update fourteen: a flying visit
Photo of Spring here in NZ, its strong stuff, everything’s so bright and vivid with the intense blue skies to set it all off… I took an afternoon a couple of weeks ago to wander in awe around the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, I spent HOURS there just revelling in the beauty and snapping away with my trusty camera! Our Creator God has such great taste! (More pics at end of this posting... having trouble loading them up again!)
I guess Spring here means that Autumn is beginning to show its face at home?? My favourite season…… and speaking of home, I’ve been praying recently about being able to get back to the UK for a few weeks, Its been a long year out here, getting settled in and I recognised I’ve been getting to the point recently where I’ve simply had enough for now ( I know my limits!) I’m totally exhausted, hit a wall, tired of not seeing my friends and family; people that truly know ME and for the first time since being here I crave Englishness! What do I miss most? Silly things…. the terminology and the English humour, I would give anything to hear an “‘Allo darlin’” or “alright ‘luv”. don’t ask me why!!
So bearing in mind the promise that God said ‘He would provide for me’ I had a quiet word and asked Him if He could make it possible as I would REALLY appreciate a real break and see loved ones! BUT that (as He was well aware) I didn’t have any money. So it was totally out of my hands and up to Him! Anyway He had something up His sleeve with a healthy tax return from the UK for last years earnings that came through a couple of weeks ago! Excellent!
It was enough to pay off a bill or two and TO COME HOME FOR A FEW WEEKS!!! HURRAH! (and I didn’t just hit capslock by mistake there, that was the cyber version of me shouting from the rooftops!) -Crack open the Marmite!!!
I was musing on this yesterday, (not the marmite bit) but the fact that being so reliant on God -whilst not easy in practice- really provides mountain-top moments as if I had been earning good money I could well have afforded a trip home but would not have got the WOW factor of it being provided miraculously as it was. It’s only when we stop being reliant on worldly things that God can really act and I highly recommend it (though don’t highly enjoy it a lot of the time!) Kind of like the Psalms with David agonising and despairing one moment and then the next being unable to find the words to praise God enough… but all the time never doubting His existence- as I often say, its not glamorous, Worldly eyes would look at elements of my life and more than likely pity it, and I’ve had to try and master the art of humbleness, (though ‘frustration’ often wins the day!) but it’s certainly not boring, it’s radical living and those who settle within a comfort zone -whatever that is for them- miss out IMMENSELY!!!
I fly back into the UK a year to the day since I left (lift)…. (and no doubt speaking with a Kiwi twang!) early this *Friday (13/10) and fly out again Tues 7/11.
* will only be here in body for the first couple of days due to jetlag. I will be busy getting reacquainted with my bed during this time!
There’s an added bonus that I get to reclaim the hour back that we lost here in NZ last weekend when daylight saving started as I’m home during the time the UK daylight saving ends….. my watch dial is going to see a lot of action! (and I’m already confused)
I’m also home for my birthday which is nice, as this year it is a special one and I will get to have another celebration on my return to NZ!!….. “21 again (agin)!?” I hear you cry!? Well no, but I’ll give you a BIG clue:
I’m NOT expecting a telegram from Her Majesty this year.
So now you all know!! Yes on 1st Nov my name automatically changes by deed poll to Miss B. Jones. Oh Well.
Birthdays aside, it would be great to catch up with those of you who would like to and are around…. I’ll be based back in Camberley but am planning to spend time in London, Guildford, possibly Wiltshire and Canterbury! Get in touch! And if you’re in the Camberley area on Tues 17 Oct I’m hosting an Upside-Down Night at my parent’s house; a kiwi-style dessert evening with lots of treats to sample from NZ! (I even have a NZ flags plastic bunting which I was very excited to discover in the $2.00 shop (“Everything in Just $2’s is $2’s!! (local radio jingle)) . Oh yes, this is going to be one classy event!
Having said that I’m excited about coming back, I’m also more than a little apprehensive… what will have changed? How much have I changed? Will my friends remember me!? (joke) Will I want to stay? And ultimately… Will I be able to catch up on a years worth of Corrie? (I shall NEVER succumb to calling it Coro as they do over here… sacrilege! AND they are more than a year behind!)
Whilst trying to book a flight I came across more than my fair share of rude call centre employees, one in particular I would like to name and shame as providing the worst customer service I have ever come across…. ‘Travel Mood’
“Thank you for your help” I said politely after being on the phone for quite a while with an extra surly call centre team member, from whom I had received no help whatever:
“And may I suggest that you might like to consider changing your name from Travel Mood to Travel Moody”
Then I hung up.
