- The Finnie family in Blighty, December 2021
- Dean and Paula pastor The Gathering together
- The Gathering
- Baptisms at The Gathering
- Preparing to serve at The Gathering's Soup Kitchen
- Soup Kitchen Welcome To 2022 lunch
- Serving hands - the heart of The Gatheirng
- Thankful Thursdays
- HOPE Home Based Care Team
- Gathering Ground
- Staying fit as a family
- The Helderberg - The prettiest of the mountains we face
Rub A Dub Dub..
The weather is really picking up and today it's 29°C and a little overcast so we're having lots of fun in the garden.
Unintended insult of the weekend goes to Liz, our baby-sitter on Friday night. As she was putting on a DVD she noticed the David Gilmour in concert DVD and said "You'd get on well with my Dad." Thanks for that!
"Fine" Or Do They Mean Something Else?
I wonder what the punishment is if it's not really a "fine"?
For more of this kind of nonsense have a look at: The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.
GoLD Peer Education
Home Based Care
Church Leaders
left to Right: Paul, Theo, Wesley, Sean, Francois & Charl
Sincere apologies to the Village People!
That's My Boy!
My boys make me very proud!!
Reasons We Love Africa - Part 3
Nothing quite like making tourists feel welcome by allowing them to park conveniently
Magnanimity In Victory - Not A South African Quality
You won, live with it!
Friends & Weekend
On Thursday we picked Richard, Sal, Josh' & Isaac from the airport for their eagerly anticipated three week holiday here in sunny SA. Their staying in a cottage in Gordon's Bay just a couple of minutes walk from the beach, ice cream parlour and chippy so they're well set for a good time. It's really great to see them again and Joel is especially delighted to see Sal whom he adores!
Fire On The Helderberg - Again
Hardship In Zimbabwe - In Pictures
It's not often these days that Christian's get good publicity, admittedly we tend to solicit bad press (such as the whole fiasco surrounding the ordination of homosexual clergy) by failing to handle situations well. Anyway this post isn't a rant & rave about that but rather to draw your attention to some very positive press regarding Tearfund and the work they're doing in Zimbabwe.
My favourite quote of the whole weekend comes from Matt Dawson 72 minutes into the RWC semi-final:
"If the game carries on this way, England will steal it, I'm telling you, they will steal it. Stay patient England, stay patient."
Nomzamo Fire - Unsung Heroes
Last Snow Of Winter?
Lourensford Classic MTB Race
On Saturday I rode the Lourensford Classic MTB race, a tough 60k's around the stunning Lourensford wine estate at the foot of the Hottentots Holland mountains. The weather was almost perfect apart from a brief spell of rain, with the sun remaining firmly behind the clouds.
Shack Fire In Nomzamo – The Church Responds
The fire started at around 4 a.m. and was difficult to control due to the strong winds. Firemen from Strand worked for many hours to dampen down the smoke and flames.
The shacks were packed tightly together causing the fire to spread rapidly. Many homes use parrafin stoves which added fuel to the fire.
Fire In Nomzamo
Family Life
Penguins At Betty's Bay
As spring settles in and the weather improves we're able to get out and about a bit more which is great.
10000 Visitors
Ahmadinejad vs Borat
"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country"
Would the real Borat please stand-up?
Karoo To Coast MTB Challenge
The race itself was tough and at the 50K point I wanted to puke, but held on. I caught Pete at that point which helped motivate me through a rough patch before hitting the 65K mark at which point I got my second wind and really stepped it up.
Together We Can Do More
Jose Mourinho To Manage Palace
Jose told the sun earlier in the year, 'London is perfect. My family is happy living here.
'So although you can never predict what will happen in football, I would like to be in London by 2012.
'If it is not working at Chelsea, then Crystal Palace or somebody else.
'London is a special city because it has won the right and the privilege to host the Olympic Games.
Spring Appears To Have Sprung - At Last!
Celebration Of School Work
Wedding Anniversary
Wow!
