Surprise discovery

When we aren't working on some AAANZ thing, Mark and I do enjoy getting exercise in the garden.

The local council (government) has a vegetation pick-up 8 times a year.

Recently, we were cutting up some branches on our pile from clearing up the jungle around our house and tearing out the old fencing

(Top left: Mark clearing ivy from falling down fences in August 2008, right: part of 'the pile' including old fencing).

We would like to purchase a chipper with several neighbours but in the meantime we mulch leaves with the mower. We also pile the smaller branches for later mulching but palm branches are too stringy to chop well with a small chipper.

(Left: The palm in front of Mark usually holds onto its branches but recently, for some reason, it started to drop them. Right: Mark sawing branches from the pile last weekend.)


Mark used his long handled saw to hook a few of the falling palm branches and pull them down so they don't fall later on my flowers.

BUT in doing so Mark exposed our neighbourhood possum's sleeping spot. We didn't seem to bother his sleeping that day but the next day he must have found a new "bedroom".

I wasn't too sad since this is probably the possum that has been eating my cherry tomatoes.

Ocean swims

Mark keeps himself healthy, in shape, and relaxed by swimming. He sets goals and works towards rough-water ocean swimming competitions.

I (Mary) go along sometimes, take photos, cheer on Mark, and hold his bag of clothes and towel. (above: Mark is stretching before the most recent swim and checking out the surf conditions.)
In spring, summer and autumn surf life saving clubs (SLSC) up and down the coast hold these swims to raise money to support the club.

June 21 was the latest in the season, the Mona Vale Cold Water Classic.

As we near the shortest day of the year for us, I was afraid it would be freezing cold but the water was 20 degrees Celsius (around 68 F).

The air was cooler, a mere 15 C (around 56F). For one swim at Bondi Beach this past summer, the water was 16C, which is cold swimming.

Often the SLSC holds a 'barbie' (bar-b-que) afterwards and sells snags (sausages) on slices of white bread with tomato sauce and grilled onions as a fund raiser.

This week, they offered the swimmers hot soup for free and hot showers knowing that it would be cool . Over 270 swimmers took the plunge today.

They often enter the water in waves by age or gender but this time they all charged in together.

There were four categories male naked*= green cap , female naked=yellow cap , male wettie**=blue cap, and female wettie=pink cap. Mark was a male naked. Each swimmer is numbered (this time on their upper arm) and has to check in before and after the swim to make sure everyone gets out. This was more a fun swim and one of the shorter ones at 1.2 km.

*(no wetsuit)

**(wetsuit-which are usually not allowed if the swimmer's time is counted but today was an exception.)

Surf Life Savers sit astride surf boards all along the course so that no one swims out to sea by mistake. They are also there for anyone who gets into trouble.

In one swim there were so many Blue Bottles (imagine a small transparent light blue tube of toothpaste with a 10 foot long tail with poison barbs its entire length-jellyfish type) the life savers were there to help folks until the rescue boats could remove the swimmers from the water to be treated for the stings.

This day started grey but turned sunny before the end of the swim and was beautiful. (We live near the coast and have had a run of rainy weather.)

The surf was a bit rough and the entry was a challenge.

The course is usually marked by buoys (pronounced 'boys' here).

Note the two yellow buoys that was the target entry gate. Then around several red buoys before heading back in.

I took some of these photo standing at the surf end of an ocean pool next to a rock slab like the photographer in the photo above.

The breakers were a bit high coming back in. The strong current towed the swimmers far past the exit point so many had to run up the beach to reach the timers.

No one was lost or got hurt and all seemed to have a good swim (I find it hard to believe that people enjoy entering cold water to swim in shark and blue bottle infested water, to be tossed feet over head by metre high crashing waves, but they do.)

Moriah's visit

While Moriah was here for the tele-conversation we took advantage of a beautiful day and hiked around the west head of Pittwater Bay (northern bit of Sydney). (Check out Moriah's blog for more photos of that day. A link is on the right. Using your mouse you can touch any of the photos and see a larger view. The photo on Moriah's blog of red splatter hand print is ancient aboriginal art.)

This mound is the very end of the northern beaches peninsula called Barrenjoey Head. We love to hike with visitors to the lighthouse on the top of that headland. The near side is Pittwater Bay and the far side is the Pacific Ocean.

I love grass trees. They are unlike any tree I've seen in North America. (In a photo on Moriah's blog, I am tasting the nectar from a grass tree flower stem.)

We pause to read maps of the area. We are looking off West head across Broken Bay. The Hawksbury River flows from the left towards Broken Bay, past Pittwater Bay and on into the Pacific. It was gorgeous.

One New Years in the early nineteen-nineties, we joined friends on a houseboat in this area. It was one of the best New Years Eve we have ever had.

From the highest point in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, we could see to the left across the end of Pittwater Bay and the northern beaches peninsula to the Pacific. (We live to the right just south of the peninsula.)

