Unexpected Treasures

Watching Bargain Hunt this week, I nearly choked on my lunchtime sandwich. The teams had been challenged to find something "with an animal connection" and they found a little brass bell for £5. "Look! It's a Gospel Bell like mine!" 

I was a little frustrated that neither the expert, nor the auctioneer recognised it as a Gospel Bell, often called an Evangelist Bell or a Sanctuary Bell.

I found mine on Fakenham Market in 2014 for £2. Explanation of the bell here The team paid £5 and it sold for £15. Sold under their correct description, they usually go for more than that. No, I'm not selling mine!

There's a CS close to my hairdressers in Norwich, and I picked this book up for 50p. I could see in the shop that some of the pop-ups needed a repair here and there, but it looked interesting. Something to read with the grandchildren.

Further research when I got home revealed that
Tomie de Paola was an award winning children's illustrator in the USA. The book came out in 1984 and is recognised as a classic, and families read it together each Chr8stas Eve. There are six amazing pictures telling the Nativity Story, with accompanying text, and pop-ups and sliders.

1. The Annunciation - a house in Nazareth [dove flies, bell swings, and Gabriel nods and waves a hand to Mary
2. The Census  - in Bethlehem a line of people walk past a Roman soldier, with Joseph, Mary and the wee donkey bringing up the rear. 
3. An innkeeper points the couple "not this way, that way!" directing them to the stable
4. An angel proclaims the baby's birth to astonished shepherd's, and even more singing angels fly out from behind the clouds 
5. Three wise men stand outside Bethlehem pointing to the star - and suddenly it shines even more brightly over the stable
6. Everyone turns up to worship at the manger. No moving parts here, but the reader should shine a small torch through the little hole in the stable roof to illuminate the ChristChild.

If you have 8 minutes to spare,  here is a woman [plus two glove puppets] reading the story

I am delighted with this ten-bob-treasure [my bargains are often measured in £sd]

One more thing...

A couple of months back, Jill in Dorset won the Noahs Ark panel. Sorry Jill, I think your email may have got lost in the ether. Please send me your address as a comment [I won't publish it] And I will post the piece off to you ASAP. Apologies for the delay Update, thank you Jill. Address received. Problem solved

Speaking of unexpected treasures, have you been following Sue-in-Suffolk, and the wonderful package of old photographs she bought recently? Fabulous photos of villages along the old A12 in the Edwardian era...

The Animals Went In...

 ...Two By Two

Below are my first two squares for our latest collaboration. In my stash I found a cushion panel for a Noah’s Ark, about 15" square, with a border strip along the bottom. The animals went in Two-By-Two, so this seemed very appropriate for the first patches.

I cut off the strip and took two squares from it  [a] the ark & 2 giraffes [b] - the rainbow and 2 lions - and embellished them with herringbone, running stitch, chain and French knots. The ark was home for the animals for 40 days, A is for Kirsten [Letter From Home] and that left B for me [Tracing Rainbows]

O Joy that seekest me thru' pain, 
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thru' the rain
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
Noah's story is about God’s faithfulness and provision, even when there are storms outside – and the rainbow promise that while the earth remains, the seasons will roll round each year, and He will always be with us.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

The large square remains. It would make a lovely cushion or picture for a child's nursery. Is there anyone out there who would like it?
I have no use for it, and would love to pass it on to somebody who could find it a home. It is quite attractive as it is, but would benefit from some stitching and embellishment. Please leave a comment below. Update - it is going to a special little boy in Dorset.

How Can I Say Thank You?

In the past two weeks, I've have met up in person with three people who read this blog. One was an old friend who I knew before blogging, and she called in whilst on holiday on Norfolk.
The second was someone I met in the early days of blogging, also on holiday locally, so I met her for a cuppa where she was staying.
The third was someone I didn't really know at all. But she heard me talking about my blog at a Women's Day in Norfolk ten years ago and has been reading ever since. She introduced herself to me at an event the other Saturday, and we met up in Dereham for coffee. I hope we will become really good friends. She is a lovely person, and really encouraged me to keep on blogging.
Then I looked at my stats this week [something I try not to do too often] I passed seven million hits last week!

