Dilys and Rob

U2 - Anthem for the 80's (part 3/6)

2009-02-17T10:50:00.001-08:00

Interseting in these recession times in Ireland and worldwide...

Happy first birthday Alanna!

2008-11-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well it hardly seems like a year ago our little lady was just born! We had a great first birthday with all the family and it was extra special because sister and family were over form the States. We had a wonderful time and eat the usual buns, sandwiches and treats! Also the day before her birthday Alanna started to walk which was awesome. She is running now and goes to school next week. We are very much looking forward to Christmas and the cards, etc have already started arriving, so thanks for that. Ours are on the way. Everything else is good and Rob's job is going very well and he is really enjoying the way of the cloth! Talk soon and get the mince pies in early. We have uploaded more photos in Flickr to the right; enjoy. The Js.

Look Dad, I can fly

2008-10-06T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hey folks. The picture to the left was taken on our church weekend away last week. About 120 of us all headed out of Dublin and went down to Mount Wolsely hotel in Tullow in Co. Carlow. We had a fab time and much fun was had, along with great teaching and fellowship. We as a family are doing well at the moment. The last month and a half have been pretty rough as most of us have been sick with one thing or another. As some of you will know Ethan broke his collar bone last month, by falling out of bed. (We really must stop the brandy before bed time!) He is fine now and back in action. Alanna is also doing great and is growing well, as you can see from the photo. Myself and Dilys are also good. Dilys had a weekend away recently in London with the girls. She had a fab time and I’m sure she will upload some photos soon. I’m really enjoying work at the moment, as we are seeing some really exciting things happen in church. Its great to see CORE doing so well. God is good. Hope you guys are well? Talk soon. The Jones'

Was Jesus Funny?

2008-09-24T15:17:00.001-07:00

This may change your view of Jesus somewhat! Have a look.

I know we havent posted in a while, but we as a family have basiccaly been sick for the last 7 weeks. We will post afetr this weekend; we promise!

Back from hols now

2008-07-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. We are just back from our holiday in Spain. We went to a place called La Zenia, which is about 40 mins south of Alicante, which is on the East coast of Spain. We very much enjoyed ourselves in the sunshine; the average temp was about 30c during the day and about 25c at night. We were very appreciative of the air con! Ethan and Alanna loved it and really had a fantastic time as we spread our time over eating, sleeping, sunbathing and swimming in the pool or the sea. It’s a hard life eh! We were also really blessed as when we got back, the weather in Dublin for our last few days of hols has been fab also! Our back garden has been transformed into a paddling pool haven! We have uploaded a fresh batch of photos in our Flickr account. So check them out to the right. Well it’s back to work at the end of July, which Rob is actually very much looking forward too! Once again thanks for all the correspondence when we were away. Looking forward to catching up with you soon, either temporally or in cyber space!

Priested !

2008-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. We had a great day last Sunday ( 15th June) when Rob was priested in Christ Church Cathedral. It was a very special ceremony and a big thank you to all those who were able to come along. Also a big thanks to you for all the emails, texts and cards. The photo above shows Rob and Jon Kissell (the minister in CORE). So Rob is now fully fledged ; he is doing a special 2-1 rate on Baptisms and weddings! All is well here in the Jones’ household and we are very much looking forward to our hols. The kids are great and we have uploaded new photos in Flicker to the right. Hope you are well? Talk soon. PS thank you Sulu, aka Jason Kilroy, for all the reminders to update the blog. We are surprised you can remember to remind us are you are so old now…..!

Priest Ordination on the 15th June at 15:30

2008-06-05T03:17:00.001-07:00

Hello all. Can you believe that it’s been nearly a year since Rob’s lovely mug appeared in the Irish broadsheets, due to his Deacon’s Ordination! Well it has and its time for part two! Rob will be having his Priesting Ordination on the 15th June at 15:30 in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. After this he will be the real deal and can now officially marry you and celebrate Holy Communion as well! It’s a little more theological than that, but that’s it in a neat little Church of Ireland nutshell. We would love you to join us again if you can. There will be dancin of course! If not see you over the summer for a Barbie and beer. Hope you are all well? We are doing great; it’s been a great year so far and we are so looking forward to our hols! Horary. Thanks for all the texts, email and indeed prayers at this time. And indeed thank you Sulu (aka Jason Kilroy for the reminder to update- I know Jay you want me to dress up as Elvis at Ordination on the 15th , but I cant get a suitable costume! Maybe you could dress up as Jim instead !!!) The Jones’.

Healing/miracle of Frances Finn's leg at Harrogate New Wine

2008-05-03T07:50:00.001-07:00

I witnessed this healing myself at the New Wine leader’s conf last week. I was sitting on the right as you look at the video, about half a foot away. I must admit I was sceptical at the start when she got up to be prayed with, but seeing truly is believing. God does heal and I know it doesn’t always happen and I don’t understand why. My own mother died of cancer, but should our doubt or questions stop us continuing to push in...I for one feel very called to hit the streets of Ireland and see God do the same...Who's on for it.....

First Smiles

2008-04-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

We’re back! Time has been precious up to now, so apologies for the lack of posting over the last month. We are glad to say that Alanna is now sleeping from 7-7 so we have our evenings back again so we are free to post again! Ethan and Alanna are doing really well and are getting used to sharing space! Ethan is great with her and just loves poking her eyes; what a sign of brotherly love. Dilys is finding her rhythm as she looks after two kids during the day and every spare moment is spent in Dundrum town centre shopping her head off! (No prizes for guessing who is writing this post!) I’m joking of course… I’m doing well in CORE and very much enjoying my new role as curate. It’s hard to believe that it will be a year in June. Wow. Thanks to all the American and Southern Hemisphere crew for all your texts and mails. Also the reminders to post! We have uploaded new photos in Flickr to the right. We promise to post more regularly from now on. Flying pigs anyone? R.

I don't think he saw me !

