belfast. On the way there my alarm went off at 5.30am and by 9.30am I was sat on the sofa in their sitting room. The way back was even quicker this time it was sofa to sofa in 3 and half hours!!

We did have a little fun on the Sunday evening. David had gone off to church and about 6pm it started to rain. Katey pointed out the torrent of water pouring down the road in front of the house and we went to the kitchen window to look at the back garden and there was a fair amount of water falling off the garden on to the path. A few minutes later we realised that water was trickling in under the back door. Katey donned her wellies to go and unblock some drains and I went toput on some shorts so that I could start mopping up the water.

When I returned downstairs I was greeted by water seeping in under the front door onto the hall carpet. I spent the next 30 minutes valiantly trying to stop the water from entering the sitting room. I am pleased to report that I was successful and only the hall carpet needed to lifted so that it could dry.

I have just had some texts from Karachi to say that the rains have started and all teh streets are running like rivers!! Andrew tells me that the visibility is about 20 feet and all the drains are blocked!

Tonight is Quiz Night at Stalybridge Congregational Church (my mum's church) and I am in charge, the things we do for our mothers...

It's like I've never been away...

I have been back in the UK for 12 days and have not spent more than 3 days in any one bed!! It's been great being back and catching up with all my friends.

The flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester was fantastic. After a delicious lunch I was able to put my chair in its flat position and have a well earn rest. After my nap I was able to order afternoon tea and enjoy that whilst watching my selection on the video screen.

On arrival at Manchester I was met by a driver with a nice car(no idea what it was, but was very comfortable with lots of gadgets) and he delivered me safely to the Music Box.

Since then I have been flying around the country seeing various friends and enjoying catching up. I have also been able to move my 34 boxes from Dave and Jayne's loft to Meg's garage! The boxes have been reduced in number considerably, mainly by dumping my video collection. I was a hard decision to make, but when I thought about, I don't have a video player and am unlikely ever to own one again. The number of boxes did come as a bit of a surprise as I had forgotten how many had been put up in the loft. It actually took me two trips to Darlington to effect transfer of the total number of boxes.

My time in Darlington was spent planning the programme for SUbmerge with Meg and we are now confident we have aworking document that will be altered and ammended as necessary throughout the week of the holiday.

I had a lovely weekend in Finningley with Neil and Catherine and the family. They all seem very settled and happy in their new parish which was great to see. Neil is throughly enjoying his role as chaplain to Robin Hood Airport which included 'playing' on the fire trucks on Monday helping to put out the practice fires.

Tomorrow is more planning for SUbmerge tomorrow with Andrew and then dinner out with Jonathan to celebrate his new job. Then Saturday morning I am flying off to Belfast for a few days to see David and Katey and whilst there one of the things we will do is go through the menu for SUbmerge. I will also be able to celebrate the glorious 12th once more in the Province remebering the victory of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne.

It is really weird at the moment, as the last 10 months feel like a dream. I know that I have been in Karachi but it really doesn't seem real! Also I slipped back into life here without any problem at all, it really is like I have never been away...

Travelling in style...

I am typing this from the Business Lounge, Terminal 3 of Abu Dhabi airport. I left my apartment just under 7 hours ago and I have about another 12 hours before I arrive at my holiday apartment, a compact and bijou place, above the Music Box in Hyde! My accomodation is courtesy of my wonderful friends Bill and Gwen, who are not only providing me with a home this year, they have also managed to supply a car. I am really blessedand very fortunate to have friends and family that are so supportive and look after me so well.

I have written about Business Class before, but I never get bored of enjoying it. The flight from Karachi was only a couple of hours and the plane was quite small, but still I get excited about reall glasses, steel cutlery and china plates!

The aircraft on the next leg will be much bigger and I am hoping this is the one witht he full length beds, that way I can have a proper nap and arrived all refreshed, to be picked up by my courtsey car.

I have quite a packed schedule over the next 9 weeks, next week for instance I will be sleeping in Hyde, Great Houghton, Darlington and a little place just outside Doncaster, whose name escapes me. I will be catching up with Dave and Jayne, Meg, James and Neil and Catherine, I have a meeting in Durham and tickets to see Evita in Newcastle and that's all before the 6th July!

