Wednesday 30 November 2016

Tell Me, Where Is Fancy Bread?

...to misquote the Bard. Well, I will tell you, it is up the road in Ringwood! In the wonderful Bakehouse24 in Lynes Lane, just off the High Street. On Tuesday, we went to Ringwood on our day off [Bob had a birthday gift token to spend in a well known bookstore beginning with W] and we had a good mooch round the town and the Charity Shops - and then I needed a cup of tea. We followed the sign - tempted by the bicycle outside, and the word 'sourdough' !
We weren't disappointed - this place ticked all the boxes for me. Lovely mugs of tea [with milk brought at a fair price from local farmers]  and large, fresh sourdough rolls, sliced beautifully, accompanied by generous pots of butter, and rich dark berry jam. 
One end of the shop is the eating area - flanked by a huge bookshelf of great cookbooks.
I could have sat there for hours, reading Yotam Ottolenghi Thomasina Myers, Hugh F-W et al



There was a good selection of freshly baked breads to eat in or take away. I loved the quirky Christmas Decorations - rolls and buns and croissants sprayed gold and silver hanging around the place. Did they make the breads specially? I cannot believe there is anything left unsold at the end of the day - it all tasted so good!

At the other side of the shop, in full view, was the baking area.
Balls of sourdough being shaped and formed, bowls of yeast rising, and racks of baked goods fresh from the oven


Pete and co kindly allowed me to take some pictures for the blog [thank you!]. We had such a great time, they were all so friendly. We came away with a crusty golden sourdough loaf for later. If you are in this neck of the woods, do search out BH24. OK, it does positively ooze hipster vibes, but so what? Their products are good, at a fair price, and Bob and I certainly plan to go there again...I never finished reading the Nordic Cookbook...
Real Bread, from the New Forest - BH24 is well worth a visit *****






Tuesday 29 November 2016

How To Run An Alco-Free Bar [Tutorial - Part 1]

I  spent most of Monday morning packing away my bar stuff from Saturday night.  The Barn Dance was excellent,  but I was really busy all evening.  I never got to dance,  and I never got a photo of the cocktails either.  
Here's my two boxes of kit all ready to return to the loft. I've been asked for my Mocktail Recipes, so here are a few tips to help you run your own alcohol free bar. There are two ways of doing this.  Either make a small number of drinks beforehand, or mix to order. 
For my WWDP Y-pray? Conference in April, I made three drinks, and put them in Kilner 'Beverage Dispensers'
These usually cost around £12 and hold 5 litres [about 35 drinks] I was fortunate to pick mine up for a fiver each in Wilko Sale! This summer I found a similar one for £3 in a charity shop. The three drinks I chose were orange, pink and blue. [recipes to follow below] I also had umbrellas, cherries and citrus slices on sticks- plus ice cubes.
Here's a photo from the conference - you can see how pretty the drinks look, and also note that I am wearing catering gloves. Not glamorous, but more hygienic when I am picking up cherries and ice cubes and things!
This is the best way when you want to serve a lot of people quickly.
On Saturday people were coming more slowly in between dances to get a drink, and I had time to make up more personalised drinks.
These all follow the same basic formula

  • put a couple of ice cubes in the glass
  • add 10ml of 'base' [cordial or pure juice]
  • top up with 'fizz' [lemonade, cola, tonic or cherryade]
  • add garnish and umbrella
Various cordials and juices plus the 3 sodas makes a surprising number of variations. The blue drink requires curaƧao syrup.***
Using regular 'Paris Goblets' here's the quantities & cals per glass

BLUE MOON  4.64 litres 31 glasses    30cals
140 ml blue curaƧao syrup
500 ml lime juice cordial
4 litres tonic      
GOLDEN SUNRISE 4 litres 28 glasses 20 cals
1 litre orange juice
250ml ginger ale
2.75 litres lemonade
AUTUMN SUNSET 5 litres  35 glasses  10 cals
400ml red fruits double concentrate squash
250ml orange juice
4.35 litres lemonade     


***Blue curacao syrup costs £5.50 a bottle [from Makro, Beers Of Europe, or online - not too hard to find, and a bottle will make around 150 glasses. It lasts ages!
The recipes above are flexible - I use 'no added sugar' cordials and 'basics' fizz and fruit juices. That selection will make more than 90 drinks, and at current prices work about between 5p and 14p each [the blue one is the dearest!]
Don't forget to add in the cost of cocktail sticks, cherries, olives, citrus slices and little umbrellas [and plastic cups if you use them]. All of which can add a further 10p to each drink
I charge 25p a drink - that helps offset the initial cost of buying the dispensers and replacing the inevitable broken glasses. I don't make any profits!
I will publish the more comprehensive menu later. 
UPDATE - I just discovered I did take a couple of photos on Saturday- one of the bar and one of the dancing...









