Our Next Adventure

Last week was the launch of our new family blog.  We are venturing on a new adventure – overseas!

{It’s} not a holiday… it’s an adventure!

That’s right, folks, in seven weeks time, we are leaving for Turkey, Italy and Switzerland.  Sometimes I just cannot believe that I am going to visit Istanbul’s famous bazaar, or pay homage to the ANZACS from Gallipoli at the actual place, or see the Colosseum and walk where Augustus Caesar and the Apostle Paul actually walked, or lay my eyes on the seven hills that inspired the legendary Romulus and Remus to build Rome, or gaze at the beautiful alps of Switzerland.

We are intentionally using the word adventure, because it is going to be full-on excitement and busyness.  ‘It’s not a holiday’ has sort of become our catch phrase for this journey because it’s not a holiday and we are not going to come home very relaxed!  But adventure sounds more exciting, anyway.

We would love for you to join us on our adventure!

A Book that is Worth your While

I was talking to a friend the other day about books we’ve read and are reading. I’m making my way through Great Expectations by Charles Dickens as my ‘recreational book’ – the sort I read on lazy Sunday afternoons and before going to bed.  It isn’t light reading compared to some of the other recreational books I’ve read in the past, but I’m loving it!  Reading this book has made me think twice about those other ‘light’ books I’ve read in the past that I’ve raved about as being ‘so good’, when maybe, they’re not so great after all.

Last year I read an eleven-book series in about four months, called Ranger’s Apprentice, written by John Flanagan.  They’re fictional stories set in medieval times about these rangers who are basically secret agents, but set 600 years ago!  I really enjoyed the series (the fact that I read eleven books in four months proves that) – the characters were funny, the plot action-packed, and they were easy reading.  And yet now, reading Great Expectations, the Ranger Apprentice books don’t look nearly as appealing or brilliant as they used to.

Great Expectations is cleverly written.  His sentence structure and word choices are meaty and substantial, so interesting and delightful and engaging, it’s like a classical music piece that just rises in triumph and resonates with you.  Yes, I have to look up a new word every few pages, and sometimes I have to re-read the sentence to understand what he’s saying, but there’s quality in the sentences in and of themselves; I’m not just relying on the adrenalin of the storyline to make the book worthwhile.

Books like these, they invite you to step into their world.  Ranger’s Apprentice, they are entertaining and action-packed; they are pretty much go-go-go and don’t leave much room for dilly-dallying.  I like books that leave you on the edge of your seat, but there’s something enjoyable about getting to know all about the characters in the book too – what they look like, some of their past experiences, their reputation.  I’ll quote a blog post by Joe Rigney from Desiring God on reading the Narnia series:

…[W]e ought to first immerse ourselves in the stories as stories. We must learn to trek across the Narnian countryside, swim in the Narnian seas, distinguish Calormenes from Archenlanders, and navigate the etiquette of centaurs (it’s a very serious thing to invite a centaur to dinner; they have two stomachs after all). Keep reading…

When we do this – when we ‘immerse ourselves in the stories as stories’, we will then be able to really see the picture the author painted.  In today’s world young people are pressured to read literature so early, and pick it apart, trying to understand what Beowulf or A Tale of Two Cities are about.  However, when we delve into the story the author wrote, when we relish the adventures and the characters and the world he’s made up, the true meaning will bubble out.  As we read these books, we should think, but it shouldn’t be like a scientist analysing something in a sterile lab.  Rather we should think through what’s going on here – what the story is saying – what is the glaringly obvious point – what does the adventure all add up to be saying?  What slant is the author coming from?  As we enjoy the story as a story, and chew it over, we’ll discover something the author wanted us to find.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I like Ranger’s Apprentice.  I’ve learnt from them.  My challenge lies in making fast-paced, easy reading, non-challenging books all I ever read.  There is so much out there in literature to grapple with: new ideas to explore, people to learn from, and political, biblical, and social truths to expound on.  There are injustices to tear at the heart and comedies to put a sparkle in the eye.  Classics, biographies, historical novels – they are all there for the taking and with them we’ll learn how this world ticks, how we can build better lives, and how we can help others. Our worldview will sharpen.  So my challenge is this: read a good book, a book that is really, really worth your while.

