Autumn leaves arriving...

So Autumn is on its way and the leaves are starting to fall on the ground. The days are closing in and the whole idea of sitting indoors with a cup of tea and a good book seems to take on a whole new significance. Its that time of year when life seems to slow down a fair bit, and yet in studentdom things go nuts. The freshers are finally starting to settle in, the second years are becoming far more aware of what it means to 'work' at Uni, whilst the third years are just generally up to their eyes in books and notes. In the worlds of Christian ministry then its also the time when the CU starts to look towards things like House Party and general mission activities associated with Christmas and also activities that take place on a weekly basis. Agape STINTers also know that though things seem busy now that they will only get busier. So... Its a funny time of year. Its especially funny if you are a postgrad who doesen't quite know where he is up to right now. Will I be a student in 3 months time? Will I be one in 3 weeks? Who knows... Well, its not quite like that. I think I will still be a student in 3 months time but this is still an uncertain time.

The Lord is good however and as David says in Psalm 37 we should:

'Wait for the Lord and keep his way.' (Psalm 37, v 34)

Indeed the notion of waiting for the Lord and trusting in Him is something that we see elsewhere in the Psalms...

'Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.' (Psalm 27, v 14)

Seems like a good plan... ;-)

Germany and the Summer

Its been a long time since I posted and even longer since I posted something other than a picture or two. Life seems a little strange right now. At the start of this summer I felt somewhat uncertain as to what 2006-2007 would be like and yet at the same time had a certainty as to what it would look like if that makes sense. And yet I seem to now be in the position whereby nothing is certain, absolutely nothing. Except the Lord that is. He has been teaching me, guiding me, seeking out the inner most depths of my heart. Which has been so, so exciting. And yet... As I write this I feel somewhat sad, somewhat hollow. I know the Lord is seeking to fill that hollowness and I hope and pray that I am open to him, but... for the moment I am afraid, confused, uncertain. What better a place to be I don't know, but what a worse place to be I also do not know. Take care guys... Enjoy a few pics from a vvv good holiday in Germany.

Less of a surprise...

Everythings pretty quiet here.. People away, not much going on, work to be doing. Very different summer than last year... Hence another surprise blog (though its less of a surprise) and some more pics..

Surprise..

Thought i'd surprise anyone in case they still visit my blog and post some of the pictures that I've taken in the last month or so. Life has been busy and remains so - writing essays, saying goodbye to good friends, making research trips to Belfast. Hope you are all well...

Bringing things to a close...

The time has come to end the blog. I've been thinking for a while now that it would be appropriate at this time to put an end to all things blog-like. Its been fun, and its lasted far, far longer than I ever would've imagined. But its time to sign off... Thanks for reading and checking in folks. Maybe this will start again in the future. However, for now the end is nigh...

Dublin

So... I've been away working for a few days...

These are my places of 'work'. Firstly the rather nifty looking Trinity College Dublin...



And the National Library of Ireland, of which this isn't a good photo really, but itsn't the worst place to be working...


Right next to the Irish Parliament no-less. Or the Office of the Taoiseach (Irish PM)..


This is where I ate breakfast every morning (the grass to the left of the picture) in St Stephen's Green..


This is where my hotel was, though I will add a disclaimer in saying that my room looked out onto the small back street behind the hotel, not the River Liffey. Still, twas nice...


And this is where I got to chill out with a bit of an evening stroll along the River Liffey (thats the Four Courts builing on the right)...

A Good Day/ Long Day: Take 2

I'm running out of creativity with my post-titles. At least for now.

Today has been another long, but good day. It has including being at Church, being on the Wirral, moving lots of furniture and driving around in a van. Marvellous.

I also just watched Black Hawk Down for the first time in a long time which was great, but also frightening. If you've not seen it then please do.

One particular aspect I took from the film was the moments when the troops are flying into battle, and all you see is the relative peaceful serenity and beauty of God's world - the landscape in short - and then within two minutes the troops are thrown into a deadly 'hornets nest' of bullets. Essentially it reminded me of this perfect world which God created for us, which is now a fallen, and very messed up world.

Oh, and this is a picture of the newly refurbished Peter Pan statue that they put back in Sefton Park recently. I tried to post it yesterday but failed as blogger wouldn't let me.

A Good Day/A Long Day..

So... In the midst of all this MySpace business and - AND - the fact that I do actually have quite a lot to be doing right now, its very tempting to can the old blog and move on to new and better things, which, at the moment looks very much like spending quality time with amazing people, finishing the old masters degree and getting ready for Relay which is fast approaching.

But... For the moment I shall continue to churn out the posts, giving you some insight into my little part of this world. Splendid.

