Spotting The Signs

We had a really interesting Day Off this week. In fact we crammed so much in that |I am going to post about it over a few days! I've wanted to go to Dorchester again for a while - out first brief visit was back in 2015, and I felt that we did not do the place justice. Furthermore, I knew that our Salisbury Museum pass would also get us into the Dorset County Museum. I had a long list of things to see and do [Bob is very patient]
So we set off just after 8am intending to have breakfast en route. A few miles outside Dorchester, as we drove along the A31, I suddenly said "red fingerposts! I forgot to check up on the location of the red fingerposts" Dorset has four of these, and somebody at church had told me about them. These brightly painted posts have a dark history; they were were markers or reference point for illiterate guards who were escorting prisoners from Dorchester prison to Portsmouth from where they were transported to Botany Bay, Australia. Being unable to read, the guards used the distinctive sign as an indicator to the correct road to take. There are four in Dorset, including one on the A31 trunk road at Anderson, between Bere Regis and Wimborne Minster. The others are located at Benville Bridge, Hewood Corner and one near Poyntington. Near to the latter is Botany Bay Farm where prisoners were held overnight in a barn, now largely destroyed. The substantially built barn at the farm was used as a cell for the prisoners when they were held on their first overnight stop. Only the base of the barn walls remains now after the building burned down in the 1930s. I'd looked all this stuff up a couple of years ago, and even found a picture online of the A31 post, in very poor condition. 

Anyway, almost immediately I'd remembered about the red fingerposts, we came upon one just ahead of us. Bob turned into a side road and I got out to take a picture.

One side of the road is the modern green sign, the other the old red post.

It was restored by a team of local volunteers last summer and now is resplendent in its new coat of scarlet paint.

As I have researched this subject, I have discovered two myths which need debunking;

First, red fingerposts marked the journey of convicts en route to transportation NOT the site of gibbets

Second, the phrase "one for the road" simply means "have a drink before you go" it does NOT relate to a non-existent custom of giving a condemned man a drink before he was hanged. In fact the wonderful Snopes site has pin-pointed when people started sharing this false information on the internet- January 2010. [I frequently use Snopes to check my facts - it is reliable and useful, especially with those dreadful, false 'warnings' which friends persist in sharing on Facebook]

So, another Dorset Site of Interest ticked off on my list, we proceeded into Dorchester. As the Museum website suggested, we parked in the 'Top O Town' car park [opposite the Baptist Church]. Then we had breakfast - in the A35 Cafe at the end of the car park! The tea and bacon rolls were good- not quite so sure about the Decor. There were sad strange soft toys dangling from the ceiling.

After breakfast we set off on the 2 minute walk to the Museum, it was 10am and the doors were just opening. And in a subsequent post, I shall tell you what we saw...

I Hope I Never Stop Learning...

...there are lessons to be learned [and re-learned] every day. If somebody thinks they know everything, then they obviously don't.

So what things have I learned - or relearned - in recent weeks?
Some trivial, some useful. Some things are 'life hacks' - others just bits of general knowledge which amused me.
1- I first posted this one more than seven years ago on a Top Tips for Christmas Post  In extremely cold weather, put your clean underwear on the radiator before you go to bed. The joy of warm pants on a freezing morning is a small treat to make you smile as you start the day.

2- If you are planning to cycle to the supermarket for groceries make sure to carry a basket, do NOT push a trolley round the store. If you are carrying a basket, you'll stop loading it when it gets too heavy - with a trolley, it is easy to forget just how much weight you can safely carry in your bike panniers

3 - Monday March 12th was National Napping Day, according to my friend Mags. But further investigation revealed that's only in the USA - it is the day after they put the clocks forward for Daylight Saving. We have to wait a couple more weeks. However, I was excited to discover the German word for nap is strichrichtung. Then I found that was for nap in the sense of the pile on fabric [so, cocoon me in corduroy, nestle me in needlecord, envelop me in velvet...]

4-if booking train tickets for a Sunday, check about engineering works. I forgot last time, and the journey took twice as long as I'd expected.

