Family Therapy -

Well, it looks like we have found someone to help us work through the difficulties and dilemmas that our adventure in Cambodia threw up. We are going to give joint (family) counselling a go, with a trained counsellor who works with people coming and going from overseas all the time. Catherine is going to meet her a couple of times one to one and then we are going to both meet with her on a weekly basis and see how it goes. If it goes well she thinks it will take a few months rather than weeks. Having never done this sort of thing before we are a bit nervous but the counsellor lent us a book by John Cleese and his Family Therapist, so that should help us to "always look at the bright side of life!"

Up and coming trips

After spending a few weeks settling into Yate and focusing on immediate family we have a few trips coming in the next couple of weeks.

On tuesday we are off to stay with a friend of Tim's from Uni days and her family. They live on a co-operative/communal orgainc farm in Herefordshire. We are very excited about spending time with them on the farm.

From there we go straight on to the Annual Gathering of the Community of Aidan and Hilda near Stratford upon Avon. They are the Celtic-inspired scattered christian community that we are part of.

After a few days back in Yate we are then off to Brighton for the birthday weekend of our dear friend Hannah which includes camping, cream teas, pub lunches, walks and sitting round the campfire with some of our favourite Brighton lovies. We hope to catch up with as many friends as possible but Brighton will need a few more visits this summer we think!

hardcore help and giving triathalon a try

Until the end of July we are staying with friends in Yate, near Bristol. Catherine looks after the boys in the morning and I take them out in the afternoon, giving us time to pray, reflect, communicate, do chores etc., Liking a bit of manual labour I have been doing a few days of volunteering renovating a community centre, ripping out ceilings and lugging hardcore about, that sort of thing - very therapeutic.

I have also been doing a bit of swim - bike - run to get fit for doing a triathalon with my brother in september. The swimming has felt more like drowning with style but I am slowly remembering how to breath. Running has been a non-starter so far as I haven't had any running shoes and the shoes I do have really hurt my achilles heel to run in. But I just found a good pair of trail shoes in a sale. Cycling has been the most fun, painful and eventful. A friend in Yate lets me borrow his racer when he is at work. I love getting out in the fresh air and the sense of freedom (although the clip in shoes took a bit of getting used too!). My brother also took me on a weekends mountain biking trip in the welsh valleys, which was fantastic and lung busting (and very wet...).