Sunday 31 May 2020

Whitsun Worship


Join us for worship at United Church Ferndown on Pentecost Sunday - follow this link

Who Is My Neighbour?


That was the question which the lawyer asked Jesus in Luke chapter 10. A good friend of mine posted this story a couple of days ago, and I thought that what she has done was so lovely it was worth sharing...
"Did you know that Friday was Neighbours' Day in France - although I think they have postponed it because of the virus. They clearly make a big thing of it. I went to market this morning and the flower man was there selling cheap flowers. So I bought a load, came home, made them into small posy arrangements . 
I did five. I delivered them to our immediate neighbours. One lost her husband last year and was having a low day - they put a smile on her face, One lost her sister last week and is also low, we cried and smiled. The other three were very happy to receive them. The flowers may not last long but isn't the Lord's timing great for me to knock on those doors? 
Bonne FĂȘte des Voisins - happy Neighbours' Day everyone x"

Jesus concluded, “In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbour toward the man…?” The teacher of the Law answered, “The one who was kind to him.” Jesus replied, “You go, then, and do the same.” [Luke 10: 36-38, GNT]



Saturday 30 May 2020

Robert's Radio

Except it isn't Robert's Radio, it is my radio. Bob gave it to me about 15 years ago, and I loved listening to the DAB stations, especially BBC Radio 7 [now called Radio 4 Extra] The radio was beautifully retro, and covered in a burgundy red leatherette fabric. I loved it, carting it from room to room listening to dramas, comedy, quizzes,classic books...
But then two problems developed- the surface started degrading and peeling horribly, and the sound became intermittent. Somehow plugging headphones into the socket had affected the switch. DAB radios had come right down in price- Bob bought me a DAB clock radio alarm to have by the bed - and then later a cheap Lidl radio for the kitchen.
But look at this! Bob not only fixed the inside, so it plays all the channels again - but he stripped off the tatty covering. The shell underneath is actually carved wood. He recovered this with a piece of heavy cotton from my stash, sealing it with a coat of PVA.
He replaced all the labels and trims, and the little hinge on the side.
It looks and sounds brilliant now. Thank you Bob!

Friday 29 May 2020

Cereal Killers

We seem to have three containers of cereal 'on the go' - porridge oats, bran flakes and rice crispies. The bran stuff is mine, Bob doesn't eat that [it's "too worthy"] and the crispies were bought as an alternative to oats, for days when you don't want a big bowl of porridge. But cereals can go a bit stale after a while. I used up the flakes in my super easy Bran Loaf CakeMix the following in a bowl
  • 1 cup bran cereal
  • 1 cup dried fruit [sultanas, raisins, currants or a mixture]
  • 1 cup sugar [granulated, demerara, caster or soft brown]
  • 1 cup liquid [milk or cold tea]
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice

Stir well and leave for at least two hours, or overnight. Preheat your oven to 170°. Now stir into your bowl 1 cup of self raising flour and 1 beaten egg. Mix well, ensuring all the flour is incorporated. Line a loaf tin and pour in the mixture. Smooth the top. Bake for 75 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool. Serve sliced, with a cup of tea. With butter if feeling rich and decadent!
Recently, in the Guardian's Waste Not section, Tom Hunt gave this recipe for Maple and Coconut Crispies  
Prep 10 min
Freeze/chill 1 hr 10 min
Makes 12 squares
  • 90g milk or dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 50g coconut butter
  • 40ml maple syrup
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 75g puffed rice and other grains (millet, quinoa, etc)
  • 40g mixed dried fruit and seeds, plus extra to finish 
In a heat-proof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate with the coconut butter, maple syrup and salt. Stir in the cereals until combined, then pour into a small, lined tin. Scatter dried fruit and seeds over the top, if you like, then freeze for an hour. Transfer to the fridge until fully set, cut into 12 small squares and enjoy.
I had no coconut butter, I used real butter and a heaped tsp of desiccated coconut**.
I thought mine looked OK beside his . I don't know what his red bits are though. I am mean, I cut into 16 smaller pieces!

**helpful spelling hint - if you cannot spell desiccated, remember it is just like coconut- one S and two CC

Thank you everybody for the kind birthday wishes for Liz. We had a surprise Zoom Family Birthday Party on Wednesday afternoon - with cake!


