New Wheels

The Mat Van failed it's pink slip so we can't get it's rego until it's had some work done (English Translation: The Mat Van failed it's MOT so we can't get a tax disc until it's had some work done). As a result we've borrowed a ute belonging to a guy called Wayne. It means that I get to do the Mat Run in style now. Look at this V8 baby that I've been using to cruise through the mean streets of Dubbo.

Technically today is the first day of Spring, so we're a little surprised by the mid-20s temperatures we've been having in the last week of Winter. It's nice to be wearing shorts again, even though I wandered into a batch of stinging nettles on Thursday. The pain was worth it just to be sunning my legs again. Now I know what you're thinking - 'You've been driving that ute through Dubbo in shorts? You must have been fighting off the honeyz with a stick!'. To this train of thought I am forced to reply 'Of course not - how ridiculous!'. After all, why would I be fighting them off with a stick when I've got a stack of 6x4 mats in the back of the ute. They function quite well as a defensive device.

I'm slowly losing touch with what's going on in the world of football (and by football I mean, of course, soccer). Although it's the fastest growing sport here and almost every child in Dubbo seems to be playing it on a Saturday morning it's never on the TV. They showed thr FA Cup final, but that - for obvious reasons - didn't start until midnight. They also show random European matches at random times, but unless you have cable you're not really going to see any footy (not even Australian teams) on TV. I've lost track of what's going on for any team in the UK other than QPR - I check the QPR website regularly. It's been a terribly eventful week for QPR with the death of young striker Ray Jones last weekend and the following purchase of the club by Flavio and Bernie.

Tomorrow is Father's Day here in Oz. That's just another thing that's different about life Down Under. I get to enjoy Father's Day a few months later. That's not the only thing that runs a little later. We got the film Amazing Grace a month or so ago, which I know came out in the UK around Easter time. I thought it was a very good film and made me want to go out and change the world, but it also challenged me about the potential there is in every person to really make a difference to the way that the world functions. We get so overwhelmed with worldwide problems that just seem so big that it's easy for us to doubt our ability to change anything. It just all seems too gigantic for us to do anything about, so we do nothing. However, I think that some of the responsibility for that part of the Lord's Prayer that goes 'Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' falls on us. I don't think it's sufficient to pray that as though it's letting us off the hook. I believe that what God requires of His people is for them to, at the very least, have a go at changing things. Even if it's a small change, a small obstacle being attacked. Even the smallest victory is a part of this huge prayer because even the tiniest victory for mercy, justice and righteousness is part of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. We're following in Jesus' footsteps, so let's aim for that and see what happens. Have a good week.

Hello Sydney, what's your favourite scary movie?

Excuse the title. For those of you who don't know it's a poor pun based on the film Scream. The reason that I chose it was because we've just spent the past weekend in Sydney.

I have to say that the weekend was really nice - except for the driving. At the risk of insulting my host country I must say that I think that drivers in Sydney are the worst drivers I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve been to France, Italy and Greece. Apart from standard obscenities such as speeding, honking horns and aggressive driving we’ve seen some rarer sights such as random veering across the road, undercutting by using closed lanes and someone ‘chucking a yooie’ at about 100 km an hour (in a 70km zone) without even bothering to indicate or slow down first. Shocking. Now that I’ve got that out of my system…

The first day we spent with Ruth’s sister Naomi. She was over from New Zealand for a music conference so we took the time to meet up with her. We spent most of the day in Ikea, but still managed to have a really nice time. I ate a few Swedish meatballs and Ruth bought some stuff, none of which will enrich my life. The boys really, really enjoyed the play area and it made up a bit for us temporarily ‘misplacing’ Calvin earlier in the day. Xanthe had a great time too; despite the fact that she is too young to go in any play area or spend any money. One of Ruth's purchases was a new high chair though and Xanthe seems to appreciate it.

