Reunion part 1

The first half of the reunion happened at about 12:30 today when Dad, Mom, Gran (these titles may suffer from generational confusion), Chanel and Paige flew in from South Africa.

What the airline couldn't do Dad managed to and we're hoping his book will arrive before he leaves.

Claudia is the one in the middle faking a grin - she's half dead with the dreaded lurgy but we hope for a speedy recovery soon.

Don and Eva are on another one of their skiing holidays - Switzerland this time. I feel like I'm related to the jet-set!

There is a great feeling of excitement as we look forward to having the rest of the family arrive between now and Christmas.

I held a little baby last night - a one week old chap called Lewis. I missed having someone so absolutely dependent on me. Corbin is getting big fast and Rachel now only laughs at my jokes to be polite.

Rachel performed in her school pay - "The Evacuees" about children sent off to the countryside to avoid being bombed during the second world war.

They sang a lot of war songs like "A long way to Tipperary" and "The Quartermaster's Store".

It felt good to be allowed to feel like I had a history that was legitimate to celebrate. In SA there were very few reminders about the second world war almost as if that part of our country's history was not worth remembering.

I worked long hours last week but was able to launch a desktop version of my systems building software at the end of it. I was rather pleased about it!

Happy Birthday Dad

My Dad, Peter Bowen the first turned 100 yesterday. OK, probably not 100 but I actually don't know how old he is - he just seems to have been there always.

Here are some of my memories:

• I remember "Wilson Toffee Romps". He would come home from work with a pocket full of toffees and whoever could get them out of his pocket could have them. I was 13 or 14 at the time so Don must have been 12 and James about 10. He must have been crazy or very strong - I've given up wrestling with Cheryn and Zeek because I get battered and bruised and they're only 11 and 10.

• How about "Swimming Pool Surprise"? A meal made with hard-boiled eggs floating in a greenish yellow curry sauce. I have never eaten a hard-boiled egg since.
  

• I guess patience when someone dropped a hammer on his head while we were building tree houses.

• How he kindly carried me home from the shop after I caused us to crash on his bicycle by accidentally putting my bare feet into the spokes while he was giving me a lift on the carrier.

• The romantic things he did (and hopefully still does) for Mom. Cooking a surprise lunch for her on a camping cooker in the garage. Going on dates and eating ice-cream.

• Studying the scriptures. I didn't see him reading too much else but scriptures and church magazines every day. Usually in the morning in his bathroom.
  

What do you remember most about Dad?

Brain food

I've been eating a lot of fish lately - I'm told it's food for the brain but it has a few nasty side effects.

Family history

There is great excitement about family history in our house right now. The Family Search on the Road travelling ancestor fest will be arriving in a couple of days and Gillian has been drawing up ever larger family trees as she tries to fit everyone in.

Googling for Ballyadams brings up a somewhat disturbing feature of our past -

"In 1549 a Welsh man John Thomas a p Owen, later called John Thomas Bowen, was constable of Ballyadams In 1551 John Thomas Bowen obtained a twenty- one years lease of the Castle of Ballyadams.

This John Bowen was a cruel and brutal man and was called John of the Pike, by the Irish because he always carried a pike when he ventured out."

He did have a rather unique way of protecting his castle walls from being shot down - he threatened to hang his beautiful daughters on chairs in front of the walls so that the besiegers would have to kill them first. Here's the legend:

The Romance of Ballyadams
"Herald! be a trumpet blown, I would speak with Sir John Bowen ! " Thus cried Castlebaven's lord, and the parley soon was heard.
Soon the answering trumpets sound; quick the drawbridge strikes the ground;
O'er it comes the Senesehal, and thus spakes before them all-
Castlehaven's noble lord, Sir John Bowen sends thee word,
Dinner 's on the Castle board, feast thee first, then draw the sword."
To Ballyadams, all alone, Castlehaven's lord is gone;
High at board is placed his chair, 'twixt Sir John's two daughters fair.
Lovely as the budding rose, each young blushing maiden shows;
Sweeter than the song of bird are their gentle voices heard. -
When the feast had gaily sped, thus Lord Castlehaven said-
"Good Sir .John, thou hast not here culverin nor cannoneer;
Yield, then, Ballyadams' tower to the high Confederates' power; Yield, my friend,. and will take the terms that thou thyself shalt make,
Now, my Lord, to me attend; thou bast been my early friend; Didst thou ever know me break oath that ever I did, take?"
Stainless has thine honour been," cried the Earl, "well I ween;
Whatsoe' er thou say'st to me, with my life I'll guarantee."
"Then, my lord, on oath I make; if this tower you seek to take, If my walls by shot be riven, thus I'll do, so help me Heaven- "I shall hang my daughters fair, fastened each upon a chair,
right in front of the wide breach, though their breasts thy shot must
- reach."
Started Castlehaven's lord, wondering at that desperate word; Then, to the pale maids he turned, deeply for their fate he mourned.
Took he then each maiden's hand, as beside the board they stand; Kissed he then each maiden's cheek, and thus gallantly he spake- 'God be with thee, stout Sir John, I shall let thy fort alone; Though for this I lose my head. Harm I will not either maid
"Though my life the Council take, for that I their orders break
Death from them I'd rather dree than that these should die by me."
Then ho marched his troops away, far they were ere close of day;
Thus was Ballyadams tower saved by beauty's gentle power.

My body is finally resolving the 37 years of inconsistency in Christmas. The eurocentric carols and cards featuring warm coats, red cheeks and frosty snowmen never quite reflected the realities of previous years gathered around a swimming pool avoiding sunburn. This year the wreath on the door has real red berries, holly grows in every hedge and the nippy mornings make the thought of snowmen more credible.

We visited the Continental Market at the Belfast City Hall yesterday. A food fest where the German salami was served in a German accent, Dutchmen make chocolate waffles and miniture pancakes instead of koeksisters and bad english teachers and the Swiss hot chocolate was served by a real Swiss Miss.

We ate our way around the market: Frankfurters, pancakes and my personal favourite - a wild boar burger!

Zeek talked in church today. I was amazed by his confidence as he calmly faced the congregation and delivered his message flawlessly. If he can do this at 10 years old what will he be doing at 20?

Autumn is here

We walked in the Cairn Wood this afternoon. A centuries old broadleaf and pine forest not far from where we live. The ground was carpeted with the rich reds and browns of autumn. The kids ran wild, free of everything except their imaginations as sticks became bows, guns and magic wands and every bush and tree was a fort, a ship or a shelter.

Don, Eva and I in the picture



This morning I killed a polar bear in the bathroom. It's so cold you could freeze fish in the shower! The neatly tiled floor looks great but adds nothing to the temperature. The locals are still wandering about like it was summer and just laugh when I'm bundled up trying to keep warm.

Winter will be hell!

We watched the world cup final between England and South Africa at Ben's house on Saturday night. It was really fun to shout and cheer and sing the national anthem and feel all patriotic as we won.

Don and I traveled south of the border this week looking for new business. The Republic of Ireland seems newer and more prosperous with better highways and more energetic people.

The church put on a fantastic fun day for the kids. The abundance of everything is still surprising - food, drink, sweets, icecream etc. They had a great time for two hours while Gill and I went shopping for plates (it wasn't as boring as it sounds).

Black Berries on the beach

Yesterday we went for a walk along the coast line. We started at Ballyhome beach and walked to the next little town. Just over a 5km walk. As we crested one of the rises, we met a man who said we just missed the seals, wish we had seen them. There is a secret beach (so called by the kids) along the way, and we went there and watched them play for a while.

On the way back we stopped at almost every black berry bush and ate and ate. Rachel and Corbin had stains all down their hands and cheeks. I prefer the ones that are not totally ripe yet, but the kids say that they are too sour. It was a gorgeous day under the stark blue sky, feeling the sun on our faces and just being together as a family.

Gillian.

Gillian and several of her friends spent a few days at the Temple in England this week.

I found it quite hard being mother and father at the same time (again).

At least this time there was not a huge pile of washing anywhere, because apart from doing my normal job I also ended up working a couple of shifts at the ice cream shop. Washing didn't even feature on the agenda.

Well to top it off I've been as sick as a dog with the dreaded Irish flu. And to add insult to injury Rachel insisted on having me help her solve these complex mathematical equations in a feverish haze. I offered to write a letter to the school explaining that I was too sick to help her with homework but she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Happy Birthday Zeek

Dear Gran

Zeek celebrated his 10th birthday this week. Here is a picture of him blowing out his candles on a rather sticky chocolate cake. Gillian has become nervous of baking because she can't quite get the oven temperature right.

