The mountains have been clear lately

We live in a basin. To the north: mountains. The the south? Well... the ocean. Japan. The east: mountains . The west: mountains.

They are beautiful, and sometimes very clear.


Looking out of the window to see mountains in the distance further confirms the fairytale feeling I have about living here. When I'm in the forest, it's Narnia. When I see the mountains, it's Mordor.

Birthdays

Jenya’s birthday was February 13^th. We asked him what he’d like to do. He’s one for staying at home and hanging around, so we weren’t surprised when he asked if he could invite his brother to have a family dinner with us.

Sasha, Jenya's brother, and Jenya

He didn’t want any other friends, just us and the boys who live here.

Sasha, jenya, Anton 2, Sasha, Anton 1

He turned 20. This year was the first time he’d celebrated his birthday on his birthday, and had a family celebration for it. Cake. Presents.

I wish I’d been able to get a better picture of his smile.

Jenya and Anton

The building

Ever since Pete and Trac first came to Sakhalin, they’ve had long-term vision for a building- a building that will be big and centrally located, that will suit our needs and be a place where a future full-time team of 10 can live and work!! (Currently we are a full-time team of three; Pete, Trac and myself).

Well… there is a building we’re interested in at the moment. It used to be a bakery, but has been empty for 3 years. It’s one block from the school that Luke, Jake and Becky go to; it’s smack in the middle of 3 student hostels that most of our young people live in; it’s about 10 minutes walk to the centre of town.

It’s big. It is built in a U shape, and the back wing can be separated from the main hall area- perfect for live-in team members and family. We want it.

Here are some pictures. Becky and the others at the back of the building Rome at the front of the house the front gates to the courtyard Behind the building- the windows could be our bedrooms

Rome and I in the courtyard

To obtain this building in any way will be a miracle: we haven’t more than a few cents to our collective names! To renovate it in a style that will suit our purposes will be a huge challenge: namely, if this building is for us, God will give it to us.

We’ve met with the owner, we’ve discussed it with our Russian and Australian pastors, we’re discussing it amongst ourselves, and … we’re waiting. For a miracle.

Some scenes from around town

Bec and I taking a stroll on a footpath
lenin's face still graces our town
In the park (Gagarin Park, named after the first Russian dude in space!)
The day someone stole the rubbish bins
Luke, Kat and Jake walking on a footpath
Buying fish... Pete tried ice fishing actually. I'll have to wait til next year!
Eating at our favourite cafeteria, Goloboks!
Kat from NSW, hip-deep in snow

Snowboarding

I’ve been learning to snow board. Now, I am not heavily into sports and I have no clue when it comes to winter sports! But who could pass up the chance to learn? And make good use of the snow we have so abundantly.

It’s changed my point of view completely- now I’m cheering when we have a blizzard and I’m so disappointed that the sun is warmer and staying longer every day… LoL

Roma has boots and he bought a board at the beginning of the season. I’d sometimes go outside with him and watch as he tried to board down the gentle incline at the top of our street.

Those days are far behind us. Since then he’s taken me, and Luke and Jake a couple of times too, to the slope in the park. It’s a short bus ride away, and we usually walk home. LOVE living next to a ski slope!!

At first Rome and Maxim (when he was here on winter holidays) held me up and showed me how to turn, how to stop, how to turn over and (most importantly) how to fall.

Then Ryan bought a new board and boots, so I used his extra pair…

He and Rome, Dina from Ryan’s church and I went snowboarding one Saturday in February, at Gorny Vostok. Dina and I stayed on the beginners’ slope where we belong, while the boys went up the mountain on the real slope ;-) Dina and I on the beginner's slope Ryan, Felicity, Roma, Dina

Time out for Roma after tackling the big slope

But the real adventure was coming home. We’d caught a taxi up the slope, but Ryan knew of a track through the forest that we could board down to get back to the city.

The snow was more than knee deep, which was deeper still for petite Dina!! We slid down on our boards, crawled through unchartered snowfall on our hands and knees, and boarded as much as we could. Several hours later we arrived home, laughing, wet, and exhausted. Thanks for being so patient, boys!!

Ryan and Dina, at the top of the forest track

Finally, at the end of the season, I have bought my own boots.

I’m hoping I get a chance to use them before December!! LoL In any case next time I go snowboarding it will be so much better. Because my boots fit me really well. The board will have to wait for next season.

Anniversaries

Yesterday was Pete and Trac’s 14^th wedding anniversary!

So Monday they took off- they hired a fully furnished flat about 10 minutes walk from our house!! It even has a Jacuzzi… and they’ve been there for the last two nights, enjoying having time to themselves, privacy, and a real bedroom to sleep in! (Usually they sleep on a divan in the lounge room).

Congratulations Pete and Trac!!

... an entry I wrote in February

House Bound

February so far has been very quiet. We’ve all been pretty much house-bound for the last two weeks with the flu and colds etc. Fortunately I didn’t suffer the flu (I did my time with it in December!) so for me the weather has been perfect for snowboarding, ice-skating and just getting outside in the crisp air for a bit. Now that it’s really quiet I do actually have time to study Russian, read some of my many books, write long emails and etc but with the quietness comes unmotivated lethargy to do anything but sleep!

And I don’t want to sleep because I’ll just lay there and think, and I’m sick of my own thoughts
*sigh*
Part of being house bound with 3 kids for two weeks I guess…

The kids go back to school on Monday. They’ve had almost two weeks off school for quarantine- excellent idea, this quarantine. Some of the unis have closed this week for the same reason. If a bad flu or sickness is going around the schools and colleges will just close!

Russian kids have heaps more opportunities to get of school than I ever did! Besides quarantine, our kids have enjoyed snow days (blizzards). I have yet to find what joys await us in the warmer months ;-)

Bec and Jake hamming it up in the girls' room

snow

It's all disappearing- fast!
There are still some blizzarding motions to go through but temps are back up again- it was +6 degrees yesterday!! So the snow melts and then re-freezes on the ground during the night, as... ice. And walking the next day is a real challenge-

Unless the temp is in + degrees again, and then we skip through muddy puddles on the ground, keeping a SHARP eye on the passing cars, trying to dodge the most mud-be-splattered parts of the footpath so that our jeans and boots won't become camouflaged with the path. Lovely.

We call it Spring.

Remembering Becky's 10th birthday

Our cat, Begira

Out for pizza! Ryan and Luke Anton and Jenya
Becky and Jasmine

Becky's birthday cake
Kate and me!
Jenya, Roma and Felicity We all live here! Jenya, Luke, Pete, Jasmine, Jake, Trac,
Me, Becky, Roma and Anton

WOOHOOO

Hello

People

People, we are ONLINE!

On-Line.

After months. MONTHS of waiting. We have DSL.

We paid our connection fee on December 25th. And now, today, March 10th, we are, finally, connected.

Woooohooooo!

I will be keeping in much more frequent contact with you now.
Because-

We're connected!