tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75904392024-03-10T03:34:40.865+02:00Facing The MountainFinnie Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14422106811132238755noreply@blogger.comBlogger1999125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-36244299887964467812024-03-02T06:47:00.042+02:002024-03-02T07:00:22.961+02:00Haircuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv4l7VFVVBqeA53q1XigXm5pJbqWDydaamJXxapPmdxqiZUWIxzjrSK-e1VOq-rs_oEiLcyv_FPRnPN6UtE6l65cyun1a8V3TK5b0iPBkfiYsh1XQR--9WimiASdCHf0WI-9bxa0CtauDTGfKXF9HGYl1fBUMgzFJk0dpZAD_56UCGkwfh7lXI" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Before & After">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv4l7VFVVBqeA53q1XigXm5pJbqWDydaamJXxapPmdxqiZUWIxzjrSK-e1VOq-rs_oEiLcyv_FPRnPN6UtE6l65cyun1a8V3TK5b0iPBkfiYsh1XQR--9WimiASdCHf0WI-9bxa0CtauDTGfKXF9HGYl1fBUMgzFJk0dpZAD_56UCGkwfh7lXI=w320-h320" width="320" />
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</div><p>It's amazing the difference a good haircut can make one feel about one's self.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>From time to time at <a href="http://www.the-gathering.co.za" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a> we've been blessed to be able to partner with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rem_the_barber/" target="_blank" title="@rem_the_barber">Remi</a>, a local barber who shares our passion for the poor. </p><p>It's hard to convey just how much it means to some of our regulars, knowing that the can get a quality haircut whilst enjoying a cup of soup and all for free. The difference a haircut makes and the confidence one can give is quite remarkable.</p><p>As you can see in this pic, the before and after is quite striking, and this guy left feeling really good about himself, and we feel good because this is the church in action honouring Jesus in sharing his blessings.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thank you L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-11325472276183202712024-02-22T17:19:00.005+02:002024-02-22T17:19:54.268+02:00Firewood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsdwpfhKoro9x02STtea16Dx2MHEjFxUmwqaw2hclVcBX09_z0z8AtgFJ__uSscO2XxhSm6g4vserxDLVsbtrxPfX3yBFJ0eSvjmL7U65ilijkjVgF3qiFG4u3nFcFbsqlaeQICYs253-58hhnZiImeBglFsn3uGdHADYUCkkTy0oQZhd2JVX/s1024/Firewood%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="1000 pieces delivered & stacked"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsdwpfhKoro9x02STtea16Dx2MHEjFxUmwqaw2hclVcBX09_z0z8AtgFJ__uSscO2XxhSm6g4vserxDLVsbtrxPfX3yBFJ0eSvjmL7U65ilijkjVgF3qiFG4u3nFcFbsqlaeQICYs253-58hhnZiImeBglFsn3uGdHADYUCkkTy0oQZhd2JVX/s320/Firewood%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Once again I'm ridiculously excited to get our winter wood pile sorted. The fact that they deliver & stack the wood is an added bonus.<br /></p><p>Here we have 1000 pieces of bluegum, which should see us through winter quite nicely as they disappear in to the wood-burning stove, our only source of heating in the house.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p> In the middle of February it seems inconceivable that we might actually need a fire to keep warm, especially when the current outside temp is in the high 20s, but winter will be arriving soon, and once it's here, we'll be mighty grateful for a dry wood store.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMRkCS5Aqatz70xQTohWTWXLBcbCTUlZVF7Yz4g7HsmJbAWZwD-r4fl4mEX0VtIRjgC9dPHnC9rM424Qhh3hWlZ7ctk98WkctkU6NHTOcaHJsBbxitUKNKTvptZ7foCTYt6Oxdi-0pwnQE5tPu_bSLKIvNcH0xW_WpwB8QCYbED1jvlNZEEcp/s1024/Firewood%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Completed wood pile"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMRkCS5Aqatz70xQTohWTWXLBcbCTUlZVF7Yz4g7HsmJbAWZwD-r4fl4mEX0VtIRjgC9dPHnC9rM424Qhh3hWlZ7ctk98WkctkU6NHTOcaHJsBbxitUKNKTvptZ7foCTYt6Oxdi-0pwnQE5tPu_bSLKIvNcH0xW_WpwB8QCYbED1jvlNZEEcp/s320/Firewood%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There's also something very comforting about having a blazing fire in the wood-burner... <br /><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>Here's our completed wood store, replete with the remainder of last year's wood stacked in front.</p><p></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-48610023758447912202024-02-13T14:54:00.000+02:002024-02-13T14:54:18.338+02:00104 Weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKk4NNZbhhU1glQKbOY4qfEi6sW-vTMMSLhAuE6GiZhpLqshxfArQKz-kg6N1CXIDOvxYqA9mLZ56J_YxeVMnYy_w_JGlD0wSP6WPulT7u8HVBLyUnKW8bdsKz08lXDlTeB3Yztfkvo3SLB9Xsu4XdyfP3nVxr_AR9E6dKueWG_guCijOPgN3B/s940/Vitality%20100.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Vitality 100 club"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="940" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKk4NNZbhhU1glQKbOY4qfEi6sW-vTMMSLhAuE6GiZhpLqshxfArQKz-kg6N1CXIDOvxYqA9mLZ56J_YxeVMnYy_w_JGlD0wSP6WPulT7u8HVBLyUnKW8bdsKz08lXDlTeB3Yztfkvo3SLB9Xsu4XdyfP3nVxr_AR9E6dKueWG_guCijOPgN3B/s320/Vitality%20100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'm quite proud of this achievement.<p></p><p>A few weeks ago I hit 100 consecutive weeks of hitting my Exercise Goals with our healthcare provider.</p><p>Today it got even better as I hit 104 consecutive weeks or two years of hitting my Exercise Goals. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>What this means is that for two years, without missing a single week, I've managed to exercise to a level where my heart rate has hit 70% of my maximum during my exercise sessions.</p><p>For me this has involved either unicycling for at least an hour, or Boxing classes which last just over an hour, three times a week, every week.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVhNSZIqIYXIfZLRedo2K8e_CzeyhB3qnxU32YATPDZGpQi4PB9TQiHz2zaB3Vd2Tkf34aWpSMKZwQNeUTu_eUMf4TwB2bSeX4J-HBhf-tthG5iMA0piYnCGMomrVCfYrBOFSSnGf0ETqn5CmFAzYbib-RA_Gccgz9pogCWt4TbemfX96blVM/s1515/Vitality%20104%20Weeks.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="104 weeks and counting"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVhNSZIqIYXIfZLRedo2K8e_CzeyhB3qnxU32YATPDZGpQi4PB9TQiHz2zaB3Vd2Tkf34aWpSMKZwQNeUTu_eUMf4TwB2bSeX4J-HBhf-tthG5iMA0piYnCGMomrVCfYrBOFSSnGf0ETqn5CmFAzYbib-RA_Gccgz9pogCWt4TbemfX96blVM/s320/Vitality%20104%20Weeks.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>There have been a few weeks where it wasn't possible to exercise as normal, and so when I was in Blighty last year, I took my skipping rope, and met my target using that together with a variety of sit-ups, push-ups, squats etc.<p></p><p>Now on to the 200 club... <br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-26769136157566252772024-02-12T06:45:00.005+02:002024-02-12T06:45:52.951+02:00Defeated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjZtF4Z3kufIEMhNdMa7bzktqG9dNro370HZeHq7MM6zTlRUQ6WlCmi7pWQQOdrTiLMolmqwzG3QKqIJVNASmlJkVFobYJRYJZjimlhC9yepZhPGIN1Z-l_cqC2JAk9v5T0uPJiv7lKp4yscAtx1V0IImjd6JogcTFEL1l3Im_0Uxx_fZkPY8/s1024/Five%20inverters.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Five inverters charging"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjZtF4Z3kufIEMhNdMa7bzktqG9dNro370HZeHq7MM6zTlRUQ6WlCmi7pWQQOdrTiLMolmqwzG3QKqIJVNASmlJkVFobYJRYJZjimlhC9yepZhPGIN1Z-l_cqC2JAk9v5T0uPJiv7lKp4yscAtx1V0IImjd6JogcTFEL1l3Im_0Uxx_fZkPY8/s320/Five%20inverters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By the time our latest bout of Stage 6 <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/search/label/loadshedding" target="_blank" title="loadshedding">loadshedding</a> had finished we had exhausted five inverters of varying capacities, and had to declare a defeat.<p></p><p>Eskom, you won this round!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><br /> <p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-9906039351219993262024-02-11T13:04:00.003+02:002024-02-11T13:04:29.747+02:00Testimony Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTAJfNHwnTyZCj4tPXba85mJRj1hRdVZRvncUep4mNQatEuRb-gp789WZjDvmn9VfrNLuQfMKkmGLp7lFZAIyjDOw7Ocy13XhR-zGvA_I40Ugl5_v60B6Nf3VKWCIozUubdPCpUl509LhgiCpJRtoeAKZyO9AToPJ2osCe5QSzRa3xe_SWF7X/s1024/Testimony%20Sunday.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Testimony Sunday"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTAJfNHwnTyZCj4tPXba85mJRj1hRdVZRvncUep4mNQatEuRb-gp789WZjDvmn9VfrNLuQfMKkmGLp7lFZAIyjDOw7Ocy13XhR-zGvA_I40Ugl5_v60B6Nf3VKWCIozUubdPCpUl509LhgiCpJRtoeAKZyO9AToPJ2osCe5QSzRa3xe_SWF7X/s320/Testimony%20Sunday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Why a Testimony Sunday?<br />Why give a Gathering over to hearing what people have to say?<br /><br />Scripture is rich in God’s people sharing testimony of what God has done and what God is doing in the lives of His people.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Testimony isn’t just about something that happened back in the day, testimony is also about what God is doing in our lives today.<br /><br />Psalm 66 is rich in testimony and exhortation to God’s people to testify…<br />It begins with praise and worship vv1-4<br />For the director of music. A song. A psalm. Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name." <br /><br />Then in v5 the exhortation to testify begins…<br />Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! <br />Followed by amazing testimony of the Exodus in v6…<br />He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot-- come, let us rejoice in him. <br /><br />After a bit more testimony and praise, things take a bit of a turn in verses 11-12…<br />You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. <br /><br />We can all identify with how unpleasant and downright hard life can be at times, and the Psalmist acknowledges this.<br /><br />But despite how bad things got, prison, burdens on our backs and people riding over our heads, in v16 the Psalmist again turns to praising God, sharing testimony and exhorting God’s people to testify to His awesomeness.<br />Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. <br /><br />Testimony Sunday is all about God, what He has done and is doing, and giving the glory back to Him!<br /><br />As Christians, we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:37), we are victorious over the evil one.<br />How are we victors?<br /><br />Revelation 12:11 tells us that <br />They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony<br /><br />Who triumphed?<br />They = God’s people. That’s us, if we have confessed our sin (1 Jn 1:9), declared with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believed in our hearts that Christ rose from the dead (Rom 10:9)<br />Triumphed over him- him = Devil<br />How?<br />By the blood of the Lamb – that’s Jesus giving up his life to die on the cross<br />And by the word of their testimony – that’s what God is doing in our lives.<br /><br />The blood is Jesus, our testimonies are about Jesus.<br /><b>Testimony Sunday is all about Jesus!</b><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-72957003193832601952024-02-10T08:34:00.001+02:002024-02-10T08:34:40.739+02:00Making Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9sOu8fa3RQo-H_N7mcuvXZPbnbfRBNDSXlaS4CvYPi9Mnvmv2MmLlJmJd-c0vUKWlS2fWtYtY3Cfeap-LwIW2pD6SZWU5Cgc92iBo2onjQVJOtdiLRWVDBnuPaZZruZ8hrj_6t2i_XJUXh0ozEVzuCLB5Mgevfjf16YdEdiHlM6ElbU_stJL/s2880/Making%20Soup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Making Cream of Sweet Potato Soup"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9sOu8fa3RQo-H_N7mcuvXZPbnbfRBNDSXlaS4CvYPi9Mnvmv2MmLlJmJd-c0vUKWlS2fWtYtY3Cfeap-LwIW2pD6SZWU5Cgc92iBo2onjQVJOtdiLRWVDBnuPaZZruZ8hrj_6t2i_XJUXh0ozEVzuCLB5Mgevfjf16YdEdiHlM6ElbU_stJL/s320/Making%20Soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Making the soup for The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen is (and has been for a long time) my happy place.<p>I really enjoy every aspect of it, and love the fact that I can pretty much <i>switch off</i> and just let the process unfold.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The quantities of veg, <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2018/03/secret-ingredient.html" target="_blank" title="Secret Ingredient">amasi</a> and seasoning are pretty much set by experience (we've been doing this for eight years now), so it's not as if I need to worry about following a recipe. </p><p>One thing I do like doing though, is changing the seasoning & flavourings to suit whichever veg it is that we're using for the soup.</p><p>This week it was orange sweet potato, one of my favourites because it's easy to prep, cooks in no time and is incredibly tasty! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvndrHC1pfSbNUAdTRrwuvJyJpXNucCDZ9_chCBz2i8bfPooj196sgoJDgSibsZDT_5WfTnBFJ0WZnd8VzvAou4B9EhvEtW5vY7TgYi7emUBsJWbbYIw76oZt5lWbEzBKCJ80XXKcBZMfMA-XaTvmCOmpswMsSe3xHZK5C9GTzlLISKRzwR5g9/s1024/Serving%20Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Serving 140lts of delicious soup"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvndrHC1pfSbNUAdTRrwuvJyJpXNucCDZ9_chCBz2i8bfPooj196sgoJDgSibsZDT_5WfTnBFJ0WZnd8VzvAou4B9EhvEtW5vY7TgYi7emUBsJWbbYIw76oZt5lWbEzBKCJ80XXKcBZMfMA-XaTvmCOmpswMsSe3xHZK5C9GTzlLISKRzwR5g9/s320/Serving%20Soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As with any veg I use, it gets a thorough wash before topping & tailing and then chopping up ready to go in the pans. I never peel the veg, too much goodness is lost through that.<p></p><p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amasi" target="_blank" title="Amasi definition">amasi</a> then adds a lovely rich creaminess to the soup. To our uneducated palates, amasi is essentially <i>off milk</i>, but to those who have grown up with it, it's a rather delicious treat.</p><p>Finally, I add oats to the soup to thicken it up, and once they're cooked, the whole thing is blended in to a rich creamy soup ready to be served.</p><p>It's a joy and a blessing to be able to serve our regulars and the wider community with this.</p><p><b>Thank you L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-9365716525295259432024-01-17T11:29:00.007+02:002024-01-17T11:34:21.576+02:00A Year In Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbd_von6xRBkJbLX0XB7UIBLDYpAvy47Rx-aE4asiBwQMo1nJay3x0_yiL1g9uoGylvwU4U2Mj8Xup_S6Zx97oP-pYPb_WQNfcdixn0QYatRHli4AE3wctg7etUo87S2MRXeRrMClH5hbskREfebe5eOqToQCirrcRGoUY6E8HgjV9GcIVa3p/s1016/Untitled%205.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Only 38 lazy days last year!"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1016" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbd_von6xRBkJbLX0XB7UIBLDYpAvy47Rx-aE4asiBwQMo1nJay3x0_yiL1g9uoGylvwU4U2Mj8Xup_S6Zx97oP-pYPb_WQNfcdixn0QYatRHli4AE3wctg7etUo87S2MRXeRrMClH5hbskREfebe5eOqToQCirrcRGoUY6E8HgjV9GcIVa3p/s320/Untitled%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Like most government run institutions in South Africa, the health service is very badly broken and on its knees, to the point that it's best avoided at all costs (treasure and fight for the NHS!).</p><p>Even trying to get our daughter's wisdom teeth seen to has been a nightmare and not an experience we would be keen to repeat any time soon!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>To this end, many people have private health care or medical insurance, and for us, whilst we're on the lowest (least expensive) option that only covers emergency treatments in hospital, it remains our single largest expense, and by quite some margin.</p><p>However, one of the few joys of this, aside from decent hospitals and quality care when I break my arm yet again, is that we get discounts and rewards for living healthy and active lives. Once a year our provider sends us an overview of how we're doing heath & fitness wise, and here are their <i>summary tiles</i> from 2023...</p><p>Oddly I do enjoy Mondays, and I rarely miss my workout on that day, especially as it's my day off from <a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCnxERrh1SGsP1Kz_q7hhgm8pI2A5FV_uY9m-Btz2oY-IRqkvt0iazjMzkLE0lnp81sx6lAXkvvL7Da33KjfkoouvaLUh5_q9nO7xSZBxlETdJey-Timxnv7n3qmn3OakgLq28m19Orfrf0d-niWbdfCNSspWvwNiU98Jwd0GmPvldL6WeC2R/s1013/Untitled%202.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1013" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCnxERrh1SGsP1Kz_q7hhgm8pI2A5FV_uY9m-Btz2oY-IRqkvt0iazjMzkLE0lnp81sx6lAXkvvL7Da33KjfkoouvaLUh5_q9nO7xSZBxlETdJey-Timxnv7n3qmn3OakgLq28m19Orfrf0d-niWbdfCNSspWvwNiU98Jwd0GmPvldL6WeC2R/s320/Untitled%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p></p>I would have thought October with our trip to Paris would have been my laziest month...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIvlPC7P4qdnw8iQ4Dst6h_jfCKBi8cPkDlhdyu95Qi1X2uw85ZKc180mkfEnP6vDZi191dgIyCLdskiqHgX2ZROB267rLUHP7gLv52e4rqNSLRheHLMD1VFOXyrtMrpz-U3wyOObPdq36yhZXE_UckI5r7yeSNhAHrVH3inb893HBTrqTK9B/s1034/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="There is room for a little laziness"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1034" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIvlPC7P4qdnw8iQ4Dst6h_jfCKBi8cPkDlhdyu95Qi1X2uw85ZKc180mkfEnP6vDZi191dgIyCLdskiqHgX2ZROB267rLUHP7gLv52e4rqNSLRheHLMD1VFOXyrtMrpz-U3wyOObPdq36yhZXE_UckI5r7yeSNhAHrVH3inb893HBTrqTK9B/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a><p></p><p>Most of this distance was covered on my unicycle and walking<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqICiXaGwYtmope2dRMCDIW439oCG1L2i4cFzL03sr9_AAP1qqS_gDWCK8kf1r_uXrh3TrAG6bJaCBA5H7tTAvkZ3eglWZW1k9A4n0BWGZZtteFWuyU502OGh5LdhjBldnrK1NYOX8lVaIGrov9jRCQJvN01HCdbpoJ_5KC994Z5hojsblac-G/s1026/Untitled%204.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="That's a long way on one wheel"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1026" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqICiXaGwYtmope2dRMCDIW439oCG1L2i4cFzL03sr9_AAP1qqS_gDWCK8kf1r_uXrh3TrAG6bJaCBA5H7tTAvkZ3eglWZW1k9A4n0BWGZZtteFWuyU502OGh5LdhjBldnrK1NYOX8lVaIGrov9jRCQJvN01HCdbpoJ_5KC994Z5hojsblac-G/s320/Untitled%204.jpg" width="320" /></a> </p><p>2023 was actually my second year of meeting my exercise goals every week<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPSz_PpcuRMjKvl_0mEyAZ9nKxj37mkO4AY4qQ6-22HKmzVIRpuCpnBJPOmoqjPRZLbES0L5gc4D6QEdIbRZTIyK4nFw7rDI-Pj2uV2D-X4XY1C-jwZwNd6bkeT-B_OsVOATHLsVvz8xO4VHYHWR-INzhfYKeY9QTD4KzUBJcy0q9Sc1mGNo0/s1040/Untitled%203.