Pressing On

Here’s one long-overdue project finally crossed off – to recover my ironing board. I’ve had this circular tablecloth since Christmas 1979 – but no circular table for years!

I hung onto it because it was a gift from my MIL. I liked the pretty border print. But I couldn’t make it into another cotton skirt- because it still looked like a tablecloth!

So I cut it in half, and recovered the ironing board using just the central floral pattern. I now have a semicircle of pattern fabric with a border print leftover!

Anybody got any suggestions?

Pause In Lent #1

My 2014 Lent challenge is to slow down a bit, take time, and focus. Here’s a prayer I want to share.The other Sunday night, Bob read it in church – attributed to Sir Francis Drake, and supposedly written around 1577, just before he set off to circumnavigate the globe. I do so hope it is by this great sailor – the sentiments are brilliant!

  Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

    Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

     Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

How, Where, Why and What?

• How come some of my favourite blogs keep ‘falling off’ my Blogger Reading List, and I fail to get notice of new posts?
• Where have they gone?I know they are still blogging, because every so often I think ‘Where’s Floss?’ or ‘I haven’t seen a post from Kezzie this week’ so I search …and there they are
• Why am I finding it nigh impossible to ‘unfollow’ some blogs – I began reading them when I stumbled on a fascinating post, but now they keep popping up although they no longer interest me – why can’t I delete them from my BRL?
• What is this odd thing whereby I read nothing from someone for weeks – and suddenly seventeen posts from the past month pop up all at the same time?

If you can answer any of these, or suffer in a similar way, do let me know!

Yellow Fever!

Yellow, lemon, gold, amber, blonde, flaxen, citrine, canary,buttery, saffron, sunny, xanthic

Whatever name you give it, there’s been a lot of mellow yellow round here this week!

On Wednesday, my friend Elisabeth went bananas to help promote Fairtrade Fortnight [centre picture] What a costume!

On Thursday Ellah Kandi [bottom, centre] came to our church to talk about her cooking, and show us her book [bottom right] full of golden foodstuffs from the sunny Caribbean.

On Friday, we had the Women’s Day of Prayer service, and some of the ladies dressed as Egyptians [that’s Mary, being Isis, centre left – draping cloth representing the River Nile and the yellow Sahara] And afterwards, tea and Egyptian sweetmeats [Golden Semolina Cake, and Yellow Marzipan Dates]

And now, the daffodils on the windowsill have blossomed in their jug, bringing sunshine into the lounge. Spring is definitely here!

 

Streams In The Desert

The Lord says; “I will pour water in the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon your descendants and my blessing upon your offspring”

Today is the Women’s World Day of Prayer. The theme is Streams in the Desert - and has been planned by Christian women of Egypt.

When they began planning for today, some years ago, nobody had any idea about the Arab Spring, or the upheavals that their nation would be facing. If you a person of faith, please pray for the land of Egypt today. More details about WWDP can be found here

Hear, Read, Mark, Learn And Inwardly Digest

Look at this wonderful collect from the Book Of Common Prayer

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

It’s from the second Sunday in Advent – but seems quite appropriate for today, World Book Day. The Bible is the Book, after all

If you are planning to mark Lent in some way, do consider joining Floss and her gang for the ‘Pause In Lent’ [details here]

This blogfest is becoming a real tradition for many of us – and I find it so helpful, thought-provoking and challenging to read the posts each weekend running up to Easter.

Fast Fast

I have been pondering on what to do this year to mark Lent. I’ve already volunteered to lead some Churches Together Lent Bible Study Groups – but that isn’t a proper ‘Lenten Challenge’ [not that I am suggesting it is some sort of penance – see below]

Tom Ringland, our Rector, has a good piece in his Parish Magazine this month about ‘Up’ – maybe not so much ‘giving up’ something, but ‘building up’ our faith, perhaps ‘taking up’ something that will make us healthier Christians [physically and spiritually] …and we must not ‘give up’ the challenge

What is ‘True Fasting’ all about?  My mate Gaz is doing this one.