On Friday night Donovan, Ben, Zeek and I went fishing on the ocean in canoes. The water was deceptively calm. After we had struggled the canoes down into the ocean we noticed that the waves looked much larger and rougher when sitting down on a wobbly canoe than they did from the safety of the shore.

We paddled about 70 m out and then retreated, scared of having the canoes filled with water. After wrestling these heavy beasts out the water and onto the rocks we got brave again in paddled out a second time. Although the waves looked calm the second time they were just as bad once we had got out of the shelter of the bay.

Needless to say the fish was safe that evening as we beat a hasty retreat back to the shore.

Old age is catching up

Dear Gran

I turned 37 yesterday, I used to feel like 18 with some experience but by last night I felt like old age had got me firmly grasped by the ankle. The Sands of Time are running low.

The cause of this rapid ageing was our stake athletics day. I have never been a great sprinter but the passing of time makes my youthful prowess seem better than it actually was. I represented my ward in the 400 m race.

400 m is once around the track but it might as well have been to the moon.

After the first hundred metres my lungs were burning, my chest heaving and my legs had turned to jelly.

This second hundred metre stretch was furthest from the seating, fortunately as the look on my face was enough to scare small children. My teeth were bared in a fixed grin of pain. My eyes stared somewhere in the distance, my nostrils were flared as they tried to extract oxygen from what seemed to be a vacuum. And my left knee was starting to make a loud knocking noise, but I could hardly hear it above the noise of the crowd cheering the winners as they came down the home straight.

As I came around the last corner with only 100 m to go I knew that I would eventually make it. I was not sure if I would make it before everybody else went home!

I think I crossed the finish line some time that afternoon, I remember waking up with the drizzle on my face wondering why the grass seemed so comfortable.

The ward was able to take second place in spite of of my lack of abilities on the track.

Gillian and the kids all had a great time too. Zeek is a natural sportsman, Cheryn runs like her mom.

"The curry on the floor wasn't really my fault"

Dear Gran,

The phrase "a little goes a long way" was coined to describe the mess a 6 year old can make when he tries to sneak food out of the cupboard quietly!

Zeek, Rachel and Corbin started the next school year this week - I think they were excited to get back as the holidays might have been a bit long for them.

Cheryn starts high school tomorrow - I feel a bit old to have a daughter in high school! She is nervous and excited - claims she won't be able to sleep tonight.

I attended a trade show with my brother Donovan yesterday. They had a competition for plant operators - guys who use big digging machines. Some of them were so skilled that they could pick a tennis ball off a road cone and put it down on another with an excavator.

Gillian will be working at the ice-cream shop once a week - I think she is quite pleased to have something to do when the kids are not around.

Cheers

Pete

Dear Gran

The summer days seem to be getting shorter faster. It's dark in the nights now and only gets light at about 6am.

Cheryn has finished going for her high school preparation lessons. She was very diligent in her work and I think she's a whole lot better prepared now. I'm not prepared to have a kid in high-school, I feel way to young!

Zeek visits home occasionally for food and sleep. The rest of the time he is on his bicycle with his friends. He went fishing the other day and came back with a 50cm long trout!

Rachel keeps doing her school homework in spite of the fact that she is on holiday. She looks forward to starting school next week.

Corbin lost his first tooth last night. I pulled it out for him with a pair of pliers. He is so excited and keeps giving a gap-toothed smile.

Gillian is in mourning - her Dad's father passed away yesterday after being frail for about a year. It is sad but also a relief I am sure.

I spent 4 days camping with the boys from church - we swam in the freezing sea, did some wall climbing, lots of other fun activities and not too much sleeping!

Cheers

Pete

Gemma Bowen is born in South Africa.

Elaine went to the Dr on Sat morning and has had flu this whole week. It has not been getting better so he suggested a caeser that same day (after Bert's funeral) so that they could then treat her effectively.

