Thought I would just throw up some pictures of life here in Bangalore. We seem to be staying in one of the better "middle class" areas of the city. Indian society has a very rigid class system which I find I difficult to cope with sometimes. The people at the bottom seem to be existing on a few pence a day while at the other end, shops are stacked with the very latest high technology, mobile phones, cameras and HD televisions costing hundreds and thousands of pounds.
Have met a Christian guy here from Northern Ireland, Deane Lappin, who has been here for a number of weeks. He's a schoolteacher and has been helping out at Asha Kiran school and doing some travelling around India. He's from Aughnacloy. He's moving on to Dubai on Sunday.
I'm preaching again on Sunday and then going to a wedding on Sunday evening.
Lilian has been helping in the school and has been introducing some people to "Precept" Bible studies.
Still hot here. Tomorrow is a day off, and Prem comes back from a conference up in North India. Rita is holding the fort, cooking for everyone and making sure we don't get "ripped off" in the shops!

It's been a busy couple of days here and Internet access broke down so I'll bring you up to date.

We celebrated Indian Independence Day at Asha Kiran School on Tuesday, a day early, because the school was closed on Independence Day itself. The children and their parents all turned up in their finery and the schoolchildren put on a display in the playground. Then there was a further programme indoors. Then we all had lunch and went home.

The following day was a public holiday with lots of flag waving, fireworks and street parties. Went out for a walk and enjoyed the spectacle.

Later that evening Rita took us to a mall which demonstrated very forcibly to me the two faces of India, one very poor and the other fabulously rich! This mall stretched to 4 floors and was packed with some very expensive shops.

You could buy anything from a CD to a £50,000 necklace in here!

Eventually arrived in Bangalore but without our luggage! BA promised they would forward it to Prem and Rita's. Didn't arrive until Monday morning, but BA gave us a credit card with about 3000 Rupees on it! As I was able to buy 3 coffees and 3 samosas for less than 100 rupees, (or about one pound sterling) it should last us for a while! Bangalore is a cacophony of sounds and smells. I thought I heard about a hundred mobile phones going off at once, but it turns out to be cars reversing. When they reverse they play a tune like a mobile phone. Probably necessary here as the driving is crazy here and people just reverse out into fast moving traffic, and come at you from all directions and on both sides of the road!

Prem and Rita took us to a flower show on Saturday at which there were tens of thousands of people and the most amazing displays of flowers fruit and vegetables.

India is working its way up to its 60th Independence Day celebrations and Indian flags are everywhere. Wednesday, Independence Day itself, is a public holiday

Went down to see Rick and Katie in Greyabbey. Nice day again and so Rick and I went for a walk round the ruins. Greyabbey was founded in 1193 by Affreca who was the wife of John de Courcy, who also built Carrickfergus Castle.

Also some pictures of Reuben in the bath! You're not afforded much privacy when you're only 8 months old!

Well we left Omey on Sunday afternoon when the tide went out and eventually made our way home. There are still a million places I would like to visit in Connemara. I'd like to climb the 12 Pins and visit many more of the little villages but it was a great week in every sense. It's a beautiful place.

Here's me closing the door of the cottage. For all you non Irish speakers the shirt says, "You'll never see the likes of me again!" But I hope it will many times!

We drove up home on a glorious evening past Ben Bulben. WB Yeats is buried in Drumcliff graveyard underneath it.

Thought this was good! Letterfrack sea tours! hope this isn't the boat! The local boats in Connamara are of course curraghs, a light wooden frame with a tarred canvas skin.
Still enjoying the West of Ireland, although we haven't travelled very far from Omey.
Here is the little cottage in which we are staying. Really a delightful place with a turf fire and here is me coming home with some wild flowers I have gathered for my wife!

We are going to be on this island until Sunday which means we have to go to the mainland from time to time for drinking water and groceries. Really feeling the benefit of being "away from it all" and slowing down. No phone, no internet access, (I'm writing this a week later when I'm back in "civilization"), no callers at the door even and we've imposed a TV and radio ban, and it's amazing the difference it makes! Lots of time to read and think. (Sometimes I sit and think,... and sometimes I just sit!)

Still on Omey Island in Connemara basking in Glorious sunshine. Lilian and I have been walking round the island and just enjoying time together. Everything is so quiet here and the island virtually deserted except for the occasional tourist who walks across at low tide. Perfect "Crashing out" spot.

Have I died in my sleep and gone to Heaven?

Left home at 6.30am and drove down to Connemara. Absolutely scorching day driving down through Sligo and through Cong and Maam where they filmed "The Quiet Man". Eventually arrived on Omey Island near Clifden. You can drive across when the tide is out. Friends have loaned us their cottage on the island for a week, and it is fabulous! Omey is about a mile by a mile and a half and is covered in wild flowers. We have to bring our own drinking water but the cottage is well supplied with turf for the fire.

Obviously no Internet access which is why this is a week late. I will update this and the Sabbatical blog over the next couple of days.

For all you Canadians out there! Tim Horton's has arrived in Ireland. Stopped in a Tim Horton's in Blacklion just over the border from Bellcoo and had a Boston Cream donut and a coffee! Also saw a Tim's in Clifden. Apparently they are operating through Cuisine de France which is a bread and pastry company.

England appears to be having terrible weather with floods and rivers bursting their banks, but it's not too bad here in Ireland. This is Lilian and her mum having lunch outside and Winnie taking Reuben for a stroll.






Mark, Claire and Josh visited Dave, Stacey and Caleb in Medicine Hat and brought me back a tin of Tim Horton's coffee.

Thought I would have it in my "Corner Gas" mug wearing my "Corner Gas" sweatshirt. How sad am I?

Married Stato and Rachael yesterday. Nice wedding and the church was full. Lilian and I left the reception, which was still in full swing, sometime after 10.00pm and came home and put our feet up for an hour. Tracy took this photo of them leaving church, as I hadn't brought a camera.

Had dinner al fresco in the back garden yesterday. This is Reuben able to sit up and enjoy the picnic!

After the steady soft rain over the last few days (weeks!) the Australian Bottle Bush plant (or as we gardners say, "Callistemon Citrinus Splendens") in the garden, is looking particularly striking!

11th July, Bonfire night in Carrickfergus!

Who knows how much CO2 these are generating!

And to quote Delia Smith, "Here's one I prepared earlier." Sorry about the spelling on this one. They were obviously out collecting pallets for the bonfire when they ought to have been in school!

Holiday Bible Club running all this week. Good week so far, everything running very smoothly in both sections. Many thanks to everyone who has turned up to help.

Last Saturday morning was church cleanup day. Thanks to everyone who turned up on such a wet morning. We got quite a lot done both inside and out.

Caleb and dad after a hard day's work!

Took Thursday as my day off last week in place of my usual Friday. Thursday rained all day, Friday was beautiful! Typical! Went with Rick, Katie and Reuben to the swimming pool, (his first trip). He loved the water. This is us coming back to the car.