Happy Birthday Steph!

Just a few pictures of the last 40 years - one from your childhood, one from Brazil, when you spent the summer working with the street children, and others since your graduation.

Have a wonderful day!

Never stop sparkling!

We love you so much

Very Cheerful Food [4]

That was a clue in a cryptic crossword I was doing recently. At first I couldn't work it out, but once I'd filled in the down clues, I got it. Very = So, Cheerful = Up. The answer so-up = Soup.

I was at the dentist's on Monday,and as I walked back to where I'd parked the car, I saw this sign
I do love the idea of Soup Church! I wonder if the Methodists of East Harling are Very Cheerful Christians, I do hope so. They are clearly keen on good food and gentleness. It is a shame that it is a 70 mile round trip to my dentists, otherwise I'd be tempted to call in!

There is something special about sharing good food in good company [companion comes from the old French compaignon, one who breaks bread with another] I shall be eating meals at the conference this weekend with many friends,new and old. I know I'll look round the dining room, and hear gales of laughter from one table, and see deep conversations going on at another...
A blessing of retirement is having the time to invite others to share a meal with us - at home, or at a local 'eatery'. It doesn't have to be 5* cuisine - soup and a roll, a cuppa plus cake...but it is so good to meet together, and eat together. 
Jesus did it all the time [feeding 5000, Cana Wedding Feast, Supper at Emmaus, a BBQ on the Beach] I think we should too!!

What The Vicar Taught Me...

Last month I dropped in at the Parish church "Coffee, Cake and Chat" group, and Rev Rachael taught us to make paper roses [thanks]. I've been cutting squares for a Kusudama Workshop I am running today at my conference, here's a quick tutorial on roses...

For each rose you need 3 squares [these are 9cm²]
Fold each square into 4, then diagonally in half.

Now holding the point of the triangle, trim rund the open edge to get an ice cream cone shape. 

Then cut a tiny triangle from the bottom

Now open out your three flowers [A,B,C] Cut one segment out of  A, two out of B and three out of C. Line the 6 pieces up in order of size.

 

Now you need to take the smallest petal, run a line of glue down one straight edge and roll it up. Then take each petal in order, rolling it round the central 'stamen' and gluing down its outer edge. Here is the last petal waiting to be added. The pen mark indicates where you put the glue!

Once the glue has dried, gently roll each petal over a pencil to give it some curves. 

I made stems using wire, wrapped in a thin strip of paper. One flower is made from pages of an old paperback book, the other using an old map. 

The map pages were hard to curl. Next time I shall curl them before  rolling and sticking, I've tucked the blooms in my reed diffuser!

Come back Marie Osmond, all is forgiven!

Busy With My Friends

For the first time since 2017 I am actually going away to the residential conference for "Spouses of Baptist Ministers". Our group is now called Thrive, prior to that it was Connexion, and before that it was "The Baptist Ministers and Missionaries Wives Fellowship". The original title was rather unwieldy - and also outdated once we had husbands of Revs coming to the local groups, and we opened up to spouses of chaplains, and others who were serving in Baptist Churches, but not necessarily in the traditional roles. So in 1997, we became Connexion- because that word historically represented groups of nonconformists, and also because we were a very disparate group, but with this one connection - what our spouses did. Then about 8 years ago, when things were very different and we were connecting via social media, and patterns of ministry were continuing to change, we became Thrive. Because we wanted to encourage our members to do just that - not just to survive the rigours of marriage to someone in a 24/7 job. 
I love the conference- it is time to reconnect, to share our stories- to encourage one another - to relax - to laugh and to cry together. These women [no husbands attending this year!]are among my oldest and dearest friends.

I should point out that even in the days when my Mum attended they didn't dress like this!

Tomato CatchUp

All this talk about the importance of 30 minutes reminded me of a time management system which was popular in the 80s. Back in those pre-internet days, I'd push Steph in the buggy round to the library and come back laden with craft books, novels, and books which promised to get my life, house and family organised. Then the children would play with their toys or look at books, while I sat and read. I made endless lists; things to do, budget charts, meal plans...

One popular time management technique was developed by an Italian, Francesco Cirillo. This guy's motto is 'work smarter not harder' Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato. and Cirillo realised his tomato shaped wind-up kitchen timer was just what he needed to get things done.
The idea is to break everything down into smaller tasks which take 25 minutes. Wind up the timer. Do one of these 25 minute bursts of activity, then rest for 5 minutes, then repeat. After four such tasks, take a longer break. Like this...

