It is very interesting that many prayer books omit the first line and just begin with "Lord, teach me..." Generosity is the opposite of selfishness. I know which I prefer
Sunday 31 July 2022
Teach Me To Be Generous
It is very interesting that many prayer books omit the first line and just begin with "Lord, teach me..." Generosity is the opposite of selfishness. I know which I prefer
Saturday 30 July 2022
The Laughter Of Children
Friday 29 July 2022
Get Your Hankies Out!
- three children [2 girls, 1 boy] sent to live in Yorkshire [except these have been evacuated from Manchester, and are not Londoners]
- father is away [well, many fathers away, there's a war on]
- the stationmaster is still Mr Perks [Albert's grandson]
- some of the original music is used
- there is an incident involving waving signs and stopping the train
- there is a kindly old gentleman who can 'pull strings' in London [Bobbie's brother-in-law, played by National Treasure Tom Courtenay]
- Daddy, my Daddy [but this time disappearing into the fog, not emerging from the smoke]
- the railway station is an important location throughout the film
Thursday 28 July 2022
An Afternoon In Poppyland
Wednesday 27 July 2022
I Need A Hero!
Boudicca, Warrior
Queen of the Iceni. [1st century] Her husband had been a King over East Anglia,
and the occupying Romans had allowed him to be a ‘client king’. When he died, the
Romans confiscated his lands, as there was no male heir. so Boudicca, his widow
objected. She was flogged, and forced to watch her young daughters brutally raped.
So she raised an army of 100,000 and led them to fight the Romans in an act of
revenge. “… we must either conquer or die with glory. There is no
alternative. Though I am a woman, my resolution is fixed. The men, if they
prefer, may survive with infamy and live in bondage. For me there is only
victory or death.” I hate violence- but I admire a woman who stood up for
herself, and inspired others to fight for liberty.
Elizabeth Fry [1780-1845] Born in Norwich, into the prestigious Gurney banking family. They were Quakers, and she married Joseph Fry [nephew of the founder of Fry’s Chocolate] with whom she had eleven children. She was a very clever and caring woman. She worked tirelessly for prison reform – instrumental in the passing of the 1823 Gaols Act, which mandated sex-segregation in English Prisons, and female warders, to protect women from exploitation. And SO practical. When women were transported as convicts to Australia, she provided each with a small bag containing cloth, needles and threads. On the long voyage, they could sew a quilt. On arrival that quilt could keep them warm, or be sold to raise funds, or be displayed as evidence of skills. She set up shelters for the homeless and a training school for nurses [inspiring Nightingale to do the same] I respect someone who was wealthy, and could have been a ‘lady of leisure’ but felt that her Christian faith meant she should use her advantages to do good for the less fortunate.
Anna Sewell [1820-1878] Also a Quaker, she was born in Great Yarmouth. The family moved to London, where her leg was badly injured in an accident when she was 14. Walking was really painful, so she travelled everywhere in a horse drawn carriage. She became a fanatical animal lover- and joined her mother in working as an ardent abolitionist. Her brother was widowed - Anna returned to Norfolk and she helped him raise his family of seven children. She’d become increasingly conscious of the cruel way that horses were treated – forced to pull heavy loads, and kept under inhumane conditions. She wrote a book – from the horse’s point of view, describing the cruelty. The book was Black Beauty. She sold it in 1877 to Jarrolds the Publishers for £40. It was an instant success [The RSPCA endorsed this exposure of animal abuse] Anna fell ill, dying just a few months later. She is buried locally near Aylsham. The book, originally intended for adults as a protest, has become a children’s favourite. Anna cared not only for people, but for all God’s creatures, and never let her own disability hold her back. I honour her courage.
There are many other Norfolk women who made a difference - Edith Cavell, St Julian of Norwich, and more …but no space left. Their legacy should be celebrated every day, not just on Norfolk day.
PS thanks for all the kind remarks yesterday about the bears. If you are considering making one yourself please email for some tips - it may save you both time and hassle!
Tuesday 26 July 2022
The Mix And Match Bears
Monday 25 July 2022
#Word365 - Looking Again
Sunday 24 July 2022
Hot And Difficult
What a week this has been. So many people I know have been severely affected by the heat in one way or another.
O God, we pray for justice and fairness for those worst hit by our changing climate. We know people living in extreme poverty around the world are worst hit by the climate crisis but have done the least to contribute to it. They also have the fewest resources to implement change.
We ask for your
mercy O Lord and repent when our blind consumerism has led to the destruction
of our common home.
Heavenly Father, we ask you to stir our hearts into action. As global temperatures increase, inspire us with ways, we can make a difference in our homes, church congregations, communities, and the world around us.
We pray for your prompting where we can do more to love our neighbour. Amen.
Saturday 23 July 2022
Birth Announcement
There has been much excitement up on the Norfolk Coast near Cromer recently. A colony of about 8 exotic, rainbow coloured birds have been nesting at a quarry near Trimingham since the start of June - and some of the eggs laid there hatched on Wednesday. The farmer who owns nearby land has worked with the RSPB to set up a safe viewing platform, and thousands of birders have already come to watch...
The RSPB have set up a live webcam at Trimingham - if you have time to sit and watch a hole in the ground, you may catch a glimpse of these multicolour marvels coming and going.[here] I have dipped into it a few times, and as yet seen nothing - although in the comments, one person said she had heard the birds calling ["They sound like demented oystercatchers"!]
Friday 22 July 2022
I'm Off My Trolley
We took the bag off, turned the frame upside-down, checked it all carefully. We straightened the bent bar...We turned it on its side, looked at it from all angles. I finally got it to a point where I could put the bag on and the trolley leaned back like a drunken golf caddy. I thanked them for their efforts. We went our separate ways
It is meant to stand upright and stable. I struggled off to the super-market, hoping that my trolley would go into the Lathe Palace later for a full MOT (Mending Of Trolley) I am too hot for this hassle!!Thursday 21 July 2022
Is It Too Early To Mention This?
Now to spend 5 months scouring the Charity Shops for just the right little toy lamb...
Wednesday 20 July 2022
Hey Duggee!
Tuesday 19 July 2022
Here Comes The Sun...
Monday 18 July 2022
Wise Words
A quote from George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends [aka the Quakers] which seems particularly apposite on what is expected to be a Very Hot Day...
Take care my friends, and avoid Macbeth's "heat-oppressed brain"Sunday 17 July 2022
Blessings
- my loving family
- my thoughtful neighbours
- my home and garden
- my caring church
Saturday 16 July 2022
La Dolce Vita
Italian for "The Sweet Life". Here are two more of my library books
Friday 15 July 2022
Learning Curve
* I will post pictures once they've been delivered
Thursday 14 July 2022
Hakuna Matata Frittata
...the Swahili phrase for no worries.