I also have lots of other things planned but more of that later. I had better go as all the complimentary water I am drinking to keep me hydrated, is now in search of a new home...

It's raining...

It’s raining…

It may seem strange to get exciting about rain, but you see after over 30 years of living in Manchester, where rain is an almost daily occurrence, regardless of the time of year, I do miss the rain. So, when it started raining yesterday I was so excited I actually called my mum to tell her!

However, it’s not all good news; a side effect of rain in Karachi is that the power has gone off. This is something that happens quite regularly here, for two reasons, one, water gets into the system and shorts it out, the other is that KESC switch off the power to stop it shorting out when water gets into the system!!

It was really great this morning not to hear my alarm go off, it didn’t mean that I slept through, but I did get a lie in. Last night was the ‘staff do’ at Lal Qila (Red Fort) which was good fun, with great food.

We had a very busy, but productive last week in school and we managed to get everything done that needed to be done and had an excellent assembly including the final of Frantic Formulae. For the uninitiated, Frantic Formulae is a list of chemical compounds and, against the clock; the students have 2 minutes to convert as many of the names into formulae as the can. The correct answers are then called out, and as the students make an error, they sit down and last person standing is the winner.

Another side effect of the rain was that when I attempted to start the car nothing happened. This required Haider (my latest chowkidar) and a couple of the neighbours managed to bump start me so that I could make my way to Clippers for my end of term beautification. As ever Mavis was great and my head and shoulders massage after my haircut and shave, for the first time involved machines!

I now have 12 hours before Zubair arrives to take me to the airport and I begin my journey to Hyde. I should arrive there about 5pm BST on Saturday. As ever, the thought of packing and travelling fills me with dread, but it is a necessary evil until somebody gets on and invents the Transporter!

I still find it hard to believe that I have been in Karachi for nearly two years, it seems like only a few weeks ago and at eh same time like I have never lived anywhere else.

I have lots planned for the next 9 weeks and, Inshallah, my next post will be from Hyde, wonder if it’s raining yet…

Darkness like a shroud, covered the earth...

Well not quite the whole earth, but most of the Province of Sindh!

At 7pm last night the power went off. Not an usually event in this city. Usually, the power cut lasts about an hour, so about 8pm I was expecting it to come back. However, 8pm cam and went, as did 9pm. At 10pm I went to bed with the generator still running. By 3.30am the petrol ran out, and so I switched to UPS.

The alarm went of as normal at 6.15am and still there was no power. So I toddled off to school, to find that the power cut wasn't local but actually effecting the whole Province. This means that between 20 and 30 million people were without mains electricity for over 12 hours!

Thankfully, the power started to return about 9am and now most of the Province is once again flowing with power!

An interesting note... When I looked on the BBC Website a few minutes ago for a report on the incident I drew a blank. Obviously, the BBC were unable to work in the phrase 'nuclear armed Pakistan' into the report, and hence decided to can it...

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Now it was my turn to preach again this morning, and so I departed my home at 7.45 am and headed for the cathedral. As in previous weeks it was ecclesiastical happy families at the first service, with three clerics and me, to take the service and only three members of the congregation for most of the service.

Then in the time between services Rev Frederick told me that the pianist wasn't going to be there. So our hope for music lay with Kate, one of the parents from school, who also plays in church. So I nipped out of the vestry to see if she had arrived and met her husband, Jeremy and two of their three children coming into church. Unfortunately, their youngest daughter was ill and Kate had stayed at home with her!

When I relayed this information back to the vestry, Rev Frederick was unpertubed and merely informed me that I had been promoted to the role of cantor. If you don't know what a cantor does, his role is to lead the singing!!

Now there may be some of my readers out there, who have never had the chance to stand next to me in church. Believe me, you have missed nothing!! I have many strengths, my good looks, charm and personality! However, I wasn't blessed with the best singing voice in the world but being the trooper that I am I just went for it, and we managed.

The last couple of weeks have been a seemingly endless round of reports and exams which has meant some very long days at school. I am getting really quite tired now and am looking forward to getting on the plane in 13 days time and head for my holiday in the UK.

That being said, my nine weeks away from Karachi, won't all be spent in the UK. In the midst of all the school work I have managed to book a week in Prague in August, which will be my first visit to the Czech Republic. I have heard many great things about the city and I am looking forward to the break and a chance for a holiday.

