Rudolph's in our strawberry patch

I didn't know that reindeer liked strawberries... :-)

Merry Christmas!

Ulf gets his dream

He really didn't know if he'd get in or not.  He thought he would just sit outside the stadium for a while and listen to the music from there... So he just caught the train into the city and went. 

Funnily enough, he felt like it was a special time between him and God.  He felt like he should stand in the queue for buying tickets, but he didn't plan to buy one.  Then a scalper started haggling and trying to sell Ulf a ticket.  He only had $50 in his wallet, so that's what he offered the scalper.  It wasn't enough, so the scalper tried to direct Ulf to an ATM to withdraw more cash. 

A second man, with his wife, approached Ulf and offered to sell him his ticket.  The scalper got mad and left.  The second man didn't really want $50 for a ticket worth $175, but as he really wanted to sell it, he took the $50!

So Ulf found himself in the stadium.  Waiting for U2 to play.   He called me to let me know that he got in.  I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.  But at 9pm the band got on stage and Ulf had a great time with his Daddy, watching a U2 concert, so I found out in the morning. :-)

Ulf has been wanting to go to a U2 concert for some time, but we've been unable to get tickets because they are so expensive.

Here's kind of what it was like U2 360 tour "Where the streets have no name"

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On another note, Ulf is now a permenant resident of Australia!  Hoorah!  As of 30th November 2010, Ulf has residency status, which means he has all the rights of Australians, except that of voting and running for Parliament (Ulf for PM... ha ha ha!).

Elisha Care Camp

 A beautiful rainbow greeted me when I arrived at Camp Howqua.

 Ulf on the verandah of the school house where we ate our meals.

 The beautiful view from our campfire, and our accommodation.

 A group of us, retiring from a game of volleyball...and Cecelia being silly! :-)

Ulf and the gang having a hit on the Tennis Court.

We also celebrated Gunnar's 20th Birthday on Friday night with a Tim Tam Cake!  Go to Emma's Kitchen Creativity Blog for a photo and the recipe.

The weekend was very beautiful, relaxing, fun, and a great time just being with our friends.

For more photos, go to Elisha Care's Blog.

Beetroot

Finally a decent sized beetroot from my garden!

We tried Borscht last week, but it has a very delicate flavour....not sure if it's our favourite!

Rain

I'm loving the flowers in our garden at the moment... and still I'm planting more!  One last garden bed to fill up, and the old pool area to level out as lawn, and we're done.  I took advantage of a break in the weather yesterday to plant out some more cuttings.

The last few days it has rained a lot here - 58mm in one day!  And to add to that, a power cut took out our internet!!  What to do, what to do... :-)

We had a nice relaxed day on Saturday to celebrate Ulf's birthday.  Lots of board games, lunch in Sassafras, and presents before breakfast!

This coming weekend we'll be away at Camp Howqua http://www.camphowqua.com.au/ and there we will celebrate Gunnar's 20th birthday!  It's gunna be fun!

Otto's Wedding 17th October 2010

A beautiful sunny day for Emma's oldest brother's wedding in Toowoomba. Left to right: Em, Aaron, Em's Dad, Otto, Tamara, Em's Mum.

Four days in Queensland is all we had with Emma's family, and it was great. It was so nice to spend some quality time with them, as they live very far away from us.  In person we get the chance to talk about things that we wouldn't talk about over the phone.  It was a very special time for us, especially Emma.

Left: Ulf and Emma enjoying the sun.     Right: Local bearded dragon also enjoying the sun!

Below: This tree, outside Otto's front door, was full of noisy Lorikeets, some miner birds, and a sleeping flying fox.

Left: Victor and Emma, in Gatton.   Right:  Emma and Sandra, in Laidley.



Left: Wivenhoe Dam with only one floodgate half-open.  Right:  Emma and Ulf enjoying the spray, not!  It was really cold.  Below: Em's Dad, Em, Ulf, and Aaron at the lookout at Wivenhoe.

Above:  Aaron and Emma on Otto's front doorstep.



A beautiful sunset in Gatton to finish our journey!

We look forward to seeing Emma's family again soon..!

Almond Butter

I've been having fun making almond butter today - or almond spread, as there is no butter in it.  It turned out relatively well, just a little too much salt perhaps!  The amount below is derived from 3 kilos of almonds, roasted!  A friend of mine told me how to make it a while ago and I've been making it ever since!  It's a great alternative to bought peanut butter, which has a lot of sugar and other things in it, and we love it!

Bring on the sun!

An open summer sandwich, Jetter-style!

We're enjoying the warmth of the Australian sun on our faces!  We are so looking forward to warmer weather...!