I really cannot get my head round this figure. 
In the past, when I have hit milestones, I have done some sort of thank you for you lovely readers. Usually a small giveaway, to show my gratitude to you for being my blogfriends, for your thoughtful comments and messages, and generosity over the past 17+ years. 

After a wonderful weekend with my granddaughters, enjoying meals together, playing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain, I know my family has so much to be grateful for. I have been moved to tears by the news reports of the little children starving in Gaza. So, my friends, I hope you won't mind that this milestone will not be marked by some item posted randomly to a reader- but instead I am marking 7,000,000 views by sending a gift to help those who really need it, to make a small but positive impact in our sad world.  I am donating £70 to help feed these little children and their families.

I hope you will understand my decision
UNWFP details are here

Thank you all

Gone To Pot

The weather was lovely yesterday. I moved my broad beans [which had been hardening off in the mini-greenhouse into the raised bed. And the fuchsias went from the bathroom windowsill into the greenhouse - eventually destined for the front border under my bedroom window.

My fig tree is almost 20 years old- a gift from Liz for our Silver Wedding in 2004. In Kirby it lived in the conservatory and was covered in figs every summer. We moved it here when we went to Dorset, and it has not fruited since!

In the high winds, a piece of wood blew into the side of the plastic pot [now brittle with age] and seriously damaged it. Bob kindly bought me a new glazed, frostproof pot* as a birthday present.

I hope the new pot, and the sunny location beside the summerhouse will mean we might get fruit this year- there are a number of leaves beginning to show.

* It is a Woodlodge product, rejoicing in the rather ugly name of the Kok Knob Pot

On their final morning before returning to London, we looked after J&R. They enjoyed sitting in the summerhouse for elevenses with Grandad. It was really sunny and pleasant. 

JIGSAW GIVEAWAY- Heather, your name came out of the hat, please can you email me, and I will get the puzzle in the post to you.

London Pride

 I love London. There is always something new to discover, somewhere fresh to visit - alongside the comforting familiarity of well loved favourite places. My friend Lynn posted a picture of a London Jigsaw she'd just completed. It is based on the A-Z map. "I can see the street where my family live!" I said. Lynn is preparing to move house, and decluttering. She kindly sent me the puzzle.

I'm usually a 500piece puzzler

But this was too good to ignore.

The streets were very small, and the printing minuscule on some sections. I got out the Bug Viewer I use with the grandchildren. It magnified the pieces beautifully. I began on Good Friday morning, and worked on the green felt mat. That meant I could easily roll up the puzzle whenever we needed the dining table.

A few slight problems . Firstly,it was a while before I realised the picture on the box was slightly misleading. The A-Z logo in the corner was smaller, so more stuff showed in the Edgware section. And in the top right, there was no badge saying "1000 pieces" And then there was Marylebone. One section of road was missing three letters from the middle of the word. I checked and checked - but could not find the piece.

Over the weekend, I worked on the jigsaw, and Liz and Bob added pieces as they walked past. At 9pm Monday evening [after watching the various quizzes. Well done UCL for getting to the Univ Challenge finals] I returned to the dining table. Things were looking good. "I am not going to bed till this is finished!" I said. Bob had a programme to watch, then he came to help me.

Bob solved the MARY---ONE problem, ... he finally realised the damaged piece (had it fallen in a mug of coffee, or been licked by the cat?) was the one which fitted, but the letters were no longer visible.

We kept going and finished at 11.50pm! I took a photo and we had a final cuppa and went to bed.

So satisfying to have it completed! 