Monday 28 November 2016

Flat Footed, Fat Legged...

The saga of the painful knee continues.  I had a very positive session with a lovely physio at my GPs surgery on Friday  morning. Bad news, there is wear in the knee joint.  Good news is that gentle cycling will help.  My calves are apparently in good shape because of my pedalling.
But I  am overweight.  Scientists reckon that every extra 1lb in weight puts 7lbs of added strain on the knees,  she told me. I've put on 22lbs since I got to Dorset, I told her. [Do the maths - it's terrifying - no wonder my knee hurts!] AND you are very Flat Footed! Do you usually wear shoes like this? I replied honestly
"No, I put these on because they would be easy to slip off when I got here. I usually wear flat shoes for driving, I wear trainers when I cycle and heeled court shoes when I doing preaching or public speaking."
Then I started mentally listing shoes I have worn recently 
The stilettos I wear for preaching, my comfy red clogs, my black 'MaryJanes', my tall black stretchy suede boots, my pink open toed sandals [Well I never actually wore them, it was too cold - but I did consider it]




 
OK I am a short Essex girl, and I love my heels. "What you need to be wearing, to sort this out, is a pair of good, strong flat lace up shoes" she told me.
It's twenty years since I wore them [my Girls' Brigade Officer Shoes, from the 'school uniform' section of the shop] "And some orthotics in your heels to help correct the flat footedness. That is adding to the knee pain"
So we went off to Boots for the Orthotics, and to Clarks for the shoes. And now I am the proud possessor of a pair of green leather lace ups. Now I'm flat footed and flat broke
The style is called "Hamble Oak" [I think she was Gabriel's mother, in Far From The Madding Crowd] After an incredibly busy weekend, with lots of standing, I have to say that my leg is considerably more comfortable than it was. "You also need to lose some weight, but I appreciate that's difficult in the Christmas period" said the physio. I mentioned our fabulous Church Catering Committee, the Cream Teas, Thursday Lunch Club...she suggested I got them on board in helping me to avoid the unnecessary calories. The weight thing is going to be harder [especially when a kind soul put a selection of leftover cakes into my hand on Sunday!] 
"Finally here are some exercises, do these morning and evening and rub in some Ibuleve Gel"  That part I am managing. But Bob will keep pretending to be one of the Bachelors!


Sunday 27 November 2016

Pause In Advent #1 - W [WJD]

There have been so many situations recently when I have found myself asking What Would Jesus Do? WWJD. I decided the titles for my Advent pauses this year would take each initial. Then I read this post by my friend Phil Jump up in the NW of England, and he said 'feel free to use it' - so thanks Phil - W = WORD. This prayer sums things up beautifully
The Word of the Lord.
As Advent begins, the repercussions of Brexit and the election of an unexpected candidate as U.S. president continue to echo. The message of the moment is that nothing is certain anymore. And for every unexpected outcome there are uncertain consequences. Yet in this season we are reminded of the enduring promises of God’s word; that Christ was born into circumstances no less uncertain, yet as testimony to the enduring reliability of God’s promise. Today we remember words spoken by prophets and preachers, generations before the cry of a new-born king pierced the dark indifference of the night air. Today we light a candle of hope as a testimony to the hope that is always ours.

We light this candle
Amidst a world of uncertainty
A world of unexpected outcomes
And ways forward that are unclear.
A fragile flame burns
That could be extinguished at any moment
A flickering testimony that there has always been light
Since the day your voice declared that it should be.
So in this world where kingdoms rise and fall
Where rulers posture in their temporary squabbles of state and empire
Where the weakest pay the price for the follies of the powerful
The word of the Lord endures for ever.
Words that promised Messiah’s coming
Words fulfilled amidst the chaos of human circumstance
Words of hope, words of life, words of promise
Words that will last for all of eternity.