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Another year of not missing a single week"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1022" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPSz_PpcuRMjKvl_0mEyAZ9nKxj37mkO4AY4qQ6-22HKmzVIRpuCpnBJPOmoqjPRZLbES0L5gc4D6QEdIbRZTIyK4nFw7rDI-Pj2uV2D-X4XY1C-jwZwNd6bkeT-B_OsVOATHLsVvz8xO4VHYHWR-INzhfYKeY9QTD4KzUBJcy0q9Sc1mGNo0/s320/Untitled%203.jpg" width="314" /></a></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-32570626426701681082024-01-12T09:00:00.085+02:002024-01-12T09:00:00.134+02:00Five Years Of Massive Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHU02BKqTHXlqurkVkriuuztIn_fJlvPznylSwJENeIzJ4472Cx04kadsNT6EeXjypgmfQ5GuMNn5BpdOGT0Gtg_ujTJcpaOuvrlaZMiZmr9AAJyD_TpVCiNS2WiRJS6PfMWB2ApIUhy63R4H-ykUwqGDWkR3DMUWITE78Wj-UYpxxW1uIOk8-/s1080/Knockout%20Centre%20White%20Collar%20Team%202023.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="I'm blessed to be a part of the Knockout family"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHU02BKqTHXlqurkVkriuuztIn_fJlvPznylSwJENeIzJ4472Cx04kadsNT6EeXjypgmfQ5GuMNn5BpdOGT0Gtg_ujTJcpaOuvrlaZMiZmr9AAJyD_TpVCiNS2WiRJS6PfMWB2ApIUhy63R4H-ykUwqGDWkR3DMUWITE78Wj-UYpxxW1uIOk8-/s320/Knockout%20Centre%20White%20Collar%20Team%202023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Five years ago today, after much encouragement & cajoling, I overcame my fears and anxiety and walked in to what was then CEY Boxing Gym (now <a href="https://www.facebook.com/knockoutcentreboxing/" target="_blank" title="Knockout Centre Boxing & MMA">Knockout Centre</a>).<p></p><p>I had decided late in 2018, that after almost ten years of doing no exercise, and with a number of health <i>red flags</i> which were beginning to concern me, it was time to make some changes and get fit.</p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>I'll not bore you with the whole journey, I've done that plenty already in a number of blog posts over the intervening years (see below). Suffice to say that today I'm fitter, stronger and feeling better than I ever have!<br /></p><p>The most recent health change I've made is to stay off the grog for the foreseeable future. I stopped drinking on our return from Paris in mid October, and haven't had an alcoholic drink since. The main reason being that I have an oesophageal issue which is exacerbated by alcohol, so when I drink there are complications, and when I stay off alcohol there are minimal to no complications. Also, this was my first Christmas & New Year without alcohol, and to be honest it was probably my best ever festive season.</p><p>So back in 2019 when I first started Boxing, I had already dropped a couple of kilos from my starting point of 107kgs, and eventually got down to 82, but for the last 18 months have settled at +/-85kgs (13½ stone) where I am very happy.</p><p>Despite the advancing years with its myriad aches & pains, and my totally knackered back, I'm happy to keep going on this journey in to good health and fitness and look forward to the next few years and the benefits they'll bring health wise. </p><p>You can follow a bit of my journey on these links:<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2019/01/on-road-to-fitness.html" target="_blank" title="On The Road To Fitness">On The Road To Fitness</a> - My first post on the topic<a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2019/01/on-road-to-fitness.html" target="_blank" title="On The Road To Fitness"><br /></a><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2019/01/no-pain-no-gain.html" target="_blank" title="No Pain No Gain">No Pain No Gain</a> - A post about my early weight loss<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2019/05/the-journey-continues.html" target="_blank" title="The Journey Continues">The Journey Continues</a> - A <i>before & after</i> comparison<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2020/08/a-family-thing.html" target="_blank" title="A Family Thing">A Family Thing</a> - My decision had a massive impact on our family life!<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2020/08/pad-work.html" target="_blank" title="Pad work">Pad Work</a> - A video of pad work with Coach Anathi<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2020/12/boxing-day-or-christmas-eve.html" target="_blank" title="Boxing Day Or Christmas Eve?">Boxing Day Or Christmas Eve?</a> - Joel & I finished 2020 strong<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/01/fit-family.html" target="_blank" title="Fit Family">Fit Family</a> - A bit about the impact on our family<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/04/b-is-for-boxing.html" target="_blank" title="B Is For Boxing">B Is For Boxing</a> - A post about my second White Collar fight<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/04/s-is-for-spine.html" target="_blank" title="S Is For Spine">S Is For Spine</a> - A health update on my back<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/05/getting-there.html" target="_blank" title="Getting There">Getting There</a> - It wasn't always easy!<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/05/early-morning-ride.html" target="_blank" title="Early Morning Ride">Early Morning Ride</a> - I got a lot more serious about my unicycling to help with my back<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2022/03/sparring.html" target="_blank" title="Sparring">Sparring</a> - Exactly what it says on the tin<br /><a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2023/02/early-morning-walks.html" target="_blank" title="Early Morning Walks">Early Morning Walks</a> - Building the changes in to daily life.</p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-2694978456554133002024-01-11T19:54:00.005+02:002024-01-11T19:56:57.918+02:00Loadshedding Soup Kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQW9I_Tt2shE4m41_LOb6tGI_l5xlarjOcJ7TEibZvjuynmJx8DKMgrQUcQnYFnm0oGDT0liHQMADiMUgEWsZMlqI24q1W_9dFNP054dI8mlW_znat-QY-ZZY0SuOVsIl6LNa0gPxSltiNor7mEkvOqb4xJnjtu8YAKVKIGlrTk36JFeuzTy7/s1024/Loadshedding%20Soup%20Kitchen%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQW9I_Tt2shE4m41_LOb6tGI_l5xlarjOcJ7TEibZvjuynmJx8DKMgrQUcQnYFnm0oGDT0liHQMADiMUgEWsZMlqI24q1W_9dFNP054dI8mlW_znat-QY-ZZY0SuOVsIl6LNa0gPxSltiNor7mEkvOqb4xJnjtu8YAKVKIGlrTk36JFeuzTy7/s320/Loadshedding%20Soup%20Kitchen%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After the joy of our three Christmas Specials at <a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a>'s weekly Soup Kitchen, it's great to be back to the joy of our normal Soup Kitchen, replete with <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/search?q=loadshedding" target="_blank" title="We might have posted about this once or twice...">loadshedding</a>.</p><p>Butternut is back in season locally, so it was a case of prepping and chopping 18kgs of them to make one hundred litres of delicious home-made soup.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The soup went down well and was greatly appreciated by our regulars, who gave lots of encouraging feedback about it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzgqcioc3fbv1-s53TUcGnB1vfClXgpaTfF_vEK5uZ1iAcV-kTa3NrjDWUaAnMjDl2qkVmwWlQ3nwgEPH2M6VmknxjSRxfxHYUCmo4PjvcS1LQRAjNvTVQZY4eqmd4Xy7zCPy1bVsTdPFGEyvpfaANhYVggqmRZb7eBNtC5os8ktRZ_oVj84u/s1024/Loadshedding%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzgqcioc3fbv1-s53TUcGnB1vfClXgpaTfF_vEK5uZ1iAcV-kTa3NrjDWUaAnMjDl2qkVmwWlQ3nwgEPH2M6VmknxjSRxfxHYUCmo4PjvcS1LQRAjNvTVQZY4eqmd4Xy7zCPy1bVsTdPFGEyvpfaANhYVggqmRZb7eBNtC5os8ktRZ_oVj84u/s320/Loadshedding%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As ever, it was a joy to prepare the soup and an even greater joy to serve so many of our regulars.<p></p><p>Even the return of loadshedding did little to dent the joy of the evening, especially as The Gathering has invested in a 1.5KW inverter which can run all the fans and multi-media of the church.</p>#blessed<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My reward for chopping and de-seeding 18 kilos of butternut...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeATyLy7SSP0wJq8svJxf6KVvrnQUKLCDuudXXB3wpvxF8YqxwPUL6XHhtOxheusTwEFZuu4R2Omvn-JeSsUxwEtU276J_3AkW0edYMmrmNBjyVdluGJ8R-xTjy0Ytw30eNK3LSeHSL0t66SaiNZrYauxAwkuZKl5JC2E7zIQeI359aDx5Rio/s1024/Blister.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Ouch!"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeATyLy7SSP0wJq8svJxf6KVvrnQUKLCDuudXXB3wpvxF8YqxwPUL6XHhtOxheusTwEFZuu4R2Omvn-JeSsUxwEtU276J_3AkW0edYMmrmNBjyVdluGJ8R-xTjy0Ytw30eNK3LSeHSL0t66SaiNZrYauxAwkuZKl5JC2E7zIQeI359aDx5Rio/s320/Blister.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-33576563489939042932023-12-31T15:41:00.003+02:002023-12-31T15:41:53.374+02:00Go Make Disciples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lvE4tyr527xBT_u-XrOshEQWCTUJIoOEqROnEySujbgmbtlm6z88YhjUajWoshszIdo_Jp00luVjbPi7Sm1keu5FqJC1YDaUy62tqG1zMpxSEfk4wbi63Fm52oiUi73_ieAW9bkjKRIEmaoPVEqBIut0OU1WeNffj2T9m_XtTJRKDjfVyYn3/s1024/Saying%20farewell%20to%20Delena%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Praying our best prayers for Delena"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lvE4tyr527xBT_u-XrOshEQWCTUJIoOEqROnEySujbgmbtlm6z88YhjUajWoshszIdo_Jp00luVjbPi7Sm1keu5FqJC1YDaUy62tqG1zMpxSEfk4wbi63Fm52oiUi73_ieAW9bkjKRIEmaoPVEqBIut0OU1WeNffj2T9m_XtTJRKDjfVyYn3/s320/Saying%20farewell%20to%20Delena%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>One of the many joys in leading church, is watching the ebb & flow of church life, and how some people are planted in for the long haul whilst others are with you for just a short time.