SPRING MUSINGS

Hare are my two treasures!

Long time no see again! It seems like writing my posts doesn't come naturally to me..... ;) On the other hand, better late than never, right?

Winter was (still is at times, though it should really give way to the longed for spring!) harsh here - hurricanes, rain, cold.... brrrrrr...... I thought winters in Poland are miserable, but, hey, England is no better! :( It's been a time marked by infections that we have kept catching for the past 4 months..... I shall not comment on our immune system as it seems to be on some sort of strike;) Anyway, we have just recovered from another mega infection that had to be dealt with by anibiotics treatement!

Jasper, who is now nearly 3,5 is a pre-school enthusiast - this is an equivalent of the Polish kindergarten. He loves playing with other kids and has become a real big brother for Benji, who is now nearly 16 months. This month is another turning point for sir Jasper, as he is finally getting off nappies.... not an easy process, I can tell you that! Wow, we'll save on nappies! He also talks a lot more (poor us!) and learns new words everyday. He does understand Polish, but doesn't want to speak it... He has a very strong personality and likes letting us know about it! On the other hand, he is quite sensitive too. It is cute to look at him rebuking Benji for doing some mischief or hugging him when he cries. They really like each other, but also compete with each other a lot. Probably, it is something normal among siblings(?)

Benji, is a little thinker! He is more focused on details than Jasper, but not less energetic in any way! :-O He loves climbing everywhere and doesn't mind us telling him off, he'll still carry out his cheeky plans! Jasper (when he was a toddler) was a saint compared to him! Benji's nickname is 'fingerman' as he loves fiddling with our fingers - a comfort thing, I suppose. I think having a favourite blankie would be easier for him, as he can't take our fingers everywhere, holding them all the time, can he? ;) Little Benji is of a more slender built than his big bro, but is a very strong boy. Both of them love music and dancing and so we might have some artists growing here!

Joe still works as a security guard and works more than before. He's thinking about setting a football agency, though. I do supply teaching and translations but am looking for a permanent job as we are thinking about buying a house. Our land lady is going to sell the house we rent and so we will have to move out soon. We think the time is coming we will need to get something of our own, as having kids means we need to create some stable environment for them, without an everlasting possiblity of the landlord wanting us out for some reasons.... Everything is possible for those who believe, and so we put our trust in God that He has prepared a nice house for us to live in!

I will try to be more disciplined to post my thoughts here so that everyone interested in our lot knows what's up with us!

God bless you all!

SHEFFORD -the little town we live in

AUTUMN WALK Oct'07

LONG TIME NO SEE :-)

It's been a long time since I last posted anything here so it is time to catch up, I guess. Last time I wrote here we had one child, Jasper who is now nearly 3. Now we have two boys. The new addition is Benji who will be 10 mths old this month. He is already crawling and getting ready to walk. He copies Jasper a lot and is already throwing tantrums! :-( Jasper has started attending a play-group which is good for him! Joe is still working as a security guard (has obtained the SIA license) but is thinking about setting his own business. Well, good luck to him! :-)

I am ready to finish the maternity leave and start working. I don't think I am made to be a full-time housewife, I am afraid! I need some stimuli but sometimes feel guilty about it. I know it is normal and everybody will benefit with me being professionally active again! My brain will benefit too as there's never enough of intellectual simulus! :-) We are planning to invite a family friend from Nigeria to come over and help with the kids. So, I am busy hunting for a job that would give an attractive and steady income, but also would be related to my qualifications and experience. I will still be self-employed too and accept orders to do with translation or interpreting. I will try to place posts more often to update the curious readers about our life.

Here are my Nnachi boys - aren't they cute?! :o)

FIVE MONTHS IN THE UK

Time goes by very quickly.... it's a cliche but it's true. I am approaching the endof my probation period and hope to sign a permanent contract with HFT next month. I have settled down in the job, in the area and have this sense that we are here for a reason. I have made friends with some staff I work with and have dveloped friendly relationships with most of the service users in the house I work in. It doesn't mean I don't want another job again, but have slowed down and am enjoying the time I have now. Nevertheless, the news is that I have been offered to teach one group in Barnfield college in Luton in ESOL departament. It will give me some idea what teaching is like here and also some little extra cash, which is good. Joe works on and off in a local supermarket as a security guard and is preparing for training to get a licence to work as a security guard. He also keeps on attending other interviews to see where God wants to place him, where the door will open for good. We have been awarded some benefits which also helps us a lot. Generally speaking, our life here is A LOT better than it was in Poland or Nigeria. We feel very clearly, we have made progress and are definitely moving forward.
Jasper is growing fast. He started walking and everyday shows a new skill. When both of us work he is taken care of by a professional childminder, which does him good as he sees other kids and can learn new things.
Not long ago we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. We had a lovely meal in a restaurant (something we haven't done for ages) and walk in a nearby city. To celebrate my birthday we went to a cinema and had fun again.... Life's A LOT more enjoyable for us here. Also the church which welcomed us here has proved to be a wonderful place; For the first time, we don't feel any control, manipulation.... the pastor here is truly a shepherd and that encourages us.
Soon, I hope to publish our current pics.

God is good! :o) All is well with us!

Three weeks before Christmas

Lights are on everywhere; people are getting the shopping fever.... Christmas is coming or rather Crazemas/Commercemas/Partymas as people don't really think about the true sense of this Holiday. Anyway, from aesthetic point of view it is quite nice to see all the decorations and lights everywhere. Jasper is having fun or not; here's a pic to show what he thinks about all this:
We went for an evening walk today to enjoy a bit of no-rain;-) We are resting from the hustle and bustle of a big city. Yet, sometimes we miss the Wroclaw city centre and Joe, especially, feels rather homesick for Poland, which is strange, but here you go....
Joe has some more interviews this coming week. One day he will finally see the results of this job search! I am waiting for my QTS - qualified teacher status, which will enable me to teach here. In the meantime, I keep working with the people with learning disabilities, doing trainings, etc. This week I am having training on positive thinking (hahaha) - that is going to be interesting. But seriously speaking it is going to be about dealing with challenging behaviours of the service users.
I am now more independent with our new BMW:

Yeah, yeah...... looks nice, doesn't it? ;-) And here's me with no problems on my head but our cheeky monkey, always ready to have fun at all costs - even if it means mummy's back may be a little strained......

ok, here's one more: Jaspi the model (this is what he loves doing instead of eating his meals):

Witner in UK

It is the end of November. It is rather cold here, which surprised us as we wanted to escape the cold of Poland. I am still working in HFT. Every day I learn something new, which makes the job more interesting. Yet, I am actively looking for something better. Here is a pic of people in the resource centre where our servive users come to have their classes: This is a therapy room, where the people with learning disabilities learn the sign language, have aromatherapy or music classes. Today I was in a ceramics class - we were making snowmen from clay; This is a very relaxing activity and I have always wanted to deal with arts.
Joe is still looking for a job and attending interviews and first of all, looking after our baby Jaspi:
Yeah, my boys really get on very well together and love having fun:



A good thing is that I got a new car so we can be independent again. Now, when it is getting so cold, walking for miles is not necessarily a pleasant thing to do. Now, we have got a Fiat Uno. Yesterday, I had an adventure - I caught a puncture on my way to work. But fortunately there is a garage next to where I work, so I drove there 10 mls/h and they fixed it for me. :-)

Joe keeps on working on his computer skills:



As you can see, life goes on here for us. We are not yet where we would like to be, but step by step we are getting there, I believe!

Okay, here is one more pic of Jaspi playing: