Holiday in Sardinia - PART 1

Looking out on this view has been amazing here in Sardinia.

What a lovely holiday. We haven't had one for a few years, so it has been a nice change and wow what a view from the holiday home sat at the top of a hill overlooking the town of Porto San Paolo and an Island beyond.

Apparently this Island is called Tavolara. In 1807 Giuseppe Bertoleoni took possession of it. In 1836 Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignana arrived in Tavolara and met Paolo, Giuseppe's son.  They became friends and Carlo proclaimed Paolo "The King of Tavolara" and he became King of the Island.

JUST BEFORE THE SUNRISE

When Queen Victoria of England came on her boat to visit, she took a picture of the descendants of the King. The picture was framed with gold and displayed in Buckingham Palace with a notice, "The smallest Kingdom in the world"

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Now the island is visited by many tourists, and the descendants will take you round the Island on their boats.

Every day this island looks very different, depending on the time of day and what the weather is like.  A view you never really tire of.

Spring Time and Home

Springtime seems to have been here a long time coming and winter is still trying to hold it back a bit.  We had daffodils in December and it would seem that spring was going to happen early and winter was going to be a mild one.  However, it is still coldish and the temperature has not warmed up very much.  So we live in hope that warmer days will come soon.

Being home as I am right now, is a blessing.  I'm so enjoying the blossom on the trees and the bluebells that seem to be everywhere right now.  The colours are so glorious and the newness of the green leaves appearing on the trees is something that I really love.

I do so appreciate the area I live in.  There are so many lovely places to take a walk.  One of my favourite places is by the sea.  It's not a very good place for a swim as the water isn't very clear and a bit muddy, but it is certainly a good place to walk.   We live right opposite the Isle of Wight, with Southampton Water to one side and Portsmouth is in the other direction.   

The sea is often full of sailing boats and dingys racing, especially at the weekends. There is never a dull moment here.  When it is windy, there are Kite surfers leaping and then flying over the waves.  Tankers, ferries and cruisers are often either coming into port, or off to warmer climes.  Then there is Cowes week (on the Isle of Wight) in August, where there is even more racing.  At the end of Cowes week you can watch the firework display across the water.

It is certainly a place to come and reflect on life with the waves lapping along the shoreline.  Perfect.

Snookery Travels - N. Ireland

N. Ireland

And so our travels continued in February.  We had only been back from Florida for four days and then we were off again continuing on to N. Ireland for 2 weeks.  

It would seem that we only ever go to Ireland in February or when the weather could possibly be bad, especially going across the Irish Sea on the ferry which takes 8 hrs.  However, this time the weather was cold, but calm.

Here once again we were working in communities with the drama at two different churches.  It was a wonderful time with them and we met some amazing people.

It was certainly frosty and cold at times, but we did manage to see some more of this beautiful country in our spare time.  

Ireland is certainly a green and pleasant land.  I so enjoyed driving along the coastline, along tree lined lanes with green fields where new born lambs were enjoying the sunshine.  Then there were the communities and little white cottages which are so typical of the scenery here.  The colours were so vibrant in the sun everywhere you looked and blossom and flowers were appearing everywhere.  

You do get some surprises too.  We were told about a little harbour in a village called Downpatrick, where many fishing boats are moored.  Sometimes you can see seals swimming in the harbour we were told, hoping for a few fish from the catch that the fishermen had caught.  We were not disappointed either, sure enough we saw 3 following behind one of the boats as it came in to moor.

Coffee shops are always a favourite place to visit, and we have certainly visited quite a few over the years.

There is still much to explore and I'm sure we will see more on another occasion.

Snookery Travels - Florida

Florida

The song says, "When You Wish Upon a Star, Your Dreams Come True". 

Well my dream of going to Florida became a reality and especially to Disney World.  I know we do a lot of travelling, but this was on a whole new level!

It is some where I have always wanted to go to, but I knew we would never have the money. 