HA! that felt GOOD!
Other news from the past few weeks…..
The Managers at my paid work have been great at me upping and leaving them all of a sudden to head home, it’s only a temporary position but they have said to come and see them when I get back and if there’s work they would love to take me back on again. The ladies also took me out for a drink after work one day (social-life-alert!) to wish me ‘Bon Voyage’… they really are a great bunch.
I have been working the odd weekend as an on-the-door ticket seller for Eventz NZ, they organise outdoor and boat shows around the South Island throughout the year, like the Earls Court shows but only 0.0000001% in size! Its extra money and makes a nice change. Its also lovely to be part of an event without being the organiser, I get to sit behind my ticket desk watching others run around with the walkie talkies and feel very glad its not me! It’s not lucrative but it’s a fun team, there’s no responsibility (past me smiling and selling tickets) and I can leave at the end of my shift!
The latest show was in Dunedin (Gaelic for ‘Edinburgh’) this ‘city’ is one of the oldest settlements in NZ and where the Scots landed back in the 1850’s. I love Dunedin although both times I’ve been I’ve never had much time there to look around! It’s got the ‘oldest’ buildings I’ve seen in NZ (and more notably the NZ Cadbury Factory!!) and reminds me greatly of Edinburgh (but with random Kiwi twists that only serve to remind you how far from home you actually are!)
Anyway- I got the minibus to Dunedin, as I was getting a lift back with my friends Anne and Rex who were also working at the show but had gone down earlier. Note to self…. DON’T catch a public minibus in NZ during the school holidays… it was full of 15 year olds on their way to visiting friends in Dunedin. Yes I endured 5 hours of flirting and text messaging and screaming at a pitch that only teenage girls can reach. I spent the whole trip expecting the windows to shatter at any moment. Was I ever like that??!! Probably.
Back in Rangiora, I have joined the Parish Prison Team, which visits one of Christchurch’s Prisons once a month for a Sunday evening service. This is absolutely awesome.
Whilst the services are terribly old-fashioned ("All Together now..! “Give Me Oil in my Lamp Keep me Burning...) and there is huge scope for developing the format -the rest of the team are all older folk but have been visiting faithfully for nearly 20 years- God is honouring their dedication and heart and last week some of the men asked if they could sing a Maori song that they had written about God. (There is a disproportionately high population of Maori in NZ’s prison) It was BEAUTIFUL. Also some of the men are now standing up in the service to share a personal thought or testimony, it’s really powerful stuff. (with a heavy dose of laddish humour!) The men (min) are all so welcoming and we have time at the end over coffee for great chats about their past lives and future hopes and dreams etc, I can’t even begin to relay what a wonderful privilege it is to be part of it.
I think that’s all for now, have to go and pack, though I must leave lots of room in my case for my return trip as I have a long list of ‘English-Specific’ things to get for homesick Brits over here…. It’s funny what you miss! Items include… Polo Mints, Pork Scratchings (Personally I was more than glad to leave them 12,000 miles behind!)… ‘Anything from River Island’ (I reassured them that I’d bring back a carrier bag) Walkers Crisps (NZ doesn’t ‘do’ crisps… my sister (AKA ‘Crisp Fiend’) wouldn’t last 2 minutes here) and some Whole Nut Dairy Milk as I’m ashamed to say that I ate the giant bar (even more ashamed to say in one sitting) that I asked my mum to bring over for this person back in May (you know who you are and I can only humbly apologise!)
Really have to finish now….. Packing frenzy calls….. I’m flying up to Wellington later today, and staying overnight for my second Summer Wine Managers Meeting, (I’m hoping I get to stay with‘Olive-On-The-Waterfront’ again and this time I won’t bat an eyelid if she says she’s “going to prepare a ‘hottie’ for me to take to bed” I’m much more au fait with the kiwi language compared to my first visit! And no, Olive-On-the-Water-Front is (sadly for me perhaps ) DEFINITELY NOT that kind of establishment….)
I fly back from Wellington late tomorrow then off on Thursday morning to the UK, The airport is to be my home for the next few days!
Looking forward to seeing lots of you soon! (God Save the Queen, How Do You Do, Here Is The News, Luv-a-Duck and all that!)
C
x
Photo of Spring here in NZ, its strong stuff, everything’s so bright and vivid with the intense blue skies to set it all off… I took an afternoon a couple of weeks ago to wander in awe around the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, I spent HOURS there just revelling in the beauty and snapping away with my trusty camera! Our Creator God has such great taste! (More pics at end of this posting... having trouble loading them up again!)
