Pat and Paul's Diary 2009

Back to 2008. Surprise at the end of the year - AA&B were going to spend Christmas with us. More of this later.

Back to 2008. Surprise at the end of the year - Z&T were expecting not one but two. More of this later.

After Christmas AA&B returned to Holland in time for Belinda to start school on 5th January but by then it was clear that the grass was not as green in Holland as they thought and they decided to come back to Blighty. They had not been able to buy a house or get a job and, of course, they didn’t have a house here but if they were to return Belinda needed to have a school place while they were searching for a new home. The Governors of Pyrford Primary School (which all of our children had attended) offered Belinda a place. On 6th a call to Holland conveyed the good news which was relayed to the Dutch school that morning. So on her second day back the school told Belinda it would be her final day. On the 7th she returned with Adrian and on the 8th January she started school here. Good organisation? Annie returned on 13th and all their furniture and other belongings followed to be stored in our garage, covered sideway and annex. The hunt for employment and housing started straight away.

In Holland they are used to snow and Belinda had been skating on their frozen ponds but it was unusual for us to be covered by a blanket of the white stuff – measured in the back garden at 13 inches.

From (even before) the day they came back, house hunting started. What a boon the Web is. House hunting made easy, well, sort of. We went as far south as Eastleigh covering Basingstoke and all stops between. We also looked locally in New Haw, Addlestone and Byfleet from where Belinda might avoid having to go to a fourth school in so  many months but the houses and roads were not as good as they could get further south. And then, as a consequence of falling prices and a little negotiation they found a property in Pyrford just 3 minutes from the school and 6 minutes from us. A late 1950’s bungalow that was tidy but had not been modernised. In a cul-de-sac and with a sizeable garden. More of this story later.

In May we assembled with all the children at Singing in the Rain at Woking Victoria Theatre - tickets bought as a birthday present for their Father. By this time Zuzana was like one of those beautiful sailing ships with a full jib – not long before she was to birth! But it seems there was more than wind in the air as slender Melanie let it be known that she was also with child. We are going to be a grandparent again - as the Lady said. Some of our peer group are already great grandparents and we intend to hang around long enough to emulate them.

Visit to the States

Before we knew of impending grandchildren we had booked a trip to the States at the suggestion of Chris and Bob Randall who had stayed at Blockley in 2000 and 2007.

We flew British Airways, courtesy of Airmiles acquired via Tesco shopping, into Dulles, Washington. Everything for our stay had been booked on the Web which, as mentioned before, makes life so easy. Dulles is 35 miles from Washington but instead of taking a taxi (guess the cost) we caught the local bus at under 10c a mile, starting about 100 yards from arrivals and finishing about 100 yards from our hotel. And on the journey we talked to the natives. Three and a bit days in Washington were packed with visiting great museums and sightseeing – including seeing Mr Obama with his pearly teeth shining through the smoked glass window of his limo. We waved back but the cavalcade of some 30 vehicles swept on so perhaps he didn’t see us too clearly.

Then a train to Williamsburg to be met by the Randalls who drove us to their home in Virginia Beach. Ten days there being looked after wonderfully at home and shown some of the local sights. Bob and Chris also, very generously, lent us their older car so we could go further afield: we were so pleased that we had taken the sat nav with us. One day we went to the field where the Wright brothers first flew, just south of the town of Kittyhawk. On another we were taken round the naval base at Norfolk by a retired Captain – the world’s largest, which meant it also had the largest ships.

We also went to the Shenandoah national park but it was closed in by rain and fog and we saw nothing either side of a night’s stay on the Skyline. Next day we went caving at Luray: at least it was dry in there, although some of the stalactites hang over water.

We hired a car to drive to Philadelphia, the most murderous city in the States, formerly the capital of the Federation. The drive started with the 26 mile long bridge and tunnel across the Chesapeake estuary. It was an unusual experience to be driving along with nothing but water either side and then to see a massive oil tanker crossing the road straight ahead as we approached at 60mph. Thankfully someone had thought about it before – the road was rapidly swallowed by a tunnel which took us under the ship and up the other side. We didn’t see – or perhaps recognise – any criminals in Philadelphia but some police equipped with quite sporty looking bicycles would be able to give chase without being impeded by the traffic.

From Philadelphia to Boston by train. Until we were well north east of New York the view from the train was disappointing consisting of miles of decrepit industrial estates, shabby housing and derelict sites. It probably wasn’t as bad as that but we had been looking forward to seeing a beautiful American countryside. Three days in Boston following Paul Revere and looking up a few other people who took a dim view of His Majesty King George lll and his taxes. In our day it is sometimes suggested that politicians might be out of touch – clearly nothing new about that.