For some tasks, this is a really helpful way of breaking up the activity. Although a cup of coffee every half hour is maybe a little too much caffeine for me!
I notice that a number of British Universities actually promote this technique to help students with revision. 
I have a slightly less structured way of doing a similar thing.
Whenever I put the kettle on, I try and find a task I can do in the time it takes the kettle to boil. I know I can

• clean my teeth
• empty the dishwasher contents onto a tray and carry it into the kitchen [Bob often puts things away, which helps - otherwise they sit there till the next kettle-boil]
• empty all the wpbs and pull out the wheelie bin onto the pavement.
• take the dirty laundry to the Futility Room and load and run the machine
• empty the machine and hang the wet laundry on the airer
• water the houseplants

If it's true that "A watched pot never boils" then there is no point standing in the kitchen staring at the kettle - I can catchup with my tasks and make positive use of my waiting time.

Do you use a Pomodoro Technique or similar to ensure that you get tasks completed?

Just Ten Weeks...

I do not bother to get so organised about Christmas these days. Fifteen years ago, our family Christmas and the church calendar was utterly manic. I made Bob a special tee shirt listing all the events.

Retirement has many blessings - and one of them is having time just to enjoy the season.

I don't really need to add to my seasonal decorations - and certainly I decluttered lots of stuff in the Autumn before retirement. We have no need of a staircase garland when you live in a bungalow, or the shelf with stocking hooks when there is no mantelpiece.

But I did succumb this week, and spent £2.50 on Charity shop bargains.

The needle-felted dog on his sled, and that red love-joy-peace mug really needed to come home with me!

I did not succumb to the Musketeer Bear. There were at least 60 bears from this collection in a bin in the CS**, at £1 each. At their original prices, that would have cost someone over £300. Cute though they were, I did not fall for the charms of Caesar the Roman bear,nor Vik the Viking, nor Giorgio the Gondolier. But a serious arctophile like Gyles Brandreth would find lots of bargains here [**the new PACT charity shop in Dereham] 

Have you started 'Christmas Planning' yet?

The Fruits Of Their Labours

On Sunday after church we drove over to the Museum for Apple Day. Many people were lining up for selfies with the Big Apple [not me]

Plenty of activities - crafts to try, apples to taste. All these ones which were actually developed in Norfolk, as well as dozens of others from around the country. I asked for advice about what to do with my new plant. I was told that if it was a seedling it probably would not survive, and who knows what variety it will be? [I was not encouraged by that!]

There were lots of exhibitors at the event - craftspeople, apple growers, compost makers, spinners and weavers, beekeepers, folk dancers. 

For me, the most interesting person I met was Robin Carter, who is an illustrator. He came to Gressenhall a while back to paint the Suffolk Punch Horses on the Farm attached to the Museum. It was suggested he should bring some artworks to Sunday's event. You can see examples of his work here. But what fascinated me was his stamps. Robin illustrates postage stamps. He was asked to produce one set and the whole thing just took off. If you go to the Stamps of the World website here and type in Robin Carter, you can see just how many he has done. 

A lot of places use commemorative stamps as a way to boost there economy - there are philatelists out there who will snap up the Falkland Islands Land Rover Set . Robin explained that he is given his theme, and usually works from photographs [he doesn't get flown out to Ascension Island, or wherever!] He produces a finished artwork about 6" square, then it goes back to their printers who add the "furniture" that is, the sovereign's head, the value, and other necessary wording. What a fabulous job - and one which clearly makes great use of his undoubted talents.

Here is the original alongside a sheet of stamps, which were produced to mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines.

Robin was so interesting to talk to, I felt I had learned so much. 

I am grateful to all the volunteers who gave up their day to make it a good event. There were loads of people there, and the weather was good - families were going across to the farm,and down to the adventure playground. I wished we could have had some our of littl'uns with us. They'd have loved riding the mini tractors and diggers, and sampling the fruits.

Thank you Robin and co, for making Apple Day so good this year.

A Tight Situation

Last autumn, my friend Wendy gave me a challenge - could I make her some "tidy bags" for her tights. She wanted to separate the navy from the black ones, as it is sometimes a challenge to work out what colour your tights are, first thing on a winter's morning. I made her a set of three bags

At the time, I thought I should make some for myself. It has taken me a year to get round to it!

But when I did my summer/winter clothes sort the other week, I realised the tights were all a bit jumbled up. I tipped them out onto the bed in a tousled heap

I found some more fabric samples in the Stash, and chose three which went well together. I chose three buttons - black, blue, and brown, and made my bags,.

Then I sorted the tights, darning small holes in some of them, discarding others which were beyond repair. And all is neat and tidy now! Blacks, blues and 'others' segregated and packed away

What's Thirty Minutes?