© 2016 North Western Baptist Association

It isn't too late to join in with P in A - and don't forget to check out other Pauser Posts! Details here 

Saturday 26 November 2016

Candy Canes and Cocktails

Today is going to be a very busy one. All afternoon, Bob and I will be in the precinct in town. It is the switch-on of the Ferndown Lights and we were invited by the Council to have a stand for UCF. Well, we never turn down an offer like that!! So we'll be handing out all sorts of things about the true Reason for the Season. That will include these "Well Good Christmas" children's story booklets from the Bible Society

Then in the evening, we have a Barn Dance, arranged by our Youth Minister, Miriam. I shall be behind the bar all evening, sorting out the non alcoholic cocktails. 
Mine won't be quite as swish as these-  but I am offering a menu of 12 different drinks in a rainbow of colours [red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brown]
The Christmas Season has well and truly started I think!





Friday 25 November 2016

Black Friday?

I announced to my long-suffering husband this week that if I couldn't find any teaching work,maybe I should start a new career as an activist.  I seem to be ranting rather a lot lately, [in between sneezing]  But I am not going to join today's general rant about shopping, big businesses, consumerism, greed and the antiTrumpers. This is something quite different. A while ago, I noticed I'd picked up a new follower on Twitter- Will Hurst, an architectural journalist. I don't tweet that much, so have no idea why he clicked on my tweet. But I reciprocated, and have found his tweets [all of an architectural nature] to be fascinating and informative. He just raised my awareness of this issue... 
You remember this picture? This iconic photograph, taken in 1940 during the  Blitz,  stood as a symbol for British resistance to Hitler and Nazism. For 400 years, Wren's masterpiece was the highest building on the London skyline. My Dad used to tell me that it mattered to him that the tallest building in our capital was one which pointed people to Jesus.


But then came the skyscrapers, and rather lax policies implemented by the chap who is now our Foreign Secretary - and the appearance of London started changing drastically. Two and a half years ago, a campaign was started to fight this. People have been concerned that some developments could actually threaten the Unesco "World Heritage Site" Status granted to Westminster. 
Much of the problem revolves round the issue of protected views;
A protected view or protected vista is the legal requirement within urban planning to preserve the view of a specific place or historic building from another location. The effect of a protected view is to limit the height of new buildings within or adjacent to the sightline between the two places so as to preserve the ability to see the landmark as a focus of the view. The protection may also cover the area behind the place or building concerned.
The vistas protected by the London View Management Framework are as follows:
·         from Alexandra Palace to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from the summit of Parliament Hill to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from the summit of Parliament Hill to the Palace of Westminster
·         from Parliament Hill, at the prominent oak tree east of the summit, to Palace of Westminster
·         from the viewing gazebo at Kenwood House to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from the summit of Primrose Hill to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from the summit of Primrose Hill to the Palace of Westminster
·         from Greenwich Park, north east of the General Wolfe statue, to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from Blackheath Point, near the orientation board, to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from Westminster Pier to St Paul’s Cathedral
·         from the centre of the bridge over the Serpentine to the Palace of Westminster
·         from the The Queen’s Walk at City Hall to the  White Tower

·         The views of St Paul's Cathedral from Waterloo Bridge and Hungerford are not specifically mentioned although these views are protected in practice by the views from Richmond Park and from Westminster Pier respectively as these bridges are on the path of the protected vistas.
  finally  from King Henry VIII’s Mound in Richmond Park to St Paul’s Cathedral a distance of over 10 miles (16 km) and created in 1710, this view frames the cathedral through a special gap in holly hedging, down a specially maintained clear avenue in Sidmouth Wood and then all the way across London. This protected view has limited development around Liverpool Street Station as a tall structure there would form an unacceptable backdrop to the view of St Paul's. 

You may not recognise any or all of these locations - but you have probably seen them, as they are frequently used in films and TV programmes. I remember often standing at Wolfe's Statue with my two daughters, pointing out landmarks of our great city, over twenty years ago. Here is the protected view across ten miles from Richmond Park
But look now!! 

The construction of Manhattan Loft Gardens, designed by SOM and described on its website as “Europe’s most ambitious residential tower” comprises three extensive sky gardens, a 145-bedroom hotel, almost 250 residential units, and retail and restaurant space.
The capital’s overarching planning document, The London Plan, states that any development in the background of St Paul’s should be “subordinate to the cathedral
and that the clear sky background profile of the upper part of the dome remains”
Photographs released by Friends of Richmond Park show that the emerging skyscraper in Stratford is clearly visible behind the cathedral. The charity has said “The new development clearly and substantially compromises the profile of the whole of the dome of St Paul’s and, for almost the entire east side of the building, the clear sky background is obliterated.
The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is being petitioned to call a halt to this construction, because it is clearly in contravention of the planning regs. 
My favourite Belgian loves to tell me that when you visit La Grande Place in Brussels, another Unesco WHS, you cannot see any skyscrapers - and that the Rogier Tower had to be redesigned to be 40 metres shorter, so it would not be visible.
If the Belgians can stop such things, why can't we??
Oh, maybe this is a rant against big business and consumerism after all. But if we are more concerned about building bigger and better hotels and homes for the rich, rather than maintaining an attractive environment and building homes for the poor, then perhaps this truly is a Black Friday.

