Greetings from St Margaret's Bay, as we prepare to celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ!

It all began when Mary said Yes to Gabriel's message.

I am reminded of a line from 'The Sound of Music': in response to a question from the Mother Superior, Maria says, "The most important thing I have learnt here is that each of us needs to find out what is the will of God for our life and then go and do it."

Challenging words - for us too! 

Phoebe as Mary and Martha as Gabriel - taken last Christmas!

This has been a good and busy year.

My children and grandchildren are in fine form: I see them at least twice a month - either in south-west London or down here on the coast.
I LOVE having them to stay!

Martha and Phoebe are now 14 months old - and are on the move!!

 

 

 

Daniel will be 8 in February. He has moved up to 'the big school' and is doing well.

Oliver is 5 and loves dogs!  I went with them to Paw Patrol Live at Wembley in August!

 



At a family wedding in the summer.

 

My mother is 96 and is doing surprisingly well. She is well-looked after at Cossins House, and I see her about once a fortnight.

In the Spring she was found to have acute macular degeneration, and survived a course of three injections into her eye-ball!

 

In July I was privileged to go on my second visit to Jane's Home in Ethiopia.

It was a great joy to meet again the children I had seen 4 years ago: then there were 11 girls and one boy, now there are 16 girls and 6 boys!

I went with a team from Stand by Me, and we ran a holiday club for the children from the school.

 

 

 



I am President of the South Foreland Rotary Club this year, so that is keeping me busy! As well as supporting local and international charities, the President has his 'charity of the year' - so Jane's Home is mine.

 

I  am also a Trustee of Military Ministries International, which works with chaplains and Christians in the armed forces round the world. They already had a Roman Catholic on the board, and wanted an Orthodox - so 'Bob's your uncle'!!

Last month I had a week in Bulgaria at an International Orthodox Consultation, and it was great to be part of that. And I valued the opportunity to visit a country with a long Christian history - where believers have suffered under the Ottomans and the Communists. Today the Church is alive and well!

 

And I have joined the local branch of the Gideons! I went to the national convention in Birmingham in May, and on the Sunday was able to go to the Liturgy at the church where Nicholas Karafillides is a priest.

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you in 2018!

Don't forget that I do a good line in sea-side bed-and-breakfast, and love having visitors!