Australian-isms 101

I love being an Australian.  Not only is Australia a beautiful, unique country, it’s full of unique, eccentric people who say really weird things in a really neat accent.  In honour of all Australians, past, present and future, and in kind jest of all Americans out there, I’ve written a list of the things us Aussies say and what we mean by them.

G’day – let’s start with the basics.  It’sAustralia’s contraction for ‘good day’.

Fair Dinkum ­– Wowzwers, incredible, far out, cool, no way!  It’s generally used in a positive sense, or out of amazement.

You lil’ beauty – perfect.  I want no more.

Ripper beauty – see fair dinkum and you lil’ beauty.

Pavlova – this is the dessert of Australia (and New Zealand.  The jury is still out as to who invented it and I cannot be bothered fighting with them.  But the jury stays out.)  A large meringue cake, topped with cream, strawberries, kiwi fruit, passionfruit, banana, or whatever other fruit we can find.

Billabong – a natural-looking (but not necessarily so) dam or lake.

She’ll be right mate – the typical Australian is very laid-back and hates stress.  It’s our attitude to every problem we face: everything will be OK.

Chinwag – think about it.  It’s when you let your chin, wag.  Basically, talking.

Dunny – a.k.a. the toilet.

Tho… no, I won’t go here.  All I’ll say is we do not say flip-flops, but what we do say is inappropriate to Americans!

Dummy spit – not so much spitting the dummy exactly, although that probably happens when you do the dummy spit.  It’s when you throw a tantrum.  A really bad one.

What’s a dummy?  *Sighs* It’s a…a…a… pacifier (*shudders at the word*) Seriously, guys; pacifier?!  In Nomi’s words, ‘it sounds like a Jedi weapon!’

Furphy – a myth, wives’ tale, or lie, proven false.  Mum used it once in a blog post here.

Whinge – complain, whine.

Chuck a wobbly – see dummy spit.

Barbie – Barbeque. It does mean the doll too, but we’ve learnt to think about the context.

Nappy – a diaper.

Sheila – female.

Blokes – guys.

Shop – Store. Supermarket. Whatever.

Op shop – thrift store.  I think ‘op’ stands for ‘opportunity’.

Crocs and mozzies – crocodiles (not alligators – sorry guys, but alligators are puny in comparison to a truly stalwart crocodile) and mosquitoes.

Jelly and jam – what we call jelly, Americans call jell-o, and what Americans call jelly, we call jam.  There is no jell-o in Australia, but there is a type of jam in America.  Just to clear up matters!

Vegemite – the best spread ever.  Black and salty and tasty and gives you rosy cheeks.  Why we sold it to an American brand, I don’t know…

Swag – a roll-up canvas sleeping bag with a mattress inside.

Billy – it’s a kettle that sits over top of, or in, a campfire, to boil the water to make the tea.  Australians love their tea.

True blue – through and through.  If you are ‘true blue’, it often means you are very patriotic to your Australian country.

 

What other words do Aussies use?  Please tell!

The Miracle of the Moment

 It’s time for letting go

All of our if only’s

‘Cause we don’t have a time machine

 And even if we did

Would we really want to use it?

Would we really want to go change everything?

 ‘Cause we are who and where

And what we are for now

And this is the only moment

We can do anything about!

