May 18, 2018 
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For this “Weekly Photo Challengeā i went for the thing that popped into my head first after reading āLiquidāā¦..Itās got to be coffee! šĀ
Sarah & i love coffee and we love trying the different tastes especially whilst on holiday! šĀ
ā§ Me drinking a nice cup of coffee in Florence, Italy ā§Ā
ā§ Sarah drinking a iced coffee in Sharkeyās, Barbados ā§Ā
March 20, 2018 7 Comments
Itās Tuesday morning again and this meansā¦..Going to Roots Coffee Shop to get a Cappuccino and a Chicken Panini. But this time while i was sat, my mind drifted to the grim reaper tattoo on my leg. Itās a constant reminder of the position i was in when i got it, and the position iām in nowā¦.Which is life or death!Ā
As an unbeliever, i got it to simply look hard, and death was what people seemed to fear the most and they certainly didnāt like talking about it. So i thought this was the coolest thingā¦..Never knowing that God had already written about this. lol.
Ephesians 2:1-3 English Standard VersionĀ
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedienceā 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But now sitting here sipping my Cappuccino thinkingā¦.i still have the tattoo and yet iām in a totally different position. Born again, a new creationā¦.Not by anything i did, but by the Grace of our Lord Jesus. Unbelievable!Ā
Ephesians 2:4-10 English Standard VersionĀ
By Grace Through Faith
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christāby grace you have been savedā 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Each time i remember this tattoo on my leg, i remember that death has no sting for the Child of Godā¦..
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 English Standard VersionĀ
55 āO death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?ā
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I fail to describe the Joy and Peace this gives me, knowing he has saved me and i can trust in Him. I love the line from the old Hymn: On Christ the solid rock i stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
July 20, 2017 0 Comments
Wow, Wow, Wowā¦..Sarah & i have had a fantastic time away celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary in Croatia, Greece & Montenegro!
ANDā¦.. We’ve made it back in one piece to share all of our unforgettable memories and adventures with you all. š Ā
Taxi,Train & The Thomson Planeā¦..
As the taxi was booked for 3:30am, we thought it would be a good idea not to go to sleep as it makes us more tired if we only sleep for an hour or 2 (we were wrong, lol).
There was a little scare as Sarah felt funny, so she did a blood test in the taxi and found it was going low. āOh no, not alreadyā i thought as Sarah was already sorting it out with a few dextrose. Sarah felt better as we arrived at the airport and with a small struggle to find the suitcase check-in desk, we were finally sorted and heading for the airport assistance.
The assistance took us through security which all went well, until Sarah showed them her insulin pumpā¦..Then (as they think itās a detonator) they told Sarah to take of her shoes etc. and carefully and slowly scanned her whole body for explosives.
Following the guide to our seats in the departure lounge, Sarah & i were looking forwards to a nice bacon roll and coffee. Her work colleague had told her to try this as weād not had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon… we were ready for it! BUT the airport assistance were too efficient this time and before we had time to figure out the direction of the bacon, the guide took us on the āFun Trainā and straight onto the plane! šĀ
The Airplaneā¦..
As i sat down after being expertly guided to my seat, i said āWait a minuteāā¦.. I was feeling underneath the window at the up & down dimmer switches whilst stretching my legs out testing the large leg room. āThis isnāt an Airbus A320! Itās the 787 Dreamliner. Wow i didnāt think it was going to be this monster for a two and a half hour flightā Sarah said āWow, youāre still getting excited about flyingā¦. you must really love itā I said āOh Yeah!ā. Ā
Time for a snackā¦..
Since we couldnāt have our fantastic bacon roll at the airport, we decided to share some chunky potatoe wedges on the plane. Sarah simply couldnāt eat them (and i even struggled)ā¦. they tasted (and were as dry as) a sun dried bath sponge! š¦
Welcome to Dubrovnik airportā¦..
The airport assistance at Dubrovnik were fantastic and before we knew it, we were on a coach arriving at the dock ready to board the Thomson Spirit. We’d only been on the Thomson Dream which is bigger, so we were excited to explore this different ship.
We were fast-tracked again through all of the check-in procedures and were soon dropping our bags off in our cabin ready to go and explore! š Ā
ā¬ View of Dubrovnik bay from the Thomson Spirit ā¬
We managed to weave our way through the decks and up to the top which was lovely and quiet to take a look around, take some photos and soak in the view and the hot sun.
We were surrounded by a sea of blue, sky of blue, deck of blue and Sarahās new āHokusai” dress …of blue. š Ā Ā
ā¬ Sarah wearing her new āHokusaiā dress! ā¬ Ā Ā
ā¬ My lovely Wife Sarah ā¬Ā
ā¬ Yay, weāve made it, now letās chill and enjoy the view ā¬ Ā Ā
ā¬ Our beautiful view of Dubrovnik from the top deck ā¬Ā
Swapping sides for a moment, Sarah was taking photos of a unusual bridge she liked, i was also pretending i could see it, lol.Ā
ā¬ Me looking at the bridge and surrounding town ā¬ Ā
One more pic of my lovely Wife Sarah!Ā
ā¬ My lovely Wife Sarah and her beautiful dress ā¬
Now the moment youāve all been waiting forā¦..