</p><p>Today at <a href="http://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank">The Gathering</a> we had the privilege of sending Delena (& her husband John) off in prayer (we prayed our best prayers), and love to begin a new life in the Eastern Cape in a town called Buffels Vlei. </p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>There they will be part of the staff team of an NPO called <a href="https://gemmacademy.co.za/" target="_blank" title="Gemm Leadership Academy">Gemm Leadership Academy</a>. And to be honest, our loss is their gain!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56u_QaZY_6QgGqvKae03keQG-SGP1Z_aSUoDtiVTTxaP963OQG09kfUlUJWfrJcyJUH0sxsO1NfjGSxUCq5PoHI77-7O5k-dWIIrZj4Hnmj9IQlBFWdl4OmLW0Szz0sMCFuLAhYOejqtKgMyaap0c52Xp45a78uyZbxfCvASO0D9lHOD7R1lm/s1600/Saying%20farewell%20to%20Delena%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="We will miss this special lady!"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56u_QaZY_6QgGqvKae03keQG-SGP1Z_aSUoDtiVTTxaP963OQG09kfUlUJWfrJcyJUH0sxsO1NfjGSxUCq5PoHI77-7O5k-dWIIrZj4Hnmj9IQlBFWdl4OmLW0Szz0sMCFuLAhYOejqtKgMyaap0c52Xp45a78uyZbxfCvASO0D9lHOD7R1lm/s320/Saying%20farewell%20to%20Delena%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Delena has been an immense blessing over the last few years to The Gathering, from cooking at our Soup Kitchen Christmas Lunches, to facilitating our Homework Club and washing up our pans each week after Soup Kitchen.</p><p>Delena first came to The Gathering through Paula's Gathering Ground, and she quickly became a regular feature of the group and established herself as a dearly loved and valued church member.</p><p>We knew that she & John were set to leave and retire quietly to their hometown in the Western Cape, but you have to love how God has other ideas. In this case sending them off in the opposite direction with a mandate to serve the Kingdom for however long God wants them to serve.</p><p>We are super excited for Delena but are going to miss her! <br /></p><p></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-50368061877851916552023-12-30T09:00:00.081+02:002023-12-30T09:00:00.131+02:002023 Reading List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUdjAXhQS_EMOL-hLDdkJk7LCD1pC_HIOpsU0UcbOm7KRswnSKLGnS_BGX0IHVgk5BSeEzTBVQlJrz3objT6-OjWDdLCz2PFv-65x2y4oY6ujGVKYwQWp_MPtu1mu2Rs1oqY1HzsuGPI-LtjfzxK16okLkdNih0lmNE0NWoQ8tC1865kkhQPB/s2880/Books%207.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Three of the best books I read this year"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUdjAXhQS_EMOL-hLDdkJk7LCD1pC_HIOpsU0UcbOm7KRswnSKLGnS_BGX0IHVgk5BSeEzTBVQlJrz3objT6-OjWDdLCz2PFv-65x2y4oY6ujGVKYwQWp_MPtu1mu2Rs1oqY1HzsuGPI-LtjfzxK16okLkdNih0lmNE0NWoQ8tC1865kkhQPB/s320/Books%207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>2023 was another good year for reading, though I read fewer books than in 2022 (I fell short by four books).</p><p>Oddly enough, my favourite books of the year were the final four, consisting of: Russia by Antony Beevor, Conspiracy to Murder by Linda Melvern, Iran by Michael Axworthy and the most excellent Embracing Defeat by John Dower.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Of Dower's <i>Embracing Defeat</i>, I have to say it was well worthy of its <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/john-w-dower" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="The 2000 Pulitzer Prize Winner in General Nonfiction">Pulitzer Prize</a>. From the moment I picked it up - my interest piqued by a part of history I know little of - I knew I was in possession of a book like no other. It is well written, and very engaging on a subject that could be quite dry and dull, but it just isn't. </p><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u23qJ3UJ7pjKSBCoGyzH3CqMvaYfJfclTEFxwPy2fKbrvnAYn2h0Yq5N5t81_AHL8zbv67EcAPMTw9SK_PwmbhHcJIN4DOghyZ8ELq8Koqc-pyUgG_MqjetPfEp_UFNsAiIchzM8Gin7DgdW74oO-Wk3try3cRXVZABJUggG_MRWLFZXrk2P/s1500/Conspiracy%20to%20murder.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="943" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u23qJ3UJ7pjKSBCoGyzH3CqMvaYfJfclTEFxwPy2fKbrvnAYn2h0Yq5N5t81_AHL8zbv67EcAPMTw9SK_PwmbhHcJIN4DOghyZ8ELq8Koqc-pyUgG_MqjetPfEp_UFNsAiIchzM8Gin7DgdW74oO-Wk3try3cRXVZABJUggG_MRWLFZXrk2P/s320/Conspiracy%20to%20murder.jpg" width="201" /></a>Another notable book amongst the many excellent books I read is Conspiracy To Murder by Linda Melvern. This is a sobering wake up call for the international community to stop colluding in genocides and other crimes against humanity. As for the British govt claiming Rwanda is a safe country... aren't they the same bunch that sold the lies of brexit?!?<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>I last posted on this subject of my reading list for the year in a 2021 post entitled: <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2021/12/books-ive-read-this-year.html" target="_blank" title="Books I've Read (this year)"><i>Books I've Read (this year)</i></a>.<br /> </p><p>Here's an overview of the rest of my reading for 2023...</p><p>1. Shadow City – Taran Khan<br />2. The Courage to Care - Christie Watson<br />3. Homecoming - Colin Grant<br />4. 3 Para - Patrick Bishop<br />5. Battle for the Falklands – Max Hastings<br />6. The Boy Who Never Gave Up - Emmanuel Taban <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUFqOXAW_cs6H4LFIT9cKSZ_94v0SiLexAd3y8z81t1rmF5-efEi7V9G685603y4oDWHF4wUY50hMy9lnYHPhwyhnxAo7ZmktSGjNMybOBNMMgxWUheEucnu7guOP3leIN5DtVVRCJ2h5i3zb0wyVCYYwnGKMtJUDyTWoYsqEd-P3VsJ4vi7l/s2880/Books%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUFqOXAW_cs6H4LFIT9cKSZ_94v0SiLexAd3y8z81t1rmF5-efEi7V9G685603y4oDWHF4wUY50hMy9lnYHPhwyhnxAo7ZmktSGjNMybOBNMMgxWUheEucnu7guOP3leIN5DtVVRCJ2h5i3zb0wyVCYYwnGKMtJUDyTWoYsqEd-P3VsJ4vi7l/s320/Books%201.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>7. Once Upon a Time in Iraq - James Bluemel<br />8. SBS - Silent Warriors - Saul David<br />9. 'Broadsword Calling Danny Boy' - Geoff Dyer<br />10. What Happened? - Hanif Kureishi<br />11. A History of the French Revolution - E D Bradby<br />12. SAS Shadow Raiders – Damien Lewis<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOSlZkOfMNPdfI0I_2xN2XW77_CC-H3sZXcjcQ0Bsxds_RbI-2101stuoyJ1cwLGAgChWa4-pxjLSMMa48_eH02ywIPuUbhcUAvtDVuRthtdDapxJlcFTTwf2PudRBZD8DJPqFIiFAHY4IT703KvpdwV9UhD-aCFsm9xSSqpmHC27DXPzVZ-D/s2880/Books%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOSlZkOfMNPdfI0I_2xN2XW77_CC-H3sZXcjcQ0Bsxds_RbI-2101stuoyJ1cwLGAgChWa4-pxjLSMMa48_eH02ywIPuUbhcUAvtDVuRthtdDapxJlcFTTwf2PudRBZD8DJPqFIiFAHY4IT703KvpdwV9UhD-aCFsm9xSSqpmHC27DXPzVZ-D/s320/Books%202.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>13. Birth of the RAF – Richard Overy<br />14. Nuclear Folly - Serhii Plokhy<br />15. Eastern Approaches – Fitzroy Maclean<br />16. Can’t Stand Up – Allan Jones<br />17. A Spy Among Friends – Ben Macintyre<br />18. Empire – Niall Ferguson<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPWEaEdRmCyqr3L_35oz1ey_npijvHdk2MzbJUsP5trQxibdW9AOWRUDROZsMuj_59aCMpMivywECKiC10FH3FUWwmGqGBwYwZgQEZIWtO1L2FXOIPCuyTMGHd49xXjuDZm1gIG2ZmAIWPsOSneT2eQZelYrZE5oyBLuW1KRgiAzdvayeBCNw/s2880/Books%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPWEaEdRmCyqr3L_35oz1ey_npijvHdk2MzbJUsP5trQxibdW9AOWRUDROZsMuj_59aCMpMivywECKiC10FH3FUWwmGqGBwYwZgQEZIWtO1L2FXOIPCuyTMGHd49xXjuDZm1gIG2ZmAIWPsOSneT2eQZelYrZE5oyBLuW1KRgiAzdvayeBCNw/s320/Books%203.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p></p><p>19. Rebels: - Aris Roussinos<br />20. Dunkirk - Julian Thompson<br />21. Ten Cities that Led the World - Paul Strathern<br />22. Paris – Cecil Jenkin<br />23. Operation Relentless - Damien Lewis<br />24. Skyfaring - Mark Vanhoenacker<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UX1QzNDR0mHhESAP17y096E9ti-vz8jri9wxmraz5k9xNJszSJVsYBrWWxG_hYVL9x0NHaPsFjdNjxHK0VIDIXJuKbAEn2pO7DoWiRTpHlLQGUD6QY32g2dINjWkMlyrJLg41ORe7pxeHNhws0nxugBvt4d_7g90-qfg57OtG0VUsW3qbfW5/s2880/Books%204.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UX1QzNDR0mHhESAP17y096E9ti-vz8jri9wxmraz5k9xNJszSJVsYBrWWxG_hYVL9x0NHaPsFjdNjxHK0VIDIXJuKbAEn2pO7DoWiRTpHlLQGUD6QY32g2dINjWkMlyrJLg41ORe7pxeHNhws0nxugBvt4d_7g90-qfg57OtG0VUsW3qbfW5/s320/Books%204.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>25. The Flame of Resistance - Damien Lewis<br />26. Paul Weller - Paolo Hewitt<br />27. Operation Pedestal - Max Hastings<br />28. Red Notice – Bill Browder<br />29. The English Civil wars – John Miller<br />30. Abbey Road – David Hepworth<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOlfNotqj1-H6CgBMCTwFI_eZl3Z4LNOALwdFzbYH7CP7GJ-TCSxPNPa8OGe07N8mWMg9yh1xTJnHLYHuIa3TlY0R0phxMiUJzh5Hmg7I4pChB7q-YJHd4g2myNoqdLtQIQ6NAsIrCTZ0o7pXozj6QMwe8GINWy69Ses0Ng-NDoRb646bCIKW/s2880/Books%205.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOlfNotqj1-H6CgBMCTwFI_eZl3Z4LNOALwdFzbYH7CP7GJ-TCSxPNPa8OGe07N8mWMg9yh1xTJnHLYHuIa3TlY0R0phxMiUJzh5Hmg7I4pChB7q-YJHd4g2myNoqdLtQIQ6NAsIrCTZ0o7pXozj6QMwe8GINWy69Ses0Ng-NDoRb646bCIKW/s320/Books%205.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>31. Freezing Order – Bill Browder<br />32. Colditz - Ben Macintyre<br />33. Chernobyl - Serhii Plokhy<br />34. Commando – Monty Halls<br />35. Age of Napoleon – Alistair Horne<br />36. Hess, Hitler and Churchill - Peter Padfield<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEU5JQtT6jYFsmIFoWrRaQYC8A5QVY1VTSypB365CnXG1CWef9FHpvgiEg7-5A7lDoaFlM4r8e4IFcpltorT-7D_3srLZsDaCwYM2n2uW7d3l5972T6HyIA9iMPu5QExvR8bY1gVoJEQALse51BPWdw50XHZWSbQ0aH3nZynxGj12jMpJ1wQp/s2880/Books%206.