... Gibraltar Flowers

We have had a great trip to Gibraltar to see my old school friend who lives at the most southerly tip of Gibraltar near Europa Point. We arrived on Sunday 12th March 2017. 

Europa Point Lighthouse

Looking south towards North Africa, on the left is Europa Point lighthouse - there is lots more information available here. A lot has changed since it was built back in 1841, this photo was taken back in 1879.

Europa Point Lighthouse 1879

Below is the view from down at the Cannon emplacement at Hardings Battery, looking North towards the Rock of Gibraltar. Just behind the fencing with the light coloured soil is Gibraltar's only cricket ground. In the mid distance you can see the Ibrahim al-ibrahim mosque while the University of Gibraltar is out of the picture further over on the left-hand side. 

Looking North at Rock of Gibraltar from Europa Point

We have seen some lovely flowers and birds. 

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

This is a Black Kite (Milvus migrans) It has flown over from Morrocco and spends a bit of time hovering over Gibraltar before moving up in to Europe. More information can be found here. 

Melancholy Toadflax (Linaria tristis)

This beautiful flower is known as the Melancholy Toadflax (Linaria tristis), the leaves arequite bluish which suggests they can cope with a salty and/or dry climate. I found this one on the Eurpoa Road near the oil pipe line at Europa Point

Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis) 

This bright specimen is the Hottentot Fig (Carpobrotus edulis) agains this one was found at Europa point. It is so abundant and grows so very well that it is now considered a weed and an invasive species. The leaves are quite fleshy and succulent and the flower is just the perfect pink... ;) 

Mediterranean Beach or Sea Daisy (Pallensis maritima)

Also the Mediterranean Beach or Sea Daisy (Pallensis maritima) is an abundant plant - it is a native of the Canary Islands and southern Portugal. 

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe 

From our balcony we could see the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe which is a Roman Catholic church  and the national shrine of Gibraltar, the air conditional units belong to the University. 

Just above the oil pipe line there is a series of old caves, they look very old and not part of the military tunnels that exist. I didn't go and investigate this time,but maybe next time.

The monkeys are not actually monkeys but Barbary Macaques live on the rock of Gibraltar, this female is eating a flower, her young one poses very nicely for me and Dad sits pensively looking towards Spain.

Reconciliation

May God, who gives (this) patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5‭-‬6 NLT

God gives patience and encouragement to (amongst other things) to help us live harmonious lives together so that in unity we can praise and glorify the Father.

Not partial harmony but full harmony;
Not some praise but praise with one joined up voice.

God gives us what we need to help us with our daily lives.

Update no.3

Well we are now back in the UK. So much has happened since leaving France.

The short story is that we are now church leaders at Lynton United Reformed Church.

Psalm 23:2

"He lets me rest in green meadows, He leads me beside peaceful streams."

Psalm 23:1

Packing up and moving from Southampton and coming to live at Le Vay in France has required us to live with less stuff. This in turn has meant clearing out loads of stuff.

Stuff I had held on to:
... In case I needed it like craft materials, sewing fabrics and wool. Fellow crafters, knitters and sew-ers ( not sewers!) will understand. I hadn't used my sewing machine in years and the leftover wool was not being used up. 

... which helped me feel of value - increasing my self-worth. Those things were all in boxes and bags in cupboards and not accessible. When I started clearing through I realised that they didn't actually make me feel valued nor increased my self -worth. I had bought them for a reason and I couldn't now remember why... 

The process of clearing out and getting rid of stuff - letting go - was painful at times.

The hoarding of stuff was not helpful to me and had held me in bondage to the past ( of any and every era in my life). It bogged me down with unfilled wishes and dreams. 

God worked in me so that I was able to clear out so much excess stuff in my life, which I hadn't been able to do a year previously. It has got easier and I have learned lessons. I have been able to move on and I feel lighter in my spirit. 

I have been here nearly two months living in a smaller personal space and I am not missing any of those things. 

I can truly say that - 

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need." 

Moonscape - Faithful witness

The moon looked phenomenal last night, It was a waxing gibbous moon on the way to the Full Moon which is on 22nd February. 

Psalm 89:35-37

"Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness - that I will not lie to David - 
that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;
it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky."


My camera is a Nikon CoolPix P900 and I was able to take this photo without a tripod. 

Ramblings

It has been a tough month in some respects, but lovely in lots of other ways. 
The tough parts have been being away from family and friends and familiarity. To be in a country away from all of those, highlights the other issues I have that God is resolving in me.

I have a strong need to be understood and to understand. This usually shows itself me being the one who reads the instruction manuals or asks questions like " How does that work?" or "Why do we do it that way?" etc. So to be in a country that I don't know the language of (only basic schoolgirl french) is challenging. I am comfortable going to the supermarket as I have done that many times before here. But to go to the vets or answer the phone has highlighted my fear of not being understood nor understanding others. It all came to a head one day with Roger and I arguing in the car and me realising that my fear was the underlying cause. In the dark moments of the night when I am fearfully awake, when the boiler is making noises that I don't know, when the wood-burning stove is making lots of noises then it is when fear is easiest to overcome me. 

God points out to me that "Perfect love casts out fear" 1 John 4:18. 

So He is working in me to remove the fear - His perfect love in which I can trust casts out fear. So I have been answering the phone every time it rings, and I was able to recall a phrase to tell the telesales person - "Je ne parle pas francais." he understood and said "Pardon" and hung up. We have also been to the vets and booked an appointment for the removal of Archie's cyst and I had written down my sentence requesting an appointment, and Praise God, the receptionist spoke some English to me and we made the appointment. Archie has had his small operation and is recovering well. Though he looks comical with a lampshade on his head!

Over the last two days the sun has shined all day long. So Roger and I took the day off and went for a walk around Vire and Chateau Donjon and the valley below. Here is a photo of the garderobe, the toilet shute on the castle - a simple hole discharging to the outside. I wouldn't have wanted to be down wind of this corner...

Garderobe

When we returned home the sun was still shining brightly, and although it had been -2 overnight, it was warm in the front of the house. We sat drinking tea and reading our books. It was lovely and decadent.