Day 131 – 141: London Calling
We have been in London (well just outside near Hampton Court) for 10 days now and cant believe that the time has flown by so rapidly. Days have run into each other and we have enjoyed every minute of the rest and opportunity to catch up with friends again.
Sunday 12th August
From the minute we landed at Heathrow, we have been completely blown away by the generosity of our hosts and wonderful friends, Andrew (Pommy) and his gorgeous fiancé Sarah. Craig was so exited to see his old friend that he jump on the trolley and with a huge force he pushed himself forward shouting ‘POMMY’.
They met with a great embrace and filled the air with excitement for the days ahead.
We had to celebrate, and so decided to go to their local pub where we could enjoy the beautiful summers day with a few drinks, good food and a great catch up.
As we arrived at the pub, it was filled with locals taking in as much of the sunshine and atmosphere as they could. The pub was decorated with British flags for the Olympics and added to the festivities.
Monday, 13h August
Due to the change of our itinerary and our early entrance into the UK, we were able to see a good friend of mine from Korea. Chloe is a vivacious and wonderful friend who taught with me in Korea. She is now on route to teach in Italy for who knows how long and it just so happened that we could meet for an awesome visit before she heads out again.
Tuesday, 14th August
Washing day – I love these days when I can simply throw all our filthy clothes in a drum, put the powder and softener in and sip on a yummy tea while the clothes swirl around and come out smelling fresh and beautiful.
Wednesday, 15th August
Groceries and haircut day – Pommy drove us to a nearby village where Craig could have himself nicely groomed and I could roam up and down the aisles with Pommy getting all the great deals on groceries for the next couple of days.
Thursday, 16th August
Today was a dream come true, today was the day that we would go to Lord’s Cricket Ground to see the Protea’s take on the English in a test which would decipher who was the #1 Cricket Test Side in the world.
We were a little worried about the typical British weather when we woke up to grey skies with glimpses of blue, but remained positive and determined that we would get a full day of cricket ‘under the belt’.
Maybe a little too positive on my behalf as shorts were probably not the best idea, but lucky for Craigs jersey which served as a great blanket.
We bought the cheapest tickets (restrictive view tickets) as the difference between the next best ticket was £50 – ridiculous.
We were a little apprehensive about where we would sit and what we would see, but as we got to our seats, we were overjoyed by the amazing position.
We were slightly covered and completely protected on the one side, protecting us from the slight drizzle from time to time.
It was spectacular and we had such a wonderful time watching not only the cricket, but also the old men all dressed up in their suits and hats with their pre-packed lunches and flasks of coffee (or who knows what inside).
Friday, 17th August – Saturday, 18th August
YAY, its Friday and I don’t think that there was anyone more happy than Andrew and Sarah as there were awesome festivities scheduled for the weekend.
Sarah was going with friends from work, to the V-Festival where she would spend the day in the hot sun, listening to her favorite bands and having a jol with friends.
While Andrew on the other hand was taking us to ‘The Slug’. This is a well-known bar; which always shows all South African sports games and would be the perfect setting for us to watch the Springboks take on the Argentinians.
I think that this is the first time that Craig never watch a second of the rugby as he was chatting away with long last friends who he hasn’t seen in ages.
The night got messy very quickly and without going into too much detail I will just mention that there were ‘John Deers’ involved, making looking after these old friends quite challenging.
But we got home safe and sound and lived to tell the tale.
Sunday, 19th August
Craig and I were so spoiled by Kate Hodsdon who came to pick us up for church at 10am. We were so exited as we have heard so much about Kinsgate and couldn’t wait to worship and spend time with God.
It was amazing, as we worshipped and then heard from Titch Smith. He spoke about the difference between ‘Success and Significance’. His word was inspirational and we held on to every word. After the service we had coffees and biscuits while meeting other friends and just loving life.
Monday, 20th August- Wednesday, 22nd August
These days have been spent doing a few things around the house, watching movies, going for jogs and relaxing.
We visited with Carl’s homegroup on Tuesday where we were blown away by the generosity of new friends and shared a profound time with God.
These people are amazing and have been such a vital part of our time here in London.
We are headed to Cheltenam tomorrow to visit with my family for a few days before making our way to Wales and Scotland, but will make sure that we visit this wonderful homegroup when we get back.
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