The baby was big enough and in no danager (2 days earlier than planned)

Gemma is currently in neonatal ICU (about 3 times bigger than any of the others in there) as she has a lowish blood sugar (in the normal range but low). The paediatrician says she may hve a sudden drop in glucose levels within 48 hours as she is a big baby. They have here on a glucose drip and are monitoring glucose levels.

Elaine is okey - just sore.

Gemma is so cute - very nice and cuddley, not fragile at all.

Grandpa Bert 1812-2007

We'll miss him. A great husband to Gran and an important part of our family.

Gran, we love you and pray for your comfort and peace.

Harry Potter Ruins Family

Not content with destroying the hopes and dreams of a previously disadvantaged wizard from a troubled background, Harry Potter managed to ruin what was otherwise a fairly good weekend.

It all started with a 300 person queue in the local shopping mall at midnight on Friday.

After a brief but sharp marital spat Gillian declared herself winner and settled into bed for the long haul. Sustained only by bowls of fresh popcorn she read for hours, dozing occasionally with the book in a death grip in her right hand.

Just before midnight on Saturday evening - she having hogged the best seller for most of this time, letting out occasional exclamations of delight - she finally succumbed to sleep and I was able to remove the book using a crowbar and a lot of dishwashing liquid.

I knew I had to act fast. She could wake at any time and reclaim it using nothing but her feminine charms and steely glint. I read like a man possessed and just as I was enjoying the closing pages I noticed that the sky outside was light and the sun had risen.

Cheers

Pete

Bonfire's Burning

The locals take their braais fairly seriously.

Every year on the 12th of July the Protestants build huge fires and burn Catholics (well, perhaps this year they won't burn any as peace is supposed to have broken out).

This one is outside a local housing estate called Kilcooley. I think that's derived from some ancient settlement rather than from a bias against Indians.

Speaking of braais our neighbours gave Cheryn a rabbit. It's amazingly soft but quite frightened as it had a fairly rough upbringing being dumped in an alley in a cage during a storm.

After a few almost all nighters I launched my new online business this week. It was exciting to wake up in the morning and find that people had bought while I was asleep. You're welcome to take a look at http://www.NoMore247.com and tell me what you think.

Gillian finally got tired of me borrowing her car and bought me a Kia Rio. I wanted a boy-racer car or perhaps a Porche for my mid life crisis and instead I got a purple hearse. I'm saving fuel because I'm embarrassed to be seen driving it.

Cheers

Pete

Good to be home

I have just spent ten days in England looking after Roxanne and Vincent Baxter (my sister Angela's children) while they were away in the USA on a holiday. She lives in a very forested area of Surrey and I was treated to seeing squirrels and foxes in her garden. She also has a huge swing in the back garden and I spent a few hours swinging on it and admiring the view. It was also boring at times though because there is not much to do in someone else's house while the children are at school. I missed the children quite a lot this time (as I have been away from them before) and was glad to get back to them. I think the highlight of my trip there was the Lavender field, we were driving down the road and all of a sudden there was this bright purple field, and I didn't know what it was. We stopped and ran through the fields and just enjoyed the lavender assault on the nose. School is over now for the Summer and I am looking forward to sleeping in some more.

Gillian.

Dear Gran,

Who would have thought that at 36 I'd be a broken old man? We helped Donovan and his family move house and in the land of minimum wage and social benefits you can't just drive down to the station and pick up 10 strong black guys to carry your stuff while you shout orders from a deck chair under a shady tree.

We were the labour! It was hard! And because the internal walls are made of plasterboard instead of brick you've got to be careful least you bump anything!

I had my first sale on my internet business this week - it is really exciting to be able to be a one-man multinational. My team spans the globe - Cape Town, Russia, India, Norway and the United States. Things that were only dreams a few years ago are now possible and even ordinary.

Cheers

Pete

Rachel drew this picture on the computer of her and I cooking marshmallows around the campfire.

A Midsummer Nights Dream

Dear Gran,

Cheryn and Rachel "camped" in the entrance hall to our home on Saturday evening - sleeping in their new sleeping bags bought for the ward camp the night before.

Gill's been away in England looking after her nieces. You might think that me having to look after four young kids would be a challenge - not at all - here are Mr. Mom's housework tips.

• Live on sandwiches, yogurt and cereals - saves washing up and the kids can make their own.
  