The American Pastor, Marjorie Thompson, an American pastor and writer has asked this question

Fasting is trendy at the moment- mostly among dieting friends. But they mean ‘eating fewer calories on some days, in order to lose weight’ – they don’t claim any spiritual merit for the exercise.But aside from food – other blogfriends are doing a Clothing Fast

Read more about it here, and here. I understand the principles behind it – but don’t think that one is for me. I can’t wear the same clothes to kneel on the floor beside a 5 year old at school as I wear to preach on a Sunday, and then there are the jeans I wear for housework and  [and of course Hayley’s wedding in April] Plus I think I would have to do laundry every other day. Nope that’s out!

I do enjoy chocolate, but I can take it or leave it [actually, if I leave it, Bob will probably eat it on my behalf] I still have at least one box left over from Christmas.

Oh dear…what shall I do? Tom’s article suggests “create some space in each day …change the pace of our busy lives… use that time in a focussed way to reflect on commitments…priorities…what God may be saying” For many years I have followed the practice of having a daily ‘Quiet Time’ when I read Scripture and pray’…but I want to do something more this Lent.

So I have decided to ‘Fast from Fast’. During Lent I shall try to slow down a bit – specifically by cutting back on multi-tasking. I acknowledge that often my attempts to save time by doing two or more tasks at once result in disasters which take even longer to sort.

• When I sit and watch a TV programme with Bob, I shall give my full attention to the screen, and to Bob’s conversation [not lose the plot, because I am wrestling with some knitting or complicated crochet pattern]
• When I put on the CD a friend has recommended, I shall close my eyes and listen to it – right through – not leap up half way to make a cup of tea, or read a magazine at the same time
• When I’m sitting by the computer and the phone rings, I shall converse intelligently with the caller and not play Solitaire when they are talking to me! [I only do this sometimes, but confess it is a bad habit, not good manners at all]
• When I am cooking, I shall slow down a little, and concentrate just on getting the meal ready. Trying to fold laundry, and unload the dishwasher at the same time as frying sausages and scrambling eggs is a recipe for disaster. Yet I still do it.

I am sure other things will occur to me over the next 6 weeks. As I have started to make the list, I can see that so many of these activities are ones which involve relationships and conversations. People matter more than activities or things. Jesus showed his love for people by spending time with them, by listening to their concerns, by ensuring they were properly fed. Slow me down, Lord!

What challenges are you taking up this Lent?

Taken Into Custardy

I bought a mini panettone for £1 in Aldi just before Christmas, and I also had an egg custard mix in the cupboard. So I thought I’d be creative. On the egg custard box it suggested making a bread and butter pudding – so I checked this out in the Greens Website.

I modified it, by using 6 small pots,not one big one, and just cutting my panettone into chunks, rather than slicing and buttering [it had chocolate chips in anyway] As per instructions, I made up the custard and poured it over the chunks.

That was before I went to church Sunday. When I got home, as per the recipe, I put the puds [the custard now set] in the oven to bake for 20minutes. I have to report this does not work!! When I served up the puds, the custard had gone runny again. Bob nobly ate his sloppy pudding but we agreed it was not as expected. However, the remaining puds cooled and went into the fridge. This time, the custard set, and I served them as cold desserts. Much better!

That was the second disaster on Sunday – the first was arriving at church in Hugglescote, to preach, and realising in the hymn just before the sermon that I had left the final sheet of my sermon notes at home. By the Grace of God, and Divine Inspiration, I was able to finish the sermon from memory.

And as Bob said, it’s always good if that happens from time to time, it keeps your on your toes! I’ve just discovered a website with preacher’s tee shirts – I just cannot decide which I like best

I suspect I’m better at preaching than at cooking. I’m certain that 35 years of my cooking has deepened the quality of Bob’s praying.