From that point we looked straight ahead into down-town Sydney.

Relaxing, enjoyable hike; come again Moriah.

Moriah speaks @ teleconversation

AAANZ's 'members only tele-conversations' happen 3 to 4 times a year. Folks gather, often for a meal, and use a speaker phone to listen to a special speaker. 6 June Moriah was our speaker.

After 20 or 30 minutes we ask questions and initiate conversation on the topic. Moriah spoke about young adults and the church, what they are looking for and need.

One young AAANZ member from New Zealand also joined in with suggestion. It was one of our best discussions yet.

This time folks joined in from Melbourne, Wellington, Sydney, and Canberra.

After the call, discussion continued over the meal. The food was great as well.

Gifts and visitors

Sometimes I am surprised by beauty, or by gifts from God in unusual places or by the enjoyment of hosting visitors.

Moriah treated Mark and me

(Mary) to breakfast at a local restaurant near the house where she is living. As we were leaving, I saw a pair of old cement wash tubs used as a planter for flowers in the outdoor dining area. The old wash tub taken out of our garage space was just killing grass so I now had a creative use for it. The lettuce plants keep us and our neighbour, on the lower level, supplied with salad greens. Hopefully there is enough growing weather left for the volunteer watermelon to develop down the front of the tubs.

After the back-room was demolished, we could see blooms that had been hidden at the back of the property. One was a two-toned, pink and yellow double hibiscus on a bush with mostly peach coloured (colored) flowers.

When the council (local government) representative surveyed the trees on our site for a possible new building on the front of the property, I asked about various trees that were a bother.

One was a cabbage palm that was just starting in our back garden. They are natives but self start all over the garden. Since one was

not very big, she said I could remove it. I sawed it off at the ground but it started to sprout from the root-ball. The new sprout was a beautiful green against the old brown stump.

One night as Mark was closing drapes and shutting windows, he noticed a visitor on our fence.

Even though it wobbled when he ran along it, the possum ran the length of our falling-down, side fence. He often makes so much racker jumping onto the tin roof over our back room and running to the front of the house. Even though he ate all my tomatoes on my deck forcing me to plant them in a bed out front and drape them with netting, it was still exciting to see him that night.

Regardless that the palms drop large quantities of flowers, seed and leaves all over and cause a mess, they also attract birds. One evening four Rainbow Lorikeets were hanging on this seed pod. Some were even upside-down. They are honey or nectar eaters.

Most of the potted plants that we had at our old apartment, Mary brought to the house. Wilamina, who lived downstairs wanted to block sound from the street by placing some of them in front of her lounge (living-room) door which used to be the area for the garage door. Due to the construction, we had to move many of them to make room for the rubbish skip-bin so we placed some next to our front door. They immediately started to bloom. We may leave some of them there. Mark thinks it looks like the entry into a plant shop.

We had friends (the Benders) from seminary days visit from Pennsylvania with their son and his wife. Driving visitor around, pointing out nice spots to see, draws our attention to the beauty that is around us all the time but often we are too busy to notice. Thank God that beauty is there even when we don't pause to appreciate it. The Bender's son gave us a hand-carved, wooden pie knife and server. It is so well formed and finished so smoothly that it is a pleasure to hold and touch. I love good wood and this piece is Maple.

Getting ahead of the termites

Mobile Mission Maintenance are a God Send! [see MMM's website for their service to churches, missionaries and missions www.mmm.org.au ] Five retired tradesmen volunteered their time to help us with the final attack on the termite infestation. (To the right is the team and one of the many times they discussed what to do and how they could possibly do it.)


(To the left is what the back room looked like before the cocas palms were taken out and the room removed.




Right is what it looked like inside before the reconstruction.





Below is the view when it was used to store all our things when the rest of the house was redone.)


Our back room was an entry point for termites. It couldn't be quarantined from the rest of the house nor made available for visual checks so it had to be torn down and rebuilt.

February 3rd they started and made quick work of the demolition. Men and their toys tore out block walls. NOISE!













Mark joined the team and was the young run and fetch it guy.


He hauled the rubble to the rubbish skip bin and lugs timber, bags of concrete, old pavers, and sand.











16 February he started painting (again - but this time on the new outside of our back room).

Mary's job was to prepare and serve morning tea and lunch. Which means she shopped, baked, cooked, set the table, did dishes and started all over again several times a day.



She was glad her job isn't full time chief-cook and bottle-washer for she hates doing dishes and needs more ideas for cooking. (We had devotions together at morning tea each day and prayed for MMM teams around the world.)

The first week was so hot, Mary couldn't keep up with the need for ice water. The second week turned to winter weather so she made soup to warm the guys. The third week continued cool, damp, and very rainy.


(They were able to reuse many things like insulation, roofing tin, sliding glass doors, windows, and floating wooden floor.)

(The orange is the termite protection that cost a fortune but is garanteed for 50 years.


It was put in before the concrete was poured and laid by a specialist.)