• Slash laundry effort by allowing only one outfit per week. Two of my kids (they shall remain nameless for now) usually go through more outfits than a fashion show. And the clothes are not really that dirty - if the kids in Dafur can wear their outfits more than once so can mine.
  
• Appoint one kid as a "housework slave" and make him do all the work. Pretty soon he's enforcing the rules and the others are tidying up after themselves. It's a bit hard on the kid but three days at a time is about enough to let the message sink in.
• Pile the laundry on the lounge chairs. Last time Gill went away I got moaned at because she came home to a huge pile of unsorted laundry on the lounge floor. I've put in on the chair this time so she'll be much happier, and it hides the grafiti Corbin writes all over the house.
  
• Don't do the dishes until you've used the back of the last spoon to make a peanut butter sandwich - it discourages the less creative from making a mess.
  
• Let a 7 year old wash the bathroom floors. Rachel used so much soap that they now get cleaned every time they get wet. It's a bit slippery but very hygienic.

Swim like fish

I love these long summer evenings. It's just before 8pm and our front yard has been turned into a soccer pitch. I don't know where the boys come from but word spreads somehow and soon there are piles of bicycles spread all over the driveway, two or three girls talking on the grass and about 10 boys playing "footie".

My kids are fast swimmers! But I had no idea until the Stake Gala on Saturday evening.

Zeek was the man of the moment. There was nobody from our team to swim in the youth boys race, so Zeek was put in even though he is only nine and was competing against 14 year olds.

He won the first two races quite convincingly, finishing with several metres to spare. In the next two narrowly missed winning by less than a metre, this was no shame as he had swum four races while the other competitors were fresh.

He gained quite a reputation with people from all the teams cheering for him as he courageously challenged what seemed like hulking brutes in comparison to his small size.

Cheryn and Rachel were no slouches either, making a mockery of efforts of the people who finished in second and other places behind them.

Gillian won the woman's freestyle event and I came second in the men's to a professional swimmer!

Our team won the relay after my bro. Donovan and Gillian set a cracking pace to make up for a slight delay from the first swimmer. I was able to use the 1/3 pool headstart to finish just a stroke or two in front of the professional.

I think we will get Zeek some training as he really enjoys swimming - last week the school sent him off to swim in the 2 mile challenge - I doubted he could do it not having trained for it at all, but he did - all 3000m - and finished before anyone else!

My cousin Alleyn Bowen came over to visit - he stayed with Don and Eva and we got together on Saturday morning to fly our kites and then a couple more times during the weekend before he flew back to London where he is completing his masters degree in electronic engineering. I look forward to getting to know him better as I have not seen him much over the last few two decades!

Cheryn gave a talk in church today - I wonder how many other 11 year olds would be brave enough to stand up in front of 100 people and talk (from keywords only) for 6 minutes on "What I learned from my father's example" - being father's day and all. She was very nervous but it didn't show at all and while I was cringing wondering what embarrassing things she was going to say about me, she did a great job. The church gives us an unfair edge when it comes to competing in public and business life!

Cheers

Pete

Irish Sunburn

Didn't think it was possible to get sunburned in the land of the long rains. However, we spent the day at Millisle playing on the beach in perfect sunny weather and all came home pink. Gill is finding it a little uncomfortable to sit!

The highlight of the day was the test flight of my new power kite. It's a 4m2 Ozone Samurai which will whip me into the air with a good breeze and pull landboard or buggy across the sand at high speed. Boys and their toys!

The kids are starting to sound more Irish - worlds like "claaaaaass", "amaaazing" and "cracking" which all apparently mean good and phrases like "at the minute" and "so it is" creeping into their vocabulary.

Just got back from a lovely ride along the beach. Long summer evenings are the best! Having 5 hours of light after working hours (not that I actually work - but you understand the concept) means that you have time for fun. It's just hard to get the kids asleep at 930 when the sun is still shining!

OK, that's it for the week

Cheers

Pete

Dear Blog,

A week of entertainment contrasts. Thursday night rocking to a three hour Meatloaf concert and Sunday Morning a two hour broadcast conference with President Hinckly the Prophet.

Picture on the left shows me before the concert in my "Sieze The Night 2007" official tour hoodie and the stage in the background.