2008-02-16T02:17:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Last week on our day off we went to Dublin zoo for the day ( see more photos in Flickr to the right). It was great fun and we actually saw most of the animals! Ethan just loved it and got to see all the animals close up, including the photo to the left of the Tiger! We are doing great and at the moment we have Dilys' sister’s family over from the States for the week, which is fab to see them. Especially Ethan as he is delighted to see his cousins. All else is good and we continue to watch Alanna's progress as she grows up. She is very placid and peaceful. I wonder where she got that from eh! Hope you are all doing well? Glad the move went well Suz, can you text us your new phone number. Sulu, thanks for all the comments! More next week. Take care.

Back Again !

2008-02-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hello all. Sorry for the delay in posting again, it’s been over a month now! The last 6 weeks have been full on and having the ratio of 2:2 of children to parents certainly does take its toll! But Alanna is doing really great and is sleeping through the night now, which is great as us Jones' really do need our sleep. Ethan has really taken to her and will not go down for breakfast in the mornings until he has given her a "gig kuss”! Ethan started his first day in Montessori school yesterday (4th Feb) and he is loving it. How time flies eh.... Dilys is great and is taking to the increased capacity very well and is such a natural. I have learned much from her over the last 2 months. Especially her ability to function so well on 5 hours sleep a night! All is good in core and I’m very much enjoying it. I have my first clergy conference next week. Plenty of tea drinking and cucumber sandwiches! Hope you guys are well. We have uploaded more photos of Alanna in Flicker (to the right). Hope you like the photo to the left, It shows Daddy and the kids "early" in the morning after his shower. Nice! More soon. Take care. Rob.

Happy New Year.

2008-01-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. We hope that you all had a great Christmas and we pray that you will also have a wonderful 2008. We very much enjoyed our holidays and it was fabulous to have Alanna around for her first Christmas. We have had plenty of sleep; NOT. Ah its fun watching T.V. at 4 in the morning again. Ethan also enjoyed Christmas, especially the present giving! He certainty has mastered the concept of receiving, now its time for him to work on the giving end of things! He really did love all his presents and thank you all for your generous gifts of all kinds that you sent for afar. We are very much looking forward to 2008 and all that holds for us…. Sorry for not posting more photos of the new family, but we promise over the next week we will upload more. Thanks also for all the texts, mails, cards and letters over the holidays. Talk to you soon. God Bless. Dilys, Ethan, Rob and Alanna.

Reflective Visual from Come to the Light @ CORE

2007-12-18T13:10:00.001-08:00

Hi all.We had our annual carol service last Sunday (16th). It was a wonderful night and about 450 people turned up, which was great. We put together some visuals which worked really well. This is one, which is about the busy lives we lead and how it's good sometimes to just slow down and take stock. Take a look and enjoy.

Rob and his Man Cold !

2007-12-07T08:51:00.001-08:00

Rob has a cold at the moment. This hilarious video is very apt right now.... Men ;Drama Kings! Hope you are well. All else with us is fine. Enjoying the sleepless nights ! More photos of Alanna are on the way over the weekend.

Alanna Boyd Jones is here

2007-11-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Alanna Boyd Jones is here! Horray. She arrived at 9:47 am on Tuesday the 27th of Nov. Dilys was amazing and handled the labour and birth so well. I’m sure she will tell you ladies al about it. Ethan is so happy that she is here and they have already had the first hug! We have uploaded some Images in Flickr on the right of the blog. Thanks for all the texts, mail and calls. I’m sure Alanna can’t wait to meet you all. We will post more photos of her close up and not hiding from the camera soon! God Bless. The Jones family!

Not long now.....

2007-11-26T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hi guys. Well we are still waiting for the new baba. He/she? was due on the 25th, so no doubt we will have a new arrival soon! Please keep praying for a safe delivery and thanks for all the texts/ mails asking how things are. Dilys is feeling good, despite the fact for the past while she has been carrying around an extra stone weight every day! Ethan is also looking forward to baby. He thinks he is having one too, as he is pointing to his stomach and saying "my baby is coming soon too!" Susan (Rob’s sister) is over form Australia with her daughter Liliah for 4 weeks, which is great. We are having plenty of "cousin" time which is such a laugh. We will post some photos soon. We will let you know quickly, as the new arrival comes....How exciting.

Graduation, HORRAY !

2007-11-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well after 3 years of hard slog Rob finally got his B. Th. degree from Trinity College Dublin. It was a great day and excellent to meet the class again and catch up. The photo shows Rob with James (middle) and Barry. Or Rev. Boyd and Rev. Forde! David (Rob's Dad) turned up wearing a UCD (University College Dublin) tie; A fond reminder to Rob of his loyalty to UCD, where he did his science degree, and the rivalry between the two universities! Come on the OYKS! There are more photos in Flickr (on the right of blog) Everything else is going well and we are awaiting any day the arrival of the new baby. We will post as soon as he/ she arrives.....Very exciting times for us all, even Ethan is over the moon and very much anticipating the new member to our family. Watch this space, more soon!

Globing Warming in the West of Ireland !

2007-10-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi All. Last weekend we went over to the West of Ireland for a few days. Expecting the usual dull, dreary and wet weather of a typical Irish winter, we were surprisingly met with 18-20 oc of beautiful sunny weather ! We stayed in Dorothy and Fran's (Dilys' sister and bro-in-law - thanks guys it was really awesome!) house in Feakle. We had a great time of rest and relaxation which including nice meals and some sun-bathing on the beach at Spanish point! (see flickr photos to the right)We even got to see the French beat the All-Blacks in the rugby world cup quarter final. Sorry all you guys in Kiwi land. I’m sure it’s very tough for you now, but we lost to them too! We are thinking of you Judy !! All is good her in Dublin and Dilys is only about 7 weeks away from birth now. Wow...the clock is ticking and we are spending as much time in bad as possible now, if you know what I mean all you parents out there who have experienced sleepless nights. Take care. More soon.

Conservative Conference 2007: Dave Sharples

2007-10-04T05:08:00.001-07:00

This is a video clip of a guy who runs Kidz Klub in the UK. We also do this in CORE. Check it out. It's very exciting....