Lynn's intended destination for this puzzle was a charity shop - and I said I'd make sure it got there in the end. Lynn has been a good friend for decades, she has great faith, a generous heart, and a wonderful sense of humour. She is arranging this move while her husband is in hospital [where he has been for over a year] I am praying for her, for resilience and strength, and for her husband, continued healing. 

Is there anyone out there who would like to have a go at this puzzle and then pass it on to a CS?

Please comment on THIS POST by Saturday, including the words LONDON JIGSAW, and I will pull the winner's name out on Sunday. But you must agree do it promptly, and to pass on the jigsaw to a CS after completion. It is not to sit useless in a cupboard.

The Easter weekend marked the 16th birthday of Tracing Rainbows.

Nearly 7000 posts, almost 50,000 comments...and soon it will pass 5 million hits. Can you believe it ? I can't!

But more importantly, dozens of friends I didn't know back in 2008. Thank you everyone who takes the time to read my ramblings. God bless you all.

Christmas Trimmings

The Christmas Cake was all eaten up - and the manger, the angel, the candle and the greeting were left forlornly on the glass cake stand with a few crumbs of cake and odd lumps of icing. Bob, being helpful, decided to wash everything up. He has been brilliant over the holidays - especially with all the visitors, and done sterling work in the kitchen. And I acknowledge that what happened was entirely my fault. Last year, when we had a lot of figures on the cake, I washed the icing off their bases, and discovered that Pauline's angel was made of sugar, not resin. But I had forgotten to do anything about it.

So yet again, my URC Angel had a Baptist Total Immersion experience! even more of her silver washed away and her crisp wing edges were slightly more curvy.

I have sorted her out now. I redrew her eyelashes and lips with fine gel pens, and touched up the gold line on her sleeves. And I repainted the the silver 'surplice' and her halo with glittery nail varnish. Then covered the lots with glossy 'top coat' nail varnish.I hope this keeps her in better condition for next year.

The other major task 'before we pack everything away' was fixing Mary's shoulders. Last year, she was sitting at a slight angle. This year she faced straight out - and I really wasn't happy with her rather broad shoulders. So Bob has trimmed each side, so next year she will have a softer frame.

I have kept back a Christmas Bag for life, and over the past week have found a number of Christmas items which didn't get put away after the clear up last weekend [two hand towels, a Snowman plate, 2 hanging decorations etc]. I think I've found everything now so all is bagged and packed!

Bob has yet to go outside and get down the icicle lights festooning the Lath Palace- although we've switched off the timer, so they are not coming on in the evenings any more.

ps SueJay, I have not heard from you re the Giveaway Prize, please can you email me with your address ? [Apologies if you have already done so and it's got lost in the ether]

And the Winners Are...

There were so many kind words on the 4,000,000 post, and even after removing the friends who sent comments, but put 'don't include me in the draw' I had dozens of comments. I decided on adding in a smaller 2nd gift. So I wrote the names down, and randomly allocated numbers. Bob chose a 1st and 2nd winner

Nicky, and SueJay, please can you email me your addresses? Thank you. Thanks again to all of you blog-followers for your friendship

#Word365

In 2020 I chose inspire, in 2021 it was adventure, and in 2022 it was look again.

So I thought long and hard about my Word of The Year for 2023. Was there anything in 2022 which had gone well, which might be a starting point for my theme? It was pretty obvious really...

Since January, I have been exchanging a parcel of stitching each month with Kirsten. It has become my standard answer when anyone asks me what craft work I am currently working on "Oh, I'm doing a collaborative needlework project with another blogger from Sussex" I say [It sounds much more classy than 'me and my mate send bits of linen through the post to each other"] K&I barely knew each other before this began, but over the year have become good friends [yet to meet in person]

But the whole sharing and working together has made the project brilliant. I know we have picked up techniques, and exchanged ideas. The dictionary defines collaboration as "the action of working with someone to produce something"

I found this 

Seven Keys to Creative Collaboration

• It's voluntary. [Forced collaboration isn't collaboration]
• People are dependable
• There's trust and vulnerability
• The structure is loose  - but there is a structure
• We share a vision
• The ability to not always take things seriously
• We embrace candour and conflict.