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEU5JQtT6jYFsmIFoWrRaQYC8A5QVY1VTSypB365CnXG1CWef9FHpvgiEg7-5A7lDoaFlM4r8e4IFcpltorT-7D_3srLZsDaCwYM2n2uW7d3l5972T6HyIA9iMPu5QExvR8bY1gVoJEQALse51BPWdw50XHZWSbQ0aH3nZynxGj12jMpJ1wQp/s320/Books%206.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>37. Russia – Antony Beevor<br />38. Conspiracy to Murder - Linda Melvern<br />39. Iran – Michael Axworthy<br />40. Embracing Defeat - John Dower</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-82751235636222527762023-12-28T16:58:00.002+02:002023-12-28T17:00:37.519+02:00Macassar Soup Kitchens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssKoZdHIVfsBcS1KFOOx6HGuEa2sdevKMw9SoNRTwS3A3AHfgbB6VyaHOqy03b0ncsNmocC5M2kEUNw3WTLL4ve0S-QK3oBK_pxecHksgLov5SpRR_MgZ0ctuJCUmy8idb0Ce4CqnfPM4YK9Q-YsJYFOGsmGTRo-L9cfC6moDqZysdOis0m5b/s1024/Macassar%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="The view from Macassar"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssKoZdHIVfsBcS1KFOOx6HGuEa2sdevKMw9SoNRTwS3A3AHfgbB6VyaHOqy03b0ncsNmocC5M2kEUNw3WTLL4ve0S-QK3oBK_pxecHksgLov5SpRR_MgZ0ctuJCUmy8idb0Ce4CqnfPM4YK9Q-YsJYFOGsmGTRo-L9cfC6moDqZysdOis0m5b/s320/Macassar%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a> has been supporting two local Soup Kitchens in nearby Macassar for over two years now, and we've built up a great relationship with Beatty and Mercia who run them from their homes.<p></p><p>So at least once a month I get the joy of delivering a load of food to each of them, and I have to say that it is a real privilege and a blessing to be working with them, supporting them and providing for them.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Both Beatty & Mercia do an amazing job in very testing circumstances, and sadly the need just keeps on growing. So it's good to know that in giving through relationship, we know that we know, that 100% of what The Gathering gives to each of these Soup Kitchens is used to serve the very people who need it most.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbZlmjfz6YImBjRGipiNK4PXSEcmgGEhPYtwuKEigXtwLZR52XVYBdkLZw1B4od5T6oTSmRcbGVJhmuDR66j_LOV10LANmTPWpeKsU2b2vQO0tK0paAKWZoGQnG1MeNSWCYsiHa3SHA2fTEiGXdAcGLx3GbHmbRyMSoJGU9vXA1PZnlZdnZKh/s1024/Macassar%20Soup%20Kitchen%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Food ready for delivery"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbZlmjfz6YImBjRGipiNK4PXSEcmgGEhPYtwuKEigXtwLZR52XVYBdkLZw1B4od5T6oTSmRcbGVJhmuDR66j_LOV10LANmTPWpeKsU2b2vQO0tK0paAKWZoGQnG1MeNSWCYsiHa3SHA2fTEiGXdAcGLx3GbHmbRyMSoJGU9vXA1PZnlZdnZKh/s320/Macassar%20Soup%20Kitchen%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Today's delivery was extra special as we were able to include a lot of tins of fruit and jelly powders, so hopefully the local kids will get a proper treat.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you L</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-81598546447216236002023-12-23T10:34:00.000+02:002023-12-23T10:34:10.756+02:00Merry Christmas 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclmgXo8F228U_cFzg2A9axo0DPXUsIIfmYmt7EFoFU0t2f53Kth-Iq5B6nWxQ7EuDeylkDRXePwIfXfCnlFtavYJ_8r54qxKnfYq_N6x8SutGgpmukcAJdGR5VMZ_0czuIiqlo-t2hh-aBP_Xu2ZYSCiUShyZD4V87z2As2jbsOja0XXONfDH/s1024/Xmas%20card.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Happy Xmass '22"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclmgXo8F228U_cFzg2A9axo0DPXUsIIfmYmt7EFoFU0t2f53Kth-Iq5B6nWxQ7EuDeylkDRXePwIfXfCnlFtavYJ_8r54qxKnfYq_N6x8SutGgpmukcAJdGR5VMZ_0czuIiqlo-t2hh-aBP_Xu2ZYSCiUShyZD4V87z2As2jbsOja0XXONfDH/s320/Xmas%20card.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>We were quite amazed but very blessed to receive a solitary Christmas card this year, but then we looked at the envelope and realised it was posted on the 16th of December last year!<p></p><p>And yet, somehow it has managed to sneak its way through a very broken South African postal system (to call it a service would be to overplay its abilities), and even managed to get redirected from the Somerset West post office to our address in Strand. An impressive feat given the state of the post office.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Officially the <a href="https://www.postoffice.co.za/" target="_blank" title="South African Post Office">South African Post Office</a> is in <i>Business Rescue</i> (whatever that means) since late last month, but that doesn't explain the atrocious service over the last few years, nor does it explain the occasional bonfire in which the Post Office simply burns backdated mail.<br /></p><p>Still, I guess we should be grateful for small mercies, and even one Christmas card (from last year) is better than none.</p><p> Posted on the 16th of Dec' 2022<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysMGTKJOmz4ChSw60D-wAGAFoUbvr0-pt89I_g4prh0HO1AYrfI5YseLPnbUTtlmi8ErWhXXBlZhAmSPoq0BQuJdjgwGWyi3u3qpozLi0ZCcY314mb0RdyB4hQSk6_4AF9Zcz_AAMQX7HPyUDJgRbikcDIDl7KnwH2PRO6re74ldh2qCMwcHq/s1773/Post%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Posted on the 16th"><img border="0" data-original-height="1642" data-original-width="1773" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysMGTKJOmz4ChSw60D-wAGAFoUbvr0-pt89I_g4prh0HO1AYrfI5YseLPnbUTtlmi8ErWhXXBlZhAmSPoq0BQuJdjgwGWyi3u3qpozLi0ZCcY314mb0RdyB4hQSk6_4AF9Zcz_AAMQX7HPyUDJgRbikcDIDl7KnwH2PRO6re74ldh2qCMwcHq/s320/Post%203.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p>Left Gatwick on the 17th...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxmtfxUUFOmFlLWAUGaLiXX96s-Ls8HHd4IP6cEmprkM3nVRzBW1VDyXgQGTltZhj0MxEgkKL1JXQM5Jqk2erkfZsH5KbmbDMgFIbo6NVEUw1-Pe6QrYLP_LuUhZKSSxQvJYguu8_ESIU1LYDVpi4OiwSL-9J_ELRbOBnCto0_G3BPUxAA4xe/s1642/Post%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Left Blighty on the 17th"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1642" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxmtfxUUFOmFlLWAUGaLiXX96s-Ls8HHd4IP6cEmprkM3nVRzBW1VDyXgQGTltZhj0MxEgkKL1JXQM5Jqk2erkfZsH5KbmbDMgFIbo6NVEUw1-Pe6QrYLP_LuUhZKSSxQvJYguu8_ESIU1LYDVpi4OiwSL-9J_ELRbOBnCto0_G3BPUxAA4xe/s320/Post%202.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> <br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-75865217858214140112023-12-22T13:23:00.000+02:002023-12-22T13:23:00.421+02:00Rescued Rocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QL_hlwjZLDtvq848WL6qYZq-ZwZ0XHmx_Qu1JDBvopMOn9kqaEYtErD7QcmcQD5gtMxIBSnGAni_NizyeUy1vDbP9zuU7LAi7zq-s9_nDUsjXlcsv7zQ3QXB95U0Rx-0vx4VacsTCl2EkspvbsS4nY04fmxbEsRnN3M5rCaXoHOQJ75JBNi_/s1024/Rocks.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="The rocks which we rescued, ready for the garden"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QL_hlwjZLDtvq848WL6qYZq-ZwZ0XHmx_Qu1JDBvopMOn9kqaEYtErD7QcmcQD5gtMxIBSnGAni_NizyeUy1vDbP9zuU7LAi7zq-s9_nDUsjXlcsv7zQ3QXB95U0Rx-0vx4VacsTCl2EkspvbsS4nY04fmxbEsRnN3M5rCaXoHOQJ75JBNi_/s320/Rocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Recently I dug out a bit of the garden to make a new flower bed, and I was very happy with the result (see <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2023/12/percy-thrower-i-am-not.html" target="_blank" title="Percy Thrower, I Am Not">Percy Thrower, I Am Not</a>).<p></p><p>A week later on a walk with Daisy, I noticed the municipality had dug up a bit of land, and had left a pile of rubble awaiting collection for the landfill.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So, I got Joel, together with Mark (a great friend from Zim who was staying with us) and his son Matt, to join me in <i>rescuing</i> some of the rocks that were headed for the landfill.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CfK4867J0LUcO7WqcOOm-IzDk0Ia3h2oezSvbLUq6Eg2sTOQXJ3rJcdw-X_uViaUXiMvOshSmvbrCkS7l9ydhH7YgjU0pNzO1pGQTnYQwI1kTd87uX6nKnriwide0Q2C1m0Z5Gr1wmvc9Lqeg2nloAUiG3TnIhghbT868lyVpe8Y4iIHySEw/s1024/Rocks%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="I'm quite chuffed with that"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CfK4867J0LUcO7WqcOOm-IzDk0Ia3h2oezSvbLUq6Eg2sTOQXJ3rJcdw-X_uViaUXiMvOshSmvbrCkS7l9ydhH7YgjU0pNzO1pGQTnYQwI1kTd87uX6nKnriwide0Q2C1m0Z5Gr1wmvc9Lqeg2nloAUiG3TnIhghbT868lyVpe8Y4iIHySEw/s320/Rocks%202.jpg" width="320" /></a>I used the rocks to fill out the bed and to add a bit of depth to the garden, and all in all I'm very happy with the final look of the flowerbed, though there are few flowers in there. Sadly due to the reality of a
changing climate most of the plants are succulents, though having said