Gilly and Nicky's recent wedding

2007-09-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hi all. We have uploaded some photos of the wedding blessing that rob recently officiated at. It was a great wedding and Gilly and Nicky looked really great. It was a very special day for all involved. Sulu ( aka Jason Kilroy ) was in flying form. Go to Flickr to the right to see a classic photo of him performing Mustang Sally in the early hours of the morning ; it’s a classic! Hope you are all well ? We just had had a great few days with Barry and Claire Forde in Colraine. Barry is the curate in St. Pats. They are really good friends of ours and it was great to catch up. The only down side to the few days was the dreadful Irish rugby game against Georgia ! Let’s not mention it to Rob, as he has booked flights, tickets, etc for the quarter finals already. Oops! Anyway, let’s hope they beat France and Argentina..... We can still get to meet and beat Australia Warwick / Suz !! More soon.

Wow whata month !

2007-09-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hi All, It seems about 2 years ago since we last posted, but it has only been about a month! We have been moving house during that time. We are glad to say that the house is just about finished and we only have about 15 boxes to unpack. Not bad when there was over 200 to start with! Ethan is loving the new house. There is a park and great playground only 5 mins away, so he is very much enjoying that. Dilys is well and feeling allot better now. She was quite sore a few weeks ago with the new baby, but now is much better. Rob is also doing well and very much enjoying being full-time in CORE. It’s so brilliant only being 5 mins away by car. It sure beats the gridlock every day on the mad-cow roundabout. We have just over two months until the new baby, so we are using our time WISELY to prepare the way..... We are both really looking forward to the sleepless nights again! Over the last month Rob did his first wedding blessing for Gilly and Nicky. It was a great day and not too much slagging ! Over the next month he will be starting in the Hospice in Harold’s cross, which will be challenging I'm sure. By the way our old landline number has changed, so if you want the new one drop us a mail. Bye for now.....

It's done, the move is over !!!

2007-08-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well the last few weeks really have been full on. We have finally moved from Clondalkin to Drimnagh. There are many boxes that remain unpacked, but at least we are here! We will post some photos of the new place during the week. It's a fab place, as we have completely done it up the best we could. Dilys especially likes the kitchen, while Ethan seems to like his bedroom as he is sleeping about 13 hours a night in it !!!! The location is great as it is only a 7 minute drive to the Church, which sure beats the congestion of the mad-cow roundabout and M50! By the way our old number is disconnected, so if you want that, drop Rob a mail and we will give it to you. (and the new address if you want also) Hope you like the photo to the left, it shows the removal company we used. NOT ! Bye for now guys.

Back on the air

2007-07-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all, sorry for the delay in posting recently but we have been on holidays for the last month. Part of this time we were in Spain (see Flickr to the right) which was fab, that’s where the photo above was taken. We had a fabulous time of r & r and the weather was really great, just like in Ireland at the mo. NOT! Rob has just come back form Gilly's stag in Sligo which was great. Gilly got away lightly with some handcuffing and pancing thrown in to mark the occasion. Rob is back to work to day in CORE which he is very much looking forward to. We have also been busy over the last month getting ready for the move to Drimnagh. It’s coming along nicely and we will be moving very soon. We will let you know when the house warming is on! Ethan is in great form and is battling away with his potty training! We also had our first scan of the new baby. All is well thank God. It was great to see the little one which they told us was very long for his age! Ethan II ????Hope all you guys are well. Thanks for all the mails, texts etc of support after the ordination. It’s wonderful to have so much support. Will post again at the weekend. Rob, Dilys and Ethan.

More photos of Rob's ordination

2007-06-20T15:39:00.001-07:00

Hi all. Just a quick post to let you know that we have uploaded more photos of Rob's ordination. Click on "flickr" to the right to see them. Enjoy....

Reverend Rob Jones !

2007-06-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, what an amazing day we had yesterday (18th June) at Rob's ordination. It was very moving, both due to the significance and meaning of the occasion and also due to the amount of people who turned up to support us. It was a great reunion of many groups and it was wonderful to see them all there in the Cathedral. Thank you all SO much for the emails, cards, presents and texts, it’s meant an awful lot to us. A particularly special moment yesterday was when Rob gave out the wine at Communion to all his friends and family. (Sulu it was especially nice to give it to you!) For all of you who couldn’t make it, thanks for all your support in other ways. We have uploaded some photos to Flicker (to the right-hand side column of this post) and we will put up loads more over the coming days. So have a browse as they will give you a great feel of the day. Once again, thanks so much. More soon, love, R, D and E.

Tomorrow is the big day !

2007-06-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all. The last two weeks, since Rob has completed his exams, have been action packed. We went the day after Rob finished to London for Fiz and Evan's wedding which was completely amazing, thanks guys you looked great and the day was such a blessing. Then we went to Sligo for a weekend with some guys from college. That was great fun too. (one word Barry : tubes!!!)Then Rob went on his retreat to Glenstal Abbey for 3 days, that was also a good time, even if Rob did find it had to stay silent ! During all this we have been renovating the house in Drimnagh, where we will we living. So all in all it has been a fab time but very busy. Well tomorrow (17th June) is the big day when Rob gets ordained and dons the collar for the first time. It’s on in Christ-Church at 3:30 and you are all very welcome to come. We will post many photos over the next few days. Hope to see you there and if not talk to you soon. Thanks so much to you all for the many cards, texts, emails, etc wishing us well. Take care. Till then....

Study time!

2007-05-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi All. Rob starts his written papers next Monday (21st). He has five in total and is finished on the 31st. He has been studying very hard- (If you call study talking to Barry on the phone and walking on Dun Laoighaire pier or Seapoint!)- It’s been a weird feeling being so close to finishing and yet having to still do exams. But I’m sure the next 2 weeks will fly by and then end ( start?) is in sight... Then it’s all systems go for Rob's ordination on the 17th June. The clerical shirts have been ordered, the alb is being pressed and the stole is in the wash! Hope you are all really well- hope you have a great holiday in Portugal J and Ger; send us a card. Love the facebook Rich and Kath. Thanks for the presents Suz/ War/ Lillah, all the best with the study K8. Talk to you soon. Keep us in your prayers during the exams and see you on the other side!

