Back from leave

Hi all,


just back from almost 3 weeks in the UK during which we covered about 1,700 miles! It was lovely to see signs of Spring everywhere, lambs in the fields, daffodils, crocuses etc and buds on the trees,....although the weather was not very good most of the time. We were in the south of England during 'the worst storm of the winter' as the TV weather person put it, very bad winds and lots of rain! We did manage a few walks in the countryside both in Scotland and in England which were very relaxing and good for the soul. Also have some great times with family and friends. This photo is of us with my Mum, my brother and our friend Felicity.


I managed to squeeze in some retail therapy as well, no holiday would be complete without it for me!


When i left Syria (28 Feb) it was winter and about 6-9 degrees during the day but when i got back on 18 March summer had arrived and daytime temperatures have been in the high 20s and low 30s since then although it is going to turn cooler later in the week. So i have had to hunt out my summer clothes and have been enjoying sitting in the sun having coffee at my favourate coffee shop.

Easter services at the All Saints Community Church here in Damascus have been very good. I hope you have all enjoyed this Easter time and know the love and saving grace of our wonderful Lord Jesus.

A Quiet New Year

Happy New Year!
2008 arrived fairly quietly in Damascus, just a few fireworks at midnight and then happy sounds of neighbours and their families celebrating with laughter and chat but then it all went quiet.
So far this year has been chilli and dry and there was some snowfall in areas around the city but it didn't fall on us. Some people had no water due to frozen or even burst water pipes in their homes as there is no lagging on pipes here. Everyone is telling me that this very cold weather is a little unusual so we will have to blame global warming.
Damascus in 2008 has been designated the capital of Arab culture and to mark this honour there was a wonderful firework display last Friday from the top of the Cassioun hills (which preside over the west of the City). It went on for several minutes and was quite spectacular, we had a good view from our flat. There will be lots of cultural events taking place this year and John and I hope to get to see some of them - plays, concerts, opera etc.
John's work is going well and the staff in the office are hard at work but also seem to be enjoying themselves. I have seen a few apartments but we will probably not make a final decision on where we want to live until we come back from leave in mid-March.
My days are filled with activities such as learning Arabic, keeping fit at the gym, various church activities and of course (for those of you who know me well enough) shopping!
I hope to attach some photos of Damascus soon, when John shows me how to do it!!!!
Bye for now.

Almost Christmas

December 24 2007 - Damascus

This is my first Christmas in Syria and it is very different from any other Christmas i have experienced abroad. For a start it is cold! My African Christmases have all been hot, with Christmas lunch outside in the shade, usually with non-traditional food and often with unpredictable electricity. Here in Damascus the power supply is good and i could have bought a turkey in one of the many supermarkets if i had wanted but i would be eating it indoors with the heating on! As it is, we have booked to go to one of the big hotels for Christmas 'brunch' as our cooking facilities in the office/apartment are limited, so we are looking forward to that then we will spend the rest of the day at home with a bottle of wine and the TV. Our Christmas present to ourselves is a 32 inch flat screen TV, athough the TV channels we get are not wonderful.

From 19-22 December there was a Muslim festival so everyone was off work, this left only 2 working days before Christmas, which is also a holiday here. So most workers have been given the whole week off and Damascus has been very quiet for a change.

Tonight i am going to an Arabic carol service and on Christmas morning John and i will go to an Anglican, English speaking church at 10am. I love going to church on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas to all my family at Church of God in Kilsyth, I miss you very much. God bless you and keep you and flood your hearts with His grace and peace. xxx

Merry Christmas to anyone else who might be reading this - God sent His son Jesus to save us from our sins and restore us to our Heavenly Father, this is the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Praise the Lord!