So Long July

   As I reflect on this past month, so many thoughts & emotions assail me. I have done & seen so much. I've packed, traveled, walked, settled in, met new people, seen new places, done new things.

    It's been a good month & a hard month. I'd be lying if I told you I haven't had low moments. Sometimes all I want to do is go back home, go back to normal & comfortable. Sometimes I just want my bed. And a lot of times I want to just be with my friends, to hang out, play games, watch movies, go shopping, & get ice-cream. And I always miss my big brother.

   But you see, I've always longed for adventure. I've read about it in books. I've always wanted to be whisked off to another world, to either save it or be saved. And while England might not be another world, it's a new place & therefore I feel like I'm on an adventure. But it's not always what I expected it to be like.

   When you read a book you don't feel the fatigue the character feels after they've walked around all day in the hot sun. You don't experience their loneliness that comes from being thousands of miles away from all their friends. No, you're curled up in your comfortable chair in your room with epic music playing in the background.

   So now I am conflicted. I yearn for adventure when I'm home, but when I'm gone I just want what's comfortable & familiar. So I wonder, is there any hope?

   But God whispers to me, "Yes." He built this longing for adventure into my soul. He has an adventure planned for me that's even greater than I can imagine. But he also has a home awaiting me, for when my adventure in this life is over. He's telling me to be content where he has me. To enjoy the blessings he's given me today.

   So in August, I shall strive to be content. I want to enjoy this phase of my life. I shall ignore the hardships & delight in the blessings. For:

 This is the day the LORD has made. Let's rejoice and be glad today! Psalm 118:24

 (God's Word translation)

An Evening Stroll

   I think the thing I love most about Cambridge is all the walking. Every Sunday alone we walk four miles. And we're used to it. Just walking two or so miles doesn't phase us anymore. 

   We've started taking evening strolls after supper. We'll often walk down to Derby Street and then back, which is about 3/4 a mile. I took some pictures the other night on one of these walks. Enjoy!

P.S. I took most of these pictures literally as I walked, that's why some of them are a bit blurry.

 

The Garden

   This is the third & final post of my miniseries on Tyndale House! Let's explore the garden, shall we? 

Directly across form the back porch are the other Tyndale House apartments (as mentioned in yesterdays post).  

There are three main areas in the garden. We'll look at the left side first.

Little white tents for sunny days.

The bike shed.

The library where dad is doing his research.

There is also a little row of trees & such near the back porch.

A round tree bench.

Down the center of the garden is a row of flowers, veg, & herbs.

Mom's favorite rosemary bush!

The right side of the garden has a table, clothes line, grill, & lots of lovely herbs.

Lavender!

Lots of things are blooming brightly since it's summer.

   I love the garden area. When we were here back in 2005 it was winter so everything was dead. It is so fun to see everything green & blooming. 

   Everyone at Tyndale is encouraged to help with the garden. I think I'll see if they want me to help with the herbs. Mint, rosemary, & lavender all smell so wonderful!

   Do you have a certain plant you like to grow? Flowers, veg, herbs, or fruit? 

Tyndale House Proper

   This is the second post of my three-part miniseries on Tyndale House! Now I'll show you Tyndale House Proper. 

   Now, just to be clear, when I say "proper", all I mean is the main building. The library is connected to the main building & there is also a line of flats across the garden. All of these buildings can be referred to as Tyndale House, so when I say "proper" I simply mean the main house.

When you enter the front door you'll pass through a short hall & by the reception office. Then you'll be in the foyer. To the left are stairs leading up to the flats on that side of the house & a hall leading to the library. 

A bit to the right is the doorway to the common room (the door with light coming through it).

This is the room where they have tea everyday at 11:00 in the morning & 4:00 in the afternoon. It's a time for everyone to take a break from their work & enjoy conversing with their fellow writers.

If you continue through the common room and out the back door you'll be on the back porch which overlooks the garden. It's a lovely little porch & we like to have tea out there on pretty days.   

There is a sign out there that says "1908", so we're assuming that means Tyndale House Proper was built then. It's such a young building. =)

The left & middle windows of the third floor are ours. Hi! =)

Starting from the foyer again, the main office, the residents kitchen, & the stairs to our flat are on the right.

The residents kitchen (the right door in the picture above) is great if you need to borrow certain dishes or pans. You can also bake or cook in there if you need the extra room.  

If you go back out the kitchen door, the stairs to our flat are on the left. Three floors up. Did I mention we're getting really fit here?

On the second floor are Flats Seven & Eight. When we lived here back in 2005 we lived in Flat Eight. It was a lovely flat. This time we live right above it.  

And as you've already seen, on the third floor is Cloud Nine! We have a wonderful little landing where we can hang our coats. 

This is the view from our door, we have a big window that lets in lots of light!

   And that's Tyndale House Proper! As much as we love where we're living what really makes Tyndale House special is the community that lives here. 

   Tonight a sweet young couple invited us to their "purging party". They are leaving Tyndale in a month & they wanted to get rid some of their stuff. So they had some friends over for burgers & then let everyone choose what they wanted. It was like a garage sale, except all of it was free! Mom got a lot of baking pans & I got a lot of stuff to decorate my room. =) We are so thankful for their generosity! It was also great to meet some of their friends. We had a lovely evening. 

Their little boy Asher is the sweetest!!!

We are so thankful to be here!