Spring has Sprung!

While the temperature is still fluctuating (a lot!) spring is definitely springing forth, here in Vancouver. Daylight savings has started this week so progress is underway towards summer. We've had a few truly beautiful days with clear skies and warm breezes, but generally an umbrella is required when leaving the house - spring rains to add to the winter ones!

As usual, we've been busy with schoolwork. The end of the semester is not far away so assignments are falling due with regularity! Nathan has been working on a paper about John Stott for his history course and Bronwyn is making progress on a paper about equipping laypeople for pastoral care. The research for both has been interesting, yet the excitement wanes when we need to decide exactly what we can fit into the word-limit for a piece of work. That can be frustrating! Nathan has also been wrestling with some problems in philosophical theology!!!!

The last two weeks have been A Celebration of the Arts at Regent. There have been lunchtime concerts, workshops, evening events and a display in the gallery on campus. We haven't been able to take part in much (because we're busy) but the building is looking very colourful at the moment. On Tuesdays we have a chapel service at 11am. This past week we had a special 'Offering of the Arts' in chapel involving drama, poetry, singing and a group playing Bach. It was great! Chapel is followed by a community lunch (of soup) and then people gather in community groups ( a bit like Bible study groups, but more social). It was our group's turn to help on soup duty this past week so we missed the end of chapel but helped make soup for 200 or so people and serve it. Split pea & prosciutto, with croutons and parmesan - yummmmmm!

We also had a craving for an 'olde style family dinner' so we invited our friends, Claire & April, around for a roast. In lieu of kumara we had sweet potatoes, called yams here (and very similar to orange kumara). When we explained this to April (an American) we couldn't really explain what are the things we call yams in NZ! She also hadn't tasted parsnip before so that was a new experience for her.

Bronwyn has also been filling in spare moments with some patchwork. She's started a quilt with flannel material (as a couch throw or blanket when reading) and has been making lots of lovely squares. Post-it notes have taken on a new use as templates. Nathan hopes they'll be made into something before she starts any other projects!