 So breathe it in and breathe it out

And listen to your heartbeat

There’s a wonder in the here and now

It’s right there in front of you

I don’t want you to miss the miracle of the moment

- from Miracle of the Moment by Steven Curtis Chapman

I used to want everything to be perfect in my life.  I don’t mean I was a perfectionalist, but I wanted everything flowing as smoothly as an orchestra playing an andante sonatina. Let’s admit it; the rosy-coloured, rosy-cheeked world, where everything happens like they do in books or in the movies, is kind of appealing.  No embarrassing mistakes, clumsy moves, or awkward moments (unless there was a classic line to go with it, and I wasn’t the joke). Instead, we always say the most beautiful things at just the right moment, all the bad guys get caught and the good guys are made heroes, and frankly… I’m cool!  Wouldn’t a perfect world like that be loverly?

Since then I’ve come to the place where I’m glad I don’t live in a perfect world, according to my definition of the word ‘perfect’.  In my world, one person stops talking and other person starts.  In reality, however, life is messy and sometimes people are talking all at once.  In my world, everyone would have either a wonderful life, or a tragically sad one (and those are only the lonely travellers you meet every once in a while.) In reality, everybody has been on a unique journey. They’ve learnt different lessons in their own ways, and they wear scars that aren’t quite like anybody else’s.  I don’t know what it was like to live in a ‘perfect world’ in the garden of Eden, or what it will be like living in heaven where there are no more tears.  Right now, however, I’m learning the beauty of tears.  The special place a messy moment has.  In those difficult, crazy busy, laugh-till-your-side-hurts, dangerous, heart wrenching, scary, exhilarating, bittersweet, gorgeous, tearful, hurting, moments, I can see the fingerprints of grace.

There’s blood.  There’s a cross. There’s redemption in Jesus.  He’s taken out of my life the guilt and condemnation and shame, and replaced it with love, freedom, and the promise that he works all things together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his works and purposes.  This life I’ve been given, it’s right and good despite the messiness.

And so I’m learning to jump into this life and let go of my perfect world.  To learn from my mistakes, to get impromptu with my family, to pull a crazy face at the camera with my sister, to grieve and rejoice and pray with my friends, to love and build those invaluable relationships with others, to enjoy the colours and tastes and smells and adventures of life. To live in the ‘miracle of the moment’.  This is the life God’s given me.  God is in control!

graphic copyright 123rf.com

fire ablaze

the old fallen tree

 Last Friday we went out to a local water hole with some friends.  It’s always nice to get out of the house and into the water.  It was also special to catch up with our friends whom we hadn’t seen a lot of in a while.  While Mums and bub sat at the edge, we played around in the *water fall*, went exploring, had noodle fights, sat and talked and talked and talked about all sorts of good things, and just snapped with the cameras.  Mum challenged us Letchfords earlier in the morning to take a photo of a tree, in any shape or form, so this  old fallen tree became our intricate model!

I love living in such a unique area of Australia!

it’s in the simple things!

 

Forget the jet ski and  wake board, all we need a full irrigation channel or dam, a rope, a car, and an old fridge door!

 

Dad drained the dam over the wet season to kill the weeds so now we have a weed-free dam!  We’ve been putting it to good use these last few days.  Thanks Dad!

Again and again it’s been the simple little things that bring so much fun… looks like surf’s up at our place!

How to be a girl

This year I finished reading an old Australian book series called Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce, set in the early 1900′s in Victoria, Australia.  The story is set on a cattle station called Billabong, owned by David Linton who, as a single Dad raised his two children, Jim and Norah.  Both my Grandma and Mum grew up reading these books though they are sadly now out of print.  I loved these books (My Grandma had a copy of the series).  There is no way they will ever get back in print because they are pretty politically incorrect, but I’m so glad I’ve been able to find the books and read them myself.

Since reading them I’ve formed an opinion on something, which I’m about to tell you about and could get me excommunicated from Girl Books Inc. forever, if such a society existed.  Norah Linton is my favourite girl character out of all the girly books I’ve read.  Please don’t call me a heretic, but I have to say that I like Norah – the humble Australian the greater half of the world doesn’t know exists – better than the renowned Anne Shirley, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March, Pollyanna, George Kirrin (from the Famous Five) and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Let me explain.  Norah Linton is not your ordinary girl.  She grew up on a huge cattle station; horse riding before she could walk and bush dancing like it was second nature.  The housekeeper, Brownie, taught her to cook and keep house and sew and knit.  She spent her days in the saddle with her Dad and brother mustering the cattle and camping in the bush.  She wasn’t an academic, but she knew what she needed to know academically.  Norah had good manners, knew right from wrong and loved making friends.