I am reading a book called "The 4-hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris. He speaks of taking several mini-retirements throughout life while you're young and full of energy rather than saving towards some undefined event in the future when you have enough money to sit around and do nothing. I realize that this is exactly what I am doing now - it's nice to have someone else say it's ok because so many have thought me strange selling everything, stopping work and moving to another country. It seemed like quite a logical thing to do and I don't know why more people haven't done it.

Picture of Meatloaf in full swing - he has tremors in his hands and looked like an old man for the first few songs but built up through the evening until he had the whole audience on their feet rocking to "Bat Out of Hell".

Corbin got a new bike - for some reason his first one did not have gears while everyone else in the family did. He pedaled as fast as he could but was always at the back. Now he has lots of fun going on bike rides.

Rachel: I met some new friends at stake conference and saw a boy that looked like Joseph Smith on one of the church videos. I also watched a censored version of the Titanic movie and cried buckets of tears when all the people drowned (especially the poor ones locked in "last class"). I like to go to school, my teacher is the kindest teacher.

The offspring had their very first school sports day this week. They were fairly informal days held at the school field for about two hours, nothing like the competitive races of my childhood. They consisted of a couple of sprints and novelty races.

Cheryn and Rachel inherited Gillians speedy genes and both won their sections. I'm not sure whether Gill and I were more surprised in their abilities than the girls.

This is certainly one of the advantages of sending the kids to school compared with homeschooling them. I'm glad they had the chance for both kinds of education and will probably be able to decide better for their own children. Sharon received her acceptance letter for the local high school, I'm horrified at the thought of my 11 year old girl going to high school with a bunch of 17 and 18 year old boys.

I serve as the young men's president here at church. I taught the Young Men about Capt. Moroni and Amalickiah at church today. I found it really interesting to see the comparison between the two men - one lusted after power and used fraud, deceit and murder to get it, the other spent his life defending liberty and justice without thought of power or reward. I imagine that I got more out of the lesson than the guys did, they were quite excited about the intrigue and plottings but I'm not sure that anything sank in.

Gill and I watched four DVDs this weekend - sitting in bed watching on my laptop. We probably won't do this too often as the price of hiring movies seems more expensive than it is worth - especially when you compare to hiring them back in SA. I'm afraid I still do currency conversions in my head before buying everything - which might explain why I only have three pairs of pants!

We've had a couple of people wandering around our backyard lately, owners of the property surveyors etc I don't know how much longer we will be able to stay here because I understand that they are going to tear down the whole block and build a townhouse complex. Although the yard is big (we normally have 10 to 12 local kids playing soccer with ours in the front) the house is comfortable and spacious. The massive property inflation coupled with the weak exchange rate from South Africa means that although we had five houses there the mortgage on one house here (big enough for all of us) is about a third more than the average wage.

I expect to launch my business in about two weeks. it's been a real fun learning experience building an Internet based business, I've had software written for me, designed and put up websites and discovered new skills in putting it all together.

One of the things I learned was to use voice recognition software. I'm sitting here with a microphone in front of my mouth and speaking to the computer, the software translates into text saving me from having to type in. Now I type really fast, but this is even faster. It's a good tool to have.

Cheers

Pete

My brother James visited us for the week. How nice it was to see him again. It would have been even better if we had his family too but that couldn't happen (this time). James and I drove all over the country (well it is pretty tiny) looking at the tourist things - we went to Giant's Causeway and Marble Arch Caves. I found them both fascinating because of my interest in geology.

I've been working as Donovan's delivery boy for the last two weeks. The work is not taxing and it's nice to see the country side as I drive around dropping off stuff.

Can you imagine how much giggling eight 11 year old girls can do in one evening? Cheryn's birthday party sleepover was really interesting to watch - half girl/half women - one moment running around playing catch in the sunny evening and the next phoning boys and hanging up.

Zeek seems to be joining the locals - he has a soccer shirt and the rest of the kit and seems to have a ball surgically joined to his foot most of the time. I fear that he has a long way to go to catch up with some of the kids here who can do amazing things when they're only about twice the height of the ball.

Just got back from a two hour bike ride and picnic at Bangor Marina with our family and Don's team.

The long evenings are fantastic but my body clock goes into daylight savings mode where I like to be awake till 2am and then get out of bed at 0930!

This is Corbin riding through the forest to the beach.