5 -if your daughter is thoughtful enough to give you a rainproof saddle cover, remember to put it in when you padlock the bike outside the store. It is no fun cycling home with a damp bottom!

6- Although matin is the French word for morning, a matinée was originally any type of daytime performance. In England the word has come to mean just afternoon events. Babies do not usually go to the theatre - the term 'matinée jacket' refers to a short garment worn for an afternoon outing. 

7 - Even if you are really looking forward to watching the latest Scandicrime in Real Time, record it anyway. You are bound to fall asleep before the end of the episode! And try not to stress out about the fact you are planning to travel on the London Underground next week.

Paloma Blanca [a free knitting pattern]

A friend gave me a little bag at church the other week - it contained 3 balls of white baby wool [one ball started] and a rather elderly pattern for a baby's matinee jacket. The problem - the wool was 3ply, and this was her only pattern for that weight, and she could not manage to make it work. She said she'd had three goes, and pulled it out, and was fed up with the wool and the pattern, so thought I could use it.
An irresistible challenge. I set to, and it took me three attempts to make sense of the pattern. And when I had, I really didn't like it. It was holey, rather than lacy - and I felt that for a small baby, the holes were big enough to trap little fingers. 
But I didn't have a 3ply pattern anywhere in my stash either [yes, I know, I was surprised too!]  I asked in a local woolshop. "We don't really sell 3ply any more, but I have some shawl patterns" But these needed more than 3 balls of yarn."Why don't you knit it up with 2 strands to a double knit pattern?"
I spent ages trawling the internet, and finally found one on an Australian site - a simple V neck cardi.  But [a] the Oz knitting terminology was not familiar to me, and [b] it was an all over "Greek Key" type of pattern over 8 stitches and 15 rows. Undoubtedly attractive, but too complicated for my Saturday night knitting in front of the TV. 
So I modified the pattern and come up with this...
I have called it Paloma Blanca because it is white, and I used Dove Stitch

Dove Stitch is possibly not its proper name - but I call it that for my best friend. Her farming family have used this pattern for classic V and round neck pullovers for a number of years  [Chris gave me a copy some while ago, and I still haven't got round to knitting myself one] It is easy, and slightly more interesting than regular stocking stitch, but less complicated than moss stitch or fisherman's rib. Basic pattern is for just 4 rows.
Row 1 knit, Row 2 purl, Row 3 K1, *K1P1* repeat to last st, K1, Row 4 purl.

PALOMA BLANCA -Baby's Cardigan in Dove Stitch
Fits 3-6 months, chest 50cm
Required; 75gm 3ply wool, pair each 2.75 & 3mm needles, 5 buttons

BACK - Cast on 80 sts with 2.75mm needles. Work 15 rows in K1P1 rib. Change to 3 mm needles. Work 48 rows in Dove Stitch [as above] Keeping pattern correct, cast off 2 sts at beginning of next 6 rows, and k2tog at each end of next row. [66 sts] Work 41 rows. Cast off.
LEFT FRONT- Cast on 40 sts, with 2.75mm needles. Work 15 rows in K1P1 rib. Change to 3 mm needles. Work 48 rows in Dove Stitch [as above] Keeping pattern correct, cast off 2 sts at beginning of next 3 right side rows, at the same time k2tog at end of each right side row. [31sts] P2tog at end of next row. Now k2tog at end of each right side row 8 more times [22 sts] Keeping pattern correct, work until 96 rows of Dove Stitch pattern completed [to match back]
RIGHT FRONT- Work as left front, reversing shapings.
MAKING UP - Sew shoulders, sew in sleeves and side seams.
BUTTON BAND -  With 2.75mm needles, cast on 8 sts. Work 4 rows in K1P1 rib. ** row 5,  K1P1, cast off 4, K1P1.   row 6, K1,P1, cast on 4, K1,P1 rows 7-16 - work in K1P1 rib** Repeat **to**4 more times [5 buttonholes]. Continue in K1P1 rib till band is long enough to go all round front edge. Cast off. Sew in place, sew on 5 buttons. 