God knew my dreams though and decided this was an adventure He would provide for.

The Christian organisation we work for have teams like ourselves all over the world. We all do the same drama (Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames) and from time to time we have conferences, where we get together for prayer, encouragement and teaching.  

We were asked if we would like to join our American teams for a conference in Florida.  Here we would be able to have fellowship with one another and have time to seek God for the future. Then if we were able to stay on for a few extra days we would be able to visit Disney World.  Wow, we couldn't quite believe it, but like excited children we went.

When we arrived, it was quite humid, but the temperature the next day dropped and was cold with a few frosts too. It stayed that way during the conference but got a bit warmer nearer the end of our time there. It was great getting to know the other teams and we were emersed into the American culture including the final of the Super Bowl!!  It was a lovely conference and one we shall always remember, spurring us on into the future.

After the conference finished we went and stayed in our friends very large motor home which was parked just inside Disney, in one of the many camping parks.  Then it was time to explore.

On the last two days we walked around just 2 of the kingdoms and it was beautifully sunny, but with a cool breeze.  Music filled the air wherever you went and wifi was everywhere!!!  I guess my only disappointment was that there weren't the disney characters walking around.  They were in different locations and you had to queue up to get your picture with them.














Our grandson was thrilled to see us posing for a photo with Buzz Lightyear, its one of his heros right now.

I think one of my favourite shows out of what I saw was Fantasmic.
It was like fantasia with Mickey on some rocks in the middle of a lake.  Here there were projected images on fountains, many of the characters on boats, laser lights, music, fireworks and fire!!!

We enjoyed Universal Films too, with stunt cars and also Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We also saw Frozen and The Muppets in a theatre production.  So much still to see still, but maybe another time!!

I did managed to bring home a gorgeous cushion of Mini Mouse.  Fell in love with her.  Now the grandkids can enjoy her too.  

I might be a Nana, but I'm a kid at heart!!

Snookery Travels - Hungary

Hungary

Travelling to Hungary, was something I was rather looking forward to.  I hadn't been there before, so everything was going to be new, even the language!!

One of the B&Bs in Germany where we stopped overnight

It took us 3 days of travelling to get there by car.  First we took a boat from Portsmouth to Le Havre, then we travelled on through France, Germany, Austria and finally Hungary.  Chris did an amazing job with all the driving which was around 2,000km altogether.  For me I always have my faithful bag of crochet with me to keep me occupied.

Székesfehérvár - Venue

We arrived first of all in Székesfehérvár, in time to check that all the scripts were translated correctly.  We were staying with a brother and sister whose parents were missionaries.  They spoke good English and they helped us with the translation. 

We met the cast, had rehearsals and the three performances went really well.

Our next city was Budapest.  Wow what a city. There is so much to see here and the architecture is amazing.  

Budapest - stayed in a rented apartment 3rd Floor!

View from the apartment - Budapest

Budapest - Venue for drama

The venue the drama was being performed in, was in an old university campus, which is now being used for the arts and has many musical events and concerts here each weekend for young people.  This is where the second church we were working with worshipped each week, and it was in one of the concert halls we had the drama.  The hall was packed each night with many giving their lives to the Lord.  

During our time in Budapest we had the opportunity to sightsee, which was a real treat and to learn some of its history.  

Hungarian Parliament

It was very cold here, very different from the cold we experience in the UK. We saw so much in Budapest, it was a fantastic time and something we will always remember.  As the light faded, it seemed to change every few minutes while the lights all over the city came on.  It gets dark early here in the winter, 3.30pm and they are one hour ahead of us too.

A tour round the Parliament Building was amazing

The Parliament Building was amazing.  From the outside it looked like a fairy castle, especially at night.  Inside it was beautiful, much of it covered in gold leaf, paintings and statues.

A Tour Bus that goes on land and sea!