Thursday 24 November 2016

Wreath Lecture

In IKEA on Tuesday, while Bob was buying Fork 'Andles  sorry, Four Candles [red] and one white one, for the UCF Advent Services, I was busy finding some lovely red silk flowers. I'm doing the church flowers in December, and a silk arrangement will be long lasting through all the 'specials' that happen in the busy Christmas season.
A lady stopped me as I carried my armful of blooms over to where Bob was dozing in a Bargain Corner Armchair. "They are lovely!" she exclaimed. "Yes, they are for a Christmas display at Church" I told her. 
"Oh, do you do the Church Flowers? What a wonderful gift - I do admire you" she gushed. I muttered that we had a rota, and whilst I usually enjoyed taking my turn, most of our arrangers had done courses and got certificates and were semi-professional experts in floristry. I said I was very conscious that my offerings didn't match up to their skillful artwork. To my surprise, her tone immediately changed...She began to almost lecture me...
"You must never say that. It is all about grace. You are doing this for the Lord, because you love Him - and nobody should judge another's work. Your flowers will be beautiful because you did this task for Him."
I was quite overwhelmed by her vehemence on the matter. "Yes, I guess you are absolutely right" I replied. This encouragement by a complete stranger [thank you, lady who belongs to a small church in a little village somewhere outside Southampton] has kept me cheerful since. I spent all of yesterday [in excess of 6 hours] with my friend Jenny, tidying the cupboard which houses the Church decorations, and then putting up two trees and the illuminated wreaths which hang along the walls inside the chapel. [thanks Jenny for all the help, hoovering, and hot cuppas]
The main tree in the entrance has been decorated this year with those lovely 'Names of Jesus' embroideries done by the ladies for Christmas 2015, plus gold baubles.
The children's tree in the Hall [no idea why it is always called that] has five little robins hidden in its branches, plus red baubles and tinsel. And the Wreaths, Bells and Stars of David are decorating the chapel - all ready for this weekend [Barn Dance Saturday, Advent #1 on Sunday]
Here's a collage of all that we did yesterday. The Star of Bethlehem has yet to go up [waiting for the Very Tall Pastor to do that job] And in the centre, a shot of our lovely new curtains, which have just been hung in the newly decorated church hall. We are particularly pleased with these- they not only look good, but have added a significant benefit to the acoustics.
I have yet to prepare my silk arrangement, but that's not for a couple of weeks. I will take pictures of that - and of the full size stable scene outside the chapel.
For our publicity at UCF this year, we are using the gorgeous red Peace On Earth materials from CPO. Christmas is fast approaching!
[and thank you Bob for the inspired  title for this post]

Wednesday 23 November 2016

Winchester Cathedral, You're Breaking Me Down!

We went to Winchester Cathedral to visit the Christmas Market.  I was really looking forward to it.  But we were both quite underwhelmed.  I  guess we were expecting jolly frauleins  with steins of German lager,  and huge salty pretzels, and  pretty carved Swiss Christmas decorations, lots of felted robins, tie dye scarves and artisanal breads and cakes. And people wandering round with trays of samples, and cheery Christmas music in the background. But there seemed to be very few actual producers and craftspeople.  So much was clearly mass produced and bought in to sell on.  Why pay £16 for a folded paper star lampshade  when you can get a  very similar one from IKEA for £7? Or £55 for £20 Garden Shears? Bob saw some French cheese which looked interesting, and thought about buying some for Jon. But when he talked to the stallholder, he discovered he was usually at Borough Market in London [a stone's throw from Jon and Liz, so that could hardly be counted as an interesting and unusual gift for them] All the stalls are in little sheds,  many bearing a sign saying "no photos please" So I don't have any to post.  Sorry.  
At the end of the row was a nativity scene.  I snapped that,  but as Bob pointed out,  all the Holy Family looked pretty miserable! 
We wandered round the city instead and found a few stocking-fillers in Charity Shops.  Quick lunch in the Guildhall Cafe, then back on to the park'n'ride bus. For the second time in a few hours,  we saw a fabulous rainbow. 
We travelled back to Southampton,  as Liz had asked us to pick up something in IKEA.  But it was an online-only  purchase so we failed that one! But despite all that,  we had a great time together,  and picked up a few important items.  
Like four candles for Advent  and straws for the Mocktails at Saturday Night's UCF Barn Dance
All in all we had a lovely day together, even if it didn't turn out quite as expected.
I trace the rainbow through the rain, confident that tomorrow, these minor disappointments will be forgotten.