Dove Stitch is great because the ridges make it easy to count the rows!

Mothering Sunday - Part Two

Just a brief report on yesterday's service at Church
[1] The Quiz was interesting - the women beat the men by 13 to 5 - so they clearly remembered their Bible stories better!
[2] The little bags of primrose plants [thank you Glenacres Nursery] beautifully decorated by the children, were well received by all present - and some were taken to those older ladies who were unable to come to church.

[3] You remember the Tree Festival in December? Well look what has happened to all those squares. It took a while to sort them - not all were the same size, and we did have almost 50% knitted in Wilko Jade Green. So one blanket had all the larger squares in a central panel with  multicolour edge strips. But we ended up with four blankets to display this morning - ready to go to the Biggin Hill Romania Trust.

All in all, a very satisfactory morning. Thank you to the Nursery, the Bag Decorators, and the Craftspeople - oh and especially to the team operating the PA system this morning, which was playing up badly. 

Mothering Sunday

I did a morning's supply work on Friday - the children were making cards for Mother's Day. I explained to them that I always call it by it's original English name, Mothering Sunday. I said that we would be giving out flowers on Sunday to every lady in our church, whether or not she was a mother - and that if they had already made Mum a card, then they could make another for a gran, or auntie or good friend. 
One sweet little girl said she was fostered, and that her foster Mum had said they'd be making a card for her real Mum that evening- so please could she make her card for her foster Mum? Wow! It sounds to me as if that FM is doing a great job there, and well deserves the card.
I hope that all you women out there get some sort of treat today- I've been blessed with a beautiful bouquet [from Bloom & Wild- and called 'Rosie', which made me smile]
But I shall really miss seeing the girls - it is a shame that we couldn't meet up last weekend due to the snow.

The Shakespeare quote ['though she be but little, she is fierce'] was a Christmas gift from one of my girls. 
I think mothers should be fierce in defending and protecting their children - but also gentle and loving. We'll be doing a quiz about Biblical mothers in the service this morning, good, bad, fierce and gentle ones.
Enjoy your day

Snakes And Ladders

I had a great day of Supply Teaching on Thursday, and one of the best bits was being involved in a Sports For School Event. Here's their promo video

The idea is that elite athletes come to a school and children do a series of high intensity exercises. They have lots of fun, and get sponsorship [which provides the school with PE gear] and helps the next generation to be inspired about sport.

Our athletes were two swimmers, Olympians Joe Roebuck and Amy Smith. As well as the rolling programme of sessions in the hall, in which every class participated, Amy and Joe also did Assembly in the afternoon.
I was really impressed by the way Amy engaged the children. She spoke of her own nervousness about going in the pool when she was 7 and on a fanily holiday. How her wise parents then enrolled her for proper swimming lessons- and her talent emerged. She was encouraged to develop her gifts. She talked of the commitment required- early morning swims and after school sessions. Going to Loughborough University, which excels at preparing people to be elite athletes. Then being a medal winner in the Commonwealth Games, missing out on the Olympic Team, more Commonwealth success and finally an Olympic medal...
She brought all her medals to show us.  The children clapped and cheered.
She said her life was like a Snakes and Ladders board- winning a medal is like going up the ladder, missing out feels like sliding down the snake.

"Find your passion and work at it!" she encouraged the children. It may be sport, or something else, but do not give up. Believe you can achieve. And accept there will be snakes as well as ladders - just keep on, despite that.
The children were buzzing with excitement. Joe and Amy have their own business teaching advanced swimming skills, but they also give time to this more general sport promotion. They have also been nearby in Dorchester this week. [pictured below]
Thank you Joe and Amy, for sharing your enthusiasm and commitment. I am sure lots of these children will remember your visit for a long time to come. And maybe in 10 years time one of these children will be in Los Angeles, as part of Team GB! 