Our "Postcard Project" has certainly revealed many of these things [fortunately no conflict]

Like cogs working together, there must be planning, support, help, trust, teamwork and togetherness if a collaboration is to achieve success. And like the cogs in a well-oiled machine, there are times when one will carry a bigger load, another will spin faster, and yet another may feel they are going in the opposite direction - but if all mess smoothly as they should , things will work.

Already this year I have found situations where I am needing to collaborate with others

• with friends at church as we plan for another Holiday Club [even in retirement, this is on the calendar for Bob and myself] We will collaborate to make it the best we can,
• as we seek to help an elderly neighbour, we are collaborating with friends and family members to support her through a difficult patch
• obviously we collaborate with our daughters as they are seeking to be good parents to our four darling grandchildren. Not to tell them what to do, judge their parenting styles, or burden them with unworkable advice- but to be there to help when needed. Hilary Clinton's book "It takes a Village" [to raise a child] made the point that it is hard work bringing up little ones, and we all have a responsibility.

There will be other timers, other opportunities for collaboration I am sure.

Bob and the girls will tell you that I am an independent, often obstinate woman - reluctant at times to accept the help I'm offered "No I can do it myself!" I need to learn to collaborate more, to share the load. "Teamwork makes the dream work, Grandma" says Rosie.

Let's see where this one takes us...

There's still time to comment on the 4000000 Giveaway post!

The Car Is Back Where It Should Be...

On Saturday, I dismantled the tableau in the Cornerstones Carriage House. The costumes all need to be washed, the polystyrene heads and the manger returned to the loft-space over the Futility Room, the backdrop and T-shaped 'skeletons' [all part of a dead gazebo] are stored away and the lights carefully packed and labelled. And the signs out by the main road have been uprooted and brought home. And the car is parked in inside once more.

But the most delightful thing happened one evening last week. We were in the kitchen preparing food together and the doorbell rang. A gentleman stood there and said "Please excuse me for ringing your bell. I've been in the Close visiting family this week. I just wanted to say thank you for the manger scene. It has quite made my Christmas. I hope you didn't mind me disturbing you and telling you"

I was so touched. Other people have commented on the extra figures added for this year. The sheep and the owl were clearly popular. People have been so positive. I've already started thinking about 2023 - should I perhaps add an angel? And should we have some sort of charity collection tin?

Please don't forget the 4Million Giveaway [here] Add your comment on last Thursday's post and on Tuesday evening I will draw the winner's name.

Four Million?!? End Of Year Giveaway

I am struggling to get my head around this huge number. 

My blog has had over 4,000,000 hits since it began in March 2008.

Thank you so much, to all of you who follow Tracing Rainbows. Some have been here since the beginning, others are more recent followers. 

Your comments - publicly here, or privately via email, have been so kind and so encouraging. I thank you for them all. 

I don't know how many people are represented - but it has been great to make new friends, and especially to connect in person. 

As a Thank-you I am going to pack a giveaway parcel - please leave a comment BELOW before Tuesday 3rd January, and a name will pulled out of the hat then.[I'll be a bit busy over the weekend]

I cannot find any songs with "four million" in the title. Katie Melua had 9M bicycles in Beijing and PTBarnum had 1M dreams.

I don't know what your hopes and dreams are for the coming year - peace and love are very high on my list.

A Cool Cup Of Water

Bob and I greatly enjoy strolling round the local Villages when they hold Yard Sales. Foulsham, where we are now members of the little chapel, had its sale on Saturday. The day promised to be a real scorcher. Bob went off on his own to check out the sales- and I stayed outside the chapel.

