The end of May

Success! The kids raked leaves yesterday and loved it! One of the joys of the manse garden in Timaru is the trees are mostly deciduous, and while the lawn looks pretty with all the leaves scattered on it, I want them to go in the compost. Zach and Hannah to the rescue - well, sort of. But they did manage a couple of loads!
We've just finished famine weekend. Janine lived in a cardboard box all weekend, and raised a surprising amount of money, especially as she came to the 4 churches combined service and we were able to profile her efforts from the front. Katarina starved, and invited several friends from school to stay who did a 'no talking' famine, so things were pretty quiet! Hannah and Zach did the twenty hour famine and managed pretty well. Chris starved in solidarity and I undertook a no chocolate famine.
Actually the coeliac expo on Saturday was more exciting as far as I was concerned - lots of yummy things to try and a few new recipes to experiment with.
Chris and I had a great time at the Pastor's conference; Chris took the 'Burning Bush' range which still manages to attract some interest, and we caught up with all sorts of old friends, including Alastair and Jackie Smales.