It's taken me a week to chill out and recover from being so exhausted. Mad.
I was ok for the first few days. Then I did a talk for my church about my life in Africa etc, which was brilliant as lots of people came and were really supportive and encouraging. Thanks if you came, it was great to see you and I felt so loved as so many turned up on a holiday Wednesday! Even the sun made an appearance...
Unfortunately, the next day I practically lost my voice. It continued to play truant until about Sunday. But that didn't stop me heading South to visit my Grandparents and to meet some of the lovely people who've been praying for me over the past year. To pray for someone you know is one thing, but to commit to praying for an almost complete stranger takes a lot of faith and discipline, but these ladies have been praying for me all year! Thank You! I shared photos and stories with them and the tea-party was a very encouraging time.
Then it was on to Brighton to see the gang down there. Thankfully the weather was amazing so we spent some time near the beach. I say 'near' because it's not so comfortable to sit on all those pebbles, much more comfy on grassy lawns.. (and especially since I'm now used to the sun-drenched sands of the Indian Ocean). However, it was so hot on Sunday we ended up seeking air-conditioning in Caffe Nero.
Church in Brighton was great too, really refreshing despite me being so tired I could have easily slept through it all and on into the afternoon. Interestingly, the song 'He is the Lord and he reigns on high/ Show your power..' was sung at both the morning service in Brighton and the evening one in Leamington. Great song, good lyrics... Desperately need more spiritual refreshment. Am very much looking forward to Rhema conference in Johannesburg next week where I'll get a good soaking!
Part of my ongoing exhaustion has been due to wacky dreams each night (now up to night 5) meaning I wake up not feeling very rested. Could be due to stupid levels of salt/sugar/processed food still in my system maybe? In any case, they don't seem to make much sense, just a lot of what seems like wierd film plots rolled into one. Friends have gone off to war and been killed, my evil identical twin sister murdered me as I was trying to escape from Shetland, Gordon Brown was refused entry onto a flight because his jacket was stolen... all very interesting, but not when I'm trying to rest... I used to try and analyse dreams, now I can't be bothered. There's enough material this past week to keep a psychoanalyst working for a year!
And today I spent the afternoon looking after my 2 year old niece.
Cute. Very cute.
Until she mistook me for a bear (easy mistake?).
We had some discussion as to who is the owner of Paddington and Donkey (both of which were presents on MY first Birthday) but I decided to let her win... (I know where they live and can regain their affection later).
She's at the stage of rambling on and on, leaving me to decipher what she's trying to say, not quite understanding her completely.
However, old favourite Thomas the Tank Engine helped. The Classic collection DVD kept her entertained for over half an hour. She can name nearly all the engines at a single glance. Impressive. On one side of the room she's shouting out 'Thomas' and 'Toby', and on the other my Dad is providing a running expert critical commentary on how those engines manage to move on various tracks and questioning how Trevor the Traction-engine (it's not just trains, you know) could move from the back of a wagon to the ground so fast and without the assistance of a crane....
Hours of fun.
But now she's gone home and I won't see her until... well frankly, I don't know when. Her brand-new baby brother/sister is making an appearance in several weeks so it will be all change again for her. This is the sad bit about living so far away. I miss seeing the 'next generation Horns' growing up... ;-(
In any case, I did manage to finish Harry Potter.
And he dies.
Or does he???
;-)