that, I do like them.</p><p>A year from now this will look great as the plants mature and fill up the space, and it will be a treat to have some greenery outside our bedroom window.<br /></p><p></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-70262338156520679802023-12-17T14:03:00.001+02:002023-12-17T14:03:04.762+02:00Festive Soup Kitchen 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNo3qE1usC-cymGdbZaegPJ5PxU4cxGhXY2OU-iCBqn_mPc5e4p6dt32IcxbZHF4srCwGVY3rqsn4ukeu6LfJcqHSIKRt8rfShjWV_VTlMflrqljx0yilo311K4mZ1ibwfRnXK9OLBjoBX0c6d1TMjM-ow7hUUU0hWthKwvMqFT1R-ISa16Z6f/s768/Xmas%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="You are loved"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNo3qE1usC-cymGdbZaegPJ5PxU4cxGhXY2OU-iCBqn_mPc5e4p6dt32IcxbZHF4srCwGVY3rqsn4ukeu6LfJcqHSIKRt8rfShjWV_VTlMflrqljx0yilo311K4mZ1ibwfRnXK9OLBjoBX0c6d1TMjM-ow7hUUU0hWthKwvMqFT1R-ISa16Z6f/s320/Xmas%20Soup%20Kitchen%201.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>We were thoroughly blessed at our first <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2023/12/festive-soup-kitchen.html" target="_blank" title="Festive Soup Kitchen">Festive Soup Kitchen</a> on Thursday, as <a href="https://joelcfphotography.pixieset.com/" target="_blank" title="JCFphotography">Joel</a> came along to photograph the event for us.<p></p><p>As ever, his photographs are truly stunning and he perfectly captured the heart and essence of <a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a>'s Soup Kitchen.</p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>This was the first of three special Soup Kitchens we'll be running over the Christmas period. At each Soup Kitchen we'll be serving Pea & Ham Soup, together with a home baked cookie (see pic on left) and a goodie bag for each of the kids, as well as the usual packet of noodles and filling any pots our regulars may bring. <br /></p><p>I'm going to keep the posting of these to a minimum because we plan to use many of them on our next visit to Blighty as we tour our supporting churches and visit supporters. So prepare yourselves for a treat in the summer of '24...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbtWkpOZMUHskgs5bqj1mCnTL5DkM67nVzrBOsUdqRm8PcvKcFijg3_jqq1kNlpPvj5wlwDykQfk1spSRDQQ5Du1mxlJAVo0w0TSz_GB_18gTTqd-bkflP6EJ37G6tpz_UtRLqQp-HCmuMZu3sxb0rOCb9zWG0aJuwZxPYS4vEZNVLVcGZ3f3/s768/Xmas%20Soup%20Kitchen%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbtWkpOZMUHskgs5bqj1mCnTL5DkM67nVzrBOsUdqRm8PcvKcFijg3_jqq1kNlpPvj5wlwDykQfk1spSRDQQ5Du1mxlJAVo0w0TSz_GB_18gTTqd-bkflP6EJ37G6tpz_UtRLqQp-HCmuMZu3sxb0rOCb9zWG0aJuwZxPYS4vEZNVLVcGZ3f3/s320/Xmas%20Soup%20Kitchen%203.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I'm particularly taken with this shot of Ronan. <p></p><p>Ronan was part of our Homework Club a few years ago, and school was always difficult for him, but he enjoyed coming to us, if only to escape the harshness of home life. Sadly Ronan was thrown out of school, but ever since he has done his best to keep himself busy with work, and thankfully has avoided going down the gang route which is an enticing option for many young lads in the community.<br /> </p><p><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-67893698095834149882023-12-13T15:22:00.006+02:002023-12-13T15:27:04.830+02:00Festive Soup Kitchen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC0xO2kzeNfV6eEl0DvvrKQgZmuN4tJHKeLQwm1AozVdaGQ0KYHZ8YUH74-Q_NglFUr2xjhMs_dN3TcF0hSKi47vAw9WRPr8-gskvKznR2gnJ0q-rhrbcov-0i9QIC8KSHOUskT2uGqypCV4fq7fQY_EaIPtmhgE4ocLhOL48pH7oRiDypN33/s1024/Goodie%20Bags%20loaded%20up.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="My car loaded with 120 goodie bags"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC0xO2kzeNfV6eEl0DvvrKQgZmuN4tJHKeLQwm1AozVdaGQ0KYHZ8YUH74-Q_NglFUr2xjhMs_dN3TcF0hSKi47vAw9WRPr8-gskvKznR2gnJ0q-rhrbcov-0i9QIC8KSHOUskT2uGqypCV4fq7fQY_EaIPtmhgE4ocLhOL48pH7oRiDypN33/s320/Goodie%20Bags%20loaded%20up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Things are getting exciting at <a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a> as we prepare for our three <i>festive</i> Soup Kitchens, beginning tomorrow.<p></p><p>We'll be serving 200 litres of home made Pea & Ham Soup. As well as serving our regulars with the usual packet of instant noodles, each recipient will receive a yummy home baked cookie, and the school age kids will each get a goodie bag containing a few school supplies together with a some sweets.</p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>In total we have 120 goodie bags, and we expect most of these to be given away tomorrow. We also have 320 cookies, all lovingly baked, iced and packaged by Delena, who also facilitates our Homework Club. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrPCV3n-Q9tL2yA_ZGpzreDrPqME1fSj7j6CCLK6Q-S58ZQz1Dn0PwBjVqpE_aX8p1Q2EfkH6VnHZNIzM1aOSvTLUfNN2YLMxXcDEnLSuZ_Y02hOZ0lHKNf1nmSXuLW65VGWMfZJlKZwjlhAi8RYvH8cutDu7GH7qvvmBBUOvxPZymZTb3OJR/s1024/Cookies%20ready%20to%20go.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="320 home baked cookies ready to be served"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrPCV3n-Q9tL2yA_ZGpzreDrPqME1fSj7j6CCLK6Q-S58ZQz1Dn0PwBjVqpE_aX8p1Q2EfkH6VnHZNIzM1aOSvTLUfNN2YLMxXcDEnLSuZ_Y02hOZ0lHKNf1nmSXuLW65VGWMfZJlKZwjlhAi8RYvH8cutDu7GH7qvvmBBUOvxPZymZTb3OJR/s320/Cookies%20ready%20to%20go.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>We are so very thankful for our faithful supporters in Blighty who have helped to make this a reality again this year, especially <a href="https://www.standrewsoxshott.org.uk/" target="_blank" title="Your church, growing and serving">St Andrew's</a> in Oxshott who have gone above & beyond in their support!</p><p>We are a little sad that once again we can't offer our sit-down Christmas meal to our Soup Kitchen regulars, but through the pandemic and beyond, our Soup Kitchen has grown massively, and until we have our building (please L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!), we simply don't have the space to accommodate that many people. In faith we're believing that next year we will once again be able to go all out with a fantastic Christmas lunch for everyone.</p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-29116945193791917132023-12-10T12:37:00.006+02:002023-12-11T08:28:40.744+02:00Worship Sunday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXNg2nNwOxglM0RpqVrlY30HJTOnwD1NrosVpbexrJ9nwqmBjqfR3GhjYCYEtjhvXOJUfo0mPpY-0rtzQSI69rv7PCwDh-rANnD5CmAe9Sb_GWOgRatUMqM1YTUUzWinbw-9CYL9i3pRcoTDLys2DY50uPN4_DPeX3bIroC8mZrd87HlCQqHy/s768/Worship%20Sunday.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Worship Sunday"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXNg2nNwOxglM0RpqVrlY30HJTOnwD1NrosVpbexrJ9nwqmBjqfR3GhjYCYEtjhvXOJUfo0mPpY-0rtzQSI69rv7PCwDh-rANnD5CmAe9Sb_GWOgRatUMqM1YTUUzWinbw-9CYL9i3pRcoTDLys2DY50uPN4_DPeX3bIroC8mZrd87HlCQqHy/s320/Worship%20Sunday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Between the Old and New Testaments there is a 400 year gap in which the voice of God was not heard.<p></p><p>It must have been tough for the Hebrews to carry on in their worship with no sign of life from God.</p><p>Then the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary and the silence was broken.</p><p>Suddenly, for those who were listening, life was full and rich with the blessings of God, and where religion may have been dry and dusty it was swept through with the awesome grace of the living God.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So in church it would be easy to get religious and dry & dusty by just sticking to a formula of a bit of worship, a sermon and then home again, but in doing so we wouldn't always be sure that there was any life in church.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLILLFNxmOp_OjqYAf-ml2igb4m0MinqMHtJTV98Wpe5pbmDC7-4v_73FLaMvoZSKXBtJXPKGeSBX6nyYm_iXEJQ9z-LLQ3_P2Rc3wUm1paamwaEx9DUGDuQF3sZsOjLVzj-POrYDGifWSd7SOAjKa1LbehHzydEFJasYDOJFlFJeLI-2bp-HD/s1216/Together%20in%20prayer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="United in prayer"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1216" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLILLFNxmOp_OjqYAf-ml2igb4m0MinqMHtJTV98Wpe5pbmDC7-4v_73FLaMvoZSKXBtJXPKGeSBX6nyYm_iXEJQ9z-LLQ3_P2Rc3wUm1paamwaEx9DUGDuQF3sZsOjLVzj-POrYDGifWSd7SOAjKa1LbehHzydEFJasYDOJFlFJeLI-2bp-HD/s320/Together%20in%20prayer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>At <a href="http://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a> we like to give a Sunday over to a Worship Sunday, in which members are invited to choose a song and share a bit about how God is speaking to them and moving in their lives through that song and their worship.<p></p><p>Today at The Gathering the sense of life and God's presence moving amongst us was awesome!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Thank you <b>L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span></b>!<br /></p><p> </p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-32336459660142693602023-12-07T17:10:00.000+02:002023-12-07T17:10:01.739+02:00Fetching Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibE73q091bP2iZ7E2IZf1iUu1khmYa8y6jiZD9_gbXEm8iWoKRDB2MKAU2vArfKamj9pyNtvwLNeJVOp9c_xWCaVTs277NuYoFJYIfEWAWIK2X8dWP4ihoSRYrd4lFR5xbuIf0dz-B329ky1UrXo18bUEYlRNIjk0DytwCU94k0W0RM_O4vihW/s1024/Collecting%20water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Filling the pans in the back of my car"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibE73q091bP2iZ7E2IZf1iUu1khmYa8y6jiZD9_gbXEm8iWoKRDB2MKAU2vArfKamj9pyNtvwLNeJVOp9c_xWCaVTs277NuYoFJYIfEWAWIK2X8dWP4ihoSRYrd4lFR5xbuIf0dz-B329ky1UrXo18bUEYlRNIjk0DytwCU94k0W0RM_O4vihW/s320/Collecting%20water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The story of The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen is a long and varied one, and over the <a href="https://www.dpfinnie.com/2015/05/soup-kitchen.html" target="_blank" title="Soup Kitchen - humble beginnings">eight years that we've been running it</a>, we have had some interesting issues and obstacles to deal with and overcome.<p></p><p>Today's particular obstacle was perhaps the strangest to overcome... </p><p>The water in Firgrove had been off since 6pm the previous night and it still wasn't on at 11am when I needed 100 litres of water to get ready making the soup.