I have a couple of SU holidays planned for my time in the UK and a trip to Belfast. I also have to move my boxes out of Dave and Jayne's loft as they are going in for a loft conversion. This will give me the chance to go through my stuff one again and I will probably end up reducing it once more and moving it Darlington, to live in Meg's garage.

I will also need to stock up on something I can only get in the UK, like Seabrook salt and vinegar crisps for Tamkeen, and more Angel Delight for me, which reminds me, there is one in the fridge waiting for me at the moment...

I never wanted to be King, Wallis...

So said Edward Fox to Cythia Harris, in the ITV production of 'Edward and Mrs Simpson' when faced with the need to abdicate.

I have had similar feelings to Edward's when considering my new role at school, as 'I never want to be Headteacher'. However, I have not chosen to abdicate and will be headteacher of the Secondary school in September with one slight change.

Our Principal had decided that he would be leaving us at the end of the year, but has realised that he can't live without us and so will be staying after all. This will not change my job as I will still be headteacher of the Secondary school. and all other terms and conditions will remain the same, but we will still have a Principal! I am really pleased as this is the arrangement I have wanted all along.

Apologies for the delay in an update, it has been a combination of too much work and a fairly unstable internet connection of the last week or so.

The external examinations have started in earnest, which means some very long days. Last Thursday, for instance, I didn't leave school until 8pm having arrived at school 13 hours earlier! We are busy doing all the things that the end of the year entails, exams, reports, presentation eveings, etc. All this, and trying to get ready for next year, which means everywhere I look there is something to do.

I have also been very busy with our school swimming team. We have be able, for the first time,to enter a swimming competition, namely the Sindh Sharks Invitational, which was held yesterday. We entered a team of 21 and if I do say so myself we did really well. We came third out of four teams, but we did manage to win several events. It was a good experience for all the swimmers and will help us to prepare for the next event which is the Sindh Open in October.

One useful side effect of the swimming competition is that I have finally found a swimming pool close to the house, which I can use, and so I am hoping to get some much needed exercis

Another concern at the moment is the military action going on in SWAT and its repercussions. The government have started an offensive against the Taliban and this has caused nearly 1.5 million people to flee the area and become Internal Displaced People (IDP's). Many of theses IDP's are heading south and some of them are heading for Sindh.

Most of the IDP's are Pathan and there are already a large number of Pathans here in Karachi and they are fighting with the MQM, who is one of the main political parties in Karachi. The MQM don't want anymore Pathans here in the city and this has led to violence, and some deaths. Please pray.

The temperatures are permanently at the top end of the 30's or bottom end of the 40's all the time and the humidity is making for some very sticky weather. This has resulted in some days requiring three showers a day just to stay comfortable!

Five weeks from now I will, Inshallah, be sitting in the flat over the Music Box enjoying the wonderful British weather and no doubt referencing the inevitable Manchester rain in my first blog...

p.s. Paul get on with your revision!

I love my job...

I have found myself thinking this yet again this week.

As I was walking from the science lab back to my office, the other day, a wave of happiness came over me and I thought 'I love my job'.

Now that's not to say the same wave of happiness passes over me at 6.15 am when my alarm goes off!! It was particularly difficult last week after two weeks off and the clocks being put forward.

Now, I would be the last person to critise the government, but why, oh why have we put the clocks forward again this year. The theory is that we will save energy. The problem is, that most of the energy we use in this country goes on Air Conditioning and the AC is on all day at the moment!!!

The temperature is rising here all the time, in fact my thermometer here has reached 40 degrees celsius for the first time this year!!

The main hassle with the clock going forward is that it has slightly thrown out my body clock. When the alarm goes off it is still dark, and it is not going dark again until just after 8 in the evening. Which means I am struggling to get up and then it gets to bed time before I realise it.

The other thing I have done this week is spend some of my inheritance. When I called mum last week she told that my grandmother had left my sister, my two cousins and myself a small legacy.

