Summer and Autumn 2015

Thanks to all of you who helped make our month in the UK, back in July and early August, such good fun and so refreshing. We loved our time camping in North Devon, despite the wild wind and rain:

As always we loved our beach times and sea swimming, although the temperatures in the water were a lot more enjoyable by the end of the time than the beginning!

Since returning to Bishkek we have plunged back into the routines of life... 

Rosie celebrated her 11th birthday...

we went back to school for the first day of autumn term 2015: Jane's first day teaching, Rosie's first day in Middle School, and Felix's first day in High School!

We have enjoyed some friends visiting (here we are proudly showing off the sights of Bishkek on a wheeled pedalo!)...

Jim and Felix have had a long weekend in the mountains as part of a school trip...

and Jim has had a few fantastic evening cycles in the mountains.

Now we are looking forward to winter... and Christmas!

Spring Highlights.

We have had a fun and busy school term. It has been Rosie's last year in Elementary and Felix's last year in Middle School. Here are some of the highlights of the things we have done recently:

 

 

In early May we went for a picnic in the poppies.

 

 

 

Grade five had a water fight party with water games and snacks to celebrate the move up to middle school!

 

 

 

Felix and his class attended a dinner, with parents and teachers, to celebrate graduation from Middle School into High School.

 

 

 

Last Saturday we took to the mountains with visiting friends and were stunned by the orange wild poppies and other spring flowers.

 

Felix has just taken up photography with a super camera bought from a friend so had plenty of opportunity to try it out.

 

 

 

And now we are in to the summer holidays, enjoying the slower starts in the morning, various sports activities and the abundance of strawberries, apricots and cherries at this time of year.

 

 

 

World of Winter

The winter has somehow flown by, so here are a few words and pictures to bring you up to date with our fast-growing children, purple hair and all!

In December we headed east for 6 hours by car for our first ever family skiing holiday at Karakol. We had a wonderful time with great weather and skiing conditions and lot of fun with many friends from Bishkek. It was wonderfully refreshing.

Felix in action on his snowboard!

In January and February we worked hard in the week and skied and snowboarded when the conditions were right at the weekend. Colleagues visited, Rosie continued her skating lessons and Felix featured as the Red Knight in" Alice in Wonderland", with purple hair to match!

 



In March, Jane spent a night away with a group of friends at a guest house in a village a few hours from Bishkek. It was a very fun time indeed and good to see more of rural life in Kyrgyzstan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also in March, Jim travelled to South Africa for Oasis meetings and had an inspiring time there while Jane and the children wrapped up the school term and began 'Spring Break'.Jim returned on his birthday and a national holiday called Nooruz so we celebrated both by going to watch the National Horse Games at the near by Hippodrome. This is a bit like the combination of a bullfight, a rodeo and a joust...it was a lot of fun to watch!

 

 

 

 



 



Now Jane and the children are enjoying a week off from the usual school routine with sleepovers, a trip to a Kyrgyz music concert (Jim and Jane), slower starts in the morning and some shoe shopping at our favourite market! Spring has sprung for weeks at a time throughout February and March but is still interspersed with colder, snowy weather and we expect more on Sunday.

 

 

We post this with Easter just around the corner and wish you a season of Hope and Life in all its fullness.