A Very Sociable Week

We've enjoyed some great hospitality the last few days. On Friday, after the March of Witness in town, the kids went to lunch at their old Youth Pastor's house and caught up with friends. Then we went on to M and R's house for hot cross buns. M and R are both musicians so we all got singing and playing (piano and guitars). Every time the families get together we end up having a great sing song!

Later, we walked to the market square to buy some fish and chips for dinner. We brought them home and ate them out of the wrapper!

Saturday evening we were at another family's home for dinner. They have 3 teens and after dinner Grcae and Jack went off with them to play basketball while the parents chatted. This family are victims of the church 'explosion' we were part of last year. They are some of the 1/3 of the membership who left but have not yet found suitable home church. I think they really can't get past the idea that you should go to church in your own home town. I think also that they are hoping that the leadership will change and a new pastor may be called soon and they will be able to return to the old church. My own feeling is that they need to commit somewhere else, but I know how hard that is. The repercussions of the problems at that church have been far-reaching and long-lasting.

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I have no photos of that evening!

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On Easter Morning, we were leading worship so we didn't do the Easter chocloate thing until later in the day. The kids asked us to hide it (rolling my eyes) so we did. Off they go to find it.

On Monday we met Windy at the gate of the USAF base and, once signed in, we went to her house. She has 5 beautiful children! Here's a couple of them with Grace, enjoying the latest constuction game.

Isn't he the picture of cuteness?

He kept Jamie entertained for a while!

It was so warm and sunny that we hung out outside for a while, trying to keep track of the children playing on various bikes and scooters. And met one of Jamie's self-proclaimed 'super-fans'. His band were always way more popular in the US and Canada than here, so thankfully, we don't have to deal with situation very often any more.{g}But once in a while it's quite fun!{g} And we didn't mind at all! Jamie signed his 1989 tour tee-shirt. Yes this guy had kept it for 20 years and it was now, at last, signed by his hero.
In return, he let Jack ride on his California low-rider! Which Jack thought was very cool indeed!

While we were there, the clock struck 5.00 and the two national anthems (UK and USA) played over a base-wide broadcast system. It is the custom that anyone out in public during this time should stop what they are doing, stand and (if American) place their hands on their hearts respectfully until the anthems are over. All the kids playing in the street stopped playing and did so. It was very impressive to see how people respected this, even very young children.

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Later, Jack remembered that he had left his roller blades at the skate park. 'Oh,' I thought, 'That'll be the end of those, then.' But Windy said, 'No, they'll still be there. It's like living in a lovely little 1950's bubble here.' And they were right where he'd left them!

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Jamie and I were quite sad returning to our ex-RAF housing estate. We know that's how it would have been here when we were children. Were we feeling nostalgia, home-sickness or envy? The respect, the sense of community among the neighbours, the safety of the neighbourhood. I wonder if it exists anywhere outside enclosed military bases any more?