A Few Ramblings…
Forty-six year old Christian happily negotiating the world with a wife and three daughters
Farewell to Zoe – 8th November 2010
We joined around 200 people today, who gathered at The Pastures Church in High Wycombe to bid an emotional farewell to our friend Zoe at the age of 33.
Zoe passed away a couple of weeks ago and the service was convened at this large church in order to cope with the expected number of people wishing to pay their respects. We arrived in plenty of time and the church quickly filled up, with extra chairs having to be set up at the rear of the hall.
The service began with the singing of ‘Amazing Grace’, one of Zoe’s favourite hymns and one that she used to sing as a lullaby to her two boys each night before bed. Emotionally, this set the scene for the rest of the service.
Prayer was followed by a reading from 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter dedicated to love, and it was brought out how Zoe had displayed this love both in the way she lived her life and to all that she met.
Several members of the family gave warm and touching tributes before the second hymn, ‘In Christ Alone’, was sung.
Nabil then gave his own eloquent, personal and at times tearful, eulogy to his wife. He brought out repeatedly her strong faith in her Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and the way that she had lived her life for Him – a theme also picked up on by the other tributes. He also spoke of her love for their children and family and something of her bubbly personality.
The main message was taken by the Pastor of Zoe and Nabil’s church. He spoke from Revelation 14, again emphasising Zoe’s personal Christian faith and urging the congregation to live their lives as she did.
The service ended with the final hymn, ‘Like a River Glorious’ and prayer.
It was a challenging service to go to, both emotionally and spiritually. Zoe will not be forgotten. Hearing about her life and legacy leaves me with two thoughts:
- A personal challenge to me as to how I live out my own Christian life on a day by day basis.
- A realisation that none of us know how long we will be here on Earth for and the need to love life and cherish every moment that we have of it.
Nabil and the boys have a long and painful road ahead of them but Zoe’s vibrant and happy life combined with her strong faith has given them a solid foundation and they will go forward with God’s help every step of the way.
Zoe has not ‘gone’, she has merely ‘gone ahead’.
Goodbye Zoe, we’ll see you again one day x
Crash! Boom! Bang! – 6th November 2010
As last year, we wrapped ourselves up in coats, scarves and hats, and headed over to Cookham to enjoy the annual display fireworks.
The display is organised by Cookham Scouts and there is a real ‘village’ feeling about the whole setup.
We drove down Mill Lane into the field that doubles for the evening as a car-park, had our tickets checked and were free to enter. Drinks, consisting of everything from tea and coffee to mulled wine, were served in various marquees by local volunteers using Burcos set up on old trestle tables. Another marquee offered sweets, as well as glow-sticks for the children.
Crowds in front of the marquees
The event takes place in a large field with a huge bonfire as the centrepiece and after we had enjoyed our hot beverages, it was time to adjourn there.
Flaming torches were lit and carried over the field before being thrust into the giant pyre of branches. Within minutes it had turned into a towering inferno and we were forced back by the heat produced. The huge blaze lit up the field and the faces of the wrapped-up masses glowed brightly in the autumnal chill.
The Towering Inferno
As the fire began to burn down, attention turned to the far side of the ground where a fenced off area had been prepared. With the starter of hot chocolate and the bonfire consumed, it was time for the main course of fireworks!
We weren’t disappointed. The fireworks began with a small shower of sparks sent up some six feet into the air before progressing into a pyrotechnic extravaganza. Shells of differing colours and styles were projected aloft accompanied both with explosions and the sound of ‘oohs’ and ‘arrs’ from the enthralled crowd of onlookers.
After fifteen minutes it was all over. But what a fifteen minutes it was! Sufficient variety of illuminations to keep the even the most ardent fan of fireworks happy and well worth the entry fee of five pounds.
A few of the excellent fireworks
When it was over we trooped back across the damp turf through air made smoky by both the fireworks and the bonfire, to the car.