I guess Spring here means that Autumn is beginning to show its face at home?? My favourite season…… and speaking of home, I’ve been praying recently about being able to get back to the UK for a few weeks, Its been a long year out here, getting settled in and I recognised I’ve been getting to the point recently where I’ve simply had enough for now ( I know my limits!) I’m totally exhausted, hit a wall, tired of not seeing my friends and family; people that truly know ME and for the first time since being here I crave Englishness! What do I miss most? Silly things…. the terminology and the English humour, I would give anything to hear an “‘Allo darlin’” or “alright ‘luv”. don’t ask me why!!
So bearing in mind the promise that God said ‘He would provide for me’ I had a quiet word and asked Him if He could make it possible as I would REALLY appreciate a real break and see loved ones! BUT that (as He was well aware) I didn’t have any money. So it was totally out of my hands and up to Him! Anyway He had something up His sleeve with a healthy tax return from the UK for last years earnings that came through a couple of weeks ago! Excellent!
It was enough to pay off a bill or two and TO COME HOME FOR A FEW WEEKS!!! HURRAH! (and I didn’t just hit capslock by mistake there, that was the cyber version of me shouting from the rooftops!) -Crack open the Marmite!!!
I was musing on this yesterday, (not the marmite bit) but the fact that being so reliant on God -whilst not easy in practice- really provides mountain-top moments as if I had been earning good money I could well have afforded a trip home but would not have got the WOW factor of it being provided miraculously as it was. It’s only when we stop being reliant on worldly things that God can really act and I highly recommend it (though don’t highly enjoy it a lot of the time!) Kind of like the Psalms with David agonising and despairing one moment and then the next being unable to find the words to praise God enough… but all the time never doubting His existence- as I often say, its not glamorous, Worldly eyes would look at elements of my life and more than likely pity it, and I’ve had to try and master the art of humbleness, (though ‘frustration’ often wins the day!) but it’s certainly not boring, it’s radical living and those who settle within a comfort zone -whatever that is for them- miss out IMMENSELY!!!
I fly back into the UK a year to the day since I left (lift)…. (and no doubt speaking with a Kiwi twang!) early this *Friday (13/10) and fly out again Tues 7/11.
* will only be here in body for the first couple of days due to jetlag. I will be busy getting reacquainted with my bed during this time!
There’s an added bonus that I get to reclaim the hour back that we lost here in NZ last weekend when daylight saving started as I’m home during the time the UK daylight saving ends….. my watch dial is going to see a lot of action! (and I’m already confused)
I’m also home for my birthday which is nice, as this year it is a special one and I will get to have another celebration on my return to NZ!!….. “21 again (agin)!?” I hear you cry!? Well no, but I’ll give you a BIG clue:
I’m NOT expecting a telegram from Her Majesty this year.
So now you all know!! Yes on 1st Nov my name automatically changes by deed poll to Miss B. Jones. Oh Well.
Birthdays aside, it would be great to catch up with those of you who would like to and are around…. I’ll be based back in Camberley but am planning to spend time in London, Guildford, possibly Wiltshire and Canterbury! Get in touch! And if you’re in the Camberley area on Tues 17 Oct I’m hosting an Upside-Down Night at my parent’s house; a kiwi-style dessert evening with lots of treats to sample from NZ! (I even have a NZ flags plastic bunting which I was very excited to discover in the $2.00 shop (“Everything in Just $2’s is $2’s!! (local radio jingle)) . Oh yes, this is going to be one classy event!
Having said that I’m excited about coming back, I’m also more than a little apprehensive… what will have changed? How much have I changed? Will my friends remember me!? (joke) Will I want to stay? And ultimately… Will I be able to catch up on a years worth of Corrie? (I shall NEVER succumb to calling it Coro as they do over here… sacrilege! AND they are more than a year behind!)
Whilst trying to book a flight I came across more than my fair share of rude call centre employees, one in particular I would like to name and shame as providing the worst customer service I have ever come across…. ‘Travel Mood’
“Thank you for your help” I said politely after being on the phone for quite a while with an extra surly call centre team member, from whom I had received no help whatever:
“And may I suggest that you might like to consider changing your name from Travel Mood to Travel Moody”
Then I hung up.
HA! that felt GOOD!
Other news from the past few weeks…..
The Managers at my paid work have been great at me upping and leaving them all of a sudden to head home, it’s only a temporary position but they have said to come and see them when I get back and if there’s work they would love to take me back on again. The ladies also took me out for a drink after work one day (social-life-alert!) to wish me ‘Bon Voyage’… they really are a great bunch.
