alex and betty

For the first time since getting married, Betty and I have a place of our own to call “home.”

When we first got married, Betty moved into my basement suite underneath the home of a pastor and his family. They were good people but, on a regular basis, we could hear the piano playing next to our bedroom and the ping-pong table being used next to our kitchen.

The next time we moved was when we relocated here to the UK in September of last year. We stayed with good friends in a shared home as “temporary housing.”  Honestly, we have been really blessed by good friends and strangers who have opened their places to us to live.  But, as a young married couple with a desire to bless others, we thought it would be important to find a more personal “home”.  So, this all changed last week.

Here’s a shot of the front (with our Civic parked there) and our back garden (with the new compost bin we got — which, incidentally, is sold at a reduced cost since most municipalities actually subsidise them).  Our hope is that we will be able to use this place for God’s glory and, perhaps, entertain angels unaware.  If you would like to visit, drop us a line!

One of the things I absolutely love about England is her countryside, the gentle rolling green hills and the striking occasional tree that stands alone on a slope. Dotted along with white sheep and lambs at this time, and the puffs of white cloud in the blue sky (a rarity sometimes, but I have seen it). Sometimes I wish I can paint because the countryside would be what I’d want to paint. And my photo attempts at capturing the beauty of the countryside just do no justice to the real thing.

So my friend Christina and I went off to the Peak District for two days this week, visiting historic homes like Chatsworth and staying in a quaint village hotel called The Maynard. As we finally made it to our first stop, Chatsworth, we were both quite in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. When we drove upon the estate, we spot this rather large herd of deer! I had never seen so many deer together. It was too bad my camera couldn’t capture them very well, but that truly was a scene of British countryside that I shall not forget easily.

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