Joining the local football team

When we signed Mattias up for the local football team, we thought it would be a bit of fun for him to play in the afternoons. And rather handy seeing as the field is just at the end of our block. It rains pretty often but no drama as they just move up to the undercover basketball court. Since training started he has been three afternoons a week. They spend Mondays doing exercise training with more games on Wednesday and Friday. They are getting more technical as time goes on.

All the other boys come to training in uniform and this week new uniforms came including one for Mattias, he was pretty excited. Putting on the jacket he said, "Dad, I just love this jacket!" His first game is this afternoon at 4pm. We’ll see how he goes.

How did you feel when you got your first sports outfit?

Finishing up some training exercises

Fresh eyes

Spending just over 8 months back in Sydney means I've come back to Loja looking at my surroundings with fresh eyes, seeing things that are 'different' (from Sydney at least), things that by the end of our last term didn't seem strange at all.

The inclusion of a plea for punctuality at the local symphony. Next to the start time of 20H00 it says 'hora puntual'...at 8.05pm I was still too early.

I thought this couple looked like a perfect match. Needless to say I didn't spot any couples like this in Sydney.

Latest remedy I've seen for coughs and colds, it came with extensive instructions for preparation. 

One needs to direct one's attention to the ground with diligence. Four weeks on my foot is still recovering from my altercation with this drain. Oops.

A picture of the Virgen of Cisne in a prominent place is really common, whether a department store, a taxi,  a lounge room or a public office.

Fantastical looking dogs, with incredibly mixed up blood lines.

Rainbows out for the spotting at least a couple of times a week.

Fire hydrants in unexpected places. Good for the quick jump up and off as we go along with the kids.

Aloe vera being sold in the supermarket, a staple part of the diet?!

Can't really take pictures of new things I've 'seen' culturally through conversations with friends or things I've been able to appreciate in our third arrival to this place. Pray that God will continue to give us fresh eyes to see the people around us clearly and love and invest in them as He directs!

The New House in Loja

It has been a long time I know, but here's a little glimpse of our house in Loja. We are in a second floor apartment and there is a terrace/rooftop area we can use (more photos of the terrace later). We enjoy sitting on the balcony next to the kitchen at night watching the city lights below. The area is much quieter than where we lived last time, with just the usually car alarms and roosters that you just can't avoid. One nice addition are the church bells from the local catholic church which are every afternoon for mass.
So have a little walk through and have a guess as to how many rooms there are and leave your guess in a comment below.

Watching the box

Master bedroom

Dining room

Kitchen 

Mattias' bedroom

Girl's bedroom, no bed yet

John's office

View from the back verandah