On 18th June we flew into JFK New York. A shuttle bus that delivered people to homes and hotels took us to the pier. The pier on the Hudson river close to where Chesley Sullengerger ditched his plane. We used the ferries that would have been involved in that rescue to reach our hotel on the other side, accommodation being much cheaper in Jersey City than Manhattan. We saw the sights, went to the Guggenheim and the Met, walked in Central Park, went up the Rockerfeller and visited St John the Divine the sixth biggest cathedral in the world. Pat sat on a deck chair in the middle of Broadway.

All the time we kept our eye on the e-mail. Sunday 21st June the message came through that the twins, Lucie and Max had been born on 20th and, along with Zuzana, were well and healthy. Hallelujah.

But it was all too much for Timothy.

On our final day we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and then collected our stuff from the hotel reception where we were told that we would miss our ten thirty flight because we had not left before 6 o’clock. They wanted to call us a taxi to crawl through New York’s rush hour and on the 13 miles to JFK. We stuck to our internet conceived plan, took the ferry, the metro and the air train and were at JFK with more than 2 hours to spare. So much for expert local advice. We were pleased to have visited the big Apple but it will not be high on our list for a return trip. Before reading on you may care to see further Stateside pics, including Pat sitting in the middle of Broadway. Just click.

Church Universal

As well as joining a weekday noon Eucharist in the crypt of Washington Cathedral we worshipped at a different church for each of the four Sundays we were Stateside. A varied but very good experience. In Washington (Arlington actually) we went to a Methodist church. It was Pentecost but neither that feast nor the Holy Spirit were mentioned. There were about 50 in the congregation, the Minister was a woman, the service and the people were very friendly, there was a choir of about 5 – which we had been invited to join because we had arrived early – and an attractively and helpfully appointed prayer room in which we had waited before the service and before anyone else apart from the Minister, turned up. Refreshments followed the service with folk seated at tables of four or six which prevented visitors being left on their own.

The following week we were in Virginia Beach. Many people we talked with over the weeks made mention of their lack of history and how everything was recent. Strange, as the Old Donation church in VB was built in 1639. And it was the second church that was built, the first having fallen into the river. Our service there was an open air Eucharist with perhaps 150 in the congregation. That was followed by a parish lunch and it seemed as though nearly everyone stayed for a great spread. It was wonderful to be among so many friends. We especially liked the welcome table, staffed by warm hearted folk who had large and substantial welcome bags for any newcomer. The bag held a home made loaf and information about the faith and the church. The loaf was very tasty – not sure now but we think it was flavoured with fruit and ginger.

In Philadelphia we went to Christchurch which was another colonial building with box pews and name plates one of which was George Washington and another John Adams the second President. There were two services in the morning and perhaps the second was better attended. There were probably about 50 at our service – there was a coffee or cold drink afterwards just outside the porch: only a few partook and they were too occupied to notice us.

The only church which we had planned to look at before we travelled was the Times Square Church which was founded by David Wilkerson whose life among the New York gangs was chronicled in The Cross and the Switchblade. Wilkerson – who must be not far short of 80 – now lives in Texas and has an itinerant ministry among church leaders. Well we found the church with its neon signs – an old theatre at the junction of Broadway and Times Square, which still has its old fittings and furniture. We arrived 20 minutes before the service and found almost all of perhaps 2000 seats already taken and a 2 deep queue all the way from the gallery to the foyer of people hoping that they could be found a seat or that there would be sufficient standing room. When old age didn’t do anything for us we pleaded ‘first-time-visitors’. It worked; a couple of reserved seats (covered with a gold cloth) were released of the end of a row in the stalls. When the service started the curtains rolled back to reveal a robed choir in excess of 100 singers, a small music group to the side – with the drummer within a glass cloche – and a short double row of ministerial staff on the other side. There was a simple lectern in the centre. The senior Pastor who led the worship was thrilled to announce that there, sitting with them, was David Wilkerson! An Assistant Pastor – a woman – gave the address. Everything was done so well, simply and without any hype or theatricals regardless of the venue. Afterwards we were entertained to coffee and biscuits in a visitors’ lounge and were given a disc of an earlier sermon and a couple of books about the church and the faith. Indeed it was all so good that Pat wanted to go back in the evening which was a special Fathers’ day celebration. Again it was excellent with a variety of high quality presentations. Amazingly, considering the size, there was a real family atmosphere – the family of God which we learned consists of 8000 members in that one congregation with people speaking 100 different languages.

