He is ‘RISEN’…hallelujah!
RISEN is a movie about the crusifiction from the perspective of a non-Christian. Only because I dislike people who spoil new movie releases by giving away both the plot and the twist, I have decided to simply say….IT’S WORTH A VIEW!! Now do not take these words lightly because you’ll recall in my last blog, I was the very same person complaining about the ridiculous cost of movie tickets!!(though if I’m entirely honest….my church did subsidise it) However if you have watched it, then get in touch with me and let’s have a chat about it!
QUEENSLAND
GOLD COAST
During the Easter weekend, whilst the fortunate Zimbabwean students and teachers commenced their near 6 week school holidays, the contrary proved to be true at TAS (The Armidale School) where we had a short 5day break! The gappies however, being the pleasure-seeking young men of incredible valour they have proved to be, ingeniously planned a weekend to the Gold Coast!
We travelled down to the Coast in a Mitsubishi something something, which made for a very comfortable trip! Let me note that this was not only because of the car’s aesthetics or our lovely chauffeur George, but the cushioning of one another in the backseat!
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| THIS IS WHAT BONDING IS! |
Courtesy of a TAS grandparent, Don, we were hosted at a beautiful riverside house and were treated to bacon and eggs every morning! Unquestionably, this was one of the most hospitable men I have ever met, especially given he was hosting 5 International lads whom he had never met prior to the weekend! As if the hospitality of this man was not surreal in itself, he occasionally tried his hand at puns too! This particular one really cracked me up though, as I was preparing toast for breakfast, “The DON” walked up to me and said, “You might as well make a speech whilst you’re there, seeing as you are the ‘Toastmaster’.” (I’m sorry if you don’t find it punny)
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| View from Don’s verandah |
BEACHES
Like anybody from a landlocked country, beaches are something I look forward to seeing, and weather permitting, experiencing! The beaches at the Gold Coast however, took it up a notch. I am no beach expert, I can’t even tell the difference between beaches on the same coastline, but apparently it exists. We had the great privilege of spending 2 whole days at the Gold Coast beaches, from Surfer’s Paradise, which is ranked in Australia’s top 3 beaches, to Mermaid beach, which looks exactly like Surfer’s paradise but a walking distance away! Unfortunately after braving the waves and going so far in that I was tossed about like a bag of potatoes… you would never believe what happened. I immediately realised I was missing something… oh yes, MY WALLET!! Surprisingly I was not very salty about the incident, but my spirits were watered down, and it left me pretty sand. I am still not shore how I didn’t feel or sea that it had been in my pocket when I went in!
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| HIGH RISE BUILDINGS |
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| JUXTAPOSITIONING |
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| EASTER WEEKEND MESSAGE |
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| BRILLIANT BLUE BEACHES |
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| EVEN THE SKY CAME TO THE PARTY! |
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| “EVEN ME, I WANT TO SUN TAN” |
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| NO WALLET MEANT I HAD TO FOREGO BIDDING FOR THE HOUSE 😦 |
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| TAS GAPPIES! |
BRISBANE
We were blessed along the way to the coast, to receive a phone call from Mrs. Kirsty Brunsden, a teacher at TAS, offering us 5 tickets(conveniently enough) to a Super rugby match of the Waratahs vs the Reds! The drizzle tried to dampen the mood of the “Brissies” who had chosen the rugby over a day at the coast, and given how the result unfolded, the local Reds supporters would have been better at the coast as their NSW counterparts left them very little to be cheerful about! Unless of course, losing and getting a tad wet is somehow considered desirable!
PS:- My allegiance to the Tahs is purely through TAS being in NSW and there being a Tahs poster I’m pretty fond of on my bedroom wall!
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| my bank and insurer are next to each other |
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| BRIS BEN…see what I just did there.. |
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| I dream of the day when my home will have road networks like this. |
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| what does the fox say… |
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| I never pictured there being this many photographers! |
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| It’s a glorious sight! |
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| Silly weather = dismal attendance |
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| me with the chairs…good times! |
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| top notch stadium |
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| sometimes even I don’t know why I take selfies |
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| shame…the Reds just weren’t ‘redy’ for it |
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| police stations looking this good should be illegal! |
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| goodbye Brissy, till I see you again |
…and that marked the end of a very pleasant Easter Weekend in Queensland. Whilst the food was crazy expensive, it taught all of us to appreciate TAS food much more. Also just a tip…if you’re visiting a beach anytime soon, be sure to triple check that you emptied ALL your pockets!
END OF TERM
The time of the year that all in the schooling world look forward to! Usually it tends to be a bit of a drag to the finish line, though I must confess mine was most pleasant! The highlight for me was the Enrichment Day hosted by and for Middle School. I attended one session coordinated by the Middle School Headmaster Mr. Mark Harrison and Creative Arts Coordinator, Mr Andrew O’conell. The reason it stood out like a sore thumb for me was not simply just because of the ingenuity of the whole idea, but because of the way the two staff members made Literature so rich and interesting, I not only wished to have studied it further to A-level but to have lived in the Shakespearean era! So kudos to them, or in Australian, “Good on them”.
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| such English though, or lack thereof, truly frustrates me! come on Aussie!#goldcoast parking lot. |
RUGBY CARNIVAL
TAS hosts the largest primary school rugby carnival/tournament in all of Australia! This meant that for the past weekend, the population of Armidale significantly spiked due to the influx of thousands of players, coaches, parents and media personnel. The team I have been assisting coaching participated and apparently for the first time in history or a jolly long time, the TAS team made division finals! Having actually watched the match and seen the boys play their hearts out, it was disappointing to watch them lose the game as a result of a try scored after the buzzer! Such things happen though, and it’s great to see 12year olds being mature about it!
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| Some of the TAS work crew from the weekend!
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Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog! As usual, if you would like to query or comment on something, do not hesitate to contact me! I love to hear what people think! Till next time, stay blessed dear reader!
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Lift you hearts to the Lord and your coffee to your lips.
Discussing God’s beauty with CamPat! |
All good wishes,
Terry-Nesu 