Sunday, 23 April 2023

20 year getaway... hobbity treehouse

We had the delight of celebrating 20 years in this wonderful spot for a few days with the help of a few people.


It was great fun and couldn't have come at a better time with a lot of things going on around us. Very thankful to have been able to retreat and give thanks for 20 years of together-ness and a brief pause before all that is about to happen next!

The salamander stove was great fun!






Wednesday, 19 April 2023

Twenny



Today we celebrate 20 blessed years of marriage.

Remember it vividly and what a day!

Thursday, 6 April 2023

Broken light

 

7.16pm on Maundy Thursday we saw this beauty directly outside of our home. It comes at a time where we were asking for a divine sign.

What a wonderful sign of light that is broken by a multitude of raindrops and only when the circumstances are correct do they project this awesome display.

Someone once shared with us that it's also a covenant... a covenant of broken light. We love this and what a time to see it. Especially today! 

Sunday, 3 April 2022

“don’t worry about it”

Apple Pay is great. 

A way of turning your phone into a method of payment. Great when you don’t have your wallet. Or better superseding the wallet altogether.

I’ve got a bit used to using it. I’m not convinced about using my own bank card yet but have a Mastercard that allows me to preload a small amount in times of emergencies.

Today was one of those times. Whilst at the local Tesco in pursuit of a pizza for tea I went to the checkout wallet-less. I was still smug enough to feel comfortable that I had my phone and Apple Pay as my payment option.

I even was able to cash in on my club cards points via an app. Get in!

What I was not prepared for was the payment app blocking me to use it due to requiring an IOS update to happen. With less than 20% battery it was never going to happen. 

Cue the ground opening embarrassing moment of saying I can’t pay to the shop clerk.

I was out of options and just had to yield that I had run out of things that I could pull out of my sleeve to simply make this work. The truth was: I couldn’t pay.

I was ready to start my sentence about coming right back when a customer behind me slowly tapped the payment.

Shocked I said let me take your details and pay you back. I was completely thrown by this. Lost for words and he just said “don’t worry about it.”

Floored by an act of kindness by someone I’ve never met in the checkout of Tesco Metro. 

Thank you.

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
- J.M Barrie

Tuesday, 29 March 2022

From Jinja to Sevenoaks (part 2) - interview with Ben (19/3/22)

Nearly 9 years ago, Papa told this journey to the church that helped him. I was privileged to be standing next to him as he proudly shared.

A few weeks ago I shared it to my church in St Johns. This time I was alone.

We also were able to hand out some special bracelets that are made by Syrian friends about something that meant a lot to us during a time of crisis, friendship. 

Amazingly these were sponsored by a handful of friends to give away to each attendee with the message that friendships are a powerful thing that we can each bring to displaced people. Certainly our family can testify to this power. 

If ever you are wondering what to do during a time of disaster: choose to be a friend.









Monday, 17 January 2022

Wonder Space

I was recently interviewed by a friend Steve Cole on his podcast about wonder spaces. A great podcast series exploring wonder.

I'd love to hear any comments... let me know!

Tuesday, 16 November 2021

80th birthday for Mercy Solanky 14.11.21

Celebrating 80 years of my mummy yesterday! 

We had phonce calls, zoom calls, drop ins and drop bys, fires, food and some fun... there a lovely tribute video made from some old footage too.

Happy birthday mummy :) xxx

 













Wednesday, 25 August 2021

God’s own county

Here’s a few photos from our holiday in God’s own county. We could only go thanks to some friends lending us their amazing home. 

Such a beautiful place.

The kids are growing into a teenage phase more as the appetite to do anything is waning. 












































Thursday, 5 August 2021

Podcast Interview with Ben on Teacher Talks Radio (from Feb)

From a few months ago, but here's me being interviewed by David Cunningham about 'empathy' and the work of Empathy Action.

(I'm on for the first half!)

 

Thursday, 15 April 2021

A (covid) death in the family

India has been getting from "bad to worse" in the ongoing diary of a global pandemic.

Yesterday we heard that my uncle in Ahmadabad had "been tested positive". Shortly followed by the words please pray

When hearing this you hope that he will be on the stats of "mild" and "with little impact".

My uncle was a good man. My most memorable time with him was about 20 years ago when I stayed for about 2-3 weeks for my cousin's wedding. He was a great fun. I recall enjoying a whiskey in a 'dry state' with him and his best friend. We both liked our whiskeys. I also loved going around Ahmadabad on the back of his scooter.

His next 24 hours were to be his last. One that reduces his entire life, his very essence, all those memories to a growing statistic.

It's was hard to hear that when he was eventually in hospital with all the worry and with his weakened heart he was being sent away home once they knew it was covid. He was asked to leave. Whilst they were in a hospital, they were not 'a covid hospital'. They were scared. Instead of a place of healing it became a place of sanctioning an oncoming 'timing-out' of my uncle's life in bureaucracy. The clock was ticking down as they sent him away. The one saving grace, or perhaps a way to justify their expulsion of him, was the sending him away with a canister of oxygen. Tick 

It was hard to hear that the specialist '108 Ambulance' - the only way to get to these specialist covid  hospitals was unresponsive. Tock.

Many people, from around the world too, were trying the hotline. It was not working. Trying time and time and time and time again. Tick

What alternatives were there. One was even trying an 'Ambulance on Wheels' service. Tock

Another came in the form of looking for other people to help. This was hard as it was now the early hours. Everything was shut. It was harder still when someone was eventually found to help and said I'll be there in 30 minutes. It was a glimmer of hope. Tick

In the mean time the oxygen canister had run out. Tock

When the ambulance eventually came it was too late. Uncle had passed.

It was hard to come to grips that this pandemic had taken my uncle away. Until now it hasn't hit home with a death. Today it has.

Remembering him with fondness and grateful to have had those memories. Most important to me is that he is at peace and I believe in a wonderful place. 

He was buried today barely 24 hours since that whatsapp message.

____

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’”

‭‭John‬ ‭14:2-4