Nearly at the top....

2007-05-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hi guys. Sorry for not posting for a while, but we have been flat out with various bits and pieces; including moving, exams, thesis, etc. All is good though and we are looking forward to the 31st of May when Rob will be FINISHED. So we are nearly at the top, horray! He will then be ordained on the 17th of June at 15:30 in Dublin in Christ Church Cathedral. You are all very welcome to come and join us for a great celebration. We then will start the move to our house in Drimnagh. It’s all very exciting, but quite busy. Also, just to let you know that CORE has just launched its new website. It’s really fab. Check it out by clicking here. We will update again next week. Hope all you guys are well? Take care. Rob, Dilys and Ethan.

Happy Easter

2007-04-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hope you all have a blessed Easter. It’s an amazing and pivotal time in the Christian calendar when we celebrate new beginnings and the Hope for the new dawn ahead. We are certainly doing that at the moment as we only have 53 days until Rob finishes college! It’s unbelievable how quickly the time has gone by. However there is much to do between now and then with Rob having to do his last few essays, final year oral exam and also his written final exams. Then its full steam ahead to his ordination in June the 17th. The collar is looming.....! Enjoy the Easter hols and talk to you soon.

Church humour

2007-03-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

Jason Kilroy I mean SULU sent this to us. Enjoy

The first plunge !

2007-03-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Recently Rob performed his first full emersion baptism. It took place in St. Catherine’s last week and the lucky plunger was a good friend called Jedrzej form Poland. It's an amazing thing to do and very moving to see someone make such a choice to partake in this publicly. It was a real privilege to be involved and hopefully the first of many. Rob was going to wear the Speedos but decided against it due to marital advice!

O' Connell driven "chariot" anyone ?!?

2007-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well what a great day it was! There was such a great build up to the game and the night itself was very special. It was fab to see that the English guys and crowd got the respect they deserved during the anthems. The game was an amazing spectacle. I was there with Justin (see photos) and we had a ball. We are looking forward to the All Blacks in the world cup now ....... Got this photo sent to us after the game. A real classic. Hope you like it. (especially you Eoghan, missed you there) Bye for now. R & D.

Rugby on the brain !

2007-02-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

It’s all gone mad over here at the moment! The English are coming to town to play Ireland tomorrow (24th Feb) in the 6 Nations Rugby championship. It's an historic event as they are playing in Croke Park, which is the home of GAA in Ireland. Therefore the tensions are high and the pressure mounting for the boys in green to win. I’m happy to say that I'm (Rob!) going and will be with the faithful on Hill 16. The pressure for tickets has been mad, but I’m not selling. Well maybe, if you want to offer me the right price ! It’s going to be a great day. Let’s hope the best team wins. Which will be us of course! See you on the other side .........

2007-02-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

So near but yet so far.....

Rob was there. Great game but pity about the result ! Enjoy the footage...

Door has opened...

2007-02-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well we got the news this afternoon telling us where we will be based for the immediate future (3 years ish ?). We have been on a real rollercoaster ride over the last few months as we looked at places and deliberated about where God would have us go. We found out today that we will be going to St. Catherine’s, CORE. We are so thrilled by this and also amazed at how it has all worked out. Even though Rob has been involved there to date, there is a real sense of a new beginning for us. As many of you will know , CORE has been on a real journey over the last few years and we are really energised to be going there fulltime and therefore be a part of an exciting future. The road lies ahead of us. Thanks to you all for your encouragement, prayers and advice. Now all Rob has to do is finish his essays, exams, etc and it’s next stop Rev. Rob !!!!!! Roll on the collar…..

Perhaps the door is beginning to open....?

2007-01-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Hope all is well? We have had a great start to the New Year. We had a lovely week in Killarney. It was hard to leave, but we all really enjoyed ourselves. It was fab to have Dilys' Mum with us. We all had a great laugh together. College is going well. We find out where we are going to go for the curacy (Rob's placement for the next few years) next Thursday (1st Feb). Very exciting time and the door seems to be opening into the next phase. We can’t wait to get stuck into our new role. We will let you know what happens. Everything else is good. Ethan continues to grow and develop. He is chatting away and even though we can only understand 20% of what he is saying, it great to be able to communicate and have a laugh. He is getting more teeth at the moment, so he is up a lot during the night. It’s all good; sleeping is overrated anyway! Will post again next Thursday with the news ..........!

Role on 2007

2007-01-01T02:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all. Hope you had a fab Christmas and that 2007 will be a blessed year for you all. It’s amazing to look back at all the highs and lows of 2006. This year will bring much change for us, with Rob getting ordained in June. (hopefully !). He is looking forward to walking down Grafton street in his collar! We have uploaded all our Christmas photos in "our photos" to the right. Check them out. We are off to Kerry tomorrow with Dilys' Mum for a few days. We will saying in a lovely hotel, so we are looking forward allot to just chillin out etc. Talk to you all soon.

Compare and Contrast !

2006-12-14T05:06:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the picture to the left and then compare it with the picture of Rob's Dad below; any resemblances !!!??? I'd say the pups are better behaved than the kids ! Hope all the Christmas prep is going well ? We are in full flight at the moment, with our Carol service on Sunday evening, it’s all systems go. It is completely booked out ! But I know a man who can still get you tickets if you still want to go ! More very soon.... Enjoy the shopping!

Santa or Grandpa ?

2006-12-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

You may remember the photos we had up of last Christmas of all the cousins. Only Ella could walk! Well now they are up and running about. Last Saturday ( 2nd December) we were minding Ella and Sam for Bev and Wil, when in popped Graham, Louise, Rebecca and also Grandpa (aka Santa Jones !)Well we couldn’t resist a photo and here it is ! It’s amazing to see how much they have all changed in such a short space of time. Also to let you all know that our annual carol service is on the 17th at 7pm in St. Catherines. Rob is leading the service and the theme is around the 3 kings coming to the stable. If you would like to come let us know or else you can book tickets here. Otherwise hope to see you all/ hear from you ( Irish contingent anyway!) soon.

Aussie Rules !