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So after a quick call to a church member on the other side of the community where the water was still on, I loaded up our two biggest pans in the back of my car and used their hose pipe to three-quarter fill the pans and then drive back to our building very slowly!</p><p>Together with the two hours of loadshedding over lunchtime, it made for a fairly typical day here in South Africa.<br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-31940897836858639252023-12-06T17:02:00.004+02:002023-12-06T17:02:58.548+02:00Percy Thrower, I Am Not<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzbGDilvfUFJC-TmBjwHNwPfHVAAUMSElPR60scorVQJ9933FNceHmUtDXH26vurjIH28RuXHXSgBMeCqp8PD75uMkQ-tJmlpMLgbbPeXg644Pqfx9Pfim7YsvDqhEhyphenhyphenPHWW5B1LOEw5HwXjkzjkWTfklbOZzVDH50r4g7g0gHXParbK5zuSD/s1024/Flowerbed%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="New flowerbed"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzbGDilvfUFJC-TmBjwHNwPfHVAAUMSElPR60scorVQJ9933FNceHmUtDXH26vurjIH28RuXHXSgBMeCqp8PD75uMkQ-tJmlpMLgbbPeXg644Pqfx9Pfim7YsvDqhEhyphenhyphenPHWW5B1LOEw5HwXjkzjkWTfklbOZzVDH50r4g7g0gHXParbK5zuSD/s320/Flowerbed%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Shortly after we moved into our new home just over a year ago, I went on a recce around the neighbourhood sizing up which gardens might donate a cutting or two to our rather barren garden.<p></p><p>I collected many cuttings over a few weeks, and gently nurtured them into sturdy young plants, and today we managed to dig out and plant our long desired and planned new flowerbed at the front of our house.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p> Aside from the Hibiscus and the Cape Honeysuckle (which we bought at a local garden centre), everything else is from a cutting, and I'm very happy with the result. It will look stunning a year from now once it's all matured a bit, and it'll be a joy to have some greenery right outside our bedroom window.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1pMNWFa9iUmFKUMgl4OGLXwuOv1vpmmGe-kxlFRudQdQLXMzAl8FF-eQVpzD3i7QdliqnWSjiYYK-NtFcJwJBYZMe3VlAs8hLpOCfQmyxRFPy6D0kf5YPmWJ8rAgn2waIQ2tCHdKqBaRiw4QuVmRuqMQj-Lpah8nOtApn1N68NB0iPqwsllw/s1024/Flowerbed%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Reverse angle of new flowerbed"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1pMNWFa9iUmFKUMgl4OGLXwuOv1vpmmGe-kxlFRudQdQLXMzAl8FF-eQVpzD3i7QdliqnWSjiYYK-NtFcJwJBYZMe3VlAs8hLpOCfQmyxRFPy6D0kf5YPmWJ8rAgn2waIQ2tCHdKqBaRiw4QuVmRuqMQj-Lpah8nOtApn1N68NB0iPqwsllw/s320/Flowerbed%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We have also focused on succulents and other water-wise plants, knowing that the plants should survive the next drought sometime in the future. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-7012719153776238132023-12-01T07:53:00.012+02:002023-12-01T08:03:42.462+02:00A New Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXGN3eO-NjiZdRzTxlgIxXOH2iZtQAICxW_CD4zjyznLmY41GU8d8q1Xsmnb7qsQ_86ocUM1rMD70McPFX8VdgZIly7sBEW0Fn4hyi6_9nylVOjVrwxtpVRAV9zupVnnQOuno8CTP5vzFt5a4vmEC460BOuHPvvKZyfhunkd2YlTaiGwCVf86/s768/New%20Xmas%20Tradition.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Keeping Christ in Christmas"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="542" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXGN3eO-NjiZdRzTxlgIxXOH2iZtQAICxW_CD4zjyznLmY41GU8d8q1Xsmnb7qsQ_86ocUM1rMD70McPFX8VdgZIly7sBEW0Fn4hyi6_9nylVOjVrwxtpVRAV9zupVnnQOuno8CTP5vzFt5a4vmEC460BOuHPvvKZyfhunkd2YlTaiGwCVf86/s320/New%20Xmas%20Tradition.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>Starting today, I have challenged The Gathering to join together in reading a chapter of Luke each day, so on Christmas morning we'll know exactly what Christmas is all about and will be keeping Christ in Christmas..<p>Why not join us too..<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><i>So I unashamedly stole this from the socials, and edited it a tad.</i></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-26865317430115312352023-11-29T13:01:00.000+02:002023-11-29T13:01:03.465+02:00Meatoplasty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamWRM8dUiXWBT-9_sKotP2f4dgoOOnpxJH85_nQee3iFEhz6Lptp5X6QREPYevGdPUx3A5_zBtjc5om7E4S56GzyZoBjuQyXp1RWk1tAgmozWE0HSAPVhVAg04TW1oTcrRqyk0pZxLObRAAVa4civsIPCoTJmTojUuqlcIK5O17V0pTy8AayY/s1024/Before.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="That's quite some bandage"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamWRM8dUiXWBT-9_sKotP2f4dgoOOnpxJH85_nQee3iFEhz6Lptp5X6QREPYevGdPUx3A5_zBtjc5om7E4S56GzyZoBjuQyXp1RWk1tAgmozWE0HSAPVhVAg04TW1oTcrRqyk0pZxLObRAAVa4civsIPCoTJmTojUuqlcIK5O17V0pTy8AayY/s320/Before.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>In answer to a few questions...<p></p><p>On Monday I underwent minor surgery on my ears, the procedure was an <a href="https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/meatoplasty-ear#" target="_blank" title="Meatoplasy, a type of ear surgery">ear meatoplasty</a>, which in simple terms involved the surgeon removing part of the meatus in the opening to the ear canal.</p><p>For several years now I've been battling with my hearing, especially in situations with a lot of ambient noise, but also recurring ear infections that were driving me insane. </p><p>I went to see the supposed top local ENT surgeon a few years ago, but for whatever reasons he wouldn't listen to me and said I just needed the build up of wax removing. In essence he made me feel pretty stupid.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Fast forward a few years and we found another ENT surgeon who not only listened, but on seeing the state of my ear canals was seriously concerned and arranged for the procedure.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R6iYPYt6UEmeOpJtDHlAYsAmzx9GHR8Nb0dZxOQ1RUhT2mpygvkq-6ShIIHmxpmZYmIzCDhVWTq9q9wwod6y2iPag5LBc8L798jqewk3Rjc0NMR6K4fDo1Cy1SOWzXjv4R4wWuWY-i31xU7JF43RqFRJFBwAf2F1drZumkrcZ8l-NWze71XW/s1024/After.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="24 hours later and I'm walking on the beach"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R6iYPYt6UEmeOpJtDHlAYsAmzx9GHR8Nb0dZxOQ1RUhT2mpygvkq-6ShIIHmxpmZYmIzCDhVWTq9q9wwod6y2iPag5LBc8L798jqewk3Rjc0NMR6K4fDo1Cy1SOWzXjv4R4wWuWY-i31xU7JF43RqFRJFBwAf2F1drZumkrcZ8l-NWze71XW/s320/After.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It was a quick and simple stay in a local day clinic, but involved a general anesthetic and a rather dramatic head bandage, but otherwise all was good. <p></p><p>The surgeon said I had to remove the head bandage the next morning and then get busy with the anti-biotic cream.</p><p>So here I am, two days on and despite a bit of mechanical pain from having a chunk cut out of my ears, I'm feeling good and enjoying the instant improvement in my hearing. I'm also hopeful that this will be an end of the never ending cycle of ear infections. Please L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>! <br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-88455662680672426862023-11-28T17:00:00.006+02:002023-11-28T17:17:44.824+02:00How Many Noodles?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5npOpGoQQ-5-1xezF3QWj1HSFOLgFxp7EraqGPF_rJ1gFcvt96SAUT1FCFErgwL-pYvwabUTB3rPhAnwfhuyTUxF2XpKKkFXg-iSqYU-G73zZR5qn00GkwRqyb4Haixwxs_j11uG-n_awHdAHjzG5gvXeU__LltHNT0BVnkdafhAAiufZGrT/s1024/Food%20at%20the%20back.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="We should have enough noodles for a while..."><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5npOpGoQQ-5-1xezF3QWj1HSFOLgFxp7EraqGPF_rJ1gFcvt96SAUT1FCFErgwL-pYvwabUTB3rPhAnwfhuyTUxF2XpKKkFXg-iSqYU-G73zZR5qn00GkwRqyb4Haixwxs_j11uG-n_awHdAHjzG5gvXeU__LltHNT0BVnkdafhAAiufZGrT/s320/Food%20at%20the%20back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It's a great blessing to see so much food stacked up in the church office/kitchen, especially knowing that Paula negotiated such a great deal with the shopkeeper that we got +/-1700 individual packets of noodles for the princely sum of R1.60 each (7p each in Blighty). In the local shops a cheap packet of noodles would normally cost around R5 each (22p).</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>What a blessing. Thank you L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a>'s Christmas Soup Kitchens are shaping up nicely. We are planning on doing three special Soup Kitchens in Dec (14, 21 & 28) in which we will be serving 200 litres of delicious homemade Pea & Ham Soup to our faithful regulars each week.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM2epVkeo3MJEp5BqoK-PU1Ah4D6PDgjUKbbPB0zNQzpAteUEWzxZwtPs0k3d1UR8fQ1zTAFQU5bGccIQWtw3CHB9Lpcoae8QPLu0lBEMXOoyKUlMH0kkYB1MivKa0H0KHvTGmzozrTccb1A9wzTr-tBzAsWEvcw2x0qybVTTLcxLirjqdSCv/s1024/Plastic%20Tubs.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Lots of new plastic tubs"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM2epVkeo3MJEp5BqoK-PU1Ah4D6PDgjUKbbPB0zNQzpAteUEWzxZwtPs0k3d1UR8fQ1zTAFQU5bGccIQWtw3CHB9Lpcoae8QPLu0lBEMXOoyKUlMH0kkYB1MivKa0H0KHvTGmzozrTccb1A9wzTr-tBzAsWEvcw2x0qybVTTLcxLirjqdSCv/s320/Plastic%20Tubs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Paula has again been cutting deals with local suppliers, and we already have 24 gammon steaks in the
