Holidays nearly over

Hi. My annual January holiday break is just about over.  Back on deck tomorrow, refreshed and looking forward to a fruitful year in ministry. 

This time, I’ve taken two weeks off, and wonder why I ever chose just the one week in times past !  Certainly this has been the way to go.  One reflection has been the time has gone really slowly.  There’s a lesson there, amid the busyness and rush and intensity too often at other times of the year.  Hopefully, some learnings toward the end of 2015 have me better-equipped to ensure I build “slow time” into my days and weeks 🙂

What have I enjoyed this past fortnight?  Time with Dale of course, including a lovely buffet dinner in a restaurant in the city.  There’s a story behind that, which Dale best tell.  I’m a cricket tragic, so we’ve managed to attend two Big Bash League games and Friday’s Australia-India ODI at the Gabba.

Seen three movies:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 8.5/10
Joy  8/10
The Big Short 7/5/10 … I’m a hard marker 🙂

Lots of time at or near the beach:

• our annual Hervey Bay week right on the Esplanade with friends Jan and Glenn.  LOTs of swims, sleeps, reading, coffee (go Bayaroma), daily walks, means at the Boat Club, movie and a really enjoyable concert by a Creedence Clearwater Revival “revival” band.  The band was rightly tight, great musicianship and yes, they did my favourite Creedence song – Up Around the Bend!
• three nights near Cylinder Beach, North Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane.  Beautiful weather and lovely swims in crystal clear water.
• as per previous post, I wrote a Psalm 145 and mandolin-inspired worship praise song while there: Bless your name forever

So, back into it tomorrow.
New Years blessings again, folks

David

memorable two days … now on with the holiday!

What can I say about the last two days?!

Yesterday morning, we headed off to our o/n unit on Albert St, E Melbourne for the special Frontier Services worship service to celebrate the 100th anniversary of John Flynn founding the Australian Inland Mission, and a few years after, what we know now as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was a good move and much better (looking back) then driving or training back afterwards!

So yesterday, we thought it would be nice to take the Sorrento to Queenscliff car ferry across Port Philip Bay. This was lovely … glorious weather. After doing a few things en route we made it (thank you Navman) through Melbourne’s CBD to our unit. This turned our surprisingly spacious, tidy and practical. Tripadvisor knows this now too!

Nice afternoon tea with Harry & Jan T down from our Oxley church for “the” event and we head to Dallas Brooks Hall for rehearsal. We’re not there long before we meet Ted Egan AO … national living treasure … outback icon et al. Ted remarks how lovely Dale’s voice is as per demo mp3 of “Cross this land tonight” and Dale finds herself singing the song with Ted; me on guitar. Song went well, though not convinced the guitar was very loud in the mix. Anyhow, such a great honour for me, at such a memorable occasion, alongside Ted Egan and with Dale involved; and that – at Ted’s suggestion! Thank you Rosemary Y &Frontier Services.

Great service, with a range of musical components. Thought my song held up very well against the considerable one: “Resilient and free” written by Bruce Prewer and Colin Brumby for the service. Loved Julie Perrin’s new second verse for “For you deep stillness”. Such an evocative song. So much more in service including some special words from Andrew Dutney, Tim Fischer, Simon Crean and local aboriginal elder. Some special prayers, images and symbol used. Loved Ted Egan’s John Flynn song! Nice catching up with people over coffee afterwards.

Today? A bit of the tourist. We left car (fortunately) at the unit and apart from having morning tea at Federation Square (over- rated architecturally is my verdict, sorry) we did our own thing. Dale checked out Queen Victoria Markets & some shops; I headed for the National Sports Museum @ the MCG. Fitted in short trip on the free City Tram.

We got back to our Rosebud base camp around 4 pm in time for a lovely swim at the large indoor heated pool.

Quiet dinner, TV & reading followed.
The next few days we’re looking forward to some laidback days. … with some exercise and local sightseeing thrown in. Come Monday, off for a three -day jaunt featuring Ballarat/Sovereign Hill … then to the Great Ocean Road.

Oh … a Melbourne Storm win in- between!

Cheers,
David

High

a day on fraser

Well – a wet day – a long day – a sometimes frustrating day – but a good day nonetheless, and on the world’s largest sand island.

Dale, Glenn, Jan and I took a whole-day tour … in mostly drizzling or intermittent rain … to Fraser Island, about 40 minutes barge trip from River Heads near Hervey Bay. We left around 7.30 am and got back to our unit just after 6 pm.  I was last on Fraser Island in the late 1970s when a few friends and I took an overnight 4WD trip to the Island.  Don’t remember much, apart from driving David Wilson’s old 4WD jeep (I think, or was it Land  Rover) on 75 Mile Beach.

regardlesss, we soon got used to travelling around in a  4WD bus, driven capably by Jon our driver.  The day wasn’t cheap … and the lunch at Eurong Beach Resort fairly ordinary, but I’m glad we went.  A shame there was not a single window of blue sky all day. Took a bit getting used to the endless amount of slippery, wet, corrugated, muddy tracks Jon and bus took us on – over 100 Ks!.  Of course on the bit of 75 Mile Beach we travelled, it was quite amazing seeing the number of 4WD vehicles.  And I thought Moggill Road was busy!

Some highlights for me were the swim at Lake Mackenzie and strolling down Eli Creek toward the ocean … being tall like I am gave me a decided advantage over Jan and Dale who did the same.  Both experiences were very refreshing.

We all got back quite tired and keen (Dale especially) to get back to our novels, or in Jan’s case, sleep.

Cheers for now.

Takin’ it easy @ Hervey Bay

How great it is to take some time off and spend it with Dale at the beach – in this case Hervey Bay: just over 3 hours drive north of Brisbane. sharing it with our good friends Glenn and Jan makes it special too.

Those weeks of finishing up 5 wonderful years of ministry at Indooropilly, packing way too many boxes of gear ready for our 22 December move to Oxley UC manse, unpacking, Christmas, some parenting demands – they sure took their toll.

so – to be able to kick back for a while here at a unit virtually right on the beach, have my morning coffee at Bayorama @ Torquay, do lots of reading , spend time with Dale, do some swimming & walking, play “May I ?” card games with the four of us, bask in that wonderful afternoon seabreeze -well, it’s great.

doesn’t take our mind completely off some real concerns friends and family have – but I see it as God’s gift of a little timeout .

reality will bite on our return on the 7th – new ministry at oxley – darra. For now … back to the coffee, paper and beachwalk