Home sweet home

Well, as the first month of 2010 draws to an end, I'm pleased to be able to report that we have just found a new house to rent, and will be moving in at the end of this week. Time seemed to be running out and we were getting very tired of making phone calls and viewing flats that turned out to be too small or too expensive in the end. So it's a big relief to have found a house that is central, that is spacious enough for our needs (three bedrooms), and is at a price we can afford. It has a fireplace in the lounge, so we're looking forward to gathering firewood and making a roaring fire. (Our previous flat has been rather icy during these colder winter months.) And it also has two sun terraces, so that we can eat outdoors during the warmer summer months. The cats will no doubt enjoy the terrace too.

An interesting detail is that the house is in the same street as the local sports complex and indoor swimming pool. A couple of years ago, when Gabriela started attending gymnastics classes three times a week, Ada remembers praying that they could find a home that was within walking distance of the sports centre. Now it's right on our doorstep, and we joke that we can see "our" swimming pool from the front window! Gabriela will be able to walk to gymnastics classes by herself.

The house (up the mountain) that we first planned to move to was in a district called the "winepress" - perhaps because there were vineyards there in the past. Our new house is in an area called the "lemon," and the neighbourhood further up the hill is called the "upper orchard," so I'm guessing that this part of town used to be an area of citrus groves in the past. As we move to a new home, and as new ministry steps also lie ahead, I'm trusting God that 2010 will be a year of fruitfulness and blessing for all of us.

Talking about the weather

There's a stereotype of British people which says that they're always talking about the weather. I've discovered that this is true. If you stand at the bus stop in Scotland, or meet someone in a shopping centre, they will invariably tell you how cold it us, or comment that it's nice to have a warm day for a change.

I've experienced that this doesn't happen quite so much in other parts of the world: if you live in Cape Town or in the south of Spain, where it's sunny for at least 300 days of the year, the weather's not much of a conversation starter. It's just sunny most of the time.

In recent weeks, though, Spanish people down here on the Costa del Sol seem to be speaking a lot about the weather. Elderly people will tell you that it's been twenty years since they experienced such heavy rains, or young people will say that they don't remember the winter time ever being this cold before.

In many ways, though, I feel quite spoiled to live in this climate. Yes, it can be very cold indoors - especially at night, when a hot water bottle is a welcome relief. And yes, we've had a lot of rainy days lately. But as we move further into January, we're beginning to have some lovely sunny days again and I'm very thankful for that.

Happy New Year