If youāve travelled with us on our other tours click here to view, you will remember Sarahās sublime Panoramasā¦ā¦Well sheās back with one (of many) to share with you. š Ā Ā
ā¬ Sarahās breathtaking Panorama of Dubrovnik bay ā¬
Coffee, Life Jackets & Dinnerā¦..
After enjoying ourselves on the top deck, we looked around for a place to have a nice coffee. We knew this ship had no “Coffee Port” like on the Thomson Dream, so when we found “Raffles Bar” and ordered a Cappuccino (for me) and an Americano, we were even more excited as the coffee was well-nice and strong!
The assistance was fantastic again and the life jacket drill went really smoothly, i think weāre finally getting the hang of this. lolĀ
We found the āCompass Roseā waiter service restaurant which was very similar to the āOrionā restaurant on the Thomson Dream, we said we didnāt mind sharing a table with others as we always need an unsuspecting guest to read the menu for us, which is always a laugh for all involved and itās a great conversation starter! šĀ
After a fantastic four course meal, it was time to take one last tour around the ship to see if weād remembered where anything was before retiring to our cabin after a very long day!
Thank youā¦..
I would just like to say a huge thank you(to you the reader and fellow traveller) for staying with us to the end of this day!
Oh did i mention itās our 10th Wedding Anniversary” tomorrow!!
Please visit our other tours HERE
May 12, 2015 14 Comments
š“Ā Day NavigatorĀ š“
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Happy 40th Birthday!!!
Ā Waking up to a pile of cards and a present beautifully wrapped from Sarah travelling across the Caribbean sea was a special moment. I couldnāt believe Sarah had packed all of my cards and even a present(which was 3 new shirts). Sarahās love always fills to overflowing!
ā§ Me sat with my lovely cards ā§Ā
ā§ My lovely cards – Thank you everyone! š ā§Ā
My new shirt and birthday badge…
I quickly put on one of my new shirts(from Sarah), and the birthday badge(from Sara, sister in Christ) and went out on deck to look out over all that amazing sea.
ā§ Me wearing new shirt & birthday badge ā§ Ā
Then it was back to my fave place āThe Coffee Portā for a birthday Cappuccino with a stunning view! šĀ
ā§ My fave seat in the Coffee Port ā§ Ā
Sarahās Cornea Problems…
Ā Just 1 day before our holiday, Sarah & i spent the afternoon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. Over the past couple of months weāve been to hospital almost weekly, trying to sort out Sarahās cornea. Weāve now learned that Sarahās cornea is crumbling and is completely exposed and cannot heal itself, or the ulcer inside. Ā The doctor needed to close the eye lid so that itās safe from air contamination etc. He did this by a botox injection just above the eye. He said it would close in about 2 days(my 40th birthday) and will stay shut for around 3 months.Ā
And during the afternoon, Sarahās eye closed. Weād hoped that most of the time we would be in bright sunshine so Sarah could cover it by wearing her sunglasses. And for all other times, weād get creative.
The Captains Gala Reception & Dinner…
Sarah & i had no idea what to expect as this was our 1st cruise, but iād brought my suit and purple dotted bow tie, and Sarah had brought some lovely dresses, so lets go and try to find the show lounge!Ā
Sarah had a slight panic when we realised the photographer was taking everyones photo on entrance, but she relaxed a little when he said she was fine to keep her sunglasses on. We ended up with a nice photo to remember my 40th, our 1st Captains Gala and a lovely keep safe shot of us both dressed up! šĀ
ā§ Me & my lovely wife! ā§Ā
The captain introduced himself and some of his team, then it was down to Deck 4 for the meal in the Orion restaurant. The food, the waiter service and the whole experience was fantastic. A great 40th birthday! š Ā
Our route 4 2day…
Today Thomson Dream continues her journey to La Romana. We arrive tomorrow morning having travelled 546 nautical miles at an average speed of 15 knots.Ā
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December 24, 2013 6 Comments
Some children were asked what love is. The responses were quite interesting and instructive for us adults.
One said ālove is when my daddy makes a cup of coffee for my mummy and tastes a bit first before he gives it to her to make sure itās ok.”
Another said ālove is when your puppy licks you, even when youāve been out all day.ā
one said ā you really shouldnāt say I love you unless you really mean it, but if you do mean it you should say it a lot, ācause people forget.ā
One boy said āwhen someone loves you they say your name different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.
And finally one seven year old said ālove is whatās in the room with you at Christmas if you just stop unwrapping your presents and listen.ā
November 16, 2013 18 Comments
Ā First i have to thank all of you amazing loving people for the show of extravagant love to me and Sarah. Weāve been simply overwhelmed with your prayers, kindness and love through this journey.