2006-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

We know, we know, we said we would post every week ! Well we had a power cut here in Clondalkin for the month , so we couldn’t post !!!!!!( Joking, by the way, not that backward , yet !) Hope all you guys are well ? Great to hear all the news Suz, loved the photos. I see Warwick still has no bum ! Hello all in NZ, USA and UK. Hope life is good ? Nick and Marjorie, it was great to see you a few weeks ago in church. Life is good here with us. Ethan is doing great and is speaking allot now. One of his favourite words is Knacker ! Rather embarrassing really ! Last Sunday Rob went with Cameron, Greg and Bobby to the final combined rules game in Croke park. Is was just one big fight ! We lost badly and we also lost the game ! It looks like the future test could be cancelled.... Thanks for al the emails. We promise that we won’t leave it so long until the next time. Jason suggests that we should put up a post entitled " Class of 1991- where are you know" what do you think ? Mick Kirby where are you.....Come home all is forgiven!

Ride em cowboy

2006-10-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all. We realise that it’s been sometime since we last posted. So we have decided to post now at least every week . Last Friday ( 29th Sept) we had a wild west evening in church. It was great fun and as you can see from the picture, we all had to attempt to dress up ! We had some great line dancing as well.( see our photos to the right ! ) All is well here. Rob has gone back to college and he now only has 21 weeks of academic lectures until he is finished, but whose counting ! Ethan is really good and is now running around the place and attempting to talk away. Hope all you guys are well. How’s NZ doing ?Hope Minnie is ok Judy ? Hi Dot and co. Hi the Skiltons, how’s life ? hello Suz, Waz and Lilllah. And a big hello to all the rest of you worldwide. Drop us a line. We will post more regularly from now on. Talk soon.....

Recent Update

2006-08-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

All is well here with us at the moment. Rob has been busy looking after CORE while Jon is away on holidays. It has been great experience for him. Ethan is getting bigger all the time and is now starting to learn the art of running and face planting ! There is a few bumps, bruises and scratches at the moment. He recently went for his first haircut at a kiddies hairdresser. Very cute. For the last few weeks Rob has been clearing out his Family home as his Dad has just sold it. He is finding loads of great photos when he was a kid ; just like Ethan !We will upload some soon. There is only roughly 3 weeks until Rob goes back to college and then in approx 8 months he will be finished ! Role on the collar….Hmmm. Hope all you guys are well in NZ ? John , Judy and co , we were so sorry to hear that Mickey the sheep died. We often look at the photo of him with Ethan on his back. Hope Minnie is ok? Hope all you guys are well in St. Pauls. Drop us a line when you get a chance. Hi Susan, Warwick and Lilah. Hope all is well ?

Update on the last couple of weeks

2006-08-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

We have not been blogging for a couple of weeks now. It has been a time for us of real highs and real lows. Over the last while we have been reunited with family from the States, which was so great to see them. We miss you Dot , Fran, Peter and Mollly.( Hope you enjoyed your birthday Molly, we really enjoyed your cake. Peter, hope you are playing loads of curbs ! )Also yesterday, Sunday 20th Lydia was Christened. However there has also been very sad times as well. Rob's cousin and his wife suffered the death of their two month old child . It was a tough funeral, but they were so strong. Please keep them in your prayers. All is going well for Rob as he leads CORE for the month. Its proving to be great experience for him. Will post more soon.

Having a smashing time

2006-08-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, we are now getting over our flight back from NZ. We flew into Frankfurt during a lightning storm which was interesting! Luckily we had some good reliable pilots ! We are slowly settling back into life in Ireland. It's great to be back and see all the family and friends. We also enjoying the peace, tranquillity of Dublin especially when our car got stolen last Saturday night and smashed up ! Ah its good to be back... Anyway,found this great and funny link to a great video. Check it out here

Sunrise in NZ and sunset at 42,000 feet !

2006-07-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well guys the sun has gone down on our amazing trip to NZ. It was such a great trip , with so many fabulous memories. As we write this we are sitting on a Singapore airlines 747 at 42,000 feet, watching the sunrise over Eastern Europe ! The wonder of technology. We will miss you all in NZ and it was so great to see you again/ or meet you. We hope to see you all again really soon. Gill and Geoff ; see you in the Plaza in 2007 ! John and Judy ; see you on your OE- The silage runs are waiting ! To all in St Pauls ; thanks again for a really blessed time. Rob and Eleanor ; thanks for the KFC – we owe you a fast food meal. To J ; sorry we missed you in Singapore. And finally to all the many other people we met - thanks for the laughs, memories and fun. To all in Ireland ; see you really soon...... We will continue to keep the blog updated, so watch this space.

Penguin Dilys !

2006-07-26T03:49:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in Christchurch and we went to the International Antarctic Centre. Dilys did her best impression of a Penguin for the camera !We had a great few days in Christchurch and did loads. We also hooked up with Rob and Eleanor Napier from who we know form CORE. They send there love to you all. We are flying home tomorrow ; only 27 hours in the air and 7 hours waiting in airports.We will post tomorrow for the last time from NZ......

Ba Ba BIG sheep !

2006-07-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

We spent a really great couple of days with the Surridge family in Ashburton. They manage a large farm and are also the proud owners of 2 very large sheep ; Mickey and Minnie ! ( Ethan wasn't sure about them !) We enjoyed our time with them and especially the amazing bar b que lamb and beef we had. You can see a photo of them in Flickr. We are now in Christchurch for the last 4 days of our trip..... but we are enjoying our little city break ! We will post again soon.

Back on Air

2006-07-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing few days at Mt. Cook. We had a great dump of snow and then it cleared up nicely, so we could see Mt. Cook and the adjacent mountains in all their glory. Check out our photos on the right, they will show how beautiful it is. We left Mount Cook on Saturday and had an inspiring drive through the Mountains. WE passed through Tekapo and stopped at the church of the Good Shepard (photo above ). This place is gorgeous and one to be remembered. We are now staying with John, Judy and family for a couple for days before we head to Christchurch on Monday. Hope all is well at home ?

Dump !