Without a doubt our visit to the other side was a good trip with no hassle. Of course everyone in America is a foreigner and so, for interest sake, we asked a guide at the Statue of Liberty how she would define a foreigner. She first said that she had majored in anthropology and therefore considered it a great question. A foreigner, she said, is anyone who has been in the States for less than two weeks and had a home elsewhere to which they would return. So with three weeks and three days under our belt we were halfway to being native save that we didn’t have our Medicare cards. Interestingly our interlocutrix was a native – a sixteenth part Red Indian (I wonder if that is allowed in this PC world).

What is allowed is our witness that we found everyone we met polite (they called Paul, Sir) helpful and considerate. In three and a half weeks mixing, talking and being caught up in crowds we only heard swearing on three occasions and that just one word each. We learned a little of the culture and now understand why many are an island unto themselves - I am a free man and no person and no authority has the right to tell me what to do. No wonder they are so reluctant to make international agreements as they are often likely to be at some real or imagined cost and so would be said to infringe their 'inalienable' rights.

Zurich and Candalaria kings

Come July we were off to Switzerland for an ICS chaplaincy. Candalaria kings this time, a little village up in the mountains accessed from Speitz on Lake Thun. The population is only 1200. We are allowed to use the Swiss Reformed Church building. Why go to such a small place where there are only likely to be a handful of English visitors? The secret lies ten minutes down the road where there is the only International Scout Centre in the world which itself hosts 1200 people. It is an impressive set up with 53 ground sites and other accommodation in huts and chalets. A few groups (not always Troops) stay two weeks but most for a shorter period, perhaps only three days, which means some were leaving just as we caught up with them. The working language is English but there were no English there as our school holidays hadn’t started. The Centre is run by a Dutch Director and he is the only paid member of staff. Everything else – which includes all the adventure training – is carried out by 70 short term volunteers whose average age is probably no more than 23. They have an infectious enthusiasm, are extremely hard working, skilled in a wide range of activities and very friendly. Pat had yet another birthday whilst we were there and for a present received a lovely little camera, the first one since a box brownie as a teenager. We still haven’t looked at the manual but even so came home with hundreds of pics.

Before we went up to Candalaria kings we spent three days in Zurich. A lovely city certainly worth another visit. Returning to the hotel on our first night someone shouted across the reception area. We were moved to take a quick look but naturally didn’t recognise the man who was very thin and gaunt but he waved and smiled and approached and then we saw it was our Simon. We had told him we would be at that hotel on that date and had hoped he might catch up with us.

The story is that Simon was made redundant in April and decided that before seeking further work he would take a holiday in the way that Simon does (remember his 3500 mile cycle ride across Canada the previous time he had lost his job?). He had cycled to the Mediterranean and then caught a ferry to Corsica to stroll the length of Europe’s toughest walk, the GR20. Then back to France, a route around Switzerland (that has some hills as well) and then the little ride to a cross channel ferry in time to get to New Wine. When we got to Zurich he was a hour’s train journey north of us so he put his bike on board and made for a camp site on the lake in Zurich. Bit of a wimp really – fancy not cycling back to us, anyone can go by train. We had a good time together. Sunday evening we went to an international church with the service conducted in English which wasn’t the first language of anyone who took part! Afterwards refreshments consisted of ice cream and the question was raised as to who had won Wimbledon that afternoon. One chap phoned home and prepared to announce the result. He looked very pleased, his countryman had won an epic encounter. The tension mounted when he let it be known that he had dual nationality – Swiss and American. Federer or Roddick? The score first, 16 games to 14 in the fifth set. A raspberry ripple of excitement as we learned that Federer had done it again.

Although we had flown internally and in and out of the States and now to Zurich Pat had not, as is here usual wont, been taken on one side by airport security. She tried to return things to normality when we left Zurich by taking a flash photo in a security area of the airport. It was not appreciated but rather than stamping on the camera we were just asked to delete the frame and allowed to board the plane. See the Scouts, the village and the mountains at Candalaria kings.

TOTALLED

When Adrian took off for Holland he had sold his car, J500 APB, a Skoda Octavia in very good nick, to Simon. When Adrian returned from his short excursion, tight on funds and with no job in prospect, he bought Simon’s old banger at which the market had looked askance with even the scrap dealer hardly enthusiastic. With Simon off on his grand tour Adrian kindly offered to look after the Skoda – and promptly totalled it (or, for those who don’t watch Top Gear the activities of which perhaps Adrian was trying to emulate, he wrote it off). Much damage to car, some damage to tree and no damage to Adrian or the deer he claimed he was avoiding. It all turned out well as Simon received several hundred pounds more from the Insurance company than he had paid for it. And Simon, being out of work, couldn’t afford to run a car anyway.