Right, everyone, in their 'wellies', was in on pouring the concrete for the backroom.




Though these are retired men, they work quickly. One day when materials were not here in time, Mark engaged the MMM workers in other small jobs around the house that needed attention and a bit of skill.

A little extra concrete helped fix a 'tripping spot' outside the doorway that used to be the garage door but is now the entry to our downstairs neighbour's lounge.

An extra piece of roofing provided a small roof over the lower level entryway.

A broken and clogged downspout and tilted gutter were fixed and re-attached.

Since the garage is now a living-room or lounge, we needed a garden shed so the men are helping organize that. One day they brought a small cement mixer to pour a base for the shed.

Unfortunately it rained on and off all day and temporary shelters were erected to protect the concrete a bit. More left over concrete helped prevent the edge of the driveway washing down the slope to the street.

(Ant infestation, not termites, in one back walls)

Anabaptism and New Monasticism Conference

As we were preparing for the bi-annual, bi-national AAANZ conference on Anabaptism and New Monasticism, we attended a house church gathering in the Blue Mountains of western Sydney. Several people shared about their heroes of the faith like Dorothy Day an C.S. Lewis. 

They encouraged conversation about life choices and how we could live our lives.  Does following Jesus in life impact the daily decisions we make? Does it give us a clear view of the world and motivate how we interact with folks and the creation around us? 

We traveled to Canberra and after an evening with Moriah, she joined us driving to Melbourne for AAANZ's conference over the Australia Day long weekend. [See Moriah's blog]

The weather was a weekend of cool between two very hot weeks.  We weren't prepared for the winter-like sleeping weather and were cold until Mark remembered the two wool blankets in the boot (trunk) of our car.

Mark and Mary started the first gathering for the weekend with a get to know each other activity.  Usually folks know the two of us, if not anyone else, but there were so many new folks that we didn't know everyone either.  The topic drew them.

Then we introduced Anabaptism and that the early Anabaptists were accused of starting a new monasticism.  [see Mark's article about Anabaptism and New Monasticism at www.csu.edu.au/special/accc/worddocs/Papers%20&20Publications/AAMZ%20missions%20confernce/Hurst.pdf ] 

Many of the new comers knew little, if any Anabaptist history and theology.  During another session, we explained AAANZ's beginnings.  For many sessions, Mary helped out with computer/ digital projector hook-ups and advancing PowerPoint programs.

Speakers from various intentional communities shared the hopes and struggles with living in communities that are committed to God and serving others. [see blurbs on several of the communities in the middle of the Frontline page on the AAANZ website www.anabaptist.asn.au ] 

 

Gordon Preece spoke on 'Everyone a Monk' - Monasticism, Anabaptism & New Monasticism.

Paul Wallis from Jesus Generation told us about the history and  development of Monasticism in England.  His baby daughter was the youngest attending but slept through most of the talks.  

Another group, The Community of the Transfiguration is a Baptist monastery outside of

 Melbourne that has been together for thirty years.  The Ephrata Cloisters greatly influenced their 'way' of being  community.  [Mark's folks live just a few miles from the Ephrata Cloister]

The first morning they led us in worship using an icon of the transfiguration created for them by the Bruderhof at Inverell.  Two of their group also presented talks for two sessions.  

Two years ago in Perth, I had been able to listen to a young woman as she contemplated joining the community.  It was good to see her so settled and at home with the group.  

Mark and I enjoyed meeting up with a man we met back in the early 1990's when he was part of the House of the Gentle Bunyip Community.  I (Mary) am always amazed at how God leads and directs our lives into the places that are good for us.

Early on Australia Day, Ross Langmead led our morning worship.  

Sunday morning we worked in four groups to organize a worship around hospitality.  Using the gifts in the group and much creativity, a passage in Kings on hospitality offered to Elisha came alive. 

Amy and Josh, friends who have often hosted us while in Perth, spoke about the daily life rhythms of the Peace Tree community.

 

Three folks from Urban Neighbourhoods of Hope also related the practices that sustain and encourage their work. 

Marcus Curnow-Scott spoke of the work of Urban Seed in inner city Melbourne.   [Mark and I spoke to the interns at Urban Seed the day after the conference.]

Though the program was packed, spaces in the afternoons were left for special groups to convene over issues or interests like  CPT [Christian Peacemaking Teams].  Free time was allowed for exploring walking trails around the campsite, visiting the local chocolate store or getting to know others.   One day Mary even had a nap to catch up on the sleepless might when she was too cold.

There was also time for conversations around meals or between organized gathering.   Several folks played games of 500 or 'Irish Fish' into the wee hours of the morning.

The last afternoon was spent in brainstorming and small group discussion on directions ahead and suggested priorities for AAANZ.  

The excitement around the issue of wedding a commitment to spiritual practice with service to others was contagious.  I, Mary enjoyed watching older radical Christians connecting to young adults newly interested in following Jesus in all of life, in community, and in service to the 'least of these'.