Tea time on the 'lawn', top notch airbourne refreshment! ?

                    

One of the great mysteries about the English is that when all hell is breaking loose around them, there is always time enough for a cup of tea, warmed pot - Darjeeling not tea bags, by no means is it only the British, who use tea for a restorative break but they do like to do it with style. You can see in MAF, tea is an essential part of keeping the operation going and one cup of tea rapidly evolves into a tea party. Reminds me of the amusing quote from the American film Mary Poppins  "As the ship lay anchored in Boston Harbor, a party of the colonists dressed as red Indians boarded the vessel, behaved very rudely, and threw all the tea overboard. This made the tea unsuitable for drinking. Even for Americans." Actually folk from the US do do great cold tea. 

Tea really does do something for you. Alas here I am in South Africa and rather a fan of Rooibos, and I have not had a cup of tea in 3 days as there is none left in the guest house, I have found hot water an adequate 2nd but then again perhaps not as I read this delightful quote from a PG Woodhouse book, which Trish and I are reading aloud together. "'Morning, Jeeves," I said. "Good morning, sir," said Jeeves he put the good old cup of tea softly on the table by my bed, and I took a refreshing sip. Just right, as usual. Not too hot, not too sweet, not too weak, not too strong, not too much milk, and not a drop spilled in the saucer. A most amazing cove, Jeeves. So dashed competent in every respect. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I mean to say, take just one small instance. Every other valet I've ever had used to barge into my room in the morning while I was still asleep, causing much misery; but Jeeves seems to know when 

I'm awake by a sort of telepathy. He always floats in with  the cup exactly two minutes after I come to life. Makes a deuce of a lot of difference to a fellow's day."

Often wonder who had the most need for restorative cups of tea in the Bible. Think it would have to be Paul .... think this inspiring paragraph would have generated the need for more than a few cups of soothing tea. 2 Corinthians 11:25-29 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,1 in cold and exposure.  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  

Time for a tea break and dig into 2 Corinthians in the New Testament ... 

Father Christmas and his other job - One of the world's great secrets.

Recently I was on assignment in an undisclosed destination in the Africa, when I was somewhat flabergasted to come across the world's most experienced pilot. I was given a rare and somewhat exclusive interview as well as an opportunity to ride side-kick with this merry bundle of fun. Yes, you've guessed it, it was Santa Claus. Rumour always had it that he spent his time hanging out with Misses Claus and building toys in the off season but I can tell you with absolute confidence that these rumours are just that, rumours...

I picked up with Father Claus refuelling his Cessna 208 Caravan on a piece of rare African concrete. He was heard to have said whilst pumping in some JET A-1, "I was flying before the the Wright Brothers were out of nappies (diapers) anyway they were a pair of cowboys.... and who do you think gave them their first propeller anyway, though twas hell getting it down the chinmey!" 

He looked somewhat trimmer than normal but I guess it is red that makes you look fat and he looked in good form in his blues, well for a man of his age anyway. I can now reliably say in his off season from January 1st to Dec 24th that he keeps current at his flying by working with some really interesting guys, in an organisation called MAF - Mission Aviation Fellowship. I asked him what MAF was all about. He grinned at me his eyes sparkling out from under his bushy eyebrows & his weather beaten bronzed skin, all seemed at odds with his snowy white beard! "Well we fly these small aircraft, there are about 130 of them, based in over 30 different countries, each able to bring help hope and healing to some of the remotest communities  in the world, we partner with lots of organsations and it is great getting to know some remarkable people and supporting them in their work."

Loading some medicines for MedAir

     Flying up some blood for the blood bank                

I was dying to know though why one of the world's oldest and most experienced pilots in the world fly small aircraft for MAF.  Throwing back his head and giving a loud "ho ho ho, well I guess it keeps my hand in, as landing a sledge with 6 frisky reindeers on an upsloping roof, in a cross wind in driving snow, takes a bit of handling, well it feels about the same as a heavily ladden Caravan going into Kaabong on a hot and windy day! So I guess Christmas day flying keeps me on my toes for MAF and MAF operations keeps me in the game for C'mas day! Hey I'll tell you these Reindeers are great fun but  not nearly as much as flying an amphibious floatplane in Bangladesh, now that is the bees knees, nothing quite compares with that. I guess I make a lot of difference to people on Dec 25th but these guys make a difference to lots of people on the other 364 days of the year and I love just helping them do it."There was a whistful look in Santa's face as his mind raced off to watery flights in warmer climes flown long ago.

                                          Unloading with Bishop Bismark in South Sudan.
So if you want to find out why Father C flies with MAF, why don't you check out their web sites, perhaps even sign up for their free magazine. So if you live in the UK use  www.maf-uk.org,  in the US www.maf.org and Australia www.maf.org.au So Merry Christmas from me Bryan at Biggles Abroad

Stopping by for a cup of tea with the Karamajong

A well earned rest me think's

A break with ground staff. No reindeer to muck out here!

The Guernsey Press and a cup of Rooibos bliss!

So Merry Christmas from me Bryan at Biggles Abroad