Thursday 28 May 2020

Where'er You Walk...

Many of my friends and family are documenting their daily walks on Facebook or in their blogs. I love their photographs - of distant views, and close-ups of blossoms and butterflies, and pictures of their happy families enjoying the sunshine and the open air. 
I'm not very good at this - I frequently take so long to get a picture that Bob is half a mile up the footpath. We are very blessed to have so many lovely areas to visit round here, on the edge of the New Forest [my friend Pauline takes wonderful pictures of the trees and the skyline] Here are a few of my attempts - and notes to explain
The highly ornate design of the Lady Wimborne Bridge at Canford Magna reflects the power of landowners over British railway companies in the 19th century. Wealthy Sir John Guest, owner of ironworks in Wales, purchased Canford Manor near Wimborne – and had the bridge built to carry the new railway over the drive to his house – so that the carriages could get to his property without interruption. It is now a Grade II listed structure
Brockenhurst is the largest village in the New Forest - the ford runs through the middle of this picturesque place. Usually heaving with tourists on a warm May afternoon, it was incredibly quiet when we visited - all the gift shops and tearooms were closed because of Covid19.
'Stephen's Castle' is an Iron Age barrow at the top of an old quarry near Verwood, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Legend has it that Stephen was a local tribal chief of great strength. He was supposed to have hurled the 'Stephen stone' half a mile into Ringwood Forest, no mean feat as the stone weighs around 3 tonnes! The barrow was excavated in 1828, and human remains dating back to the Iron Age were found. Verwood once had a thriving pottery and brick industry which stemmed from the abundance of clay, and fuelled by the gorse and birch on the heaths. The quarry work was abandoned in Victorian Times.
Walking through these places with Bob reminded me of Handel's solo from the opera Semele. My mother was particularly fond of this piece, sung by the contralto Kathleen Ferrier.[I don't think Mum had a clue what the opera was about!]
Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit, shall crowd into a shade
Where'er you tread, the blushing flowers shall rise
And all things flourish, where'er you turn your eyes

And hello to all the new followers who have joined since Easter - I cannot keep up with you all, but it is lovely to know that you're enjoying reading this. Wherever you are, keep well, keep safe and be kind. [and Remember To Be A Lert, We Need Lerts]

Wednesday 27 May 2020

Happy Birthday, Liz!

Happy birthday Liz. It is hard to believe that we haven't been together for five months. This picture of you and Rosie in the Norfolk sunshine last week is so lovely. I keep looking at it and smiling.
Your resilience through this lockdown time has been amazing. I'm in awe of all the mothers out there who are managing to work full-time from home right now, whilst still caring for lively pre-schoolers. 
You've been brilliant about keeping us in touch via WhatsApp and Zoom etc. We have enjoyed telling Rosie bedtime stories, and sharing pictures of our activities.
My breadmaking skills have developed enormously since March- and you have encouraged and helped with that, sharing tips and swapping recipes and pictures.
Despite claiming you are 'not crafty' we have seen so many pictures [and heard her reports] of Rosie's activities with paint, and recycling, and "junk modelling" as well as learning to cook. Your daughter can now prepare as many meals as the average student arriving at Uni!
And Steph has found your support and wisdom immeasurable, through the difficult end-of-pregnancy, birth, and early days of motherhood, whilst isolated in this Time Of Covid. You've always been there for her, and even at a distance you are a fantastic 'big sister'
Thank you for all the joy you have brought to us for over three decades. I miss you SO much, but I am sure Jon and Ro will fill your day with love, and cake...
God bless you today and always - we love you and cannot wait till we are all together again.


Tuesday 26 May 2020

"Someone On The Phone For You, Ang"

...said Bob, entering the lounge. "Who is it?" I asked. Bob looked puzzled, put his hand over the receiver and whispered 
"It's the Hammerhead Band Woman!"
I was a little confused. I know nothing about this Rock Band - and I thought all their members were blokes anyway...
But once I took hold of the phone and spoke to the caller, everything became infinitely clearer. Nothing to do with heavy metal or ear-splitting noise. Bob's Mondegreen. He'd misunderstood what was being said - in fact it was the Hannah's Headband Woman. 
My friend helps co-ordinate the making of these headbands locally - and has some people who've made complete headbands [like me] And other people who complete one stage of the process. She telephoned on Friday evening to say that she had some packs of headbands which were all cut and prepared, ready for the machine sewing and elastic..
..and the elastic stitcher couldn't do it now, please could I help, as she was desperate. I'd only need to do machining - she has a team of ladies lined up to sew on the buttons. What could I say? I said that I had other stuff to do, but I would do a few. Which is why Friday evening and Saturday morning were spent making 150 headbands.