The parking area in front was in cool shade all morning. I took 4 garden chairs, an impromptu 'table' made from the work platform in our garage, a flipchart sign- and a bag of supplies. [as well as a couple of library books, and a sunhat]

I was busy all morning, as people strolled past, hot and tired - and were really grateful to be able to sit down and have a free drink of cool water.

It was such a simple thing to arrange - and yet clearly appreciated. I had some lovely conversations with people too.

Bob did remarkably well, finding a large IKEA Ribba frame in the same style as the others on our photo wall, ready to receive a load more pictures. 

Normally £20 or so, he paid just £3 - and it was still in its plastic wrapping! He also got three tools to refurbish for £3. 

Bob covered for me at the Water Station for part of the time. I zipped round fairly quickly - and  found a lovely white linen Boden shirt for £5. It will look good with my new white trainers and a pretty skirt!

I much prefer a Village Yard Sale to a Boot Fair, what about you?

Matthew 10;42 - "This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true disciple."

It's A Giveaway !

 

As we unpacked the books, we came across four duplicates. Three in very good condition- one with some notes in it [many notes, actually, it's a music book!] Three are Very Useful books, and the novel has been a favourite for years. I love the idea of four cows called Aimless, Graceless, Feckless and Pointless! If anybody out there is interested, please comment below saying which one you would like, and I will post it to you.

Junior Praise - part of the Mission Praise series - it has Bob's name in the front, as it was his copy from the music stand at church. A good mixture of traditional and slightly newer kid's songs.[pub 1986- so not that new!] Excellent 'seasonal' selections [Christmas, Harvest, Advent, etc]

Common Worship - Services and Prayers for the Church of England.  Exactly what it says on the cover. [pub 2000]  Two bookmark ribbons. Useful resource for anyone [CofE or not] who is called upon to take services or lead prayers. One of these days we may get back to doing live in person services!!

Bible - New Living Translation. 

This is  a 'presentation' edition. Navy and Tan faux calfskin cover, and frontispiece for an inscription

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons' 1932 masterpiece.[Penguin classics edition, 2006, with introduction by Lynne Truss] If you ever wondered about "something nasty in the woodshed" or wondered why "there is no butter in hell" then you ought to read this book. 

As I said before, If anybody out there is interested, please comment below saying which one you would like, and I will post it to you. Please comment before MONDAY evening If you want more than one, list them in order of preference. I'll do my best to share them out fairly!

Wise Men FROM The East ...

 ...Crazy Woman TO The East

Last week I did a round trip to Cornerstones - leaving Thursday, returning Friday. As we will probably arrive late Christmas Night, I wanted to ensure the place was ready. I'd stripped the beds and washed the sheets at the end of our last visit, and nobody wants to have to make up a bed late at night. I had some items to deliver, and also wanted to take a chest of drawers and an armchair. I put my new Rend Christmas CD in the player, and set off. The journey was not too bad- it rained incessantly but I arrived early afternoon whilst it was still light. The CD is brilliant imho. Songs old and new, and great to sing along to.

Cornerstones was fine- but my poor neighbour's garden fence has been completely demolished by a reversing vehicle. In the evening I strung up a few twinkling lights [on timer switches] and decorated the Christmas Tree. I so missed having the family around to help! After I good night's sleep, I was up bright and early for the journey back. Norfolk was cold. In fact I wasn't far out of the village before I encountered snow. Lots of it. I was grateful to be in Bob's big car and not my little Toyota. 

I stopped along the A11, and purchased a coffee from a friendly guy with a roadside catering caravan [and made a mental note that on a future trip, we'd sample his bacon rolls]

This photograph is in colour - but the trees and snow and fence were monochrome. Perhaps I should have got out of the vehicle and included my blue car and the red  lorry parked next to me in the shot!I was home in good time to help Bob record the Communion Service for Sunday [alongside the still tacky Advent candles]

Then we sat and watched Kirstie's show together - and were thrilled to see Alison winning the papercrafter's trophy. She is the most gifted papercrafter I know - and her prize is well deserved. 