The sun is fighting with the rainclouds at the moment.  The weather changes rapidly and in short succession. 
Whenever possible, we steal a few moments out in the garden.  We received a swing seat from some neighbours who moved away, and we are enjoying it a lot!  Don't worry, though, we still love our hammock. :-)

Waiting, waiting, waiting.  That is my feeling at the moment.  We're waiting for warmer weather, we're waiting for Gunnar to arrive, we're waiting for the end of the year when we will move.  But I am reminded today that God is in no hurry to bring us further down the track than where we are.  There is always good reason and purpose for the amount of time we spend wherever we are in our journeys.  We're just never able to see it at the time, only in looking back afterwards.

I often get impatient and want to fast-forward to the next step, but I would not be able to handle it there if I did that!  There is so much that I want to do and experience in life, but I must let it come slowly and in His time.  I'm just so thankful that He is patient with me and that He reassures me, "There's plenty of time for everything."

Spring has sprung - or it's trying to!

The weather is turning!  We've had so much rain this winter that it's causing floods in northern Victoria, only about and hour and a half drive from here!  It's great for our garden, but the lawn is always soggy.

So what have we been doing this winter??  We've been hybernating by the looks of it!  But the sun is coming out again, so we will too! ;-)

There's not much to tell about our winter.... Our Father continues to teach us many things, growing us and healing us and loving us.  And teaching us how to love each other, and other people too!  We're so thankful for His love and grace.  We would be nothing and nowhere without Him.

The routine of life goes on as usual...  Ulf continues to clean at the high school, spends time with the guys in Elisha Care, and reads lots of books.  Emma does some administration for Elisha Care, cleans for our landlady, spends time with girls in Elisha Care, and continues to be creative and craft-y.  To see what she's been up to, go here EJJ - Emma's Art.  To see what we get up to with our Elisha Care friends, go here Elisha Care.

It's lovely to be able to spend more time in the garden now that the weather is easing.  Cuttings of roses, lavender, and fig in pots are busy sprouting roots and leaves, and some raspberries are hopefully coming to life again after a spell without dirt.  The beetroots are growing steadily in the garden bed from all the rain and, next to them, the strawberries are resting for now, waiting for their new home.

Our current home will be up for sale in a few months, so we'll be moving in mid-summer!  Please pray for a great new home for us!  We don't know where God wants us, nor what He has in store for us next, but I feel like the move is part of a change of season for us.

There'll be lots of activity in the coming months, centered around the move.  There's lots of work to be done in the backyard to make it look decent for the sale of the house.  There's packing and cleaning and inspections to be ready for.  And then there's finding a new home and moving in!

In the near future, we look forward to:

* The arrival of Gunnar! Ulf's youngest brother will be staying with us for a while.

* Otto's wedding! Emma's oldest brother is getting married soon and it will be an opportunity to see my family again!

A visit from an old friend...

Amy just moved to Melbourne, from New Zealand, and I got to catch up with her last week!  We spent a couple of days touring around the hillsides, poking around in the op-shops, and drinking excellent hot chocolate!  In the photo above we are at the top of the tower on Mt Donna Buang, even though we weren't supposed to climb it due to 'extreme conditions' LOL!  There was no wind and no snow!  In the distance we could see the towers of Melbourne's city heart.  It was about seven years that I hadn't seen Amy, during which time we both travelled around the globe!  We connected again easily, and I'm glad she chose Melbourne out of all the cities in Australia! ;-)

6th Anniversary in Daylesford

As it happened, a friend of mine was going to get married on Sunday 4th July, near Ballarat.  So Ulf and I decided to book a B&B for a couple of nights up there, to celebrate our wedding anniversary at the same time.  And as it happened, the wedding was cancelled and brought forward, leaving Ulf and I with a paid B &B booking in Daylesford, 2.5 hours from our home in Melbourne.  We still wanted to celebrate, so we went anyway and had a really lovely time together!

We stayed in a cosy little cottage in someone's backyard, complete with wood fire and spa bath!  And it was freezing there!!!  The first night we just relaxed and enjoyed the spa, watched a movie, etc.  The second day we went touring around, seeing some of the sights...  Above: In the centre of Daylesford is a botantical gardens on a hilltop, complete with lookout tower.  The gardens are full of huge old cypress pines and many other varieties, which block the view!

Above: Here's Ulf in the Bell Tower of the old Convent, now an art gallery.  The very top floor has been left in its direlict state, full of character and history.

Above and below: Ulf and I tasting the natural spring water at the Central Springs in Daylesford.  It's naturally carbonated and full of sulphur and other minerals.  The springs were first discovered in 1836, and many more were uncovered during the gold mining exploits of the 1850s and '60s.

