I'm Useless At Blogging!

I say this because I haven't updated my blog in about 2 months!!! Partly because I am so busy doing stuff that I don't sometimes write it in my own journal, never mind my blog; and partly because I have too many ways of communication (facebook, email, letters, prayer letters, phone, texting) that sometimes one gets neglected... and sadly that one is the blog because well let's face it, it takes 2 seconds to update your status on Facebook, it takes a lot longer to compose something for people to read on Blogger.

I am coming to terms with the fact that I will probably never be able to catch up all of the happenings between when I last wrote on this until now, but I will try to keep it A LOT more up-to-date from now on!

About 2 weeks ago I travelled up to Waikane to the Scripture Union annual Staff Conference. It was a lovely refreshing time away and it was great to meet/catch up with SU workers all over the country. We had various useful seminars on anything from catching the vision, to IT skills and communication. I have already mentioned to Dave and John, but it turns out even people in New Zealand log on to the @the castle website to listen to some good preaching!

After staff conference, Nicole, Tim and I headed down to the south island for a few days of touring/rest/seeing what Tim was up to. We headed across to the west coast on the Tranzalpine train and rented a car there. Over the weekend we had a chance to visit the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Two Glaciers and go on a glowworm walk. We had a hairy moment on a swing bridge where we thought not only the bridge was going to break, but we were going to get blown over the edge, so we literally crawled across! The glaciers were amazing... very awe-inspiring. It was like at our first glace we said 'wow' but as we got closer and especially at Franz Josef where we walked right up the valley our 'wow's kept getting more excited! We stayed at a youth hostel which was cheap and cheerful, but had a sauna!

On Monday we spent some time looking round Christchurch and we climbed the tower in the cathedral. Now I've climbed towers like this before, in Carrick Castle, in Paris (Sacre Couer) and I have NOT liked them, in fact I think I came close to having a panic attack in the Sacre Couer due to the dark inside, the lack of handrails and the fact the steps just kept going and going! So when Tim suggested going up the tower I said 'now what are the steps like? Are there handrails, are they wide enough?' and he said 'yes'. Handrails my elbow! It was almost as bad as the Sacre Couer except not as high, and the inside of the tower was whitewashed. Still, as with the swing bridge I felt a sense of achievement when I finally got to the top!

Tuesday was spent at the drop-in centre and Get Real programme for at-risk youth that Tim is involved with in his internship. They are doing a great work down there, and the numbers of young people that have become Christians through the 'church' and programme is amazing... I met some of them and one boy had actually become a Christian while the leader in charge was away at Staff Conference... isn't that amazing?

Back into my clubs and activities this week. At the weekend it was Queen's Birthday public holiday, so Karen and I went out to see the seals at Red Rocks. Cute as! But one burped at me because I got too close :(