On the second day we travelled into the city. It was so much like London that it scared me. We were staying with the lovely Dave and Roz in the improbably-named Lindfield and the walk down the street to the train station really reminded me of my Spurgeon’s days walking through south London. If it wasn’t for the fact that the guy at the ticket desk had an Australian accent we could have been at Norwood Junction. The only real difference was that the trains have two storeys. So they would understand the concept of a ‘double decker’ and therefore there is no good reason for them not to have Double Decker chocolate bars here. The city of Sydney was also very similar to the city of London except – of course – for the fact that Sydney is on the coast. It was uncanny.


While in Sydney we had a lot of fun, though the boys got very tired with all the walking. We saw the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House (the boys were very excited about that as they had seen it on Finding Nemo) and other things. We went on a train, bus, ferry and monorail and Reid said that he even saw someone’s pants on a chair at one of the stations. Xanthe, as always, had a great time sleeping, eating and joyously screaming her head off at random moments during the day. She really gets spoiled by her bigger brothers – well, by Calvin anyway. Reid head butted her arm on the way home so in retaliation she pulled his hair. I think that she’s going to be able to hold her own against the boys when she’s a bit older.

Today we travelled home via the Blue Mountains. We stopped there on the way to Dubbo when we arrived in February but we were too jet-lagged and ill to fully appreciate it. It was much better this time round - some quite amazing views. Australia is truly a beautiful country. However, the question that all locals want me to answer is...has this visit redeemed New South Wales or is Queensland still my favourite state? The answer is simple...it's still Queensland I'm afraid.

Until next time - goodbye.

A Different Point of View

Hello all. It's been another exciting week for the Webb family. This time I took Reid on the Mat Run. He fell asleep in the van on the way back from Narromine. That's actually all that I have to say about this week. Ummmmm. What can I do? Oh, I know. I'll get Ruth to write this week's blog. Loads of people have been asking for her to make an appearance (ingrates) so I suppose I'll let her have a shot. So, without further ado here is my lovely wife...


...It’s been an amazing six months. People meeting us now think we were really brave (or stupid) coming to the other side of the world with a two month old baby. Xanthe has actually adjusted to life here the easiest of all of our children. She’s a real community baby, loving the constant interaction with anyone who talks to her and not caring who’s holding her, as long is it’s someone! (I did have to explain to some older kids here that although she looks like a doll, she is in fact a person and therefore won’t bounce.)

We did have a few surprises when we got here, not least of which was the colour of the water coming from the taps. It’s ten times worse when it rains as it’s coming from the Macquarie River and picks up more dirt from the edges when it rises. Our bath often looks like mud before its even had anyone in it. As a result of the water, the toilet in our flat has proven to be my biggest challenge yet in my quest for a spotless home. Until recently it’s had a black crust all over the base refusing to shift, even after consultation with Kim and Aggie. But then I discovered toilet crystals! Just a shake of those every day and I’m on my way to a white toilet at last! No more explaining to non-Cornerstone visitors that I’m not a filthy girl, no more elbow grease. Thank you Harpic (and Anne Grant).


I’m so enjoying baking and cooking from scratch here. My mum had told me that Australian ladies are often well into those things and she was right! I have only been offered a packet biscuit twice in six months. The down side is remembering all the money I spent on scotch eggs and cheese straws in England when they’re so easy and cheap to make. (By the way, most Aussies have never had either of those!)

One of my biggest adjustments has been the time change. Now you’re thinking that I’ve forwarded my watch nine hours so of course that’s an adjustment, but I don’t mean the nine hours time difference with England. I actually mean the adjustment to “Cornerstone Time”, a common affliction that affects those who enter here, regardless of age or race. So if you arrange a get together with a Cornerstoner, either be prepared to wait an extra hour or so, or turn up an hour late yourself. For me, a British stickler for punctuality, this change has been huge. I’ve deliberated on this for many a – waiting – hour and suddenly came to a discovery which explained it in an instant. No one here wears a watch! And since arriving here, I’ve managed to lose a watch and break its replacement. Therefore, if you arrange to see me at some point in the future, take a good book and shout yourself a coffee while you wait.