Above: Some yummy treats that we enjoyed in the spa!

On our last day we relaxed at the Hepburn Bathhouse in Hepburn Springs, which was first built in 1894.  After a couple of hours soaking, we felt refreshed and rejuvenated.  Above:  This bridge spans a deep gorge, allowing pedestrians access to the Bathhouse and springs in the valley beyond it.

On the way home, we stopped by the Creswick Woolen Mill, which is the last operating coloured wool mill in the southern hemisphere.  In the photo above, you can see the wool moving down over the conveyer belts.  After we left the mill, our little red car died!  We got as far as the other edge of town and it just wouldn't go anymore.  Upon walking back to town, we discovered a mechanic's workshop in the middle of the main street, in amongst groovy cafes, galleries and gift shops!  God is so good!  The mechanic went and rescued our little car, and after a couple of hours he had found and fixed the problem - the ignition coil was kaputt!  Through the whole ordeal we were calm.  I just felt that God was with us, and I knew in my heart that whatever would happen, everything would be okay.  God gave me peace that He would take care of us and I'm so thankful. 

It was so nice just to get away from the everyday routine of life at home and spend some quality time together.  We had some great times just sharing our hearts with each other, our desires for the future, and encouraging each other.  We really feel closer as a result.

Winter Sun

Winter sun is one of my favourite things in the world.  Feeling the warmth of the sun on your face on a cool day is such a blessing!  It's like a reminder that the cold is temporary, just a season.  And it's a reprieve from the grey days of winter.

I want to share something of our latest struggle on the journey... For many years now we have believed that the church today is not what Jesus intended it to be.  Instead of Sunday church, we have sought to live our lives with God on a day-to-day basis, aiming to love those around us, no matter where we are or what we're doing.  For us, being a Christian is not about meetings.

So the question has arisen in the past few months - how can we still go to church without criticising and judging everything that we see happening in that place? We have always felt that as the people we care about go to church, we want to go also, so that we can be there for them.  It was another point of contact with them.  As time has gone on, our opinions about church have become stronger and our attitude towards the system has made it very difficult to be there at all.

Recently, God has been helping us to see things differently.  A few weeks ago, after a conversation at church with someone who wanted to see God supernaturally change things around them - people they cared about, for healing and salvation - I realised that several years ago I was seeking similar things from God.  I was very focused on spiritual gifts, the movement of the Holy Spirit, prayer meetings, etc., but I didn't stay there.  My understanding of God and His interconnectedness with me and life around me has changed so much.....  But during that one conversation I found myself with very little to say.  A simple truth that I have learned on my own journey was not enough for them and I simply didn't have the energy to convince them otherwise.  It was pointless to try.  Simply telling people the truths that I've learnt on my own journey won't change anything for them - they have to go on the journey themselves and discover life with God for themselves.

So we need to allow people to be at a different place on the journey than us.  But it is difficult to see people chasing after things which we've discovered to have no life in themselves at all.  True life and freedom and love comes from seeking Him alone.  And that takes time.

Amazingly, God also found a way to communicate to Ulf the same need for the acceptance of others' journeys.  His mother sent him something of a scrapbook as a gift for our 6th wedding anniversary this year.  In it were all of his meaningful emails, from the time he first left the family home (2000) to today.  In his own writings he found understandings of God and Christianity which he no longer has - he has moved on, grown out of them.  And he realised that just as he has been on a long and convoluted journey with God, so too can others.

The desire for peace in this matter has been in us for some time, and we are thankful to see God working on us in this way.

Above: Ulf manning our free BBQ for the first time (tonight).

Marysville

This is a great picture of us and God.  We are small dots on the canvas, He is the bigger picture.

We went for a drive on Saturday to get out of the house of a while.  We went up the Black Spur to see what Marysville is like these days, as it had been one of our favourite hang-outs a few years ago.  It's not much to look at now.  The big trees on either side of the main street are still there and there is some autumn colour to be seen, but either side of the road is pretty bare.  No buildings bar the bakery, the shops next to it, a ski hire place in a removable container and a lolly shop in the same.  The local pub survived the fires and a newly built Foodworks store is on a side street.  Hardly any houses have been built, especially in comparison to Kinglake, and people are still living in caravans.  There is plenty of green to be seen, especially in undergrowth, but the tops of the trees are all burnt and stick-like.  If ever there was such a thing as a desert forest, this would be it.