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Confessions...


I am hoping to spend much of this weekgetting ready for the UCF Christmas Craft Fair in two weeks. [for the uninitiated,  UFO stands for UnFinished Objects.  I prefer the term PhD, Projects Half Done] 

Monday 21 November 2016

Free Love - A Major Rant

I do try not to get too political on this blog. I recognise the right to freedom of speech, and of belief, and I know that many of my friends have different opinions from mine, and are of the same faith, or different faith or none. I am not out to offend anyone.But I have just spent 2 days in Norfolk, and watched "Look East" the local news programme. They have been covering the case of Lauri Love, a young man facing extradition to the USA for computer hacking. 
Lauri is undeniably extremely gifted when it comes to computers, and he is also an activist for human rights and freedoms. But he also suffers with Asperger's Syndrome. Imprisonment, and especially solitary confinement, and restricted contact with his parents...these things would be intolerable for him. It is three years since Aaron Swartz committed suicide - another AS sufferer who had been indicted on hacking charges
When she was Home Secretary, in relation to Gary McKinnon [another guy that the Americans wanted to extradite for trial] Theresa May said this
I should explain to the house that the statutory process under the extradition act 2003 has long ended. Since I came into office the sole issue on which I have been required to make a decision is whether Mr McKinnon’s extradition to the United States would breach his human rights.Mr McKinnon is accused of serious crimes. But there is also no doubt that he is seriously ill. He has asperger’s syndrome, and suffers from depressive illness. The legal question before me is now whether the extent of that illness is sufficient to preclude extradition.As the house would expect, I have very carefully considered the representations made on Mr McKinnon’s behalf, including from a number of clinicians. I have obtained my own medical advice from practitioners recommended to me by the chief medical officer. And I have taken extensive legal advice.After careful consideration of all of the relevant material, I have concluded that Mr McKinnon’s extradition would give rise to such a high risk of him ending his life that a decision to extradite would be incompatible with Mr McKinnon’s human rights.I have therefore withdrawn the extradition order against Mr McKinnon...Conclusion; Mr Speaker, ... it is in the overwhelming public interest that our extradition arrangements function properly. They must also be fair. We must balance both strong safeguards for those accused of cross-border crimes, with assurance that justice will be done. That is the government’s aim, that is what our proposals will produce and I commend this statement to the house.
That's what she said four years ago, and Gary's extradition was blocked. Now she is PM and Amber Rudd is Home Secretary. In October, 105 MPs signed a letter to Barack Obama asking him to block Lauri's extradition. That number has now risen to 114. Last week Amber Rudd approved the order. The Home Office said Love “has been charged with various computer hacking offences which included targeting US military and federal government agencies”. He has 14 days to appeal against the order and is expected to do so. Love, who also has depression and eczema, had argued that his health means a jail term in the US could drive him towards a mental breakdown or suicide. However, the US district judge, Nina Tempia, said in her ruling on 16 September that Love could be cared for by “medical facilities in the United States prison estate”. She said he faced “extremely serious charges” and, while she accepted that he suffered from “both physical and mental health issues”, she believed provision for his condition was adequate in the US.
I am NOT saying Lauri is innocent of the charges brought against him. Although I would point out that the US have been less than detailed about the exact nature of these charges, which has made it hard for his lawyers to build a case.  But I am genuinely concerned that should he be extradited, his life would be at risk.
Not just from depression and suicide - but from the treatment he may receive. He could be imprisoned for three months pre-trial. By which time, the President will be the man who said in February...

Torture works. OK, folks? You know, I have these guys—”Torture doesn’t work!”—believe me, it works. And waterboarding is your minor form. Some people say it’s not actually torture. Let’s assume it is. But they asked me the question: What do you think of waterboarding? Absolutely fine. But we should go much stronger than waterboarding.