Whilst Thomas was here I had already been considering a purchase and ruled it out as too extravegant. We had been into Jafferjees, who sell the most wonderful leather products. I already have a belt from there and Thomas bought himself a wallet last year. We had gone in to look at bags for my new laptop and they really were beautiful, but I couldn't justify the expense. The day after I had the conversation with my mum and it occured to me that some new luggage would be an excellent way to remember my grandmother. So we returned a few days later and purchased not only the laptop bag but also the carry on bag that went with it!! I really will look the part when I travel back to the UK in business class.

I still had some money left so decided that I would like to invest in some artwork. Now I know as much about art as I know about sky diving. So Thomas and I went to a couple of the galleries here in the city, and in the second one we saw a pair of water colours that just capture my attention. So we went away and gave a few days and when we returned I still liked them, so as you can see they are now gracing the walls of my sitting room and each time I look at them I will think of grandma.

This morning I was preaching at the cathedral, and the first service was a little like ecclesiastical happy families as we had at the front, a bishop, a priest, a deacon and a reader! This was made all the more bizarre by the fact that there were only 3 people in the congregation!! I love the Church of Pakistan...

All by myself...

Once again I find myself 'Home Alone'!

Zubair arrived just before 1am this morning to collect Thomas and take him to the airport. As I would not be allowed in the airport building, I declined the journey to the airport and waved him off from the gate.

We have had a very restful week, which was just what we needed. We did do a little sightseeing, by visiting Makhli and Thatta, but mainly we have just enjoyed being together and played a lot of Scrabble (both scoring over 400, in different games) and Cribbage.

Sadly, Monday's trip to thebeach didn't happen as Thomas had eaten something that had disagreed with him and didn't want to be too far from the facilities.

Thankfully, by Tuesday he was fully recovered and so after our excursion into Interior Sindh we booked into the Arabian Sea Country Club for two nights, which was wonderfully relaxing, the Club is about an hour's drive from Karachi, but about a million miles!

Friday took us to Maria's for 'Ande paratha' which is an eggs and bread brunch. After this we went to the markets to do some shopping. We bought scarves and shoes and a couple of other bits and pieces.

Then on Saturday it was a little more shopping and a delicious lunch out and then back here to pack and play a few more hands of Cribbage before it was time for Thomas to leave for the airport.

After two weeks of getting up late and lounging around I am a little concerned at the thought of getting up at 6.15am tomorrow!! Well at least its only 9 days until our next holiday and only 10 weeks until the end of term, how will I survive...

And on the third day He rose again...

Happy Easter to all my readers.

Today Thomas and I have celebrated the Resurrection with the congregation of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Rev Frederick reminded that just as the Risen Jesus met Mary in the garden, he is looking to meet each one of us and calls us by name into his kingdom.

After church we moved across the road to the Avari Towers for a swim and lie by the pool to enjoy the sun and temperatures of 35 degrees. We attempted to ring Thomas' family, who are currently in Skegness, but they were still in bed.

Moving across another road took us to the Marriott Hotel for their Easter Brunch, complete with live rabbits and chicks, which had been dyed all colours of the rainbow! The food, as always, was delicious.

We have spent the afternoon relaxing around the house, with some more Urdu reading practice. I have also been showing Thomas 'Victoria Wood - As Seen on TV' which he has never seen. Though this had made me realise that it was first shown 3 years before he was born!!

This evening we are off to Kathy and Zulfi's for dinner and a game of something. Zulfi wants to try out his dosa making and we are both very willing to be guinea pigs for this!

As I was serving communion this morning I was reminded, not for the first time, of a passage from one of Adrian Plass' books. One of the characters in his 'Diary' series is called Leonard Thynn and he is a recovering alcoholic. During the communion service Adrian looks at Leonard and sees him staring into the chalice, looking at the wine. Adrain describes the scene in his mind, 'there he is looking into the chalice, seeing both the problem and it's solution'

Our lives carry many problems, but I know that the 'solution' lies in the blood of the Lamb. The fact that 'Jesus died and was buried and on the third day rose again' means that I can take all my problems to Him. The problems don't alway disappear but it does make it easier to bear knowing He is here with me.

May the Peace of Risen Christ, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of his love, now and always...

Kicking off your shoes...

After a flight that seemed to go on forever, but was in fact only 5 hours long, 37 tired but happy members of the BOS arrived back at school at 4am on Thursday. We were accompanied from Istanbul by Thomas who had arrived with minutes to spare from the Manchester flight, laden with allsorts of goodies, including my new laptop, on which I am typing this!