This Cornish Pasty Was Rather Disappointing

I found another Nicola Upson in the library, the second in her Josephine Tey series.
Initially it looked to be very promising. Ms Upson and her partner had a holiday in Cornwall and fell in love with the county. I can understand that, it is a beautiful place, and by all accounts, the recent Poldark series on TV did wonders for the tourist trade.
As with the other NU/JT books, the plot hangs on genuine historical facts and real locations.
It is 1935, Ms Tey's [fictional] Detective Chum, Archie Penrose, is going back to his roots, the Penrose Estate.
This is a real place, now owned by the National Trust. There is a large house, stunning scenery, and Cornwall's largest natural lake, Loe Bar.You may have seen these if you watched Poldark, as much was filmed there.

Loe Bar is really close to the sea - the curved lake separated by a narrow strip of land from the ocean.
The book begins with a death at the lake. Archie arrives for the funeral, closely followed by Josephine. She has come to stay, and work on her novel A Shilling for Candles 
The locals were due to perform a play at the nearby Minack Theatre - an amazing open air venue, cut into the side of the cliff. Archie agrees to takes the place of the dead guy, and play his part, as 'the show must go on' even despite the death.
During the play, "The Jackdaw of Rheims" someone else dies- falling rather spectacularly off the cliff in his jackdaw costume. 

Passing reference is made to Daphne Du Maurier, who was busy just up the road in 1935, writing Jamaica Inn.
So here we are, with genuine locations, and genuine people - and Upson throws in a couple of deaths for Penrose and Tey to solve.
It has taken me well over a week to read this- every time I picked it up, I had to flick back through the previous chapter to remind myself of the convoluted plot.
It was like an overfilled Cornish Pasty, too much to digest, and a bizarre mixture of flavours.
On this small estate [everybody seems to work for Archie's Uncle William] there is much history being swept under the carpet- orphans, tragic deaths, deaths in childbirth, adopted children, violent husbands, downtrodden wives, gay relationships, incestuous relationships, dubious clergy...and the weirdest collection of names. "Lettice spoke to Snipe about supper"... "Morwenna went to visit Morweth" I really could not follow the storyline. And by the end, I wasn't sure that I cared! 
Sorry - this one gets just  * and that is only because of the glorious locations described! I'm giving up on this series, I think!

Medication, Music And Movement

This Is Not A Wind Up!

Well, actually, it is! This is a tribute to Trevor Bayliss, who died this week. He was the inventor of the Wind-Up radio.
Back in 1991 he was watching a programme about AIDS in the third world, and how the big problem was sharing information with people about how to keep healthy and avoid illness. 
Radio was a good way of communicating and educating - but Trevor realised that with now power lines, or easy access to batteries, radios were useless in remote parts of Africa. [this was before solar power was cheap and easily available, and before the internet had transformed the way information is spread across the globe]
He went off to his workshop and created a radio powered by a clockwork-type windup mechanism. This simple, relatively inexpensive device went into production. The impact it made has probably saved countless lives- and enabled people in remote corners of the world to tune into the radio - for news, education, sport and other entertainment.

Trevor himself never really made any money from his invention. Initially it had been mass produced in his BayGen factory in Cape Town which employed disabled workers, but other people copied his idea and somehow others took the profits which might have been his. He subsequently worked to change the laws regarding intellectual copyright, and provide more protection for inventors like himself.  
Trevor left no immediate family, but many friends and admirers. He had a simple, generous, problem-solving approach to life - would that more people were on his wavelength. RIP Mr Bayliss.
[unrelated comment - if you are a Radio 4 fan like me, are you also finding The Archers incredibly dismal at the minute?]

