catch-up!

While we were away in Yorkshire we didn't have internet access, but I did write my blog. If you don't have time to read it all, the conclusion is that despite Simon being quite ill with a cough, cold and ear infection, we still had a good week away in a beautiful cottage! And if you do have time to read the long version, here it is...

27.03.09

Safely at the cottage after a longer-than-planned journey due to bad traffic. We managed not to get caught in it, but took another route which took us further afield.

The Tesco van arrived at about 8pm – though I say it myself it was an excellent idea to get our shopping delivered to the cottage. So much more convenient than having to either bring it all with us or brave an unknown supermarket with two boys tomorrow.

28.03.09

A typically April showery kind of day, despite us still being in March. The French would say it was the giboulés de mars which is of course more appropriate. Whatever you call it, I lost count of the number of wintery showers we had, interspersed with bright sunny moments.

What is great about this cottage is that it’s so comfortable and pleasant to live in that if it’s rainy we don’t mind being stuck indoors! When the weather clears, we have a beautiful view over a valley, and to the front we have woods. Inside, the cottage has flagstones and wooden-beamed ceilings, but new-looking furniture and a well-equipped kitchen. We have a double bedroom with en-suite downstairs, and upstairs Simon has a big bedroom and lovely bathroom (not bad for a 2 year old!).

We did venture as far as Pocklington today, between downpours. We found however that even when the sun was shining there was a chilly wind, so we just bought the newspaper and a Peppa Pig magazine for Simon.

29.03.09

Beautiful cold clear weather today, just right for admiring the countryside around our cottage and the walls of York surrounded by bright daffodils.

We drove into York this morning, down Hull Road and past the house I used to live in as a student, through the city and over to Acomb. We went to the morning service at The Gateway Church, the church I used to go to eleven years ago. They now own a beautifully refurbished building, and we very much enjoyed worshipping there. They definitely scored 10/10 for welcome. It’s too long ago for anyone to recognise me, but as first-timers we had five or six people stop to talk to us and ask whether it was our first visit. One man even offered to pray for us when he heard about our plans to move to Benin. We accepted of course!

Very child-friendly too, with a lobby/café where I could sit to breastfeed and still hear the service, and good baby changing facilities. The music was a bit too loud for Benjy (though fine in the lobby!) but Simon seemed to enjoy it, and during a “talky” bit he asked for more singing!

After the service I was glad to be able to chat to the pastor, John Wilson, who I'd known when I was there before, and to tell him about our plans. It was partly because of this church, and its emphasis on mission, that I got thinking more about mission when I was at university.

We stayed around for coffee afterwards, then drove over to the York University campus, where we ate our picnic in the car then had a wander around the campus. Simon particularly liked the ducks, the geese, the moorhens, the pigeons ... you get the idea! I was quite shocked to find that the building for the Department of Language and Linguistic Science had been replaced by an enormous wood-and-steel construction which is apparently going to host “The School of Humanities and Educative Science” ... or something like that! I think it is an exciting development for the university, but it was quite sad to find my own history wiped out like that!

My college, Derwent, hadn't changed very much. That Heslington Hall end is still the most attractive end of campus, and Simon enjoyed exploring.
All in all, a most agreeable walk down Memory Lane :o)

30.03.09

Bad night. We were woken three times by Benjy, who had reverted back to feeding every three hours, and twice by Simon, suffering from a nasty cough. During one night-time nappy change Benjy simultaneously produced a small fountain and a jet of projectile poo ... sometimes you just have to laugh or else you'd cry!

The day wasn't much fun either, as Simon was very unhappy, and every two minutes cried out in a strangled, panicky voice, “Tissue!” By the end of the day his face, particularly around his nose, was raw.

We did make it out to Bridlington, where Simon was singularly unimpressed with the sea ... but did become happier when offered squash and cake in a café.

31.03.09

Much better night – just woken once by Benjy! It's funny the difference a good sleep can make, I felt I could deal with everything the day could throw at me. Marc felt less positive as he seems to be coming down with the cold.

We went into York – Osbaldwick to be precise – to spend the day with an old university friend of mine, Becki, and her family (Gideon, 3, Imogen, 1, and Ant, age undisclosed) (actually Ant only when he got back from work at about 5pm). Simon was in Garden Toy Heaven, and having slept well last night was in a much better mood than yesterday. We had a lovely relaxed day, mainly in the garden, enjoying the warm sunshine!

When we got back to the cottage it was Simon's bedtime, and he was very ready for it, suddenly dissolving into tears and possibly running a temperature.

01.04.09

Another good night, and we had a bit of a lazy morning, as Benjy fell asleep in our bed after his 6.45am feed and Simon didn't wake up until nearly 8. Simon seemed much better most of today, and just went downhill again in the evening. Marc has been feeling under the weather, and Benjy and I both have a bit of a cold.

But we went to Burnby Hall, in Pocklington, for a picnic, and spent most of the afternoon there. It's a lovely place, with a beautiful lake and gardens. Simon enjoyed the playground.

02.04.09

Went into York today, driving to the Ring Road then taking the Park&Ride in. It was Simon's first ride on a bus, and he liked the idea, though the reality lasted longer than he would have chosen (“drive it, drive it!” ... “come out!”). When we arrived in the city centre, Benjy needed feeding, so we went and sat in the sunshine in the Earl Grey Tea Rooms courtyard. We didn't know it then, but that was the warmest part of the day!