He also arrived with Marmite and more Angel Delight to boost my nearly depleted stocks. I am a man of simple tastes!

The trip to Turkey was great fun, and the students were fantastic. It doesn't mean there weren't times when I wanted to strangle one or other of them, but all in all they are good kids and were wonderful representatives of the school.

We saw lots of sights, including Troy, complete with wooden horse. Several Mosques from the Ottoman period and even snow when we ascended the mountain up to a ski resort at Bursa. The kids and some of the staff went up on the ski lift and engaged in a snow ball fight. I sat in the hotel lounge and looked after the iPods whilst sipping hot chocolate!

Thursday was a very leisurely day pottering around the house, popping to Pie in the Sky for lunch and spending 3 hours at Clippers having our hair cut, faces shaved and pampered, and our heads and shoulders massaged. The result being that we noe both have faces as soft as the baby's proverbial!

After such a stressful day, we decided not to cook but instead called Chairman Mao, who sent round some very delicious food from his homeland.

We rose latish on Good Friday and after a breakfast of coffee and croissants we headed to the Cathedral for Three Hours at the Cross. The service was ok but wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and similar yet very different to ones I had been involved in back in the UK.

We had a snack of leftovers Chinese on our return and then Thomas gave me a reading lesson in Urdu. My greatest frustration at the moment with my language learning is that I can't read more than about 10 words in Urdu. So I have set Thomas the challenge of teaching me to read in 10 days!

We then set to reorganising the furniture in the front room, which means that all is very tidied and ordered now, how long this lasts remains to be seen.

Today we are off to Mohatta Palace to see the History of the Tile and then have invited ourselves to tea at Maria's. Maria along with myself and Lubna form the 'Sewing Circle' on a Saturday afternoon, which is a time of sewing, eating and chatting.

This evening we shall be dining at Pompeii which is wonderful Italian restaurant with the world's best Creme Brulee!

Tomorrow it is church in the morning and then to the Avari for a swim and lounge by the pool and then brunch at the Marriott. Monday is a day at the beach and then Tuesday to Thursday it's off to the Country Club for more relaxing and recuperation, a hard life but someone has to do it...

Mera computer xhrab hey...

My extended abscence from my blog has in part been caused by my broken computer. Over the last couple of months, the power connection has been getting more and more dodgey, with the result that it finally gave up the ghost last weekend. I have ordered a new one and all being well it will arrive with Thomas next Thursday when he gets here from England.

I am at the moment in Karachi airport and I am accompanied by 33 students and 3 other members of staff, and we are all on our way to Istanbul in Turkey for a 6 day stay. It is currently 1.30 am and I have been in school since 7am yesterday, though I did manage a couple of hours on the bed between 5 and 7. The flight leaves at 3am and then we go back 3 hours!! We board a coach when we arrive and head up to Gallipoli for the first part of our visit. The itineray promised 'beautiful scenary' , I intend to be looking at the inside of my eyelids!

On our way back we will be joined by Thomas at Istanbul airport and he will return here with us. I am really looking forward to seeing him, and I have planned a variety of activities that will require the minimum of effort. Eating out appears high on the agenda!

Grandma's funeral happened last week and it was really weird to be sat in a Governors meeting, known what was happening back in England. I have spoken to my mum several times and she seems to be coping at the moment. All the arrangements are now sorted, the last one being organising a plaque for the Garden of Remembrance at the Crem. Mum was able to arrange a replacement for my grandfather's plaque which will now bear both their names.

It hasn't quite sunk in for me yet as nothing much has changed, it think it will only be real when I see the plaque when I go to England in the summer.

It has also ben full steam ahead for my new role at school, with lots of meetings and lots of things to sort out. We are trying to recruit new staff, but the situation here is not helping. Sadly, Pakistan only seems to be in the news at the moment when linked with a new act of terror. That being said, if any of you know a maths teacher that fancies a couple of years in Karachi then let me know.

Well there is still another hour or so until our flight, but I had better go and see if I can find our lot, among the 200 or so Pak Army soldiers wandering around. I know our lot can be hard work, but I do feel this is overkill...

A week of changes...

This last week has seen two major changes in my life.