We've had a lot of fun, been to some great places, met some incredible people and been blessed with two amazing sons!
We'll let you decide how we've fared the passage of time.
Aunty Henna' s 60th Birthday
Britain's Favourite View
A five-part television series Britain's Favourite View on ITV, spearheaded by Sir Trevor McDonald, included 16 celebrities who advocated scenic vistas from around Britain, trumpeting their beauty and explaining their geological significance and historical resonance"
The winner of the public vote was Wast Water and it's very easy to see why. If you've ever been there you'll know just how stunning the place is.
So here we go with a couple of photos from our trip to the UK last year when we took Joel & Eli to Wast Water
Health Blues
Citizenship
Being The Hands And Feet Of Jesus
After a few false starts and teething problems, Paula today officially launched her faithful home based care team in Chris Nissen. It was a special morning. Thanks to a financial commitment from our church she had been busily buying basic items for each carer and putting them in special bags for them to take around with them to house visits and was able to officially hand them over today to her 4 delighted carers.
Place Of Safety
It warms my heart to think of Michael & Joyce as a 'place of safety'. As a couple they have grown and matured so much in the 3 years we've known them and Michael has become a trusted friend whom we love dearly.
What Are You Drinking Tonight?
What will I be writing to you next that has run out, will it be no food in the house from tomorrow, who knows , someone please nuke this place and put us out of our misery, I am tired..............."
That was a quote form an email we received recently from our best friends in Zimbabwe. Somehow it conveys the truth in a very simple way that is so often missed by the mainstream media. Life in Zim is desperate and there are no immediate solutions waiting just around the corner.
Please pray for Zim and her people. Pray for the church, that she would be "..the light of the world" in a very dark place. Pray too for a Godly solution to the crisis in the nation. Man has no answers to this mess!
Stellenbosch Wes MTB Race - Official Times
My official time was: 4:04:13, with an average speed of 13.51kph which was due to the numerous portage sections.
Stellenbosch Wes MTB Race
This was a tough race as the mud was far worse than at the last Stellenbosch race. Despite the race being 5km's shorter and with only 1200M of climbing as opposed to 1400M in the previous race this one felt tougher, probably because of the mud. Also, my maximum heart rate was 1bpm less on this race and my average heart rate was 2bpm less. I also burnt 4435Kcal on this ride! Think I've earnt a beer or two tonight.
Settling The Bill - Zim Style
Our friends in Zim really need your prayers, life is really tough with even the most basic of food items being scarce and very expensive.
How we long for change in that amazing nation!
They Make Me Proud!
Paula's Ladies
Family Time
In the midst of busy lives and endless running around it's really important to take time out as a family, to pull up the draw bridge and exclude the outside world. We spent quite a bit of time doing just that over the weekend and we've had some really great moments. Joel & Eli have thoroughly enjoyed so much attention and have provided some wonderfully entertaining moments for Mummy & Daddy.
Whale Watching & Chillin' Out
Gravity Adventure Festival
Off To The Principal's Office..
Positives & Negatives (that title will annoy John Humphrys)
For fear of being overly negative, we'll not bore you with the details of our frustrations, but if you've been reading this Blog for any length of time you can probably figure it out.
Stellenbosch MTB Challenge
Harry Potter - Mania Madness
The problem here is that South Africa generally doesn't have a book culture in the way the UK does and so books are very expensive. Harry Potter was going on sale at launch for the usual R240ish (£17). However, Paula happened to see a small notice at our local supermarket saying they would be selling the book for R149 (£10). We knew Paula would be at the supermarket around lunchtime but certainly didn't expect to find any copies left, but lo and behold, there were loads!
10 Years In Mission
Weekend In Montagu
We were very blessed on our last night when Mike the farm mechanic baby-sat for us so we could enjoy the highlights of Montagu's nightlife. Sadly Montagu has no nightlife! Despite that we really did have a lot of fun together.
Roofing Sheets
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