Simon was bothered by his eyes, which had been weeping for a couple of days, and seemed to be getting worse. After our drinks we went to a chemist's to see if they could give us anything, and they suggested we go to the NHS Walk-In Clinic. We did, and it was a great service. The doctor we saw said his chest is clear, but he has an ear infection, and she prescribed him antibiotics and gave us some Disprol we could give him straight away.

Not long after taking the paracetamol Simon seemed to perk up, and he ate quite well at lunchtime. We had a picnic in the grounds of the Minster. By then it was pretty chilly, and we were glad to get inside the Minster afterwards. We'd got a free pass, which was good, as Simon walked all the way round it, but wouldn't have wanted to stay long enough for it to be worth paying to go in!

Afterwards we wandered round York a bit, got hot drinks to warm us up, visited another chemist for Simon's prescription and went to Lakeland to buy an oven thermometer and a knife sharpener (for Benin of course!). Then we took the bus back to the Park&Ride.

Simon is very up and down, but with the antibiotics he should be feeling much better soon. Benjy is quite snotty and a bit sleepier than usual, but otherwise seems fine.

I have enjoyed being back in York. In some ways it seems a long time since I graduated 11 years ago, but as I look around the historic buildings I realise that in the life of York, that really isn't much!

Last night in our lovely cottage :o(

03.04.09

Home safely!

rest for the weary?

Our Tax Credits have at last come through, and tomorrow we're off for a week's holiday in a cottage near Pocklington (half an hour from York). We'll be able to visit both York - where I was at university - and the sea - which Simon has only ever seen from the deck of a ferry! I'm not sure we'll be doing much paddling at this time of year, or if so only with wellies on!

I read recently that once you have kids, holidays are just childcare in a different place (!), but I think a change will be as good as a rest, and I am looking forward to showing Marc around York. We're also going to be able to see some friends and go back to the church I went to when I was a student (see here).

de-coding

A couple of days ago at the evening meal, my mum said to Marc, trying to be discreet, "There's something lurking behind the fruit bowl."

And Simon said, matter-of-factly as if to help out his papa, "Cake."

There's no hiding anything any more!

packing

We have just received a packing list from SIM Benin-Togo. It isn’t a list of things we are obliged to bring, but will give us an idea of what is and isn’t available over there. Some things we already knew we needed to take, for example:

- Cotton clothing

- Strong sunscreen (I guess the Beninese don’t need it as much as us!)

- First-aid supplies (though the basics are available there) and personal prescription medicines

- Contact lens solution

- Extra passport photos

- Bed linen (not cheap over there)

- Computers and equipment

There are also some things I never would have thought of taking, such as:

- Oven thermometer

- Knife sharpener

There are also things which I had thought about but which require a certain amount of thought, like:

- Gifts for Christmas and birthdays for the entire term (2 Christmasses and 8 birthdays!)

We are also advised to take our own decorations, photos, pictures, as we’re told that “these make your new home YOUR home”.

We also have to think about books, CDs and DVDs for ourselves and the boys, and of course we have big decisions to make about which toys to take! I’ve decided that one quick way to rule out a lot of toys is to exclude anything that needs batteries. Not that you can’t get batteries over there, but it will make things simpler!

The list was obviously written by Americans. Or at least I hope so, since it states that it is inappropriate for women to wear pants :o) :o) :o)

normal?

I remarked to a friend recently that at the moment our life is the most “normal” it has been for a while or will be for a long time. I realise, of course, that normality is a socially-determined cultural construct (to be technical!) but here I’m talking about “normal” to me as the English woman I am, with the particular upbringing I have had.

So what is this “normal” I’m talking about? At the moment we’re living in England, going regularly to a church and members of a (lovely!) homegroup. The dad of our family is (occasionally) going out to work and the mum is looking after the kids and taking them to mums-and-toddlers groups and going on playdates. The not-so-normal is of course that we are living with the grandparents and don’t actually have a steady income. And as soon as anyone asks the question, “So what do you do?” I am reminded that we are a bit different! Though to be fair, when most people hear that we’re moving out to West Africa they think it’s very exciting!

Today we had a trip back to college (allnations) where we studied last year, and found that being “normal” there was more about being in transition, waiting to go overseas and not being exactly sure of all the details! Nice to feel just like everyone else for a change! And apart from that, it was uplifting to see old friends again and to be greeted by hundreds of smiling daffodils as we drove through the woods around the grounds.

hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work he goes...

With the current economic climate, job-seeking isn’t easy, and we weren’t particularly surprised when Marc found it hard to find work. Fortunately we still have some savings left, and we have been using them to contribute to household bills and expenses at my parents’. We have also been able to claim Child Tax Credits, which took a long time to be processed, but were paid into our bank account this week.

However, Marc had signed up to a recruitment agency and a supply teaching agency, and tomorrow he (at last!) has his first day of work. It’s in a Middle School, this being one of the last regions in the country where middle schools still exist. They teach children from 9 to 14 years old (I think!) and he is doing general supply work, so not necessarily his own subject, Science. He’s a bit nervous about it, so if anyone sees this before tomorrow, please do say a prayer for him! You can think of Simon too, who isn’t used to his dad disappearing off to work in the morning – it’s been a long time since that was the case!

from here to paternity...

On one parenting website you can read a blog written by a new father. Usually it's very funny, this week's was quite thoughtful. My favourite quote about new parents was the following:

"We know the frustrations and guilt of trying to do what you're SUPPOSED to do and doing the opposite because that is the only thing that works." Oh so true!!

I also feel the same way as him about the bond to your own child being felt in your gut, not your head.

The rest of the blog post can be found here.