Next week I may start my own heavy metal group, it will probably be less stressful





Monday 25 May 2020

Oh Crumbs!

Bob found a flour mill in Northampton which would deliver bread flour in 16kg sacks at an extremely reasonable price. So he ordered one. It has meant that I can continue to bake our own loaves, usually on alternate days. I'm not sure that once the lockdown etc is over, I shall want to go back to buying bread in a supermarket! I have been experimenting, and have made rolls, burger buns and bagels, as well as ordinary loaves. However we do seem to eat more bread when it comes as a bagel or a bun...I made the rolls quite small as we were using those in our YouTube Communion service. Here is some of my recent output



Sunday 24 May 2020

Sunday Worship In Ferndown

This morning's half-hour service includes one of my favourite songs [Vagabonds] and a feature on The Bus Stop Club [one of the two food charities we are supporting each week through the lockdown] and a great sermon from Bob [OK I am biased, but I found it really challenging]

It's Wesley Day

Methodists the world over call this day, 24th  May"Wesley Day" - it marks the day in 1738 when John Wesley became a Christian. Wesley Day 1959 was the day on which another great Methodist, Dr William Sangster died.
I'm not a Methodist, but in 1970, I was given this book - the biography written by the man's son, published just a few months before.
I found it challenging and encouraging. Sangster was a good man, and a gifted preacher. He became the Pastor of "Westminster Central Hall" - that large place of worship close to the Houses of Parliament. During the War Years, the basement was a huge air-raid shelter, where he and his wife led a team of volunteers who looked after those who took refuge there. He was an inspiration to many Christians, of all denominations, during the war years, and afterwards. 
There are lots of brilliant stories in this little book - he had a great sense of fun [a quality sadly lacking in some members of the clergy] and his loving family showed care and hospitality to so many.
But in his fifties he became very ill, with progressive muscular atrophy, a form of motor neurone disease. He knew it was incurable, he knew he would gradually lose all his faculties, until he would be unable to breathe. His life would become locked down, more and more limited in what he could do. His attitude to this was amazing. 
He kept a diary for as long as he was able to write, and in this he spoke of his reaction to the diagnosis. He says "I made some resolutions...

  • I will never complain
  • I will keep the home bright
  • I will count my blessings
  • I will try to turn it to gain
And he did all those things - until the very end, his home was a place of joy, and there were many positive things which came out of his illness, which blessed many other people. The excerpts from the diary, and details in the book, show that he did keep his resolve. And I keep thinking of this brave man, whose unshakeable trust in God helped him through all his suffering, until he peacefully departed this life.
Perhaps during this time of lockdown I should copy out Sangster's Resolutions, and postthem on the fridge, to remind myself. My situation is easy compared to his - but these four simple statements will still be something of a challenge for me. [Especially the first one]

Saturday 23 May 2020

Bee Thoughtful

I love bees! They are utterly fascinating I had planned to do a post for World Bee Day on Wednesday and then forgot until the evening when a friend mentioned it on Facebook and reminded me of Brian Bilston's great poem
The Last Bee
After the last ee
had uzzed its last uzz
the irds and the utterflies
did what they could.
ut soon the fields lay are
few flowers were left
nature was roken
and the planet ereft
rian ilston
Country Living magazine has a helpful piece about Bee First Aid. Honeybees and wild bees are usually left to their own device, but there are three specific situations where human intervention can help
Rescuing a drowning bee - If a bee is in water, use anything flat [large leaf, lid, trowel] to life it out. Leave the bee in full sun and offer a little sugar water
Reviving an exhausted bee - Bees affected by bad weather can be helped by a sugar water solution [ratio of 1:1] Do not offer supermarket honey, it can pass on diseases into the bee population [although not harmful to humans] And do not leave out sugar solution at other times - it may prevent bees looking for the nectar in the flowers.
Rescuing a bee from a house or car -  firstly do not waft!  Bees will see rapid arm movements as a threat. Just leave window or door open and the bee will find its own way out. Alternatively [as with spiders] Put a glass over the insect, slide a piece of card underneath. Carry the glass outside and release the bee to fly away.
Then Philip alerted me to a great little clip on the BBC news website about our ingenious  apian friends. 