The first is a change in my work life. Our current Principal announced at the beginning of the year that he would not be renewing his contract and moving on to pastures new. This started the search for his replacement with advertisements being place in the British press and culminated in two candidates coming for interview in December.

After the interviews it was felt, that neither candidate was quite what we were looking for and so we started to think outside the box. The final upshot is that we are not filling the Principal’s vacancy and instead we are planning to run both halves of the school, primary and secondary, as more separate entities each with their own Headteacher. So from August 1st 2009 I will Headteacher of the British Overseas School (Secondary).

I am really excited about the future and also a little bit scared!! I know that the change of roles is going to involve a lot of work but I am looking forward to the challenge.

The second is a change in my family life. My sister called me yesterday to tell me that our grandmother had died suddenly a couple of hours earlier. This was a major shock for all the family as although she was in hospital, with a water infection, plans were being made for her to return home. Out of nowhere she had a major stroke and passed away a couple of hours later with my mum and uncle there with her. My other uncle arrived a few minutes later and my aunt was away in France with my cousin, though they have arrived back in Manchester this morning

I spoke to my mum later and she is coping well, though obviously in shock and taken up with all the necessary arrangements. She has told me that I shouldn’t go to the UK for the funeral and so I won’t be. This is one of the hardest things about living so far from home, but being realistic it is such a long way to go. Thankfully, I saw grandma in October when I was home for mum’s 60th birthday. Next week will be difficult though for all of us as Tuesday would have been grandma’s birthday.

In the last few minutes I have received a message from my mum to tell me that my step dad’s aunt has died this morning. Your prayers for me and the family would be gratefully appreciated…

And then there were none...

The rest of February has passed in a blur of rehearsals and other school work. This last week has be ‘Arts Week’ in the secondary school and has gone down extremely well. Monday was opening night and we were treated to ‘An Evening of Poetry, Music and Drama in English, French and Urdu’. Then on Tuesday lunchtime a Spanish café was set up on the lower patio, serving paella and tapas, prepared by Carmen our very own resident Spainard, who is also our Spanish teacher.

On Wednesday, French Cuisine was on offer in the form of croissants and freshly made crepes, whilst we were serenaded by Gallic music. Before and after the café, the dress rehearsal was happening in the Primary Hall and was enjoyed by all of the Key stage 2 pupils, except Year 6, who were in Lahore on a field trip.

Thursday and Friday saw the evening performances of ’And then there were none…’ by Dame Agatha Christie. There have been times over the last couple of weeks when I thought they would never be ready, but I have to say I am very proud of each and ever member of the cast and crew, who put in a sterling performance on each night. On Friday, they did get slightly lost in Act 1, but being the professionals that they are, and following the direction I had given, they made it through to the end of the Act and the audience were none the wiser!!

Also throughout the week an Art Gallery had been set up on the upper patio with a showcase of the students work. There was some outstanding work on display and many of the pieces I would happily display in my own home!

It fair to say that an excellent week was enjoyed by all and that nearly every student in the secondary school contributed in some way to the success.

The winter is definitely over and I have to confess in failing on one of my aims. I had intended not to turn the AC on until at least March; unfortunately, I gave in with only 2 days to go!! The humidity is rising all the time and the temperature is once more in the early 30’s, so it looks like it could be a warm summer. The prophets of doom have already started to predict long power cuts of up to 14 hours in May and June, which would mean some sweaty times ahead!!

I am now looking forward to a couple of trips and a visit. In three weeks I am taking 16 students of a geography field trip to Bahrain, we will be there to compare and contrast the development of Manama to Karachi and also to look at how the coastal environment has affected and been effected by the developments around Manama and Karachi. It has been an interesting teaching geography for the first time it has led to some fascinating discussions with the students and they have shown themselves to be very thought out on many and varied topics.

Then at the beginning of April 32 students and 4 staff are off to Istanbul for 5 nights on this years school visit. We will be looking at the sights and sounds of the city, including crossing from Europe to Asia, by crossing the River Bosphorus. Then on the way home I will be meeting up with Thomas in Istanbul airport and he will be returning with us to Karachi for a ten day visit. This means he will be here for Easter and we will be seeing the sights here in Karachi, including the beach and the country club, roll on the hoidays…

Somebody's turned the heating on again...