 

People round me are still discussing their experiences of flu and covid jabs. Venues seem to fall into two categories- the in-and-out  ones, and the standing-in-a-queue-for-ages places. A member of one such conversation stated she was in&out, but she couldn't see why other people were unhappy with queuing.
"What is thirty minutes out of someone's life. It means nothing!" she declared. I mumbled it was tough if you were 90 and struggling to stand for all that time. 
I have thought a lot about the remark since. There was a woman ahead of me in the queue who had brought her husband for his jab. He had severe Alzheimer's, they'd travelled in on the bus from their village for his timed appointment. The delay meant he was getting agitated, they'd probably missed the bus back and would have a further hour to wait. 
In other situations a 30 minutes delay can be really significant - a delayed train may mean you miss your connection for the rest of your journey. A 30 minute traffic jam can make you late for an important appointment.

30 minutes in someone's life can be very special - the time you sit with a child reading a storybook, or snuggled on the sofa watching an episode of their special tv programme. Half an hour travelling in the car, or walking home with a family member, having time to talk properly without other distractions.

Thirty minutes spent writing/reading a letter, having a long phone conversation, or chatting on WhatsApp, can help make loved ones feel closer, more in touch. Half an hour spent writing a blogpost, preparing a meal, planting out seedlings,darning a sock, knitting baby bootees, creating a greetings card - these are all practical half hour tasks which give me joy, and I hope will bless others.

Half an hour by someone's bedside, in the hospital or Hospice, - giving them your full attention, listening to what they need to say, and responding to them. For someone who is unwell, or one who knows their time is limited, those thirty minutes are truly precious, those conversations matter.

For anxious Mums and Dads, that time slot at the parents' evening can help clear up problems, improve communication with the school, and benefit the children.

So please don't tell me thirty minutes out of someone's life is nothing and doesn't matter. More to the point, it is not my place to decide what matters for someone else. And it is not my place to waste someone else's precious time, if I can possibly help it.  We each have a responsibility to live wisely and well. And to consider the impact of our actions on others. Time is not there to be wasted
I am not saying that Kipling was right in urging men to "fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run"  - it is appropriate to walk sometimes, to stop and appreciate the beauty around us, to notice the needs of others, just to find rest for our souls, simply to be.
The Psalmist says "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain wisdom" [Psalm 90v12] and I am inclined to agree

I Hadn't Expected Two Fruit Trees!

We went off to Milton Keynes on Thursday, for the Christian Resources Exhibition. We've attended CREXsince it began in the 1980s, at various venues. Mostly at Sandown Racetrack. But this was our first trip since the Pandemic, and this was a new venue. We left at 7am and the journey was slow

We hadn't realised there would be so many roadworks, including the resurfacing of the A421 which was completely flooded recently. The venue was the Marshall Arena, between the MK Don's Stadium, and a large Asda! 

There were fewer exhibitors this year. Lots of insurance companies. One lady invited me to look at her products for church and personal insurance. "and enter the prize draw to win £500 for your church". Well that would be useful for our little chapel... Except as I filled in the form, I realised that only Church of England churches were eligible. I put down the name of our village parish church instead. But I thought it was a bit odd. The Salvation Army Insurance guy gave me a keyring with a built in spirit level. "thank you, this is useful" I said. And he gave me another keyring "for bleeding' radiators" he said, and grinned at me. 

I bought Advent Calendars for the grandchildren but nothing else. Unlike the early years, there were very few freebies, although Bob got a folding stojo cup and a small video camera. One Innovative church heating company were giving away tiny fruit trees explaining "we didn't want to give out plastic things". Bob got a pear, I had an apple. I hope they will survive.

This is Roary the Lion. He was from a group which trains people about safeguarding, and how to protect vulnerable children and adults. I had a lovely chat with the rep - who commented that she felt that Baptists already had an excellent safeguarding programme in place, which was good to hear. I took a card anyway, to pass on to Bex, who does a great job at chapel sorting out our DBS checks etc. 

Here's Bob at the Tools With A Mission 

TWAM. I've mentioned them before. Bob wanted to talk more about how The Shed can work with them in their tool refurbishing projects. 

They do so much across the world - I learned that forty five people every day are able to find a livelihood using tools and training fro  TWAM. I commented on the big photo of the woman with her sewing machine. TWAM is involved with many projects round the globe helping women get educated, and learn sewing skills. As well as hammers, screwdrivers and drills, TWAM can use donated sewing and knitting paraphernalia. 

We left the Arena and walked across the Asda car park, to the adjacent IKEA. Meatballs for lunch, and a good mooch round. No, I didn't buy tealights - but I did get mustard sauce, crackers, and cinnamon rolls. 

We got home 12 hours after we left. A lovely day together. 

Posh Paints

I know that you get what you pay for, when it comes to decorating - and if you buy your housepaint in a discount store at rock bottom prices, it may not have the coverage of a better quality paint. And the range of colours may not be quite what you want. Our go-to mid-range paints for years have been Homebase [well, a huge bucket of blue, bought in a sale which we used in Leicester and here] and Wilko [sage green in the lounge, grey in the Futility Room, twine beige in the atrium, deep blue in the kitchen...]  and we have been very happy with the results.