The Plan…
The plan was set. Go to the chemist to get pain killers (Sarah is not allowed d to leave the house for a few days), nip into the doctors to sort out a sick note for the next two weeks, then go for a [Cortadoā coffee at Costa at the train station with half an hour to enjoy our new fave coffee (mainly keep Sarah as relaxed as possible), then Sarah can put her last eye drops in before we catch the 11:04 train that will get us to Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London ready for the operation.Ā
The Hypo…
This was all going well up until Sarah had locked herself in the toilet by passing out with a hypo. The idea was that she went in to put in her eye drops as we still had 15 minutes until the train arrives (the platform is about 1 minute away from the coffee shop. As i was stood outside the door while staff kept walking past suspicious of the weird man lurking around the toilets. With 5 minutes left i knocked on the door, with the sound of the music and the coffee machines i could just make out what i thought was Sarah. Then as i realised too much time had passed and weād missed our train i asked one of the passing staff if they could open the door as i think my wife is having a hypo. Sarah had know her blood was creeping down and she had a biscuit and sugar in her coffee but she felt and seemed ok.
I opened the door to find Sarah in a zombie like state (the only description i can find that closely resembles a hypo) not knowing where she was, what she was doing or where we were going! Iād like to state at this point that we only really had one must do for this morning, and that was to try and keep Sarahās blood sugar stable as they wonāt operate if itās too high, low or on the move. I prayed:
āJesus, There is no way they can operate now, i did my best but i donāt know if thereās another train, if Sarah can even stand up, never mind walk, Ā and Sarah’s blood sugar always ends up too high after a hypo and we always have a long struggle getting it back down. i hand it all to you, please helpā.
I got Sarah to her feet and she could just about stand up without her knees giving way. We managed to leave the coffee shop and after catching Sarah from behind as she started to fall back down the platform steps (i was behind trying to push her up) we finally got to the platform. This is where Sarah normally guides me as she knows the trains. Usually the trains are announced, but today there were none, but a train arrived straight away and we got on anyway. I told Sarah to just sleep on my shoulder and hope that this train is going the right way! The inside train announcement only said which station it was pulling up to and not the stations of the full journey.Ā
Sarah woke and asked “where are we?ā āIām not sure, but i hope it stops at Clapham Junctionā. Then a few minutes later we arrived at Clapham Junction. We then walked to the other platform and a train was waiting there too. We finally arrived at the day surgery unit a couple of minutes before the 12:30 appointment.
Sarah did a blood test and it was 8.6 which is really good for her, but we knew that it often goes into the 20ās after a hypo and thereās no way theyāll operate if it goes any higher or continues to rise. Sarah went in around 13:00 but there were 4 people before her, I stayed in the waiting room.
The Waiting Room
I wanted to update everyone but iād never used the mobile WordPress app to post before, so i kept the post āPraying in waiting room for Sarahā short so i could begin praying. I started with my voiceover reading all of your prayers, i prayed through each comment individually about 2 times each from the 1st post “Please Join Me In Prayer For Sarahā then i had about an hour of personal prayer before loving sister Janet would arrive to drive us home.
The Operation
Sarahās op happened around 16:30, her blood sugar stayed perfectly stable at 6.8 the whole time! (Amazing!) Her main worry was the really painful needle that she sees going into her eye and it feels like her eyeball is bursting out of her face! I need to quote Sarah at this point:
āI felt a real peace iād not felt before, i knew everyone was praying for me and i knew God was with me the whole time. I felt no pain at all with the needle and the surgeon was surprised how well the operation went. I also heard him say:
āThere are always bubbles in this (not sure what he was talking about) always bubbles, but there arenāt any at all, i canāt explain it?!āĀ
The Next Morning
Iām typing this post Saturday morning Ā at 11am while Sarah is sleeping. Iād like to thank you all once again for giving time in prayer and the loving encouraging comments that helped us through this amazing journey (and still help us as we read back through them). Iāll update again soon.
Sarah said to me this morning:
I felt like the whole day you had your arms around me, and God had his arms around both of us!
November 12, 2013 11 Comments
This week, show us something thatās a HABIT. It could be your daily walk to the bus stop, or your daily paper lying on the doorstep. Maybe itās the guy behind the counter at the deli you always visit for lunch, the stuffed bunny your child must have at bedtime, or the view from your desk as you sit down to blog.
Ā My Thoughts šĀ
For this weeks challenge i wanted to share a photo of the daily fuel that keeps iChristian going (other than the obvious āHoly Spirit answer).
This is a Mocha fresh from our excellent little coffee maker (Dolce Gusto)! I love Mocha, Lungo intenso, Cortado & Expressoās and hot chocolate (not all in one day! lol) š
More of my Weekly Photo Challenges
April 8, 2013 0 Comments
Description
My friends Rob & Shelly’s daughter Ella.
I took this photo whilst we were sat in a cafĆ© drinking coffee. Ā šĀ
Camera used – Samsung WB550
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Thoughts On Lessons Learned
God's Perfect Purpose in a Chaotic World
A MOSAIC OF BITS AND PIECES ON TRAVEL, LIFE AND TIMES
The gentle art of balancing marriage, parenting, and triathlon
Let's seek the truth. Let's share in Christ.
when Jesus meets me in the park
inspirationalmindsurges
My recovery from obesity and mental illness
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
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