And that's it from Ruth. Didn't she do well, ladies and gentlemen. We hope that you have a great week.

Six months on.

So, another week goes by. We've been in Australia for six months now. I'm not sure whether it feels like we've been here for a lot less or a lot longer. Some memories of when we first arrived seem like yesterday but there are other things that seem to have been a part of our life for a lot longer than six months.

It's been really quite warm over the past few days. It feels like the worst of winter is behind us and spring is on its way, and it's shaping up to be a nice one. If this is the case then I managed to get through winter without wearing my winter coat once. I also wore short sleeves for work the vast majority of the time, though admittedly there was no alternative. Long-sleeved work shirts are a luxury for us Mat Exchange drones.


Shopping is a very interesting experience in Australia. There is a clear link between 'what you buy' and 'national identity'. If there is some part of your product that originated in Australia then you proudly announce it on the packaging. Australian Owned, Made in Australia and Homegrown Australian Produce are all selling points here, it seems. You'd be hard pressed to find many things in an Australian kitchen that don't advertise their loyalty to the Federal Government. Even the weak, head-bowed-in-shame Made in Australia from Imported and Local Products gets in on the act. It's strange to come to this from a country where supermarkets proudly announce that their oranges are grown in Spain and that the really good jam comes from France. It's sometimes the same on the TV - although the ABC (Australia equivalent to the BBC) fills its schedules with about 95% imported programmes. I watched Australian Idol a week ago and the first half-an-hour of the programme was like a jingoistic Second World War newsreel declaring the supremacy of Australian talent and music charts. Still, it was very entertaining though. Australian Idol is Australian in every way, so the judges think nothing of saying "You need to lose a few pounds" or laughing at a auditionee's teeth even before they start singing. They make Simon Cowell look like Barnabas.


You're probably aware of a lot of the experiences and changes of the last six months if you've been keeping in touch with this blog. I've tried to share some of the key things that have been going on in our lives - and I've enjoyed doing it. Things have been a bit quiet this week, but as we think about what we're going to do next year it will get very interesting. Keep with us for the next six months and we'll continue the journey together.

All's Fair in Love and War

You'll all be pleased to know that we're all feeling much better this week. I think we're well over the illness that was going round, though there are still a few people here feeling a bit rotten with it.

This weekend has been the Women's Staff Conference, which has meant that I have been amusing the children for some of this weekend. Let me take this moment to ask you, in the style of Pulp Fiction, if you know what they call Burger King in Australia? They call it Hungry Jack's. Mmmmmmmm...that is a tasty burger.

Last night Gus, Ian, Matt and I had a game of Risk (I'm being a bit heavy on italics today). We started at 8pm and I believe that the final dice were rolled at 1:30am. I say 'I believe' because I wasn't there. I had been dumped unceremoniously out of the game half-an-hour earlier. My noble Blue Freedom Fighters were finally overcome by Matt's sinister Green Menace on the fertile plains of Asia. I blame Gus. It was quite fitting that he was in charge of the Red pieces considering the amount of blood that was shed because of his relentless trash talking and behind-the-scenes puppetry. Matt, who was ill and only playing for his second ever time, won purely based on the fact that Gus spent the whole game convincing him to attack Ian and I and giving him strategy tips on the best way to do it. Ian and I pulled together our alliance against this Axis of Evil a little too late and there was nothing to prevent Green domination against the backdrop of a laughing, Red-faced Gus. Risk, like Monopoly, really brings out the worst in people - though I'd be up for another game tonight like a shot if only I didn't need sleep. I suppose Matt does deserve some credit. He steadfastly resisted my efforts to keep Eastern Australia in British hands.

Xanthe is not only sitting up unaided but she now claps on command. She's like a Furby, but more work and a lot cuter.