I have been working the odd weekend as an on-the-door ticket seller for Eventz NZ, they organise outdoor and boat shows around the South Island throughout the year, like the Earls Court shows but only 0.0000001% in size! Its extra money and makes a nice change. Its also lovely to be part of an event without being the organiser, I get to sit behind my ticket desk watching others run around with the walkie talkies and feel very glad its not me! It’s not lucrative but it’s a fun team, there’s no responsibility (past me smiling and selling tickets) and I can leave at the end of my shift!
The latest show was in Dunedin (Gaelic for ‘Edinburgh’) this ‘city’ is one of the oldest settlements in NZ and where the Scots landed back in the 1850’s. I love Dunedin although both times I’ve been I’ve never had much time there to look around! It’s got the ‘oldest’ buildings I’ve seen in NZ (and more notably the NZ Cadbury Factory!!) and reminds me greatly of Edinburgh (but with random Kiwi twists that only serve to remind you how far from home you actually are!)
Anyway- I got the minibus to Dunedin, as I was getting a lift back with my friends Anne and Rex who were also working at the show but had gone down earlier. Note to self…. DON’T catch a public minibus in NZ during the school holidays… it was full of 15 year olds on their way to visiting friends in Dunedin. Yes I endured 5 hours of flirting and text messaging and screaming at a pitch that only teenage girls can reach. I spent the whole trip expecting the windows to shatter at any moment. Was I ever like that??!! Probably.
Back in Rangiora, I have joined the Parish Prison Team, which visits one of Christchurch’s Prisons once a month for a Sunday evening service. This is absolutely awesome.
Whilst the services are terribly old-fashioned ("All Together now..! “Give Me Oil in my Lamp Keep me Burning...) and there is huge scope for developing the format -the rest of the team are all older folk but have been visiting faithfully for nearly 20 years- God is honouring their dedication and heart and last week some of the men asked if they could sing a Maori song that they had written about God. (There is a disproportionately high population of Maori in NZ’s prison) It was BEAUTIFUL. Also some of the men are now standing up in the service to share a personal thought or testimony, it’s really powerful stuff. (with a heavy dose of laddish humour!) The men (min) are all so welcoming and we have time at the end over coffee for great chats about their past lives and future hopes and dreams etc, I can’t even begin to relay what a wonderful privilege it is to be part of it.
I think that’s all for now, have to go and pack, though I must leave lots of room in my case for my return trip as I have a long list of ‘English-Specific’ things to get for homesick Brits over here…. It’s funny what you miss! Items include… Polo Mints, Pork Scratchings (Personally I was more than glad to leave them 12,000 miles behind!)… ‘Anything from River Island’ (I reassured them that I’d bring back a carrier bag) Walkers Crisps (NZ doesn’t ‘do’ crisps… my sister (AKA ‘Crisp Fiend’) wouldn’t last 2 minutes here) and some Whole Nut Dairy Milk as I’m ashamed to say that I ate the giant bar (even more ashamed to say in one sitting) that I asked my mum to bring over for this person back in May (you know who you are and I can only humbly apologise!)
Really have to finish now….. Packing frenzy calls….. I’m flying up to Wellington later today, and staying overnight for my second Summer Wine Managers Meeting, (I’m hoping I get to stay with‘Olive-On-The-Waterfront’ again and this time I won’t bat an eyelid if she says she’s “going to prepare a ‘hottie’ for me to take to bed” I’m much more au fait with the kiwi language compared to my first visit! And no, Olive-On-the-Water-Front is (sadly for me perhaps ) DEFINITELY NOT that kind of establishment….)
I fly back from Wellington late tomorrow then off on Thursday morning to the UK, The airport is to be my home for the next few days!
Looking forward to seeing lots of you soon! (God Save the Queen, How Do You Do, Here Is The News, Luv-a-Duck and all that!)
C
x
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1 comment:
Charlotte, I'm sorry we haven;t hooked up for so long. i've been thinking of you often. Have an absolutely awesome time in the UK, soak up everything you can! (not that I am at all jealous!!) Really though, I'll be praying that God pours our his abundant blessings on you and that you find all you seek. I can;t wait to hear about your trip, a glass of pinot on your return perhaps!? Lots of love, from the cadbury whole nut deprived pom!
ps the comment about the "hottie" made me cry just now, I told my colleague and she said, ah that's being looked out for isn;t it. They really think it is ok to say that!!!!
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