Back in mid-November the heating Karachi was switched off, and we entered a very pleasant winter season. The locals started to behave as if they had been transported to Siberia, where as I felt the weather was very reminiscent of summer in Manchester, only with less rain!! At the beginning of this week the heating was turned back on. The humidity is rising and it looks as though winter is over.

Since my last entry, I have been very busy with school, not only with the day to day running and teaching, but also with extra time in for rehearsals and parents evenings, I have been working some 12 hour days and 6 day weeks, so much for the 9-3 life of a teacher!

There has been another visit to the ‘Forth Bridge’ which is the timetable with some further alterations. It really does feel like a never ending job. I’m not sure how they manage in a school with 2000 students, I suspect there are few changes and they will have a computer program to help, I have to rely on my own grey matter, I think I have the advantage!

The school production of ‘And then there were none’ opens on February 25th and we are working hard on being ready. Tanveer carpenter has done a magnificent job on the set and we are waiting for the backdrop to be delivered. We are also trying to get new lighting desk and sound desk installed ready for the production which should allow us to do an even more professional job than last year. This year’s production is far more involved than last year but the cast are rising to the challenge and I am confident that it will be a run away success.

Today is a holiday here in Pakistan, it is Kashmir Day, which is marked to remember Pakistan’s claim on the disputed parts of Kashmir. So I have spent it in my pyjamas watching The West Wing and Hornblower whilst playing Scrabble with people around the world. I have also created a Potato Pie and pickled some onions to go along with it.

I have also had another new experience living here in Karachi. On Monday I received a call from Judith, whom I spent Christmas Day with, to say that I had an admirer!! There was a couple there on Christmas Day and with them was the wife’s sister a lady doctor, and apparently she was quite taken with my charm and personality!! So as is customary here, the brother-in-law contacted Judith and her husband Bunny, to approach me to see if there as any interest on my part! I was a little taken aback, as arranged marriage are not exactly part of the British culture and so I asked Judith to say I was very flattered by the approach but that I wasn’t looking for a wife at the moment. It is nice to know that I can still set the ladies hearts a flutter…

I live in Karachi...

Now that might seem a strange thing to say after 18 months of living here, but I have to admit that every so often I get this sudden realization that I do in fact live in Karachi. I still find it amazing that I have shifted (that’s me picking up Pakistani idiom!) 4500 miles across the globe and now live in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

My last few days in Kenya where great, I had a couple of days when the boys were at school and Paul and Pam were at work. So I settled down with the DVD player and my latest cross stitch project and didn’t get out of my pyjamas! I watched the first series of Spitting Image and was disturbed to find that it was 25 years old which made me feel very old indeed. I also watched ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’ which is a spin off from Dr Who which I really enjoyed.

On Friday Jackie and her parents and I went into Nairobi to visit the Maasi Market and I now the proud owner of two giraffe and four Maasi warriors. From Nairobi we headed to Mitchell’s Tea Farm at Limuru, which was absolutely delightful. We had a short talk on tea growing and how it is harvested and processed and then a gentle stroll round part of the farm followed by a delicious lunch in a very colonial dining room.

Friday evening a made a roast dinner to celebrate my final night with the family and discovered that making good roast potatoes at 7500 feet is not possible. Because liquids boil at a lower temperature at altitude it means that the oil never gets hot enough to get the potatoes really crisp. But that aside I really haven’t lost my touch and roast dinner for 9 was delivered to perfection, if I do say so myself!

The journey home was fine; Dubai airport doesn’t get any better even though they have opened a new terminal for Emirates flights. Like most everything else in Dubai it is dedicated to shopping and there really wasn’t anything worth buying amongst all that glitter. There was one excellent piece of news when I arrived at the gate at Dubai, I had been upgraded to Business Class for my final leg which was most enjoyable, and the lobster was particularly delicious!!

It’s been a busy week since I got back from Kijabe last Sunday. There have been A level exams in school which has meant late finishes on a couple of days. There have also been a lot of meetings and things to organise. We have also lost a member of staff so there are more timetable changes to sort out tomorrow. The timetable sometimes feels like the Forth Bridge, just when I think I have finished I haveto start painting it again!!