Podcasts

One of the things that we really enjoy at the moment is listening to 2 different podcasts (audio recordings that are released regularly online).  One is called "The God Journey", the other is "Into The Wild".  In both podcasts the 'hosts' are talking about topics very close to our hearts, challenging, and changing the way we perceive life & God.  The underlying theme is "to live loved by Father (God)", embracing the freedom this brings, not being bound by human traditions. 
We just love it, and can only recommend them to all of yous.  The great thing is too, that after we listen to a podcast, we usually dive into some deeper conversation between the two of us, which is great.
It's also a great thing to have in your ear while you're working.

Bike and breakfast

This morning Ulf and Em went for a bike ride around Lilydale Lake, then afterwards had breakfast at the Chapel Cafe in Lilydale. It was fun, relaxing, romantic, and a good bit of exercise as well!

And autumn falls...

Hi everyone,

Not too much exciting stuff to report...

Ulf is happy plodding along in his job cleaning the high school.  He downloads podcasts and teachings from the internet and listens to them on his phone while working.

As always, there is the challenge of loving people - both those in Elisha Care and each other - and although we learn a lot along the way, it doesn't seem to get easier.  Ulf read/heard a great quote which said something like, "As soon as you have responsibility for other people, you have possibly friction and/or conflict.  Without it responsibility for people's lives, there is no friction and no conflict."  So when we live very seperate, insular lives, protecting ourselves with our high fences and structured lives, without relationship with others, then we have 'peace'.  But we'll also have loneliness, lack of purpose, and no possiblity of joy.  To love others is to be uncomfortable sometimes, to be vulnerable, to be hurt sometimes, to bear the pain sometimes.  It reminds me of a picture from Hannah Hurnnard's sequel to "Hind's Feet in High Places," which described the purpose of the whole of creation as one of giving.  The trees grow and bear fruit, giving food to the animals and birds, leaving seeds behind to grow more plants from which to give food.  Animals have babies and give to them, who in turn mature and have their own young and give to them.  It's a cycle of giving for which all creation was made.  And yet we are broken, corrupted and selfish in our existence, which goes against the very nature of life itself.  There is no joy in getting, there is no fulfilment in storing up for ourselves, there is only emptiness in taking from others, from being only focussed on receiving.  Even those who know or say they know our Creator, are focussed on receiving.  And it doesn't work.  To experince love is to give love to others.  That's when we'll truly know love.  God Himself is love by nature - He is always giving, and yet we seem to think that He is an angry parent trying to discipline His children with pain and punishment. What's gone wrong?  Why are we trying to earn His love or pay Him back for what He's done for us?  Just receive His love and pass it on to others. It's that simple.

Okay, besides all that.... Emma's setup a new website for Elisha Care.  At the moment it's at http://elishacare.blogspot.com/, but soon it will be moving to http://www.elishacare.org/.  Ulf helped a lot with it, too.

Emma's also been running a craft group out of the girls' garage.  It's been a great learning experience, and she's really enjoying it.  She is in need of some ideas for craft activities and some sewing equipment and craft tools...  If you can help with some, please let us know.

That's all for now...
Tchuess!

Rabbit Care

Rabbits need fresh water, grass, some grains and dry food, straw/hay, and other vegetables and herbs. They also need something hard to scratch and gnaw on to keep their claws and teeth short. Some hard, dried out grainy bread is best for this. A salt lick stone is also recommended as rabbits occasionally need a source of salt. They will know when they need it and will go for it themselves.

Dry Food

Adult rabbits can have 2-3 tablespoons of dry food each day. A mixture of pellets (lucerne) and grains is best. We give ours their dry food each morning and check on their water supply.
They also need straw or hay on a regular basis. If your rabbit's droppings are particularly soft, then they are in need of some fresh dry straw. Put the straw in a dry, sheltered corner of their cage (once it gets wet, it loses it's healthy qualities for rabbits).

Fresh Food

In the wild, rabbits eat a variety of grasses and plants. However, in captivity they rely on us to give them the variety they need. Below I have grouped together their main foods into two categories – what they can eat large amounts of and often, and what they can eat small amounts of and less often.

Large amounts and often:
A variety of grasses
Plantain
Sorrel
Young stinging nettle leaves
Comfrey
Carrots – all parts
Carrot weed (make sure it's the right one)
Endive
Chicoree

Small amounts and less often:
Broccoli – all parts
Apples
Parsley
Sunflower leaves
Lemon Balm
Dandelion*
Young mint leaves
Celery – all parts
Celeraic – all parts
Lettuce (cos or butterhead, avoid iceberg as there is too much water in it)
Kohlrabi with leaves
Pears
Fennel, dill, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, coriander
Corn - all parts of cob

We give our rabbits a handful of longer grass, picked from our back yard, sometime in the morning or during the day. At night we give them either carrots; something from the 'small amounts' category; dry, hard grainy bread to gnaw on; or a combination thereof. Each night we alternate between different things. If you give your rabbit the same thing every night, you may find that they will not eat it after three nights of it!