On Monday, Alison and I took masks and flasks down to the church and decorated a couple of Christmas trees in the front windows, for the benefit of passers by. And then in our socially-distanced coffee break, she told me more about the filming of the programme.  

I took this photo from my TV screen, so it is a a bit out of focus. You cannot see clearly the incredible detailing and delicate colouring of the Christmas baubles in her parchment picture.

I think that this year Kirstie [or maybe her production team] has worked hard to find a lot of different crafts. But judging must be so difficult -like comparing apples and oranges.

The winner of the Three-Million-Views-Draw is "Trundling Through Life" - a lovely blogger from Lincolnshire. Once I have finished stitching it, a special Christmas Tree Ornament will be on its way north to her. My crafting over the weekend involved finishing a baby jumper and embroidering a bib celebrating the birth of another great-niece. That's two babies in one month!!

New babies at Christmas time always seem extra special

Sitting Comfortably

In 1972, Bob's parents bought a 3 piece suite, covered in an oatmeal tweed. His Mum subsequently made covers in an attractive Sanderson linen union fabric. In 1987 they bought some Ercol stuff, and gave us their old suite. We bought some removable, washable, fitted Plumbs covers. This suite has been brilliant. For 11 years it has been in the Cornerstones lounge.

But we wanted to get a sofa bed here. The family is growing, and it would make it easier to accommodate more overnight guests. So last year we purchased an IKEA flat pack sofabed and brought the boxes up here to assemble.[A very complicated business] We knew that in the long term we could not keep the suite, although we were still fond of it. 

"Put it on eBay" said Liz - "mid century furniture like that is very popular right now." So I did - and a guy contacted me immediately with questions, won the auction and paid up his £75...then contacted me he couldn't collect it after all. A family member was very sick and he had to go away for at least a month. "I suggest you relist - I will understand if you keep the money as I have messed you about" It seemed morally wrong to keep the cash, so I refunded him and relisted. But this time, no interest at all. I contacted the company in Norwich who refurbish and resell this sort of thing. "Sorry, we aren't buying anything right now"  I put it on the local Gumtree. Nothing. I rang the local charity group who refurbish furniture. Thankyou - but there's no space at the moment to store it. 

I refused to take it to the tip - where I'd have to pay to dispose of it and it would end up in landfill. So in the end, it went back onto Gumtree "Free if you can collect by Monday" [I was expecting we'd both be going back to Dorset on Tuesday] And a lovely young couple came up from Suffolk on Sunday afternoon with their van, and were delighted with it. She's going to replace and re-cover the cushions, and once again children will snuggle up for their bedtime stories on the sofa, and Mum and Dad will relax with a cuppa after work.

Last August we moved the dining table, and temporarily put the new sofabed into that room. But now the lounge looks very different as the sofa is in there, along with the black leather Poang chair which Bob found on Facebook Marketplace. We already have a Poang in Dorset, so in the long term, all will match beautifully.

So the erstwhile Dining Room is now almost empty - apart from a small book case, an easy chair and Rosie's desk. It is currently called "The Classroom". This has been a good decision - when we were studying in the lounge, a little girl was too easily distracted by the idea of watching the TV. "How about I do this worksheet, then we watch some Paw Patrol, Grandma?"

We'll miss that old suite - it's been in the Almond family for almost half a century. But we no longer need it, and I am so glad to pass it on to another family who will enjoy it, hopefully for a good few more years.

Goode Cooks

I grabbed a couple of old cookbooks to read on holiday. I have had these for years. I'd watched Shirley cooking on the BBC when the girls were tiny. Always incredibly frugal - and fond of making a meal for 4 for next to nothing - but sometimes a little strange in her approach.

I have heard her described as "The Jack Monroe of her day" - and in some ways she was. She began being super thrifty when the money ran out, and she had to produce family meals from what was in the cupboard.