It's funny. You'd expect, on some levels, living in community to be like Risk and Monopoly in that it should bring out the worst in people. Living in one another's pockets (not literally) really tests you . Funnily enough, I find that Cornerstone is bringing out the best in me. I think it's because it's not just about being community, but being a Christian community. Because of this community life becomes a constant drive to love and consider others better than yourself. The paradox is that the community itself (full of supportive, like-minded people) actually aids you in doing this. That sounds like God economics to me - to create a situation that brings you down and builds you up at the same time.

I'm off to research Risk strategies now. There must be a way that even I can win. I'm just too nice. That's my problem.

Sharing Joy and Germs.

Hello all. This week has been interesting for two reasons.

Reason 1: It was Reid's birthday on Monday. We had the party on Sunday, which was a lot of fun. We played a few games of hide and seek, during which we found a variety of uses for a trampoline. Note to self - trampoline is not a good hiding place when you really want to hide.



Reid enjoyed his presents, including various pirate, superhero and Steve Irwin related action figures. He managed quite a good haul for his third birthday.


He also got a few DVDs. The Curious George one didn't play properly on our DVD player, so Ruth took it back to the shop. Those of you who know Ruth know that this was her bread and butter in the UK. Well, it's a bit more of a challenge here. She got knocked back the first time that she tried to exchange it. I say 'the first time' because she took up the challenge, went back and this time...she won. Undefeated World Champion - Ruth Webb!


Reason 2: There's been a nasty cold going round the community over the past couple of weeks and it was finally our time to be included. At the time of writing four of us are suffering with runny noses and general coldiness. The only one who has not succumbed is Ruth, who is highly resistant to cold and flu things. The children have suffered the worst, with Reid getting ill on the afternoon of his birthday. On the Tuesday he even fell asleep on the floor, so run down was he.


So the highlights of our week were a birthday and an illness. That's kind of the best and worst of community in one week. You get to share special events with lots of other people - you have a ready-made party for your birthday - but you also can't get away from the less excellent things about groups of people living in close community, such as illness. One of the best things is that you have to make people a priority. You'll never know when you might get a knock at the door and it's someone wanting a chat. At that point you have to make a decision about whether you're going to resent it or decide to be used by God in it. As a moody introvert I've been really challenged by this since arriving at Cornerstone. Before coming to Oz I remember reading something that reminded me that Jesus was constantly being interrupted by people and yet every time he viewed it as an opportunity to serve and be used by God. There are plenty of times where Jesus is trying to get away from people to get his own space, but he often gets thwarted in one way or another. Or there are times when he's on his way to do one thing and, along the way, people keep grabbing him and adding to his work-load. I'm sure that there were moments when Jesus' heart sank as these things happened, but his responses never betray anything other than a willingness to serve. Along the same lines, one of the things that I've heard a few times since arriving at Cornerstone is that 'you can't love efficiently'. I've been trying to take these things to heart and resolving to view interruptions in a positive light as opportunities to put people before tasks. It's been good for me. Community is great if you really are serious about having God work on those unpleasant, dark sections of your life. But it's easier to keep God out of those parts than really let Him go to work, isn't it?

Have a great week and thanks for keeping in touch with what we're up to. See you in seven days!

When will I, will I be famous?

Eating out is a fair bit cheaper in Oz compared to the UK, but there are a few differences that you need to get used to. For example, there seems to be a real shortage of decent Indian restaurants. Obviously there are plenty in the UK. Dominoes Pizza is quite expensive but very decent pizza in the UK. In Oz it's a lot cheaper (On holiday I think we paid about three of four pounds for a large pizza) but it's also very, very, very nasty. I think Pizza Hut is similar - it's cheaper and nastier than the yummy UK version. Pizza Runners is excellent stuff and it's still cheaper than you'd pay in the UK for comparable food. I'd also recommend Jimmy's Kitchen, a Chinese restaurant run by an ex-Cornerstoner. The Pizza Runners Rule of Takeaway Food applies here too - excellent food for a great price. Also, Jimmy takes a 5X3 grey mat from The Mat Exchange so I have to recommend him.