That really concerns me. How can Theresa May and Amber Rudd allow his extradition knowing what might face him in America?  Lauri himself said this

"I'd much rather exude hugs and understanding and sympathy and love but there is a lot we have to be angry about. Not angry towards people, even if it's convenient rhetorically to hang our barbs on the agents of injustice. In fact we must always be intolerant of the injustice itself, while remaining compassionate and understanding towards those who find themselves wrapped up in its application and implementation."
I've worked in an Autism Support Unit. I have friends who suffer with Asperger's - and friends who are parents of children on the autism spectrum. These people need support and care. Lauri lives with his parents, good people, who both work within our British prison system, showing compassion and understanding for the people around them. I cannot imagine the anxiety they are facing right now.
For an alleged crime of hacking USA computers and showing them what weak security they have? No damage was made, no profit was made, yet USA seem to want to persecute Lauri with up to 99 years in prison! Lauri suffers from a range of health problems and experts have said that there is a real risk that he will kill himself if faced with a USA jail sentence. He must not be extradited to USA for their draconian intentions.
Read more here, and please consider signing the various petitions [herehere and here] and if your MP was not listed among the 114 who petitioned Obama,[my MP Christopher Chope, Conservative didn't sign]  then write and ask them to reconsider. 
Thank you for bothering to read all of this, I just had to get it off my chest!

Home Again

After a week of travelling,  700 miles in the car,  I am happy to wake up in my own bed again. Dorset  > Leicestershire >Norfolk >Leicestershire > Dorset.  The heavy cold which was bad on Friday is getting better,  but this is going to be a busy week,  so I hope to feel fully back to normal soon. 
Funniest thing,  Bob came up to Norfolk on the train on Saturday.  He had to change trains in London. He was just having a meal near Liverpool Street station  when a woman came up to him and asked  "Excuse me,  are you famous?"  I  am still chuckling! 

Sunday 20 November 2016

Time Out

Hothorpe Hall was lovely,  and in the gardens were many quiet corners where you could sit and think.  Even in late November,  there was colour and foliage looking stunning.  The nearest door to my bedroom led to such a space.  
On the wall [screening my view of parked cars] was a mosaic, and beside it, a quote from Leonardo Da Vinci.
 It's good to take time out sometimes, and return to the task in hand with a fresh eye, and renewed vision, don't you think? 

Saturday 19 November 2016

Initial Thoughts On Brotherly Love

It was my brother's birthday this week. I wasn't sure what to get him, so decided to go for something a little different - I gave him 6 small food gifts



If  you look carefully, at the parcels, you will see they are labelled with letters
A - D - R -I - A - N
that is
A = Ale
D = Dip
R = Root vegetable crisps
I = I.P.A.
A = All Butter Biscuits
N = Nuts
my original intention had been A = Almonds, and then have N = Nachos but there were none in store, hence the A.B. biscuits and Nuts.







He seemed to enjoy unwrapping each letter. I am not sure I could manage this for all my family. 
Bob could have Beer/Olives/Biscuits 
and Jon could have Jam/Onions
/Nachos
but what would I give Liz? Limes/Irish Cheddar/Zucchini...or would she want the full ELIZABETH
Perhaps this could be a new party game - I packed a hamper for my friend called "???" and in it I put "???"


Read This At Your Own Convenience

Today is World Toilet Day. No kidding! This day is marked by the UN as an opportunity to recognise that so many people in our world do not have adequate sanitation.Of the worlds 7 billion people, it is estimated that around 6 billion have a mobile phone - but 2.5 billion don't have access to a proper toilet.
Go and read the stuff on this website - then consider if you should be helping.
I have friends who did not send out Christmas Cards last year and spent the money on a twinned toilet instead. Brilliant!

Friday 18 November 2016

Now This Is Dead Interesting

Just up the road from Cornerstones is Great  Ryburgh.  This is the home of Perfect Pork,  purveyors of finest sausages and more.
 It's also the home of Operation Turtle Dove,  a project working hard to save these birds from extinction.
 And now,  news has just been released of a fabulous historical find. Forget one king in a car park -  this is 81 Anglo Saxons in treetrunk coffins on the edge of a new fishing lake! 
You can read the full story here .  Bob is very pleased.  When we were in the Anglo-Saxon village in Suffolk last year,  he asked about the Christian remains,  and was firmly told that there were no Christians around East Anglia then.  He said he believed there were.  His faith has been vindicated!