She had a chatty down-to-earth style, and occasionally produced some very bizarre dishes in an attempt to cut costs [but who am I to comment - 'bizarre' and 'chatty' are adjectives frequently applied to me and my cooking]

Rereading the books I concluded that they are very much 'of their time'

1. There's no mention of broccoli, pitta bread, wraps, couscous or blueberries.
2. She makes bread- but using a packet mix
3. She makes her own soft margarine by cubing a block of hard marg and beating the cubes with warm water till soft.
4. She makes cream by melting butter and gelatine in milk and liquidising it, but uses a lot of 'synthetic non-dairy' cream on the grounds that it is cheaper, and if well flavoured,nobody will know!
5. She makes next to no references to a vegetarian diet

Those foodstuffs in point 1 are easily available and most people are used to eating them. These days most people I know who want 'interesting' bread either buy it ready-made, or make their own from scratch. 'Soft' spreads are inexpensive and available in many variations- why make your own? ditto cream. Her ideal meal seems to be meat and two veg with a cheap carb laden pud to follow

Having said all that, I did find her recipes a useful starting point when our girls were tiny and our income was the same. She costs everything to the last penny. In 1987 she set herself a challenge of feeding herself for 4 weeks on a weekly budget of £15 [this is set out in Goode For One] I found it interesting to compare prices then and now. 

Her basic shopping list was divided into 4 - meats/fruit&veg/dairy/groceries. She allowed herself £3.75 for each section. I've meticulously worked out the change in prices now - and although £15 then is equivalent to about £45 now - three times as much ,the price of her foods has only doubled. So food prices in relative terms appear to have fallen. Some things have gone up a tea, coffee, fish - whilst a can of beans, an iceberg lettuce, sunflower oil and rice, cost about the same. Milk has not increased much in price- look at the struggles of our dairy farmers to keep going when the supermarkets pay them the minimum.

But having said all that, these are useful basic cookbooks for someone attempting to be thrifty, fond of a trad 'British' diet. I am not planning to keep them - they are very much the worse for wear - all the pages are there, but some are loose., and I have written a few notes in the margins.

Shirley wrote a blog from 2006 till her death in 2015. It is still online - but sadly it doesn't have any sort of index which makes it hard to track down her best recipes. But if a couple of you would like these little gems I will happily post the books to you. Comment below and at the end of the week I'll draw the winners' names out of my sunhat!

Lent Inspirations #5 - Try Praying

 On Sunday 15th March, we launched a special programme at church. It is called "Try Praying"

- it is all about "prayer for those who don't do church".

A big banner was hung outside the church, saying "Try Praying" and people were invited to take the booklets and then start conversations with friends and neighbours, and offer them a copy.
Many people pray at some point in life - before an exam, when a loved one is sick, when facing a job interview, or when there is a moment of crisis or desperation. The little booklet sets out a seven day plan of simple prayers - and maybe those 'desperation prayer people' can find that there is more to it than just calling "Help!" to a God they are not even sure exists. "Take the book, give it away - and come back again next week and share your stories" said Bob.

But we didn't get back the following Sunday- by then, the church buildings were shut up, people were suddenly isolated- no coffee shop dates, visits to the hairdresser, chats at the schoolgates, conversations with other dog walkers in the park...

The banner is still hung in front of the church...I think...I have not been able to go and check. [The picture is one from another church]. 
I really hope that people travelling past UCF will see it, and think "Well, everything else is collapsing round here, perhaps I should Try Praying"
Prayer has kept me going these past few weeks - when I have been anxious about family and friends, grateful for kindness and concern, uncertain about what to do next. If you read this blog regularly, you will know that relying on God's grace underpins my existence, every day of my life. For me, prayer is talking to God, saying please, thankyou, help, hallelujah!
I thought the campaign was a good one - it is non-threatening, "here's a book, take it or leave it, but why not try praying? " There's an explanatory video here, and the website is here.
So I brought home a stack of the little blue 7-day prayer guides. 
And I have still got them, because I haven't had any opportunity to share them. So I'm offering them as a giveaway on the blog.
If you are the praying type already, I'm not sending you one just to sit prettily on the bookshelf with your other Christian books - but if there is genuinely somebody else you would like to pass it on to, then again, email me with your address.
If you would like one for yourself, because maybe you think this is a good time to try out this prayer thing [let's face it, the days can seem very long in lockdown, and it is something different to read] please email me with your address and I will post it to you. 
Try praying - what have you got to lose?