2006-07-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well we arrived yesterday (Tuesday) at the Hermitage hotel at Mount Cook. The weather was ok and we even caught a quick glimpse of Mount Cook. This morning we woke to a large amount of snow ! The view in the photo above is from the hotel ; beautiful.( Mount Cook is the one in the middle)There is nearly a foot of snow at this stage and still going ! Ethan is loving it and has done loads of snow-crawling! We are here for 3 more days and internet usage is very expensive at 2000ft, so the posts may be thin on the ground. But watch this space.....

Caught in the act...

2006-07-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

This is just for you Eoghan ! We are in Queenstown at the moment and will be going to Mount Cook tomorrow. We have added all our photos to Flickr, so you can check them out. We only have 10 days to go.....More very soon

Avalanche !

2006-07-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

Well we did try ! We had wanted to get to Milford Sound but the last 13km of the road was closed due to avalanches! We made it to just before the Homer tunnel, which was an amazing journey. We left Te Anau today and are now in Queenstown for 3 days. This place is amazing, with loads to do and see. We will post soon with an update. We have updated flickr so you can see more of our photos.

Skiing at Cordrona

2006-07-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have added most of our photos to Flicker, so you can check them out. They are all titled so you can make sense of them. The photo to the left was taken at 7500 ft at the top of Cordrona Ski field, which looks out over the Southern Alps. Amazing ! Tomorrow we head to Te anau over the alps. It has been snowing today very heavily, so that should be fun !!!Then on Friday we go to Milford sound. Cant wait. Hope all is well at home ? Eoghan could you mail me your new home number, so we can give you a call ? Thanks for doing the car Wilson. Sulu, how’s Scotty ?

Wanaka

2006-07-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Hello from beautiful Wanaka ! We have been here for the last 2 days and will stay until Thursday, when we will then travel to Milford Sound for 2 days. Rob went skiing today which was great. He only face-planted once and it wasnt even on a black run ! As you can see from the picture the scenery is amazing. The view in this picture is the one you can see from Cardrona where rob skied today. The village in the foreground is Wanaka where we are staying. Rob is going skiing again tomorrow, so lets hope for no more face plants...... ! Ethan is great and growing by the day. We will put a photo of him on the blog soon, so you can see his progress. More to follow within the next 24 hours.....

Dunedin

2006-07-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys.It was weird to leave all the guys at St. Pauls, it was great to be with them. We have spent the last week in Dunedin in the south island with Dily's sister and Family. (The photo is taken on the local beech in Dunedin) It's been great to catch up and for me to meet Geoff , Rodney, Shona and Naomi. We spent the first couple of days just hanging out , which was great. Yesterday ( Thursday 6th ) we went out to one of the local peninsulas and saw the wild albatrosses and penguins. To see an albatross is quite rare, but we had one fly right over our head ! I was standing on the cliff looking out and jokingly said " Look Albatross" to the crowd who were hoping to see one. Next thing the guide said your right, here comes one ! It was massive ; wingspan of 3 meters and a body about the size of Ethan. Great to see. On Sunday we travel to Wanaka for a few days, so we will post form there. Hope all is well with you guys ?

Going South....

2006-07-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well the month in St. Pauls has flown by and what a month it has been. We have met great people and been a part of a great church. There is such a great sense of community there and God is doing so much and will do even more in the future. So I will meet up with Dilys and Ethan today in Dunedin and then it’s onto the second half of our adventure. Yesterday myself and Rich went to Phia ( photo) and what a great place that is. I think we will be back here ! We will be waiting for Rich and Kat to get there Batch ( Beach hut in Kiwi ) Hope all you guys are well ? Eoghan and Becky - Hope all is going well in UK ; will be in touch soon. See you all in the next post.... R

One Tree Hill - but without the tree !

2006-06-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

I went up One Tree Hill in Auckland recently which was great. However I know I sometimes get things wrong but shouldn’t there be a tree on One Tree Hill ? There used to be one until 1999 when someone cut it down. There must have been a real shortage of timber ! It was actually a Maori activist who took offence to a Maori sacred site being westernised. Ah well, it was a nice walk. I must let U2 know as they will have to rename their song now to One "treeless" Hill !

The real Rich !

2006-06-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the all the mails and texts you have been sending, especially for Rob's birthday. Some of you have asked whether we have any photos of Rich. Well now that you mention it I do. We have really seen from our time in St. Pauls that he is a gifted church leader with so much to offer. But the other night he just lost it and insisted on giving Ethan beer. If you ever want him to baby-sit, let me know and I will give you his details !At least the beer was VB, the nicest beer outside the emerald isle. Hope you like the photo Sulu ?

Rich and His blog

2006-06-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, Just a quick post to point you to the link to Rich's blog. Its on the right. Some of you have been asking about him, well you can find out all you want on his blog. He is a true blogger and sets the bar high. Great guy and its been fab to get to know him better. The blog is excellent, check it out. Also you can follow the link to his combined blog for him and Kath ( wife ), which is also to the right. More to follow very soon ....

Tane Mahuta

2006-06-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well after many years waiting, Rob finally made it to one of his all time places ; Tane Mahuta. For those of you who are not in the know, this is the largest tree in NZ and could be in the top 100 biggest tress in the world. It is about 200 feet tall and has a massive volume of 250 cubic metres ( or about 230 tonnes!) As you can see from the weather, it was very bad, but that didn’t stop us. So glad we made the trip. Now all Rob has to see, from a forestry point of view, is the tallest tree ( In USA - Giant Redwood ) and the oldest ( Ginko Belluba in China ). Sad I know ! Ethan is doing really well, despite nearly being eaten by stingrays and soaked to death in a NZ rain forest ! Great parenting. Hope all are guys are good ? Thanks for the message Eoghan. We will ring you soon. Not sure who the guy Paul K- Smith is who left the other comment ? Some loser I suppose.... Only kidding safe trip home Paul and Laura. SULU WERE ARE YOU ?