This year’s school production is now only 6 weeks away and I am getting just a little bit nervous, in fact I have woken up a couple of time in a cold sweat thinking we will never be ready. We have managed to sort out some of the costumes this week from ones we already have which is great and Tanveer Carpenter should have completed stage one of the set over the weekend, so the show will o on, Inshallah…

Habari

That’s ‘Hello’ in Swahili, and it literally means ‘What’s the news?’ to which the response is Mizuri which means ‘good’. This is always the case even if things are going badly!

I am pleased to report that I have survived my trip into the African interior! We set off on New Year’s Day on the ‘four’ hour drive to Amboseli, Now we left Kijabe later than was planned and we stopped for lunch in Nairobi and took our time over that, but we thought that the drive from Nairobi would take us three hours, we were wrong!!

We left Nairobi just before three and thought we arrive about 6pm just before the park closed, and we would have an hour or so of daylight for the campers to set up. It was nearly half 7 when we finally got there and the park was closed!!! I had worked all this out, about 2 hours earlier and a sense of dread had come over me. If the park was closed then all 9 of us would have to sleep in the two vehicles!!! So I had started to pray, and thankfully God did not want to teach me patience or fortitude and the gate guards where friendly and welcoming and couldn’t do enough for us, for which I was truly grateful!

This did mean, however, there was still another 90 minutes driving to the Banda where I was staying and the campsite where everyone else was staying. So at around 9.30pm I was warming soup and cutting bread in the Banda whilst the gang where erecting three tents in the field! Now when I describe it as a field it is no word of a lie. There was a couple of standpipes and a pit latrine and not a lot else!! I was so grateful I had been willing to owning up to being a wimp and asking for alternative accommodation.

There was another blessing in this as well, as when the vehicles were finally unpacked, the stoves where found to be missing and were assumed to still be in the garage back in Kijabe. Had we not had the Banda we would have had to build a fire for each meal we wanted to cook!

Despite myself I did actual enjoy my time in Amboseli, and on the first night it was amazing to look up and see all the stars in the sky, that are normally blocked either by cloud or the huge amounts of light pollution we have in our modern world.

I joined the others for a couple of game drives over the next two days, one in the afternoon and one setting out at 6.30 am. We saw thousands of animals and it was amazing to have to stop whilst a troupe of elephants crossed the road, large ones, medium sized ones and even little tiny ones!!

They were so majestic and it was awesome to be that close to them in their natural habitat. I didn’t manage to see any lions though some of the others did on the third game drive, but it was a lone lioness and she was a fair way from the land cruiser, so I don’t feel too robbed.

The roads here in Kenya are in many places better than in Karachi, which is good. Though sadly this is not true on the road from Namaga to Amboseli, which is about the last 30 miles of the journey. This is a corrugated road and is exactly like it sounds. It is like drive over corrugated iron roofs for 30 miles, very, very uncomfortable. This also took its toll on both the vehicles! The Pajero sprung a leak in its fuel tank and we had to catch the fuel in a bowl under the car whilst it was parked. Thankfully, it made it safely back to Kijabe, and is waiting for the ministering hands of Justus to bring it back to life. The Land Cruiser also suffered during the return journey where it has either got a hole somewhere in the exhaust or lost a part of the silencer! All in all a great time was had by all 9 of us, but we were relieved to get back to a shower that removed all the dust!!

Monday was spent recovering and I ended up in bed by 9pm as I was totally exhausted. Then today Pam, Jackie (another mum here) and David and Mary (Jackie’s parents, visiting from Poole) went shopping in Nairobi. Now compared to Karachi Nairobi is well off for shopping and I was able to pick up a couple of nice “decoration pieces’ as my Urdu teacher calls them, ‘ornaments’ if you come from ‘t’Bridge’! I also bought some books, including one for school (you see teachers are never really on holiday) and also several grocery items so that I can cook dinner on my last night here on Friday.

The boys have gone back to school today and all the boarders have returned, so Ali didn’t arrive home from school until 7pm, just in time for supper, as he had been playing football with his friends since school finished at 3.15!

The rest of the week will not be too straining and I intend to finish my third book of the holidays before I leave on Friday (I have to its Pam’s book). This is called ‘Salmon fishing in Yemen’ and is really good, in fact I think I might finish it tonight...