A Pile Of Perfect Pancakes

We had a wonderful time. Bob and Geoff cooked over 120 pancakes. 
It was good to have so many friends dropping in.
I went to bed for an hour in the afternoon, in order to have enough energy for the evening, which was a wise move.
BTW The Waterloo Jigsaw Giveaway last week was won by Nicky - please can you email me your address so I can post it to you!

Finally Facing My Waterloo...

I bought a jigsaw to do over Christmas. Only I forgot to bring it up to Cornerstones. So it came up last month instead, and I completed the edge before I returned to Dorset. This past weekend whilst Bob studied, I relaxed and completed my jigsaw.

I have had so much fun with this double picture of Waterloo Station. 
It is very clever - obviously the architecture is almost identical in both scenes, but the characters vary a little. The upper picture is set in Wartime, the lower is post-war. So you see things like

• Top sailors, bottom boy scouts
• Top khaki clad soldiers, bottom Coldstream guards with bearskins
• Top army truck, bottom civilian van
• Top people in uniform, bottom in civvies
• Top two nuns, bottom two nuns [ but with different suitcases! ] 

There was so much that was so very similar, yet not quite the same. What an intriguing challenge. I know lots of you enjoy jigsaws, and when I posted about buying this in the CS, some people said they'd enjoyed this puzzle too.
If anyone would like this one, please comment below, and I will pick the winner on Friday then post it on to you. 

Human Kind

Last week I mentioned JMBarrie and Peter Pan. I hadn't realised till yesterday that PP first appeared in 1902 in a book called "The Little White Bird". There's an intriguing quote therein...

...always try to be a little kinder than is necessary
Which was when I remembered that many people had marked Sunday 17th February as "Random Acts Of Kindness Day" - and I had completely missed it. Ooops!
In my defence, I am not sure any of the blogs I follow mentioned it either, and you're all very kind people, I'm sure.

I was pottering in the kitchen, listening to Radio 4 Extra, as I'm wont to do. And I heard about  the most bizarre RAK.
It involves "Cake Circles"
You take a map and draw a circle on it. The centre of the circle must be somewhere where you are able to bake a cake [eg your own kitchen, or your granny's house] You then bake 40 cakes,  load up your car, and drive out to the point where you reach the edge of the circle. Now you travel round the circle, stopping at random points. You then give a cake to someone who lives or works at that point of the circle. 

This seems an interesting way to spend a weekend. The artist* who came up with the idea maintains this is an art installation rather than a humanitarian act. Furthermore he says than in Birmingham the recipients were cheerfully accepting - but in Liverpool and London he encountered cynicism and unwillingness to accept his offerings.
I'm not at all sure about this one.

We've recently started a new course on Sunday evenings at church, called Fruitfulness on the Frontline [it's brilliant- expect more on this later] and we were talking about the fruits of the Spirit including kindness. Surely we shouldn't need to mark out one day of the year for kindness? ...just seek to make it part of life.

*In case you are wondering, the artist in question is Bill Drummond- formerly of 'Echo and the Bunnymen' and 'KLF'. He's also the guy who [he says] burnt one millon quid of KLF's profits, as a 'piece of artwork' on the Isle of Islay in 1994. I'm rapidly concluding that [a] I do not understand modern art, and [b] it would have been better to have spent that money on ingredients for giveaway spongecakes - or maybe just given it straight to Oxfam. What a waste!