Penguins

2006-06-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today we all went to the aquarium in Auckland to see the penguins. Ethan loved it and wanted to go walking with them ! We also saw the sting-rays being fed and Ethan nearly became lunch as I was balancing him on the rails and he slipped and nearly fell into the tank ! Don’t tell Dilys and she didn’t see !!! I got my results yesterday at 4 in the morning ( Thanks Barry / Jamesie! ). I got through ok and so now am officially in my final year. Hurray. Not long now. All the CITC class (Ordinands ) did well. Keep the world cup results coming Barry. All is well in St Pauls and we have got to meet a wide rage of people and learnt about the set-up process, structure , ups and down etc. They have been great to us and so helpful in ensuring we get the best out of our time here. Yesterday we went bowling and also went for a nice ( but bizarre) Chinese lunch with all the staff. It was Chinese food rapid style , with one of those swirly turny bits in the middle of the table which proved great fun. Plenty of eating, spinning and laughing. I'm afraid the kiwis won the bowling; another Irish defeat ! Thanks for all the mails etc. Great to hear from all you guys. Sulu were are you ?!!! Another post on Saturday.

Just wasn’t meant to be

2006-06-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

I wish the picture to the left was at the full time whistle, but it was a photo of the flannery try. So near but yet so far is a good way to sum up last Saturday's game. At first it looked like a rout after the All Blacks scored early on. But all credit to the Munster boys they really got the team going and changed the tide. O' Connell was immense. At one point he tackled Ritchie Macaw so hard I thought he had killed him ! It was a good game to watch, both myself and Dilys went together and there was much shouting. The Irish crowd were great and we were right in the thick of the green army. As some of you will know we were meant to be going to a lunch with the players, but the IRFU neglected to tell us that it would cost us $350 ! So we decided against it. The ski pass in Queenstown took precedence ! Sorry Burkey. All is well with us here and we are really enjoying our time in St. Pauls. Rob has preached twice now and after he had finished the congregation clapped. This is a bit strange as you don’t get this at home, but it's nice to get some feed back.....! Dilys leaves for Dunedin early next week which will leave me in Auckland for a week on my own to spend much time going to the pub and watching the world cup conclusion. Opps I mean prayer, fasting and generally being holy ! Still no sign of my results , probably still trying to read my answers !

Blackout..

2006-06-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well kids, hope all is well in our past. Being 11 hours ahead is great ; you can set the tone ! All is well here in Auckland. Yesterday we had a 5 hour blackout which was fun. Traffic lights were out, no coffee etc. A real trial. It reminded me of Dublin in the 8o's when the power was off more than it was on. Some of the kiwi's have been slagging us and saying that we should be used to having no power as we only got electricity in the last few years! Dilys and Ethan are well and really enjoying life in Auckland. The church is really great , with such a warm atmosphere and culture of welcoming. Apart form Rich Johnson, he is a nightmare. HA HA hope you are reading this Rich ! Only kidding, its great to be able to hang out with Rich and Co. Well must go. Thanks Barry for the results. Come on Tobago. Burkey , keep praying for the next test on Saturday.

So Close

2006-06-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

The headline ( left) in this mornings New Zealand herald said it all. It looks like us Irish really gave them a run for their money. But not far enough. Well it was a great night and we came so close. With only 12 minutes to go it looked like 101 years of waiting had finally come to an end and Rob was there to witness it. However as often is the case with the All Blacks, they came back right at the finish. Not even the Munster effect could stop them and O Connell’s intercepted pass at the end along with ROG's missed penalty were the turning points. Burkey, it was great and it would have been great to have you there. Lets keep hoping and praying that next weekends game can reverse the trend. Here's hoping anyway…. Can you let Rob know the world cup results. It’s a football desert out here ! Dilys is delighted.

Here at last !

2006-06-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well after nearly 35 hours travelling we arrived in Auckland. The flights went really well, as we got given 3 seats for myself and Dilys and a bassinette for Ethan. Because of this Ethan slept most of the two flights which was great. I wish I could say the same for myself and Dilys. We probably slept about 4 hours in total ! We stopped over in Singapore for 5 hours and had some sleep there so that really helped. We are still not over the jet lag, which is the worst we have experienced, Ethan is the best of all 3 of us and he is sleeping 12 hours a night ! Auckland is great and the house is amazing. It's a ten bedded house near the centre of town and within walking distance to the church. It’s a fifteen minute walk to the sky-tower (see photo) which Dilys will be bungy jumping off very soon ! All is going really well in St. Paul’s so far and they are so nice and have been so welcoming to us. They have a great program for us which should give us some great experience. Rob is speaking for the first time on Sunday morning, so that should be interesting ! This Saturday Rob and Mike ( leader of the St. Paul’s ) are going to the All Black game. CMON IRELAND ! If we win I doubt Rob will make it back to the church for Sunday morning ! We will post photos of the game after the weekend. Keep an eye out on Sky sports for rob. He will be the one streaking. Well must dash, we will post more regularly now as we have found an internet cafe very near the church. If you want to check out the church, click on the St Paul’s link to the right.

Off we go !

2006-06-03T02:56:00.000-07:00

Well at long last we are off today ( Saturday) to New Zealand. We are flying out today at 18:00, then onto Frankfurt, then onto Singapore and then finally arriving in Auckland 30 hours later on Monday morning at 10:30 ( 21:30 Irish time). We can’t wait to get going. We will keep the blog updated hopefully 2-3 times a week. Enjoy June and July. We will have our mobile with us , but only can receive texts. We will try to text back from our Vodafone online webtext. See you in cyber space !!

Made it......

2006-06-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well Rob made it to the end of his exams in one piece ! Only 1 year to go now. The next couple of days are going to be pretty busy until we fly out. But it's so exciting to be going to NZ! Especially to see the Irish rugby team beat the All Blacks. Well we can dream anyway......

Nearing the summit

2006-05-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well folks, Rob only has one more exam to go tomorrow(Wednesday), so we are nearly there ! The summit is in sight. We leave on Saturday afternoon for our adventure to New Zealand. One last push and........More to follow very soon.

