The lessons go on.... however recently other matters have interrupted our progress. I made a flying visit back to the UK mid December for the best of reasons; to attend Joanne's Masters graduation. The flights this time went: Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to London. I had to buy a tee shirt at KL, the air-con was so efficient I was freezing! Arriving at Heathrow in the early hours and tubing to Boston Manor was straight forward, however looking at the bus times it looked better to walk the 1 1/2 miles to Hanwell rather than stand for 20 mins in the -2 degrees. Three of the urban fox population were the only ones disturbed in my brisk walk through the deserted streets.
I enjoyed a restful few days in London staying with Carolyn before the graduation, meeting with Richard one evening, and visiting the National Library & The National Gallery, as well as a look at platform 9 and three quarters at King's Cross Station
After these celebrations there we went back to the flat to continue the party until it was time to meet with Richard and Andrea at Browns for Dinner! It's a rare and precious time when we get all three of our children together and with such good things to celebrate! Jon has recently started a new job with the Guardian, Richard has just had a paper published in a scientific journal on top of starting his new job with a London sustainability consultancy, Andrea
has started working as a School Nurse; saying goodbye to shift work! Emma continues to attain good marks in her course and to enjoy the productions of her Musical Theatre company; she has also recently started doing a radio show on Insanity Radio (103.2 fm) with her friend Lewis. It's on a Friday at 12.00 till 2.00, you can get it on radio player if you don't live near Egham. (like most of us!). Joanne's Graduation, however, was our focus that evening and it was a truly memorable day As I am writing this blog Emma is only 800 miles from Bangkok, according to the Eva Airlines web site, she will be with us by about 6.30 pm (Thai time).
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| We toasted absent friends! |
After the excitement of the graduation I drove North for Lancashire. I had various essentials to track down; missing glasses, a tax disc and supposedly redirected post. I was successful in the main, but who knows where my newly repaired specs have ended up (they got broken in an over-enthusiastic hug as we left the UK!)
I made a very brief call to see some old friends at Witton Park, stayed over night with my brother, had lunch with him and my brother-in law and then on to visit neighbours and friends around Higham and Sabden. It was lovely to see everyone even though we've only been away a few months. I preached and led the Carol Service at Sabden Baptist Church and then drove off into the setting sun to return to Thailand.
Once back here it was only a matter of days before Simon, Melanie and Family set off for their first Christmas in the UK for 11 years. We have also rapidly filled up with guests until now we are probably as full as we can get until late Feb. We are really into the Christmas Spirit now here. We took the stable on the roof rack of the Juniper Tree car to erect in the grounds of the Gymkhana club in readiness for the Christmas Pageant that is held each year. Around 2/300 hundred people came to watch the spectacle of various Church dignitaries and children putting on a traditional nativity play under a massive rain tree that grows on the golf course. Paper lanterns hung from the branches, we all held candles and sang our way through the familiar carols and songs of the season. For me, a bunch of marauding angels made the evening, their only competition were the 3 Kings riding some seriously comic cut-out camels. The right blend of gentle humour and participation with the profound truth of the story told made it memorable for many reasons. This group of shepherds were seeing whose candles made the best wax drip shapes!
We had a showing of the Muppets Christmas Carol when a pile of children lay on cushions and the adults sat on sofas enjoying Dickens Christmas classic retold as only the Muppets could! We are having a Christmas Eve carol service and a good number of families have signed up to take part.
Yesterday, Lilly, the Office manager, invited Joan and I to join with the Thai staff who were having a party for Christmas. Lilly was cooking fried fish and we gave the staff their Christmas gifts from the Juniper Tree. I can see why the staff all want lily to cook fried fish! The red grouper fish have fillets cut from them and are fried in tempura; the remaining whole fish are fried separately and the meal is built on top of this, using the body of the fish as a bowl to hold the fiery chilli based sauce and deep fried lemon-grass, kaffir lime leaves and mixed veg. I expected to say grace for the party but didn't expect to play Father Christmas and then give a vote of thanks(in very broken Thai).
I've gone on too long already, more later!
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