Bee Thoughtful, and Bee Blessed!







.

Friday 22 May 2020

Knights Of The Road

My friends Richard and Mary continue to lend me jigsaws. This time, it was two in the one box. Labelled "Knights of the Road" the pictures showed AA and RAC patrolmen of the early 1960s. "Breakdown and recovery" services have change a lot in the past half century. I am currently with LV, but I was with Green Flag, and have been with both RAC and AA in the past. Other companies are available - I do shop around for the best deals these days. 
But back in the day, there were just the two. The RAC [Royal Automobile Club] began in 1897, the AA [Automobile Association] in 1905. The AA was originally called the Motorists' Mutual Association.
Originally the officers were called 'sentries'. They wore quasi military uniforms - helmets, leather boots, and gauntlets - and rode motorcycles. Throughout the country there were 'sentry boxes' - little roadside shelters where the patrolmen could take refuge from the elements, enjoy a thermos of tea, and check their maps. Each box had a telephone and a fire extinguisher. 
By the 1920s, members were given keys to the boxes, and could use them to phone for help if their car broke down [or ring home to say they were delayed!]. Remember nobody had a mobile phone then, and not all private houses would have had a landline telephone. In 1934, one third of all cars on British roads were owned by members of the AA.
As well as a key to the boxes, members had a classy metal badge to fix to the front of the car. If a patrolman saw you were a member, he would salute as you drove past. If he did not salute, that was [allegedly] a coded message "there's a police car round the corner watching for speeding drivers"
I am just about old enough to remember the AA patrolmen on motorbikes with their brown leather boots. By the mid 1960s they replaced the bikes with minivans. People used to joke back then that the affluent were in the RAC, and the ordinary folk in the AA. We were, of course in the AA. I can only recall using an AA Callbox once- in 1974, I was with Dad in a heavy thunderstorm. Its a complicated story - but we pulled into a lay-by on the A47 on the edge of Norwich, and telephoned Mum to say we were OK and would be home soon. The AA key was then returned to the glovebox!
Doing these two jigsaws brought back good memories of long car journeys as a child, going on holiday to exotic locations like Scarborough and Bournemouth. The AA would send you [free] a wonderful route map from home to your destination - loads of sheets stapled together, with a map, and typewritten directions [imagine your satnav pictures and script printed out on paper] I was allowed to sit in the front seat and navigate whilst Mum was in the back with my younger brother. No seat belts back then! 
AA & RAC patrolmen [always men] were incredibly deferential, and always helpful. True "Knights of the Road". The jigsaw is well titled.

Thursday 21 May 2020

Say Cheese!

It's National Smile Month- it began on Monday and runs till June 18th. It is run by the Oral Health Foundation [formerly the British Dental Health Foundation] and this charity has been around for fifty years
I never knew that!
This charity has an annual smile month, during which they seek to promote the oral health of the nation. Did you know that one quarter of British children under 5 has tooth decay? And that dental operations are the biggest reason for young children needing anaesthetics in hospital?
The OHF is trying to make people aware of things we can all do to improve oral health.
Young or old, we should all see the dentist regularly [once they reopen, that is] 
Good brushing is important. This year I gave Bob a new toothbrush instead of an Easter Egg.
Too much sugar affects our health from the moment we put it in our mouths
My own dentist is obsessed with flossing.
I keep a bottle of mouthwash in the downstairs loo as well as the bathroom, for a quick refresh.
You can read more about Smile Month and the OHF on their website
As well as promoting good health hygiene through this special month, the OHF works all year, and the charity goes into schools, OAP groups, and other community spaces to help people care for their teeth. They work with groups like Shelter, to support homeless people who often have no access to dental care, and with food charities to promote good nutrition. They provide education about mouth cancers. Globally they support The Mercy Ships providing dental care around the world. Right now they are promoting an online resource to help families who are home schooling to include oral health in their kitchen table curriculum, with cartoon character Dental Buddy
On June 3rd, it is the Great British Brushathon - learn more here
National Smite Month began in 1977, and every year since has included a poem competition. That first year, they asked a well known poet to contribute a piece, and Pam Ayres' "I wish I'd looked after me teeth" has since become a classic- named in the top 10 of the Nation's Favourite Poems.
Well fancy that! I've known the poem all that time, and visited my dentist regularly, and taught my children to use a toothbrush etc, and even been called "that Supply Teacher who is always smiling" - but I never knew about NSM till now. And now you know too...


