Home again; Em's trip to Ballarat

After a couple of very long flights, we arrived safely home again - to spring!

Not too much had changed since we left, but it took a week to settle in again after such a long time away. It was great to see friends again and be so missed!

We've already put in our tomato seeds for the coming season and have sold our mating pair of rabbits, with the idea of getting a couple of chooks at some point.

Last weekend Emma went to Snake Valley, near Ballarat to visit a good friend Sherry and to help plant a garden at her new home.

Right: Just out of Ballarat, this sign shows the distance to Snake Valley.

Right: Sherry digging holes in her front garden so we can put the plants in.

Right: Freezing wind, rain and mud were all part of the experience, but we enjoyed it!

Right: The sun came out onthe day we finished the garden, so we went exploring. We found this cute little cafe in Buninong, south of Ballarat.

Right: Next stop was Bird World. Here's Sherry with a red tailed Black Cockatoo.

Right: This one thought I was a great perch!

Right: Sherry gets a cuddle from this Black Cockatoo.

Right: A friendly King Parrot flew over to us in the large free flight enclosure.

Right: A beautiful blue sky bade me farewell. It was really nice to see Sherry again and bless her with a garden. The countryside was beautiful.

Valley and Mountain

There is only one way, and that way leads up the mountain, to meet with my Lord who calls out "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you".
How often do I still choose the easier way of staying down in the valley, building my golden calf according to the knowledge that I have of how I should behave as a Christian. It all looks nice and shiny, and people admire my 'refined life', but it's just a fascade, made with my own hands, like an upgraded fig leave covering my nakedness.


In the valley my 'self' thrives,
on the mountain it surely dies.

In the valley all I see is ME,
On the mountain HE gives me true identity.

In the valley I make God into an image of my own,
on the mountain I'm changed into His, the image of a Son.

Isaiah 32:17 [my paraphrase]

"...till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.
The Holy Spirit poured out is like judgement that turns the desert into a fertile field of righteousness. The fruit of this field will be peace; and whoever eats of it will receive quietness and confidence forever.
I have peaceful dwelling places for you, my children, to live in. In me you'll find secure homes, undisturbed places of rest.
Even in times of storms and trouble, you will be save and blessed; giving of yourselves, knowing the source, and sharing your gifts freely."