What I love about Norah was that she lived such a balanced life.  Norah knew how to cook better than a lot of girls, but she wasn’t absorbed in frills and lace.  She dressed nearly every day in a riding kit getting dirty, but Norah didn’t wish that she was a boy.  She liked being a girl, but was practical, enthusiastic, and ready to get hot and sweaty helping with the station’s work.

I think that’s the way to live.

Your thoughts?  By the way, if you would like to read these Australian books, the first one, A Little Bush Maid, is available in ebook format at Project Gutenburg.

Renovated Bathroom

In February we decided to renovate the bathroom.  Nothing structural, but a lick of paint and some wood made all the difference!

Dad and Daniel were our handymans – took the door on and off and on and off and on again, took off all the fittings, cut the frames.  Us girls did most of the painting.

 

 Nomi painted the door:

The mirror was cut into two, and Dad and Daniel made frames for them and a lip and fame for the window.

Sandpaper + Jess = turns out to be a dangerous and surprising mix. I painted them dark brown, then rubbed the frames with candle wax to help the sandpaper, then painted a few coats of white paint, and then distressed them!  That was so much fun – I want to distress everything I can get my hands on after this!  Everyone thinks it’s a little out of the ordinary – I’m normally not so excited about… disorderliness.  I also painted the SPLASH letters.

Just for the fun of it we painted a blackboard behind the toilet – it is now being put to much fun use!  Nomi’s dubbed it ‘The Letchford’s Facebook Page’.  It’s complete with room to ‘like’ and ‘comment’ – not to mention ‘writing on our wall!’  Dad made the frame for this as well. Note in the photo above the little basket of chalk on the window sill.

I thought our electric toothbrushes looked a little out of place in the beautiful room, so I set out a way to disguise them.  We ended up using one of Mum’s tins from her collection that sits on top of the pantry, and Dad very cleverly cut a hole in the back for the cords to go through.  He went the extra mile and covered the raw edges with plastic and glued felt (or old hat… I’m not sure which) to the bottom of the tin so the door wouldn’t rub against the bench.

We love it and are really happy with how it turned out.  We really enjoyed the experience of it and want to renovate more of our house one day!

Self-Control

I had an incredible thought last night.  It was one of those ‘light bulb’ moments where you go ‘duh!’ and wonder why you haven’t thought about it before.

I’ve always wondered why, in the fruits of the spirit, Paul listed both patience and self-control.  To me they’d always been synonymous – self-control and patience both meant not losing your temper – so what was the point of writing them down twice?  Then yesterday, it all made sense.

Character First! defines self-control as, ‘rejecting wrong desires and doing what is right’.  There are a lot of wrong desires out there outside of not getting angry, isn’t there?  It means choosing not to eat all the ice-cream because you know how much you are allowed to eat, and how much is good for your body (and you’ve probably already eaten it!)  It means letting go of bitter grudges against others because you know that ‘if anyone has a complaint against each other, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do’.  It means bypassing a cruel joke or a spiteful comment because you know that your tongue has the power to destroy or build up and ‘in the outflow of speech sin is not lacking’.  Self-control can really be kept quite busy in our lives!

So it’s not always self-control and patience that are synonymous (although sometimes they are) – it’s self-control and self-management that are one and the same.  Self-control however is such an amazing trait, because it is evidence of the Holy Spirit working in us.  And unlike self-management, self-control gives us the moral reason why:

To reject wrong desires and do what is right!

In what other areas of our lives could self-control lend a hand?