fridge at church, together with a ton of split green peas with which to
make the soups. </p><p>Last year these soups were very popular and gratefully received by our regulars. We will also be giving each recipient a homemade cookie sealed in a bag with a "You are loved!" sticker on it. The cookies are being baked by a dear church member.<br /></p><p>We will also be giving each of the school age kids a goodie bag with some sweets and stationery for the new school year in January. </p><p>All in all our three Xmas specials are looking to be fantastic!<br /></p><p>We have had to buy several (read that as 27) new sealable plastic tubs to store everything in a rodent proof manner. Personally, this excites me because the more capacity we have for storing the food, the more we're able to give to the neediest and most vulnerable, and that really is me in my happy place.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kdAKReX4Pbo-gRQJwWc-5c8299F78ewCRyz8ia4-6QaQS3Svs0x8z3QnagVCzBUua4ALRqp-pbxEhbNX9zpaTI7OKtm3Hvy5ZnU4bjd6t081kgFJMYFTJ1stZtMls3oumuQNOCz_WUZHovUV8J2BFaSPeDcWbRhEMFCqCyz1NjipZSjx7pwi/s768/Ready%20For%20Packing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Noodles ready for packing"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kdAKReX4Pbo-gRQJwWc-5c8299F78ewCRyz8ia4-6QaQS3Svs0x8z3QnagVCzBUua4ALRqp-pbxEhbNX9zpaTI7OKtm3Hvy5ZnU4bjd6t081kgFJMYFTJ1stZtMls3oumuQNOCz_WUZHovUV8J2BFaSPeDcWbRhEMFCqCyz1NjipZSjx7pwi/s320/Ready%20For%20Packing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Getting to this point has been a lot of work, for Paula as she does her thing wheeling & dealing to get the best prices possible, and for me as I've had to do some serious rearranging of stuff at church in order to accommodate the food. And that's before I've decanted the noodles from their eight bags of five in each box to store the individual packets in the plastic tubs. But I know we wouldn't want it any other way.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>These noodles were Round 1 as that was all we could squeeze into Paula's car, we returned the next day to get another car load. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIc4eocl8-L6odhEDWgfX1DZpv0bHYJBrZW-QeZgaEI-3OQMzllb0WmVl5c9sWtlXiTBe4YD7tDI9eKxtORa5qRkxnAU7DR9cGmhW0Y56n8YxBf29JjCkYdoXn2oWncXllNVsBNCc4mpDu80szopC7SjivQwuNj9892BWLLgu-3tt1waQ1_28/s1440/Gammons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="24 gammon steaks"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIc4eocl8-L6odhEDWgfX1DZpv0bHYJBrZW-QeZgaEI-3OQMzllb0WmVl5c9sWtlXiTBe4YD7tDI9eKxtORa5qRkxnAU7DR9cGmhW0Y56n8YxBf29JjCkYdoXn2oWncXllNVsBNCc4mpDu80szopC7SjivQwuNj9892BWLLgu-3tt1waQ1_28/s320/Gammons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>24 gammon steaks ready for Soup Kitchen<br /><p><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-38284230366429195492023-11-23T18:47:00.053+02:002023-11-24T08:44:09.499+02:00Preparing To Serve<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-xIo5cEufTIxKgGaRDqj5b4urMo9AX8mhvMKnsMX82O0eByPVJfMY1-9yMftGEiaW_SKBwpD_mSupIr5tQCt7ea2bgrwaA0ePds-bZNSNI6Wrwxt7Vmwjo8f8OhEhfVi_PUSjFORjXnxHchD_KoAlaJFC8Z5Qr6-N6I0yEIdJymwv9hcrOFo9" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Preparing to serve">
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-xIo5cEufTIxKgGaRDqj5b4urMo9AX8mhvMKnsMX82O0eByPVJfMY1-9yMftGEiaW_SKBwpD_mSupIr5tQCt7ea2bgrwaA0ePds-bZNSNI6Wrwxt7Vmwjo8f8OhEhfVi_PUSjFORjXnxHchD_KoAlaJFC8Z5Qr6-N6I0yEIdJymwv9hcrOFo9=w320-h240" width="320" />
</a><p>This picture warms my heart as it captures the very heart and DNA of <a href="https://www.the-gathering.co.za/" target="_blank" title="The Gathering">The Gathering</a>.</p><p>We don't run our Soup Kitchen as an evangelistic outreach, and we put no conditions on who can or cannot receive soup, we serve all comers.</p><p><span></span>The reason for this is that we use our weekly Soup Kitchen as a way of thanking God for all He's done for us and as such we want to share those blessings with others. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen is also a great opportunity to serve many in our community who are vulnerable and less fortunate than ourselves, and this picture captures part of our leadership team preparing to serve our community.<br /></p><p>The Gathering's Soup Kitchen is a big part of our <a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KkxNHdiOnrI/V7YHzlJWQvI/AAAAAAAAB_U/dFeeVIhaCZolRrzMg81EIbagg6evmCzewCLcB/s1600/Thankful%2BThursdays.jpg" target="_blank" title="Thankful Thursdays">Thankful Thursdays</a>, in which we give the day over to thanking God for all He has done and all He is doing in our lives, rather than presenting Him with a shopping list of prayers.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thank you L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b><br /></p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-42758173492172653812023-11-19T14:39:00.004+02:002023-11-19T15:13:17.935+02:00The Gospel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggNT6cr1qoXkRtDwH8dvzG18qV8FAigYNzLvKRNfbjdoMIbOv4KMIuB-fkMiSo46xMFhu-BmTQQPrXlVtQdYNkfxV8GTLhfzsg-n1VueIlu63TQrQA90Ryg_9dxQ7DkTY4Jqxi5Q6_rwx5oRZLvOwUjL947-TBuvnCbgrjwUq-Qa_EJcg5puU/s1600/The%20Gospel%20Pt2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Preaching the Gospel again"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggNT6cr1qoXkRtDwH8dvzG18qV8FAigYNzLvKRNfbjdoMIbOv4KMIuB-fkMiSo46xMFhu-BmTQQPrXlVtQdYNkfxV8GTLhfzsg-n1VueIlu63TQrQA90Ryg_9dxQ7DkTY4Jqxi5Q6_rwx5oRZLvOwUjL947-TBuvnCbgrjwUq-Qa_EJcg5puU/s320/The%20Gospel%20Pt2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I wasn't supposed to be preaching at The Gathering this morning, but events in the week meant that it was over to me, and as ever it was a joy and a privilege to share the Word. </p><p>During the week I had briefly contemplated giving our Gathering over to
an impromptu Testimony Sunday, but decided against this because I knew
we would be low on numbers this morning, and partly because I knew I was
being lazy in not preparing a word. </p><p>Well before I even got up to preach, God had interrupted our Gathering spectacularly and it turned in to an impromptu Testimony Sunday with testimony after testimony being shared.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Mongezi's testimony was amazing as he shared about a relative who had been brought to their house because her companions thought she needed to go to hospital. Mongezi discerned that she was possessed and recalling my word last week on The Gospel, he simply spoke Jesus over her. She was delivered and together with her companions gave her life to Jesus. Awesome!</p><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eKiMJoWhBDRzBFRdjKlE_IVDfaz_xca1W6vBLCysdlufoV7N3W1x8131F6N_AXnR5urAza1goXrFYtIxjMNvVeaI-dKoDK1f4JAGuWmZaGTG1c4SxKGAAzpB7JoY4Yt0MDIDclwhgpSXqL_7o8rh_F_Mddy5LHjIQ_2V03rsXlDL80aDkBmg/s960/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Creation speaks of the Creator, Scripture points us towards Him, but the Gosepl opens the door to His presence"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eKiMJoWhBDRzBFRdjKlE_IVDfaz_xca1W6vBLCysdlufoV7N3W1x8131F6N_AXnR5urAza1goXrFYtIxjMNvVeaI-dKoDK1f4JAGuWmZaGTG1c4SxKGAAzpB7JoY4Yt0MDIDclwhgpSXqL_7o8rh_F_Mddy5LHjIQ_2V03rsXlDL80aDkBmg/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So this morning I continued on The Gospel, and built on from having laid out the Gospel from 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures", to looking at how we can truly experience the glorious grace of God’s eternal plan of Salvation, the awesome gift of His grace and the right to be called Children of God. It was a total joy to speak on this!<p></p><p>Once again it was great to see some more Soup Kitchen regulars at The Gathering, and we're really thanking God for the impact this outreach is having on so many people.</p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590439.post-87719655165825693082023-11-09T14:20:00.022+02:002023-11-18T15:43:13.205+02:00Happy Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SPDCfdRpH3NBBYLpoNbJf_76i6XVjSIW3RvKN82Zk1kSiSIUw6BtgRNfoZjLw_a3yrb4up67pVOI00uY0z7Zg7A9ajYN1beFdRi6rApLDErgzRGuMyjaXj3xqPbf4hd65sGmK0eX6JVMZc8zUHpkezh2UCkDqBEhkLVgAV0d50umfDPbsBOc/s1024/Happy%20Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Happily making 200 litres of creamy vegetable soup"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SPDCfdRpH3NBBYLpoNbJf_76i6XVjSIW3RvKN82Zk1kSiSIUw6BtgRNfoZjLw_a3yrb4up67pVOI00uY0z7Zg7A9ajYN1beFdRi6rApLDErgzRGuMyjaXj3xqPbf4hd65sGmK0eX6JVMZc8zUHpkezh2UCkDqBEhkLVgAV0d50umfDPbsBOc/s320/Happy%20Place.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Once again I find myself in my happy place, and today I'm especially happy because I get to use our new 100lt pans for the first time.<p>Today I'm making two hundred litres of delicious creamy vegetable soup, which hopefully will be a real blessing to those that come for soup.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>With the massive jump from 140lts to 200lts we should be able to be even more generous than usual, and hopefully no one will go home hungry.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thank you L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span>!</b> </p>Dinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07769681950535697498noreply@blogger.com0