Today has been pretty good. It started with a walk in the rather wonderful Sefton Park, which still takes my breath away (don't worry guys - I'll have been to Dublin by this time this week so i can put up some new pics hopefully, ie not too many more of the park, but you must admit it does look good):

I even managed to find Peter Pan while I was there. Amazing...

After the park I helped Jules help move a lass from John Moores, which meant that I got to go and spend some time around the Anglican Cathedral which is always good. The girl lived in JMU Cathedral Campus, which as I found out, basically means that the view out of their windows is the Cathedral. Amazing. A slight prob with coordinating moving out of the halls and moving in to the new place meant that there was also time for a coffee and some relaxing on the grass just by the entrance to the Cathedral, which given the sun and its unique position was a very nice experience. So yeah... Thats been my day in essence. And its been a pretty good one.

I will say that I am missing those American types a lot, but otherwise its been a good few days. So yeah. There ya go..

Ah man... 'Ave got no hair, innit!!

Evans shaved his head. One wonders how long it'll be until he starts wearing a full-length leather coat, tinted sunglasses balanced only on his nose, and asks questions about whether we'ld like the red pill or the blue pill... Hmmm...

African Headware...

I went to the beach today. It was nice. I didn't take my camera which was a shame. But it still works which is a bonus. Ha!

I had a good chat with Bob (Simon Gilliand) which was cool - hardly spoken to him at all this year - and had a bit of scramble over some of the dunes with Bob and a Malaysian guy named Shaun.

It was nice to be at the beach in the fresh air and the sun, but it has now left me feeling incredibly tired. Fresh air, walking up undulating sand dunes leaves me in a state of... Zzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Evans came back from London today with a veritable treasure trove of African things - shirts, dresses, ornaments, and a hat (as modelled by me in the picture below) which are actually from our friend, and one time housemate, Samson in Kenya. They are a real mixture of gifts for people in Liverpool. Tis cool. I should send him a postcard.

Theres a really nice sunset at the mo.. Ok. I'm hungry, thirsty and just a bit tired.

Urban Wilderness

'And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.' Genesis 2:9.

A lot of people may take the meaning of my title to represent a ghetto of a city perhaps; an area of poverty, deprivation, and a place that is generally run down. Broken glass, concrete, the odd burnt out car may come to mind.

I on the otherhand wish to apply it to Sefton Park in Liverpool. This place - this vast green space in the middle of south Liverpool - trully is amazing. It is surrounded by a real mixture of council-owned tower blocks, old and dilapidated mansions, terraced houses, upmarket apartments, hotels, and student halls of residence. And yet, it is in so many respects a true wilderness - that of nature, of long grass, of old and majestic trees, of open spaces.

Indeed, it is for that very reason that I love it so. It trully is one of my favourite places in the city, and after 5 years, probably one of my favourite places in the UK.

Green Trees, Green Grass

Silly, silly, silly me...

I am working hard right now - honest - but I also have this great urge to procrastinate by posting more pictures of me being working, me being silly, and some nice ones I took in Calderstone Park this morning. Enjoy...

Travel..

Hmm... I've been coming to a realisation over the last week or so, namely that I don't enjoy travelling. Or, rather, that I don't enjoy the planning and general preparation that has to go into planning a trip somewhere.

As long as the planning is done, I really enjoy flying, taking a ferry etc, and of all the places I've been fortunate to have visited in my life, each and every one has left me with fond memories.

However, in attempting to put together a research trip to Dublin recently I have been reminded of the frustration, and indeed stupidty of much that goes with modern travel. Sure its better than the old days when a trip across the Atlantic would involve a good few months at sea, on a crowded ship rife with disease, often passing through horrendous storms, only to arrive at your desination (be it America or Europe) and step off the ship and be immediatly fleeced of all your belongings by someone seeking to 'assist' your arrival in your new home.

Now though we live in a world of electronic commerce where a simple debit card expiry date can cause havoc with all your travel plans, a world of budget airlines that are frequently overbooked.. And so forth. Ladies and Gentlemen I am frustrated this day by the world of travel. Britain is nice. Yeah.. I might just stay here. Ahhhh.....

The Mighty Wig

Its amazing how much you can do with a wig and a few hats. Today Evans went for a more Jamaican look...

Ah... yah man... am just chillin' innit...



Before returning to the standard Sarpong look...


And then later on tonight Danny got in on the act... First he went for the Russian 'feminine' look...


Then he joined Evans for some Rasta style...

And to round things off he looks a bit like a Mike Myers character here methinks... Hmm...

Pictures....... Pictures... Get your new pictures...

So you know that i'm going to bombard you with pictures now, right folks? Here are some from Sefton Park (including some very green looking trees kc) and of me and my housemate Damien...