Ethan, Sam and Rebecca's Baptism

2006-05-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

This Sunday ( 21st May) Ethan, Sam and Rebecca are all getting baptised in St. Catherines in the morning service. The service starts at 11am. Afterwards we are all going over to Dad's house in Rathfarnham for a light lunch. Please feel free to drop in either to the church or to the house. If you need directions, drop me an email. We took this photo of ( left to right) Rebecca, Sam, Ella and Ethan. Ella has already been baptised, but when we told her that the other 3 were getting dunked she was very happy. Perhaps see you Sunday.

Burning the candle at both ends !

2006-05-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

What a week it’s been.... Dilys went away last weekend for a surprise party for Janet , which was great fun by all accounts and if the faces at the airport were anything to go by, there was little if any sleep had. Happy Birthday Jan. While Dilys was away, myself and Ethan had great fun. We enjoyed the TV, DVD and a nice pot of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream ! However Ethan has been sick since ! I guess he is a little young for the Bacardi breezers ! Since Sunday, the poor little fella has been losing it from both ends if you know what I mean ! As you know I’m right in the middle of study so its been a bit hectic around here. A little like the picture above ! But all will be over soon and we will be in NZ watching the world cup and also witnessing the Irish beat the All Blacks ! Sorry Gill , Geoff and Co it has to happen sometime. Well I better get back to my hermeneutics..... More soon. R.

20 days to go....

2006-05-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

Well boys and girls, its only 20 days until the first match of the world cup ! I know the Irish aren't in it, but that doesn't stop us watching it. As always I have my world cup planner on the go. I know : sad git, but I will need something to do in the middle of the night in New Zealand when Ethan is wide awake. The other advantage of Ethan being awake all night is that it will mean I can watch the games live ! For all you ( especially you Sulu ) who don't have your planner yet, you can download a good one at : http://download.itv.com/worldcup/world_cup_planner.pdf. Only 13 days until we all fly to New Zealand, Can't wait......

A Sceptic’s Easter ?

2006-04-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you have been saying that you were surprised that Rob had not had an article on the blog relating to his studies. Well in response – here is the first one !
Is it true to say that Easter comes and goes without impact for many who attend church more out of tradition (and to please family members) than anything else? Some remain unbelieving unless overwhelmed by evidence, like the Apostle Thomas in the painting above. Church attendance notwithstanding, are there good, solid reasons to believe the rather outlandish claims that God incarnate laid down His life willingly and was miraculously raised from the dead? Love to hear your thoughts , either for or against…… Go on have a go.

Sunbeam....

2006-03-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

We took this shot of Ethan sitting on the bed one morning. The photo came out really well, as it caught the sunbeams reflecting on his face. It reminded us of a song we once knew when we were kids. Can any anyone quess ? Go to http://www.gbgm-umc.org/marshltn/music/sunbeam.mid to bring back the memories...... ( are you humming it yet ?!?)

Where were you ?

2006-03-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

We were in London on the 18th, but sadly not at the game ! Myself and Dilys were at Alex and Ed's wedding ( photos will be posted soon )from the 16th but we flew out on the 18th. We touched down and went straight to the pub ( I mean straight to collect Ethan ! ) and then watched the game. Horgan's try was truly sublime ; a real match winner. I think we were lucky with a few decisions, but you know what they say about the Irish and luck. It just so happens that we will be in NZ when Ireland play there two games against the All Blacks! I think the time is now for us to take those guys down. Sorry Warwick and Evan and the rest of the NZ crew ( Skiltons etc) but you have to lose sometimes.....

Jason Kilroy - Master Fencer !

2006-03-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

I was onto Jason recently and he sent us this picture of himself. He has been fencing for some time now and has got quite good. This photo shows him doing a fencing demonstration for his team in J.P Morgan, outside the door to the office canteen. They said they were all really impressed and amazed at how much Jason looked like Sulu from Star Trek and nothing like Jim Kirk. I know what you may be thinking ; he is Sulu ! Well that's what everyone is saying. Keep up the good work Jason, I mean Sulu.....

Hard Luck Gizmo

2006-03-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

As many of you will know, Peter Neil ( aka Gizmo ; see picture to right ! ) was shortlisted for the Irish blog awards, under the "most humorous" category. Unfortunately he didn't win. Pity as it was a cracking good story. Click on "Gizmo" link to the right to check out his site. It's very funny..... and the stories are all true !

Next Generation....

2006-03-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

We thought we should give some exposure to the next generation on our blog. As you can see, they are great bunch with real personalities! For those who don’t know all the kids' faces, from left to right they are : Ethan ( our little fella), Rebecca ( Graham and Louise's daughter ), Sam , Ella ( Bev and Wil's kids ). Susan and Warwick, who live down under, also have a little girl called Lilah, who is not in the photo. But as they are coming home in May we will be sure to get one of all 5 of them together.

Too Much time to waste

2006-03-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

As most of you will know, Rob went back to college last year to become a man of the cloth! He says he spends allot of his time in the library doing essays, sermons etc. But I found this site in his favourites recently. Now I know why he spends so much time on the computer! Check out the stupid video link on the right sidebar for a laugh.

2006-03-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

We love a good pub quiz. Here is one with a difference, for all you budding theologians out there! Let us know what you get ? Rob reckons he has got full score. Hmmmmm. Click on the "pub quiz with a difference" link on the right hand sidebar to check it out.

Follow up to our first blog article....!

2006-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

After some brief marital discussion it was agreed that we should upload a more suitable picture of the two of us ! So here it is.... (Ladies view, Killarney, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.)

Welcome to our first blog article

2006-03-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Well after much deliberation and faffing, we finally decided to go virtual and get our own blog ! It's probably to do with the fact that we are going to New Zealand for 2 months this summer and so many people have been telling us to get a blog so they can hear all the news! Also it could be something to do with the pressure from all you guys we know around the world who want to hear all the news on my college time, Ethan's growing experience and Dilys' weekly soap update ! As you can see from the photo, myself and Ethan are really excited while looking at our new blog, whereas Dilys doesnt seem as impressed !

So here goes with blog 1 of many. Watch this space for many interesting facts, updates and jounal entries ! Keep the comments rolling and see you in cyber space.