Wednesday 20 May 2020

Good News From Norfolk!

We took delivery of a parcel from Norwich yesterday. The people at "Norwich Books and Music"  - which was formerly trading under the less informative name "Hymns Ancient and Modern" are doing a great deal on the new NIV Bible Speaks Today study bible, which was published two weeks ago.
We both use the NIV as our primary Bible version when preparing sermons, and the BST Commentary series has been one of our go-to reference resources for well over 35 years. Many of the contributing authors were Bob's tutors at Spurgeon's College, and remain good friends.
It is almost 30 years since I got a new Bible - and this one is half the weight of that mighty tome! NBM are currently offering the hardback at the price of the paperback. 
I like to have a Bible which is strong and hardwearing*
I have no idea when I shall be able to do any lay preaching again - for so long I have been reguIarly going out and taking services. I really do miss visiting the little chapels and sharing the good news of the Gospel - and I am conscious that lots of those small fellowships are struggling to keep connected and share in worship right now.
But this new book looks to be a useful tool - and I know it will be well used. by both of us - possibly in ways we cannot even dream of right now. 
There are outlines to books, footnotes, cross references, maps, and even discussion questions for personal and group study. And a great introduction by Krish Kandiah


*I love this quote, attributed to Charles Spurgeon - although I haven't been able to locate the exact source

Tuesday 19 May 2020

A New Banksy?

Not everyone likes his work -but I think Banksy produces very clever, thought provoking pieces. The newest is in the hospital in Southampton, celebrating the true superheroes of our time - Spiderman and Batman relegated to the wpb, whilst a caped nurse flies through the air.

But as well as a new Banksy painting , I've just come across a new Banksy style artist - called Rebel Bear. Apologies if you have known about him forever, he's only just popped up on my screen...
Like Banksy, his previous work has been fun, sometimes tongue in cheek, often with a political point to make. From Scotland, his take on the longstanding Celtic/Rangers rivalry
The apparent childish behaviour of some political leaders
And the way society treats the homeless...
And thoughts on what people mean by "Free"

And now, in Glasgow, three covid19 related works have appeared



What do you think of them ? Which do you like best ?

Monday 18 May 2020

You Can Never Be Too Rich Or Too Thin

So said Wallis Simpson, wife of Edward VIII. 
I don't think she was right [she was rich, and thin - but never really happy, I feel]
But what may apply to people does not apply to yogurt. 
I have a yogurt maker, and once a week or it produces a batch of home-made yogurt. And it is simple and reliable.
1 litre semi-skimmed UHT, 1 tablespoon of dried milk powder, and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt [reserved from the previous batch] and it works overnight to produce 1 litre of thick, creamy plain yogurt. Not too rich, and not too thin.
Except this last week. Too late in the process, I realised that [a] my UHT milk was skimmed not semi skimmed, and [b] I couldn't up the fat content by adding more milk powder, because my jar was almost empty. 
So the yogurt was not at all rich, and very thin and runny. I used some for making fruit smoothies, and blended some with frozen berries to give it a bit more substance. It was somewhat disappointing and there was 500ml left.
I decided to rescue the situation by making 'mock pannacotta'. I softened 4 leaves of gelatin in water, while I put the yogurt [plus a spoonful of leftover creme fraiche] into a pan and warmed it gently. Then I stirred the squeezed gelatin into the yogurt, until it had all dissolved. I put fruity stuff** into the bottom of some glass pots, and poured the yogurt/gel on top, and  covered the pots, and left them to set in the fridge. Result - 10 interesting desserts!
** left to right, my fruity stuff was
1- mango coulis - I added sugar and pureed the fruit. 1 tsp coulis into the jar, yogurt gently spooned on top.
2 - cherry conserve, warmed till a little runny and spooned into the jar, with yogurt on top.
3 - cherry ripple, as #2, but Bob made me jump, and the yogurt went in too fast and spoiled the elegant 2 layer effect!
4 - yogurt into the pot, then mixed frozen berries stirred in.
5 - as #1 but ramekins not little pots. I may turn these out onto a saucer to serve.
Desserts fit for a King, perhaps?