Following the usual bottleneck to be found in forcing large numbers of cars along a narrow lane, we returned home, stopping only to collect chips from the local Chippy, and enjoy chip butties by the fire before bed.
Once again a night to remember!
Autumn Time – 2nd November 2010
Rebekah wrote a poem about autumn at school called Autumn Time. I thought it was worth adding onto here:
Autumn Time
Autumn is when leaves fall
And birds migrate
Autumn time
Squirrels hunt for nuts and acorns
Autumn time
There is mist
Autumn time
The weather is colder
Autumn time
Leaves change colour
Autumn time
Lights in houses
Autumn time
By Rebekah Bray (Age 6)
A week in Weymouth – 23rd to 30th October 2010
We enjoyed a great week away for the half-term break, staying in the seaside town of Weymouth.
Our visit was bookended by visits to Little Chef. They have now rolled out their main menu, and judging by the number of people in there on both of our visits, it seems to be paying dividends!
Little Chef Early Starter
We stayed ‘self-catering’ in a house which was pleasant enough and the girls enjoyed the benefits of their own ‘playroom’. We had various minor ‘teething’ issues however. A lack of any towels in the house necessitated a visit to the nearby Asda on our first evening. During this, Holly wandered off and and was later ‘announced’ on the tannoy as being in Aisle 13, needless to say, quite upset! We also found out during the week that the washing machine didn’t get beyond the opening few noises before it started protesting and flashing warning lights at us.
Rebekah had her own problems during one night when we were woken by the noise of banging from her bedroom. On investigation it seems that she had rolled out of bed and somehow managed to bang into, and then subsequently open the wardrobe while trying to find her bed again – all of which caused much amusement afterwards.
It was amusing to read in the Visitor’s Book various issues that other people had encountered during previous stays. One family in 2006 had managed to find fault with the smell in the front room, the size of the garden, the futon, the ‘cramped’ bathroom, the sound on the second television, the kettle, kitchen tiles, lack of blinds, the traffic and high-priced car-parks! It made us wonder how they managed to find time for anything else apart from moaning! Coming from a two-bedroom maisonette, we were impressed with the size of the house and its relative convenience for getting into the town centre.
We had a number of pleasant days out during our holiday and all enjoyed a visit to Corfe Castle on a wonderful sunny day. We finally got around to joining the National Trust while we were there.
Corfe Castle
Kimmeridge Bay is another great location and the girls enjoyed hunting for fossils among the stones on the beach. Rebekah was less impressed with a large dog that decided to push her into the sea – fortunately no damage done.
Kimmeridge Bay
Another high point was a trip on the ferry from Poole to Brownsea Island. Brownsea is a peaceful place and we had a picnic lunch in the woods to a backdrop of birdsong while we were there.
We also saw a number of red squirrels – Brownsea is one of their last remaining strongholds in England.
Red squirrel on Brownsea Island
Weymouth is something of a traditional English seaside town, with two piers, and still offers such delights as donkey rides on the beach – something that Rebekah and Holly were happy to participate in. We also attempted crabbing in the harbour – something which proved less successful!
Donkey riding on Weymouth beach
Two indoor activities that were also worth a visit were the Discovery Centre and the Timewalk – both of which are in Brewers Quay. We also had a great time at Nothe Fort.
The pick of the places to eat, both of which we visited twice while we were staying, were Time for Tea and Marlboro. Time for Tea is a small restaurant offering sumptuous cream teas and homemade cakes. Marlboro is a fish and chip restaurant that provides huge platefuls of delicious food. Both of these we would heartily recommend.
Weymouth is currently undergoing a series of major roadworks which provide something of a headache if you’re wishing to travel through the town centre – or anywhere in a hurry! While it’s a nice enough town to visit, and there is certainly plenty to see and do in the immediate vicinity, I’m not sure that we’ll be returning to our temporary home in Newstead Road anytime soon. A week is long enough and it was good to arrive back home this afternoon.
A Few Ramblings... 