The Abbey

Back to Westminster Abbey again at the end of July. We’ve been there 5 of the last 6 years and the missing one was when we had to call off because of cancer but they now have more than enough volunteers so we will not go in 2010. This year we had 13 people from the parish visit. They had a very good tour laid on, had tea in ‘our’ garden and stayed for Evensong sung by a choir from Dallas with, of course, reserved seats in the quire. Apart from a little walking around we went to see Shall We Dance at Sadlers Wells – a show built around Rodgers songs.

Boltons

At the beginning of September Adrian and family moved into their new home in Boltons Close. The plan had been to move at the beginning of the school holidays but we couldn’t execute the work according to the given schedule. Adrian had got back with the Post Office after a couple of months of applications, interviews and rejections by many companies and Annie had taken up again with care work in the evenings for a Knaphill firm and cleaning services in Pyrford during the day – on her own account. Full time work on their part and the States and Switzerland on ours meant that labour was sometimes scarce, hence the delay. The bungalow now has new double glazing, a partially renewed roof, and a new heating system. Sixty years in layers of paint and wallpaper was removed and replaced after much necessary patching. Every room has been given coving, all the ceilings and every door repainted, all the walls hung with paper, the old back boiler removed and the chimney breast and all pipe work damage made good and one floor relaid together with the main bedroom being improved by a new wall with space from a hall cupboard taken to allow a shower unit just as soon as the money is available to renew the bath room. A lot of work but well worth it. The only snag is that we still have over 40 boxes in our garage, possessions for which they have no room. At the moment they have resisted the temptation to fill the very spacious loft but our sunshine van is paying the price, having been left out in the cold for lack of garage space.

Tenerife and La Gomera

Home again

Since returning in October nothing very exciting has happened. The children all come from time to time with Melanie taking up more and more room and looking forward to giving birth to Lola in early January. Timothy and Zuzana have building works planned and Zuzana and the twins will stay in Prague for three months while the work is done. Who knows, maybe our little boy will come back to Fosters during that time. The twins are now 6 months old. With thousands of pictures being taken it is problematical to get them in chronological order but will you know if they are misplaced?

Here are some thumbprints - much bigger than the babies' thumbprints. Click here for the rest of the gallery

Friends from Wales, Dick and Kath, invited us to their golden wedding anniversary. The only just beat us to the nuptials but after that showed us a clean pair of heals - not that we knew them at the time. They now have about 15 grandchildren (it's probably an exact number but that info is not to hand) and many of those are of the age to produce another generation.

Christmas 2009

And so we move on to Christmas and are reminded of last year. We, and Simon with us, had arranged to help on Christmas Day in the Besom Christmas lunch at the Good Shepherd. We had made these arrangements, which also meant not getting in food for ourselves, before we heard that Annie, Adie and Belinda were coming back. They steamed into Harwich (or should it be dieseled?) on Christmas Eve and arrived at the end of Pyrford Heath in time to see us on our way to church to prepare vegetables for the next day. On Christmas Day we all lunched together at church. Besom is a Christian charity seeking the welfare of many who find life tough. Together with helpers I think we were about 80 sitting down to lunch, being entertained and receiving presents. Besom is not based at our Church and this year the lunch is being held at Christchurch with their congregation supplying the helpers.

Healthwise the medics are giving us both a clean bill of health, Pat has now passed the three year mark since her breast cancer and Paul is now two years on from the end of his treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was given a 50% chance of not reaching 5 years and of those that fall by the wayside it seems that 90% drop out in the first two years so turning that into positive figures it suggests we are doing well and the marks he gets from the fitness centre are quite high. On the other hand Pat tends to get out of breath if she walks quickly to the fitness centre – and it is only situated in our fifth bedroom.

At the end of last year’s diary we made mention of a little phrase that helped us to remember our blessing as God’s children. ‘Give me love, give me grace and a smile on my face’. We now have two more ideas that we try to remember throughout the day and when we meet people. The first is simply a silent, ‘Jesus loves you’. The second came from one of Paul’s sermons based on verses from Ephesians. Chapter 5 verse 1 says, ‘be imitators of God and love as Christ loves you’. We were thinking of all the false claims to being the real product and specially selected Nike as a name that is dishonestly claimed by inferior goods. Now every time we see a Nike garment (real or not) we say, ‘I am a (genuine) imitator of God and aim to love as Christ loves us’.

Christmas approaches. I read a sermon by John Bell of Iona. He said Advent and Christmas was about old people, not children - Zechariah and Elizabeth, Anna and Simeon and, if you want to go on a bit, the Wise Men. Christmas, the coming of the infant king, looks not for a short term knee jerk reaction but for a considered response. The claim of the Gospel is that he came for us, to reconcile us to God. Praise be. And a happy Christmas.