Sunday 17 May 2020

Getting To The Good Part

I love this picture by Vermeer, it shows Jesus visiting his friends- the two sisters Mary and Martha. Mary sat listening to him talking [not what women were expected to do back then]- and Martha rushed about getting the meal ready [exactly what women were expecting to do back then]
Martha got annoyed and complained to Jesus. My Grandmother and my mother both loved this story, and taught it to me a long time ago - so I know the verses by heart from the old "King James" bible

But Martha was cumbered about with much serving, and came to him, and said, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” And Jesus answered and said unto her, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
This story has kept coming back to me this week. Bob and I felt called, over 40 years ago, to serve God together, in the Church. We do not regret that for one instant. Admittedly, just occasionally, I have felt 'cumbered about' - when chairs need to be set out, or stacked up, when it takes all day to prepare craft materials for a 15 minute children's slot, when I am struggling to find a parking space at the Hospital, when the church photocopier jams halfway through a task. But 99.9% of the time I'm OK with my tasks, I love being a Pastor's wife.
During this pandemic, so many of the patterns of "service" we are used to have become impossible. We cannot meet in our church building to worship, we cannot call on members in their homes, and sit,talk, and pray with them, we cannot visit sick friends in the hospital, or see elderly friends in Care Homes, we cannot run children's activities, we cannot sit together in someone's lounge for a Bible study...
What I have realised afresh this week is that the "good part" - the listening to Jesus speaking, worshipping him, just being in his presence - that can never be taken away. Through the wonder of technology, we can still worship 'together', and share communion, we can still find other ways to show love and concern both for our church family and for our community. When this time is all over, I don't think 'church life' is going to be the same as it was before. And if it does result in us letting go of the non-essential 'encumbrances', and cause us to focus more on Jesus, and how he would have us love and serve one another, that is a 'good part' which I want to hang on to.

It's Sunday Again

Whether your attitude is, "Oh No! How did it get to be Sunday again?" Or "OK, I'll put on my best outfit, but I may sleep through the sermon" Can I just remind you about morning worship from United Church Ferndown today, which you can find by clicking on this link here. It lasts around half an hour, and will include a brief communion service.
I'm very impressed that George has already mastered the art of "Face-Palm". Gaz, Steph and 'the baby' were invited a while back to attend a wedding yesterday. So Steph had got him an outfit in readiness. Sadly the wedding has been postponed, but she dressed him up anyway! 

Saturday 16 May 2020

Meerkats, Masks And Millarorchy

Just one meerkat, actually - a neighbour, very pleased with teddy's pyjamas brought me a lovely handmade card. "Let me know if you need any other outfits" I said, and she asked if I could dress meerkats. Before I could answer, Bob replied "Simples!!"
So I made Mia the Meerkat a little dress. She's got quite generous hips- hence the gathered skirt- and at the back, the dress opens all the way down, to accommodate her tail!
I fastened it with hooks and eyes.
Liz and Jon asked about masks. So I had a go at these. The key thing is pressing the pleats accurately, I think. I also used a white thread in the bobbin, so that once I had done the final line of stitching, it was easy to distinguish the front and back. 
Having looked at loads of YouTube patterns, I finally settled on one I liked. And then, having finished them, I discovered this site, launched this week in conjunction with Patrick Grant which explains things very clearly. If I make more, I might use his pattern. I'm running out of regular elastic- but one of his designs uses hair elastics. I don't have any of those right now - other than a back of super thick ones which won't stay on my ears!
I continue to log the maximum temperature in Ferndown each day, and was thrilled on Friday afternoon when my yarn arrived for knitting the weather scarf. I may put away the sewing stuff and spend some of the weekend knitting tension squares. The parcel looked exciting even before it was opened. The Millarorchy Tweed is beautiful quality and I am really pleased with my yarn colours...
PLEASE NOTE - tomorrow morning's YouTube service from UCF will be communion. If you are joining us, you may wish to prepare bread and wine, or whatever, beforehand. If you do follow us on YouTube, please can you click the 'subscribe' button. It won't cost you anything, but it will make it easier for us to get a simpler YouTube 'name' for the links each week. Thanks.