Outwards bound

The weather here is most definitely improving and I am starting to get a wee taste of the laid back, kiwi attitude towards all things summer! The temperature has only risen a few degrees, yet everyone's focus seems to have shifted away from the indoors and people are beginning to eat, drink, swim (well not quite yet!) and explore the great outdoors with a terrific enthusiasm.

On Saturday night I went to my friend Leah's dad's 50th birthday do, which was fascinating. I love family do's; somehow seeing three generations interacting with one another really helps you to understand more about the individual family members. Michael is not normally an emotional person but when his eldest son Luke was addressing him he could hardly keep it together. My friend Leah is not really into the whole emotive speech giving thing, so she put together a "This is your life" book in the form of a poem, with lots of photo's and other bits of memorabilia and presented that to her dad instead.

I was particularly interested in what Michael himself had to say about life; Michael heads up a team of forensic scientists here in the South island and is often one of the first people on the scene of many of New Zealand's most harrowing and horrific crimes, however this was clearly not his sole purpose for living. Michael challenged us all to prioritise God's word, our relationship with God and other people above everything else in our lives, reminding us that all other things will pass away and only these things will remain. Great advice from someone qualified to give it, since Michael's 50th testified to the quality relationships that he obviously has with other people and it is apparent that he is a man of God's word who is in close communion with the living God.

After all the deep and meaningful speeches everyone crowded around the fire in the brazier and watched rugby league (as you do if you're a true Kiwi!). Having enjoyed a few glasses of wine, my friend Tim drove me back to my flat.

On Sunday I woke up feeling the need to burn off some calories, after having indulged in all the lovely food from the night before, so I ran for 35 minutes to pick up my car at Leah's place and then went to Hornby Presbyterian church, which had the most amazing worship service led by an ex-rock star (I kid you not) a guy called David Moyes from Air Supply, which were apparently really big in the eighties (ring any bells with anyone?). Anyway I really enjoyed the service, David told us his story of drugs, sex, rock and roll and Jesus, which was beguiling to say the least!

After church I went mountain biking with my flat mate Hayley and my friend Richard through Bottle Lake Forest, which I absolutely love doing, I've now been three times in just about as many weeks! Every time I go I think about my brother Jamie and how much he would also love careering through the forest on the wee tracks and how he would manage all the jumps so much better than I do!

Anyway I woke up this morning feeling pretty stiff after all that exercise yesterday and so went for a wee run to loosen up and I'm now about to do some studying for BCNZ. Later! From Ayley