Hero's Square

There was so much we were able to see, I can't put all the photos up on this blog, but it was a great experience.  They have a fantastic Christmas market here too, and we were told that it is one of the best in Europe.  Even the lights were different from the UK too, so pretty.

























Our final destination was in Miskolc, a small town compared to the last two.  Just a small church, but like a very warm loving family.  Here we had a room upstairs in a small business where many of it's employees were members of the church.

Chris talking to the cast through an interpreter

The cast were excited as we met them, something new to get involved in.  Each night the church was full, with many visitors.  The cast did a great job and at the altar call we saw many people come forward.

Altogether we saw around 200 people give their lives to the Lord during our time in Hungary and we give God the Glory.

Our time in Hungary finally came to an end.  We met some amazing people and made many new friends, it was sad to finally say goodbye.  But we had to get back to the UK, as Christmas was getting nearer and we knew we had a lot to do to get ready.

And so our journey back home again began, retracing our steps as it were and staying at the same B&Bs too.

In Germany we were the only ones there at the B&B, it was such a blessing to us with a wonderful breakfast spread and a beautiful sunrise to watch.

Finally we got home Saturday 12th December at 7am Portsmouth Harbour, not far from home. 

Nana's Crafty Christmas Makes

Christmas Crafts

Snookery Craft Stall

Preparing for Christmas is always something I love, especially when it comes to making Christmas decorations as well as other crafts.

I had decided to do quite a bit this year, especially as we were organising a Christmas Fayre during November.  But despite my good intentions, in the end I didn't get enough time, as I was also preparing to go away with the Ministry to Hungary for a month.  However, the Fayre went really well with about £2,000 raised for the Church Building Fund.  The atmosphere was really lovely and we had a lot of favourable comments, which was encouraging. 

Christmas Present Tags

Little Gift Bags

 

Mini Crocheted Stockings

Here you can see some of the different things I have made this year.

Kids Christmas Cards

Chris' 60th

Part 1

They say that being 60 is the new 50!!!!

Well maybe, people do seem to be more active today than when my grandparents were that age.  I guess there are more opportunities today than ever before and people do live longer.  But despite not ever wanting to reach your 60s, it does have a habit of catching up with you eventually. I think as you get older time does give you the illusion it goes quicker.

This last September my husband reached this mile stone and so it was one of those occasions to celebrate with all the family. After many discussions of what and when to get together, we decided on a meal at a carvery at mid day. With little ones and a great grandad who is 92 and goes to bed early, it seemed to make sense. What a lovely time we had too. Feeling very blest being a nana.

Part 2

This was the view we had over breakfast

Our second part of the celebration was a lovely treat for just Chris and I.  We travelled to Wareham where we had lunch and a trip up the river there.  Then we went on to Poole Harbour, which was absolutely beautiful and the weather was lovely and warm.

The hotel we stayed at for just one night, was at the entrance to the harbour and the views were stunning.  

It was quite a posh hotel and the food was just amazing.  

The following day as the weather was so sunny we decided to make the trip to Brownsea Island, which is located in the middle of the harbour.  This is run and belongs to the National Trust.  We had never been there before, so it was all new to us.  We caught the ferry and as the island wasn't very big, we were able to walk round it in a few hours.  I was especially pleased with myself as I was in a lot of pain with my shoulder and managed it all OK.  

Brownsea Island is one of the places in the UK, that still has red squirrels and I had so wanted to see one while we were walking round.  I had prayed about it earlier in the day, asking the Lord if He could arrange it.  Initially we could see them high up in the trees and many people were trying to take photos of them.  In the end we decided to rest a while on a bench, quietly taking in the views of the harbour by ourselves.  It was then I noticed out of the corner of my eye something moving.  Sure enough, a red squirrel decided to check us out and came right up to our feet.  What a treat and we were even able to take a few photos.  What a wonderful answer to prayer. 

I shall remember this trip for a long time, it was extra special.