Plan B

Plan A - Friday 2nd March [after WWDP service] to drive to Cornerstones. Steph, Gary. Liz, Jon Rosie, arriving later. Saturday 3rd March, drive to Suffolk, meet up wqith Gary's family for lunch. Sunday 4th March, L,J,R to return to London, taking me with them. I would stop a couple of days, then get the train back to Dorset. Meanwhile, Bob would stay in Norfolk - quietly reading, and studying, and preparing all the Easter Services etc, without any interruptions.
Then the snow came. Although my friends in Albania, where March is usually snowy, wrapped up in scarves and went ahead with their services [pictured left] everything in Dorset was postponed. Bob announced around 3pm on Thursday we should leave NOW!
So we loaded the car, and left. As we drove up the A31, I was sending texts to friends explaining we'd departed a day early. There was some snow, and the westbound traffic weas stationery. "Ang, look, there's no other cars behind us" said Bob. We drove for ages not seeing other vehicles- arriving in Norfolk at around 9pm. It took about an hour longer than usual - but we had 2 motorway stops instead of one. Out of Dorset, all the roads were quite clear of snow and there was not much traffic.

We awoke Friday to discover that we were probably the Last Car out of Dorset - there was a gridlock there,late afternoon, and many cars were stranded for up to 8 hours. Bob decided not to spend his Retreat Time sitting with a book in the summerhouse next to the little paraffin heater! Steph and Gary's family were snowbound in Manchester, Liz said they were not coming up from London after all.
Plan B: Bob would get on with his work, and I would keep out of his way. So I have been doing many useful things [and watching lots of TV]

[1] I finished off the jigsaw which was started at Christmas- the Level Crossing at Halstead in Essex. If anyone would like this puzzle, email me your address and I will post it to you. Otherwise it will go into a CS when I get back to Dorset.

[2] I finished off sewing up, and crocheting the edgings on two blankets for Romania. Jenny and Margaret have done theirs - so now we'll have 4 warm blankets in 50 Shades of Green created from December's Church Christmas Tree.
[3] I forgot to post this earlier, but I remembered this week to photograph the book sling which Jon built for Rosie- he did the woodworking, I made the sling.

[4] I took my machine over to Adrian and Marion's when we went for Sunday Lunch. Their two Patterdale Terriers keep climbing onto the corner sofa in the conservatory. M had two brown throws which she was using to keep the seat cushions clean, but they kept slipping off. The throws are now fitted covers.

I still have a baby cardigan to finish knitting, and a library book to complete.
The snow is melting rapidly, the water in the river is high, and flowing fast. The weather is bright and definitely warming up. 
I have missed seeing the rest of the family, but it is not long till we are all here again at Easter.
They were wise not to risk the journey. My thoughts are with one blogfriend  whose daughter was in a nasty RTA this week. The driver had not properly cleared his screen of snow. 
We will drive back tomorrow. Not quite the week we had planned - but still very productive [as well as doing all his preparation, Bob's fixed my brother's internet issues, and replaced our boiler control panel]

Museum Pieces

Isn't it strange how you notice a reference to a place or a person or a book...and then for the next few weeks, other things related to it keep popping up unexpectedly. I am sure there is a proper scientific name for when something gets into your mindset like that [please do tell me, if anyone out there knows the word!]
It started 5 weeks ago, the day we visited Salisbury Museum. As we strolled up from the Park&Ride stop, we pottered round a few CS. Bob found a book "You should buy this!" he told me "It's all about quilts, I think you'd love it!"

It was £1.49 - but the original price was £25. The book was published in 2010, for an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It's about 10" square.


It was entitled "Quilts 1700-2010, Hidden Histories, Untold Stories"
As I flicked through the book on the bus later, I was really excited by the details and stories. But some of the pictures seemed familiar.

When I got home, I went upstairs - sure enough, at the back of the desk drawer was a little packet of 20 exhibition postcards. I'd bought this for £1 in a CS in Leicester- but never actually used any of the cards. So now I have the cards and the book telling the stories of each quilt.
The next V&A connection came on a Sunday two weeks ago. We were on our way home from church when we saw a sign saying "Garage Sale, Everything FREE!". Bob declared it would be impolite not to stop and check it out.
An elderly couple had died, and his family had sold his house, and cleared most of the contents - but were having a final attempt to get rid of stuff purposefully, not just to landfill. I found a nice pair of pinking shears ['Mum would be so pleased to know they are going to someone who sews' said the lady] a folding rule, and two mugs. Bob picked up a few tools, and a huge 1930s table saw on its original cast iron base [just don't ask!]

