Holiday week
This week has been schools holidays. This means not leaping out of bed at 6h30, not being governed by lunchtimes and hometimes, but having FLEXIBILITY !
This week there's also been no FAC activities. So in the Advanced English Group we invented one of our own - a March 1st meal and film. I cooked the best main course that Wales can offer (Lamb stewed with leeks, parnsips, swede and potatoes and lots of onions). Catrin made lots of Welsh Cakes. And we showed "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain." In the end we were about 11 people - just too many for our slow cooker to cope adequately - we were thankful that the kids had gone out bowling !
In addition we went to the cinema together (after the prayer meeting on Tuesday night - who had THAT bright idea) to see Sherlock Holmes in English with English subtitles. It's fine to have Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law being action heros, and Benedict Puddleduck being a geek, but I still miss a more traditional Sherlock Holmes. Still it was good to be out together as a family.
This week also saw a LONG church council meeting. There was lots to discuss but I think we made progress.
This week also saw a visit to a couple who live rather a long way from Bordeaux in the wastelands between Bordeaux and Bergerac - beautiful countryside with small towns where there is almost no Christian witness. One couple we know have settled in their local Catholic church and run Alpha courses with a sympathetic priest. Sometimes there's no alternative to travelling MILES AND MILES AND MILES to get to church.
The man who drylines walls has been drylining our church walls. I had a nice long talk with him on Friday morning - he's a muslim called Mehdi and breaks off from plasterboarding to change his trousers and shoes and rush off to the mosque. I wonder what Mehdi would ask to dryline our living-room walls ? I ought to ask him.
This weekend I am preaching at Cenon tomorrow morning in French and ion the evening in English. Must get on !
This week there's also been no FAC activities. So in the Advanced English Group we invented one of our own - a March 1st meal and film. I cooked the best main course that Wales can offer (Lamb stewed with leeks, parnsips, swede and potatoes and lots of onions). Catrin made lots of Welsh Cakes. And we showed "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain." In the end we were about 11 people - just too many for our slow cooker to cope adequately - we were thankful that the kids had gone out bowling !
In addition we went to the cinema together (after the prayer meeting on Tuesday night - who had THAT bright idea) to see Sherlock Holmes in English with English subtitles. It's fine to have Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law being action heros, and Benedict Puddleduck being a geek, but I still miss a more traditional Sherlock Holmes. Still it was good to be out together as a family.
This week also saw a LONG church council meeting. There was lots to discuss but I think we made progress.
This week also saw a visit to a couple who live rather a long way from Bordeaux in the wastelands between Bordeaux and Bergerac - beautiful countryside with small towns where there is almost no Christian witness. One couple we know have settled in their local Catholic church and run Alpha courses with a sympathetic priest. Sometimes there's no alternative to travelling MILES AND MILES AND MILES to get to church.
The man who drylines walls has been drylining our church walls. I had a nice long talk with him on Friday morning - he's a muslim called Mehdi and breaks off from plasterboarding to change his trousers and shoes and rush off to the mosque. I wonder what Mehdi would ask to dryline our living-room walls ? I ought to ask him.
This weekend I am preaching at Cenon tomorrow morning in French and ion the evening in English. Must get on !
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