cooking fun

When we're in Benin I sometimes manage to get my hands on a women's magazine, which I will read zealously from cover to cover. I love reading recipes, though generally speaking I can't find most of the ingredients I would need to make the meals.

So while in France I am enjoying actually being able to make some of the interesting recipes I find. Yesterday evening Marc and I ate together after the kids were in bed, and I made an Indonesian dish I had found. I don't know what an Indonesian would have made of my efforts, but we found it delicious!

in the bleak midwinter...

It hasn't been a particularly cold winter this year. But we returnees from Africa bundle ourselves up pretty well when we go out, anyway.

Yesterday we were going to visit friends who have a new baby, and we took the bus there. When we got to the right stop, the boys got off the bus, and I tried to lift Eve out of her seat. There was some resistance, I pulled, and I heard something snap. I realised it must be her mitten - they were attached by those strings that go through the coat - saw one string dangling from a sleeve, and tried to spot the missing mitten. It wasn't on the floor, and I was very aware that Simon and Benjy were outside the bus, that I couldn't hold the doors open *and* search for the mitten, and that I was therefore going to have to abandon the search and get myself and Eve off the bus before we were carried away again. (Later I realised I could perhaps have called to the driver, but being right at the back of the bus that didn't seem an easy or obvious solution.)

So we got off the bus with just one mitten, and Eve cried bitterly (for a minute or two) when she realised what had happened.

Since colder weather is being forecast, I didn't want to leave it too long before buying her new mittens, so popped into town this morning.

I went back to the market stall where I'd bought the original pair, and where the (very honest) stallholder had told me I wouldn't need a spare pair because of the string. After greeting her, I held up the solitary mitten on its string and said, "I'd like the same again, please!" "Ah," she said, "even with the string they *can* still get lost!"

After buying the new mittens, and waiting for her to change a note (it reminded me of Kandi, where you often have to wait in the market while change is found!), I said I didn't know how she put up with the cold.

"This isn't cold!" she exclaimed, "In fact that's our problem this year, no one is buying anything!"

"They are talking about snow next week," I said hopefully.

"Oh, snow's no good, no one comes to the market in the snow!" she replied, "Snow's no good, rain's no good...!"

As I left her, it began to rain...

Family photo for the New Year

This photo was taken by Marc's sister Marie, on January 2nd, in front of the big Christmas tree on Nancy's Place Stanislas:

2015 in pictures...

We began January with a New Year's Day walk...

and some sibling love (awww...)

In February the kids got new clothes

In March we got some weird weather, and the kids played in the village with their friends

In April we went to the sunrise service (photo taken as people left)

and Mummy and Eve did some dancing...

In May we went to more than one wedding, and ate lots of wedding food

In June we started saying our goodbyes, this photo taken when we were at the Kandi-Fô church for our last time

In July we left Benin and had some holiday time in England

In August the kids spent time with their French grandparents while their parents were finding a flat to rent in Nancy

In September the kids started school

In October we enjoyed autumn

In November Eve and I travelled in England to visit churches and family

In December we celebrated Simon's birthday (you saw the Christmas photos last time!)

A very Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog! I'm not a big one for New Year's Resolutions, but I will try to keep writing regularly this year.

Christmas

We spent Christmas at my parents' house in England, with them, my sister Ali and her family (and yes, Mum and Dad had to leave the house for a couple of nights to make space for us all!). It was just so nice that my kids could experience the kind of Christmas I had as a child.

Walks on muddy footpaths:





My mum's delicious Christmas dinner:



And of course stocking presents:



And as for me, I was in church 3 times in 24 hours!!

On tour by train...

Eve and I got back on Thursday from a two and a half week tour around part of England, visiting friends, supporting churches and individual supporters. We travelled over to England by Eurostar, which worked very well (except for them forgetting to give us a window for our window seat on the way over!).



We visited London, Bedford, Westbury, Yeovil and Bath, finishing our tour with a couple of days at my parents' house in Chesterfield. My lovely parents had travelled with us from Bedford onwards to provide chauffeur, baby-sitting and technical services where necessary, and it was great to have their help and to spend time with them!

It was a bit of a whirlwind of a journey, but we had a great time. We were wonderfully welcomed by all those who hosted us, and all the different meetings I spoke at went well. I'd been invited to church services, special meet-the-missionary meetings, a mum-and-toddlers' group, a group for retired people, home groups and meals.

After 4 years working in Benin almost non-stop (obviously we had some holiday during that time, including 5 weeks in Europe in 2013), it was really encouraging to be able to talk to interested people about our work, show photos and answer questions. We know people are praying for us when we're in Benin because they tell us so, but it is really special to be face-to-face with those people, to connect personally again and to pray together in person.

As an extravert, it isn't always easy for me to work in an office for hours on end. So this people-focused part of our work suits me well, and I have found myself able to come back to my desk in France re-fueled and re-enthused for my work on the biblical text.

I didn't manage to get many photos of me speaking, but here I am being projected onto the big screen at St John's church, Yeovil. (Photo credit: Judith Brookes. Video credit: David Matthew.)



And taken out of chronological order, here are Eve and I at the beginning of our tour in London. (Photo credit: random passer-by):

On tour...

During the kids' two-week autumn holiday, we had the first of several journeys we'll be making to visit churches and other supporters. We went first to St Etienne, where we stayed with friends and spoke about our work in Benin at their church. Marc also preached there.

We next went down to Orange, to the SIM France HQ, where we had a 2-day conference. We joined the SIM France office staff, missionaries who work in France and missionaries who like us are back in France on Home Assignment. And their kids, which made our own kids very happy! It was great to reflect on God's Word together, hear about other people's ministries, and walk out in the beautiful countryside of Provence. After the conference we had a day of debriefing on our last 4 years in Benin.



We then spent a couple of days in Blois, with friends of ours who are church-planting missionaries there with France Mission. A wonderful time of relaxing and encouraging each other. Again, our kids were very happy to get to know theirs (photo taken at the Château de Chaverny).



We then spent a weekend in Chinon, visiting English friends who retired there who I have known since I was a teenager. We led their church service, Marc preached and we also gave a presentation about our work. There was a shared meal afterwards, giving us the opportunity to talk with people some more.



Simon collecting walnuts in our friends' woods.



We spent our Monday with the friends (Wayne and Margaret, see above) who had welcomed us into their home, and then went on to Marc's parents for a few days before coming home. One of the wonderful things about driving around France at this time of year is seeing the amazing autumn colours. Especially after 6 years without an autumn! (The smudges are on our windscreen!)



This travelling is a tiring business!