I picked up the mugs because they were a pair, and I liked the shape and design. They were utterly filthy. 
A good wash revealed their full beauty, and that they too were from the V&A. The Inspired collection was a range of homewares with designs based on textiles and papers in the Museum.
The pretty floral print is based on an Indian cotton from the 1770s, made somewhere along the Coromandel Coast and probably shipped back by the Dutch East India Company to be made into this gorgeous gown.

My final find was on Wednesday, as I continued the Great Haberdashery Audit. Neatly folded in the bottom of a box was an apron - one I hadn't seen since we moved here 3 years ago [a gift from my SIL in 2012]. This too is from the V&A Inspired range, and based on a chinese wallpaper, also from the late 1700s [discovered on the wall of a brewery house in Watford!]

So these are my treasures from the V&A collection. 
Quilts, mugs, and an apron - from inspiration dating back 250 years. These designs were already over a century old when Victoria laid the foundation stone for the great Museum in Cromwell Road back in 1899.
They fit Mr Morris' mantra- I know them to be useful, and believe them to be beautiful - so they are all staying!

My Far Flung Family

My cousin Miriam posted a picture on Facebook this week. Exactly forty nine years ago, her family left a wintry England to sail to Australia- they were "Ten Pound Poms". They emigrated and built a whole new life on the other side of the world.  
The press had a field day - a picture of them all lined up at the quayside in the UK before they left - Ted Hall says "It's cheaper by the dozen!" was the caption to the photo which my Gran cut out of the paper, and kept in her bag for years.
The local press in Leigh On Sea, Essex, went round and interviewed them before they left. Uncle Ted was Boys' Brigade Captain at the local Baptist Church, and all my cousins were involved in the Boys' and Girls' Brigades, Auntie Jean helped out too. This was the picture in the Southend paper. Miriam still has it in a frame in Oz [and I have Gran's stashed away somewhere too] Miriam is on the left, sitting on the arm of the chair.

When they arrived in Perth, they went along to the local Baptist Church - and almost doubled the congregation. Ted and Jean adopted another couple of children. and now the family has grown and grown.
Uncle Ted passed away in 1998, a month or so before my Dad, who was his brother.
But look at the Oz Connection now

I have around 100 'Hall relations' in Australia - most of whom I have never met. But I can still remember every name, in age order, of that first dozen who set out all those years ago.
Uncle Ted, Auntie Jean, Nina, Keith, Geoffrey, Miriam, Roger, Martin, Steven, Sadie, Julie, Brian.
Which is due to my grandmother's encouragement to mention them all by name in my prayers every evening when I was a child.

Here's a photo of Miriam and my aunt taken just after Christmas. Miriam is 63, and my amazingly active Auntie Jean is in her mid 90s.
Grateful to God for this lovely family - miles apart, but close to my heart.

Not By Bread Alone...

Why does everything seem to come at once? Here we are in Lent, and for many of us that means remembering Jesus' temptations in the desert. At one  point, he answered the Devil with the words from Deuteronomy 8 - Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The first half of that verse certainly gets quoted all over the place, not always in a faith context. There are so many different 'food related' events being marked right now...
But here we are in the middle of Real Bread Week

This is an encouragement to consumers to buy real bread from proper local independent bakeries [or to make their own] and eschew the White Sliced Chorleywood Process offerings in the supermarket. 
Read more here. Can I put in a word for two independent bakeries near me...
The wonderful Bakehouse 24, in Ringwood. I could sit here all day, drinking the coffee, and watching them knead the sourdough.  I reviewed them here back in 2016. My other favourite local bakery is Pandora's in West Moors. These are the people who produce a gluten free loaf for us whenever we have communion at church, so that everybody can share in the one loaf. [I am always sad when the coeliacs are excluded, or have to have a morsel of rice cake instead. How is that 'communion'?] And yes, Real Bread Week 2017 was in May - but that was felt to be too close to Sourdough September so RBW got moved!

