Singular Scene

So Singular in Each Particular

International Relations

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I started writing this on favourite photo Thursday and I really, really, really wanted to post indulgent and delicious photos of my gorgeous nephews and niece having spent the last week in their company but parental consent and care for their privacy prevents. However, I have a genuinely gorgeous screensaver of images so if you’re in the area pop over and I’ll happily show them off!!!

This was a super trip, hot on the heels of the lastest of the Big Things at work/church and so dropping all the work to head to NZ in the wee hours of Thursday morning was v welcome as a break from being at the service of, and in the company of, ridiculous numbers of people.

To its credit the Big Thing wound up being, in spite of the aforementioned work, a rather refreshing God time so I’m happy to be going back into the office on Monday with a better attitude than I left it last week. It’s often the way it goes with the big things…

Anyway, the following 6(ish) days in NZ were wonderful. All filled up with lovely family time with one notable exception when I had a brief meetup with a fellow kiwi blogher, (and I think we both agreed that half an hour was too darn short… ). I think next time I shall have to schedule in a 2 week visit setting aside one week for family and one for friends…

I shed a tear or two as I flew away from Aotearoa once again yesterday morning. Everytime I visit the kids are that much bigger and the Tasman Sea feels that much wider and though the biggest nephew plaintively suggested that when it came time for me to buy a house could I please do it in Family Central™? I still feel strongly, that for whatever reason, I am meant to be here for now.

I arrived home to find I am in possession of a real live Australian passport now which didn’t quite arrive in time for me to use it on this trip will be put to use (hopefully) at Christmas time and in walking around the green and dampened lawns of my native home I still feel more of a Kiwi than I do an Australian, even though the documentation in my posession now proves I am equally recognized here as every Australian born citizen.

It’s a peculiar thing.

I am the singular Singular here in Australia all the others live within 100 or so km of each other and after becoming enamoured of the children (having already been so of their parents, of course) I have to say I’ve been knocking on heaven’s door about spending more of my future there… I know it won’t be for some time yet, I have a degree to finish at the very least… But, inspite of my feelings this time last year on the matter, even with an Aussie passport in my pocket, the prospect of trekking back to the Waikato is one of those thoughts that never quite goes away…

Favourite Photo Thursday

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Luna Park Again

Sorry, there’s not been much time to post this week. We have been in the middle of our annual conference (work/church abuzz with 1000’s of other freakshow enthusiasts) and I’m heading to NZ for a familial visit v early tomorrow morning…
Will try to pop in on my holidays!! If I get a chance I’ll post from Sis’ place…
If not?
See you in May!

Hi my Name is Dee – Welcome to my Freakshow…

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Tis Easter Sunday. Generally considered to be a good day to go to church, if you’re of the Christian persuasion, and sometimes even if you simply nod to the Christian persuasion now and again, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday are Days To Go To Church.
So, this is why Dusel and Dorf wanted to go to church with me, and also because they wanted to give their parents the [apparently] quintessential Australian experience. So this evening, all 5 of them arrived at church to enjoy the Easter Sunday services. Which, happily, instead of being subjected to having the thrill of a good meaty sermon, they were able to partake of our annual Easter musical, or passion play.
That wasn’t the freakshow part.
Actually, it isn’t really a freakshow, but sometimes, when I’m with someone who doesn’t usually identify with our expression of worship I put myself in their shoes and wonder if the services don’t appear a little that way…
First of all the music simply doesn’t sound holy enough… click here for an example… There’s no choirs or strings or even any organ type instruments… But we’ve a plethora of electric guitars, drums and singers…
Second, we even have dancers… (eep I hear you say)… I know, it’s strange and unusual… but happily they’ve come a long way from the streamer waving, tambourine banging, white skirted pentecostal dancers of yore… but stil… dancing in church???
Third, it’s noisy… people pray out loud, there is much passionate seeking God from the pulpit…
Fourth, there is much talking about giving and the offering… which, when you are standing in buildings worth a substantial amount of money, all paid for by donations from the congregatiion is likely to feel a little disturbing… our detractors regularly use that as a point of disagreement…
Finally it’s mad simply because of the number of people there… to see so many individuals clapping, dancing, and praising God you have to think you’ve walked in on some kind of cult… I mean, church is so passé these days isn’t it? For so many people to be identifying themselves with that kind of organisation there must be some kind of mind control in play right?
At least, these are the things I imagine that people are thinking when they come to church with me.
Dusel has gone home to check us out on the web and google the Captain to see what people out there are saying about him… From what I’ve seen he won’t find much that’s derogatory… and after the show, and even after the appeal at the end for ‘souls to come home’ (Not the terminology used… ) I think we made a good impression.
And if not? Well… they haven’t started looking at me as if I’m from another planet.
That has to count for something…