Still no sign of a ticket for last week's misdemeanour. I think I may have got away with it. However, in a calculated act of spite the Mat Van decided to break it's fan and radiator while I was on the way home from the run the other day. Thankfully I was able to get home and Matt was able to diagnose and fix the problem from my detailed report of the symptoms ("Matt, Matt! The van banged at me on the way home!")

It's freezing here. Literally. The temperature has been in the minus figures when we've woken up in the morning, but we still have the problem that I mentioned in an earlier blog so it warms up considerably as the day goes on. If you can find a spot in the sun you'll warm up nicely. Unfortunately our house doesn't get any sun, which makes it great in the summer and not-so-great in the winter.

Over the past few weeks a couple of Cornerstoners have appeared in the Dubbo Photo News while I remain languishing in obscurity. When will I get my fifteen minutes? What more do I have to do? I think I should be first choice for their (fully clothed) male equivalent of their (fully clothed) Page 3 Girl Men at Work. Matt appeared whilst on the Mat Exchange, so what about me? I deserve to be famous!


After last week's comments on evangelism I thought I'd write a little bit about one of my favourite things about the Cornerstone lifestyle - the common purse. That's one of the things that's likely to make people think twice about coming to Cornerstone - after all, isn't sharing money the sort of thing that cults do? I think that this reaction (which was my initial reaction) reflects the deeply engrained idea that the way that we deal with money in the West is normal and healthy. As a result the way that Cornerstone tries to deal with money is a very powerful counter-cultural statement. It's the powerful message that I really like about the common purse.

The guiding principle behind it is, as with the early church, the belief that if Christians are living in community there should be no-one whose basic needs are not met. The way that this works is that any money you earn whilst a part of Cornerstone goes into the common purse. Out of this common purse everyone's bills and basic needs are met. Out of the surplus everyone is granted an 'allowance'. The allowance you receive will depend on your situation, but what it means is that everyone gets a roughly equivalent and appropriate amount of money on top of having their basic needs met. If, like me, you hardly bring in any money it's quite a nice set-up. If, like others here, you are a skilled professional and bring in a more substantial salary it's a far greater sacrifice. The fact that so many people here are willing to sacrifice earning power to support bludgers like Ruth and I is a testament to how significant this principle is. You should also be able to see right away how it sends a powerful but unwelcome message to the rest of our society. I think it's an amazing way of living and certainly enjoy it. I hope that I would have the integrity to feel the same way even if I was the one sacrificing an impressive salary, but I have yet to be in that position! I am thankful to those who are making that sacrifice.

It must be noted that in addition to the system above any money that comes to an individual from a para-Cornerstone source (such as gifts or inheritance or anything like that) belongs to that individual and is his or hers to do with as she pleases - so the money that Ruth and I got from, for example, selling our car is ours to spend on Splashe cola and chocolate chip hot cross buns.

It's both excellent and a challenge to be in a place where there is a genuine attempt at 'whole of life spirituality' that includes a radical approach to finances. I like the challenge of asking which parts of my life do not reflect the Lordship of Christ, and I think that there's no more radical witness than a life that is consistent in this respect. The common purse is an easy thing to make sound dodgy, but it's really not and seems like a totally sane way to be living if you're trying to be a Christian community.

It's Reid's third birthday on Monday and he's having a joint tea party tomorrow with one of the other children here at Cornerstone. Ruth has made a jungle cake for the party - here's a photo. She's very talented.


I'm off to think of ways of getting in the Dubbo Photo News ('Local Pom Drives Into River'? 'Crazy Brit Gatecrashes Sheila's Twenty-First Birthday Party'?) so I'll leave you for the week. Have a good one.