And once again it is Fairtrade Fortnight. One of my Lent Challenges has been to be more pro-active about Fairtrade Goods. I think I did particularly well this year - I found Rosie a pair of Little Green Radicals Fairtrade pyjamas. I suspect she will probably soon become a LGR if she isn't already.
The final one I wish to mention is slightly different. This week is marked, globally, as Eating Disorders Awareness Week. 

While you are giving up chocolate for Lent, eating a piece of Sourdough toast, or peeling a Fairtrade banana, spare a thought for those whose lives are blighted by Eating Disorders.
These are complex issues, affecting men as well as women - and impacting whole families.
If you want to find out how you can help someone struggling with eating disorders, or get help yourself, then please check out Mercy Ministries and New ID. I would personally recommend these two organisations, who do amazing work. [or email me if you'd like an off-blog conversation]
All these special events- certainly food for thought...

Women's World Day Of Prayer 2018

This is the largest global ecumenical prayer movement planned by women – but including everyone, women, men and children. It has been happening for around 150 years, it started in Canada, and came to Britain in the 1930s.

There are over 5000 services in UK – and worldwide, in almost 200 countries, with the service translated into about 90 languages. This year's service, from the women of Suriname, reflects God's Good Creation . WWDP is always held on the first Friday in March – the first services beginning in Samoa, and moving across the earth, like a great Mexican Wave of Prayer - millions of people with one theme. 

Here are two prayers from the WWDP Magazine Together in Prayer, written by friends of mine, members of our National Committee.

When I see a starry night, a harvest moon, the sun rise, a rainbow frame the sky

Or hear the crash of waves on a stormy day, the thunder roll, gentle birdsong or a baby's cry,

When I smell freshly baked bread, newly mown grass, laundry just in from the line, a delicate rose

Or feel the touch of rain, sand between toes, a handshake, a fall of snow,

When I taste the saltiness of sea air, fresh fruit or veg, 

I think how blessed we are.

All God-breathed, God-inspired, God-sustained,

And I am filled with a profound sense of His good creation.

[©Louise Bowes/WWDP]

God of creation and lord of life. You entrusted us to care for our environment, but in many parts of the world, we have failed. Help us to realise how fragile and unstable our surroundings are, because we are not looking after your creation. We need to be true stewards and to understand how the most insignificant little flower, the tiniest insects, each creature and individual people are all part, of a wondrous whole

[©Margaret Pickford/WWDP]

I hope you are able to attend a WWDP service today, but if not, perhaps you'd spare a moment in your day, wherever you are, to join the millions around the world who will be praying.
PLEASE  NOTE - a number of areas have postponed their services today due to the adverse weather conditions. Do check your local one is still happening before you venture out!

No Business Like Snow Business

In the three years I have lived in Dorset, I have yet to see 'proper' snow. We have had the occasional flake or two, but it doesn't settle - and snowmen and snow angels cannot be constructed. It was -6°C on Tuesday night when we drove back from the Radio Station - and I expected we might get some snow then, but no...[btw the programme went very well, thanks for the kind wishes]
The rest of my family have really been blessed covered with the white stuff whether in the East, NorthWest, Midlands or the Metropolis. My kind brother has put the heating on at Cornerstones ready for our arrival in Norfolk tomorrow night, my SIL has posted pictures of her spring bulbs, bursting into flower, but shrouded in white. Liz and Steph have been affected by snow in London and Manchester.
I am aware that the snow makes travel difficult, and causes school closures and other problems. But I do love how beautiful it is, and I enjoy crunching it underfoot, and creating things with it, and watching the flurries of flakes. [I don't like slipping over, wearing wet woollen gloves or being hit by snowballs]
Keep warm, and keep safe if the snow has hit your area. Enjoy these pictures- one from Liz's window yesterday morning and the intrepid Little Miss Wheatley striding out on Monday morning in her grandad's garden in Nottingham and then yesterday in the thicker London snow.