When picking any grass or other plant from a public area it is important to wash it well before giving it to your rabbit/s. This is because of the possible presence of dog or other animal urine or faeces which may be on the plants and which are harmful to rabbits.

*Dandelion can cause a bladder infection if too much is eaten and too often. You can choose to give your rabbit dandelion more often and monitor your rabbit's normal toilet area for signs of blood. If any signs appear, lessen the frequency and amount.

Do not feed your rabbit any artificially preserved produce or anything that has been frozen.

Likewise, do not feed your rabbit any produce that is old or mouldy. Remove any uneaten food from the cage after a day or two of serving it.

Poisonness plants – there are many plants and vegetables which rabbits should not eat. Among others – potatoes, rhubarb, cabbage, beans, anything from the marrow/pumpkin family, bulbous flowers, onions and garlic should be avoided. Despite this, a hungry rabbit will eat or at least try to eat anything that it is given, so don't rely on your rabbit to know what is good for it and what is not.

General health

In summer place a frozen bottle of water in your rabbit's cage so that it can keep cool. They are susceptible to heat exhaustion.

Rabbits eat some of their own droppings, often directly from their bottom. It is a special kind of dropping that they eat, which is full of necessary vitamins.

Parasites

Rabbits are susceptible to fleas and ear mites. They can 'catch' fleas from dogs and cats, but there is a special type of flea that likes rabbits, which carries a deadly poison (from wild rabbits?). A product like 'Revolution' takes care of both fleas and ear mites for rabbits.

Toiletry

Rabbits will generally only do their business in one corner of their cage and that corner should be cleaned out at least once a week.

Grooming

Rabbits are very clean animals, as they lick themselves like cats do. (And as with cats, people can be allergic to the saliva in their coat.) However, you can brush them if you wish. Their claws and teeth can grow quite long if they have nothing to scratch or gnaw on. Hard dry bread helps, but a commercial scratching stone doesn't hurt either. Their claws can be clipped, but be careful to not to clip too short as their flesh comes down into them. If their teeth become too long and interfere with their eating, a vet will need to cut them.

Activity

Rabbits are particularly active at dawn and dusk (grazing). They generally rest during the middle of the day, especially in summer, and should not be handled for long periods throughout the day. They need their space, especially if your rabbit is an outside rabbit and their cage is directly on the ground.

Sociability

Rabbits are very companionable animals and like to have one of their own for company. If they do not have a companion, make sure you say hello and give them a pat at least once a day. They do not like to be completely alone. Rabbits do not mix well with cats, dogs and other predator animals, as rabbits are prey animals. They are rather shy and easily scare from sudden loud noises. Rabbits are known to die of shock, so make sure they are in a place where they will feel safe and have some quiet.

Rabbits can be affectionate, but they are not affectionate and companionable like cats and dogs are. They are happy to see you whenever you bring them food, but they will not run up to you and lick you. When you are holding them, they may lick your skin. Some say that this is an act of affection, others say that it is the salt in our skin that they like.

Your rabbit will get to know you according to your smell, so if you change your deoderant or perfume, your rabbit will notice! It is best not to have anything on your hands that might have a strong smell, like moisturiser or onions. This will cover your natual scent and your rabbit will not respond to you the same.

Rabbits generally won't urinate or do their droppings on you when holding them. They generally won't feel comfortable to do so anywhere other than in their cage (at 'home').

Other sources of information:

House Rabbit Society (U.S.) - http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html
RSPCA - http://www.rspcasa.asn.au/page?pg=399&stypen=htmlprint

Em's Dad visits

It was actually about a month ago now, but we were really blessed to see Emma's Dad for a night.  He was on a ride with his motorcycle club, and popped in for a stop-over (from Queensland).
Es war eigenlich letze Monat, aber zu Emma's Papa wiedersehen war eine Segen fuer uns.

Above right:  Em shows her Dad the view from upstairs.
Em zeigt ihre Papa der Ausblick von oben.

Right:  Em's Dad preparing to leave.

Em's Papa bereit zum fahrn.

Right: Em's Dad on his bike.
Em's Papa am sein Fahrrad.

It was really nice to see Em's Dad again.  We had some good chats and lots of laughs as well.
Es war sehr schoen Em's Papa wieder zu sehen.  Wir hatten ein paar gute Gespreche und viel lachen war auch dabei.