From Three to Tree

The Birthday theme continues.

This week it was our second grandson’s turn. Thomas (or TJ) was 3 on Thursday, though he seems to have decided that now every day is his birthday. This may be because last Sunday he had a joint ‘Soft-play’ ‘official birthday’ party with two friends, inviting about 35 guests and eating lots of food.

The birthday theme continued on Thursday (real birthday) with a day out in Cambridge, more cake and more presents.

And why shouldn’t we celebrate our birthdays every day????

It is also the official start of Christmas in Ely this week, with the ceremony to turn on the town’s lights. Of course, as far as the shops are concerned Christmas started about 3 months ago!!! This is a stark contrast with our experience last year in Kisoro when the only Christmas tree was put up in the Diocese offices on Christmas Eve!!!

Watch your wait!!!

One of the problems we have returning from Africa is that any weight we may have lost is quickly regained!!!!!

 Having ate far too much food with our son, David and his wife, Sarah we are now visiting our daughter Rachel’s family. Before leaving Milton Keynes we went to their local Vineyard church where we picked up about 20 knitted dolls that Marilyn has made for the babies at Potters Village. Each comes with a free cuddle!!!!

In Ely we have been enjoying more food!!!

However, we have to find time to catch up with our ‘grand parenting’ duties. Thomas (TJ) is almost 3 and full of energy.  He has been taking grand-dad out for walks to show him the river, the play areas and especially the trains, which there are lots!!!! It is particularly exciting to have to wait at a railway crossing especially when 3 trains come!.

This has left time for Irene to catch up with his almost 1 year old brother, Mark.

In the meantime Malcolm has been catching up with culture. Having gone the previous week to the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle under Lyme to see the play about the Bronte sisters (We are Three Sisters) this week in Cambridge he went to a concert by the singer / song writer Martyn Joseph. Not that Malcolm is a fan - he's only been going to martyn's concerts for the last 25 years, and gets regular newsletters from the supporters' club!!!!!

Winter Tour 2011/12 - a lot of 'young' and some older ladies

In the past week we have travelled from:
- Plymouth to Newcastle under Lyme
- to Birmingham
- to Milton Keynes

with Malcolm taking a couple of diversions to Amersham in order to get the car's brakes repaired.

In Newcastle we went to the sunday service at our old church. Malcolm already knew tht one church member had done her 'elective' year at Mvumi Hospital in Tanzanis where we worked in 2008 and 2009, but we then discovered that another member had done his elective at Kisiizi Hospital in Uganda, where Malcolm had done some work in July and August - a small world indeed. Andy had been a bit bolder as he had gone to Uganda during Idi Amin's dictatorship of terror, and we have heard abouthow soldiers had visited the Hosital to try and intimidate the staff into not holding services in the hospital chapel.

While in Newcastle we:
- took our youngest daughter, Pamela, out for a meal.
- had lunch with malcolm's 'old' Management Team from the Borough Council.

Then off to Birmingham to see Irene's mother and sister Betty.

Next stop - Milton Keynes, and pick up the car from Amersham

Winter Tour 2011/12 - A bunch of pirates?

24 hours flight, 24 hours driving, 1 birthday party, 3 different beds and a brokn car!!!!!

It seems more than a week since we arrived back in the UK. the flight was not as bad as expected despite a 5 hour stop-over in Addis Ababa and we spent a pleasant weekend recovering in Chesham and meeting friends from our church. And then more travelling.

Briefly:

- we had Sunday lunch with our son, David with his wife Sarah and her parents in Smallford, Herts

- we spent 6 nights in Plymouth with our other son, Staphen, wife Lara and grandson Jonah where we celebrated Jonah's 4th birthday, and witnessed Stephen dressing up as a pirate for a Halloween day at the Infant School he is teacher training at

- we have arrived in Newcastle under Lyme to see our youngest daughter Pamela and meet friends from Malcolm's work here.

The one drama is that within 5 miles of leaving Plymouth the brakes on our car seized up with clouds of smoke coming from our front wheel (despite a new brake caliper being fitted 23 months ago) so a 5 hour journey became 10 hours - thank goodness for Recovery services. The silver lining was that because of a major accident on the M5 no-one could tow as on to Newcastle so we have been given a courtesy car.

After couple off days here, Birmingaham, Amersham (to get brakes repaired) and Milto Keynes!!!