But posh paints, that's a different matter. In Dorset, Farrow and Ball were situated close by on the Ferndown Industrial Estate. Labels saying Stiffkey Blue, Elephant Breath, String and other hi-faluting names were stuck on the elegant cans.

This week I was with Bob as he bought some varnish. I picked up the guide to Morris&Co paints. The guide has no prices in it - although, somewhat bizarrely it has a nice recipe for squash and feta salad, and a guide to making candles in their empty glass tester pots! Inky Fingers, Fired Biscuit, Ernest White...£45 a can

In a bucket by the door were sample rolls of Morris wallpaper labelled FREE. I don't need telling twice! I got a an 8' length of "Snakeshead' pattern, and 6' of "Marigold". I checked online. Full rolls cost between £118 and £139. So my bits were together equivalent to £55 ! Bob pointed out there was not enough to do even a feature wall. I said they would wrap some very classy presents, or make elegant dust jackets for books.

Then my National Trust magazine arrived.

I flicked through the pages after lunch "I've entered the free online competition in the National Trust magazine" I told Bob. "What do you win?" he asked. "Well first, you get an hour's consultation with a Little Greene man..." "What ?!?" he expostulated. I explained that it was the paint manufacturers and you were given advice, then got money off the L G products.

Bob was greatly relieved, he thought I'd said 'little green man'. I know the National Trust prides itself on its inclusivity. But this would be carrying things a bit far. Mind you, the paint colours would probably be "out of this world"

Death And Taxes

It is 235 years since Ben Franklin made this statement - most people only know the last seven words. It is not my place to comment on the US Constitution [but I can continue to pray for the upcoming elections] I have been seriously downsizing for 10 years since we left Leicester, and generally decluttering on and off for even longer.
Not quite ready for "Swedish Death Cleaning" yet! But taxes?
Having only worked part-time as a Supply Teacher for most of my career, averaging 2 days a week, there were hardly any years when I paid income tax. And I only get a small teaching pension. And due to a missing year of NI contributions, I don't quite get a full state pension. But it's just enough to tip me over the tax threshold. But it is all dealt with at source so that's fine, I don't do a self assessment.

But now I have my own  online shop.  I closed my Etsy shop - I was unhappy with their charges, and with the fact that many of their sellers now seem to be selling on stuff that they have clearly bought in, rather than made themselves.

The government has recently announced it is going to clamp down* on 'small traders' who might be omitting to pay their taxes. So I went online, The HMRC website is very helpful, with a simple questionnaire to fill in. As my turnover is well under the £1000 threshold, I neither need to register my business nor do a self assessment form. 
I thought it was worth mentioning this in a post because I know that quite a few of my blogfriends are crafters and make and sell their wares - and I would hate for any of you to get caught out with a fine.*They are apparently checking ads on social media etc. to see if there are people out there clearly doing a roaring trade but not acknowledging it.
My main issue at the moment is publicising 31:13 more effectively - because it isn't part of Etsy, it won't come up in searches. I need to get a review page set up on the site, and also explore other methods of publicity. 

If you have ever purchased from the site, and you blog or use Facebook, please can you give me a mention sometime? 

I will be very grateful [as will all the mice sitting patiently in the spare bedroom]

Thank you. 

Fall

 

So said Anne of Green Gables, adding "It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?"
I think she makes a good point - September is the start of term, for many it is the beginning of a new year, or even new life as they move on in their studies.Full of hope and expectation. 
November combines the solemnity of remembrance, with the preparations for the festive season. The leaves have all fallen, and winter is well on its way.
October bridges the two - the harvests have been gathered, it is the middle of the autumn. Earth's bounty can be enjoyed.

I am not so sure about George Eliot's point of view. I think the turning of the seasons is wonderful, and to only celebrate one is rather limiting - Summer and Winter, Springtime and Harvest are all signs of God's faithfulness.

I do like this graphic which a friend posted on Facebook. I'm ok with nature walks, but not barefoot.  And I like nourishing drinks, but not 'yolky'
But most of the ideas on here I can go along with wholeheartedly.
Let us keep warm and keep well as winter approaches.

Round And Round With Rainbows...

 ...and Brownies. The challenge was to help nearly 30 girls aged 5- 10 to gain their sewing badge. Only 5 of them said they had done sewing before. 

To start with, I needed a fabric they could work with using plastic safety needles. I found some blue floral open weave  curtain fabric in my stash which was pure white on the back. 

Then I didn't want to be constantly rethreading needles with different colours, so I used a ball of bright multicolour dyed yarn which I've had years!

I cut out matching circles of red felt then used nappy liners to make teabags  lavender bags with my sewing machine. Pinking shears gave a opretty edeg and prevented fraying.

Their task was to do simple stitches on the white fabric - either at random, or running stitches, cross stitches, or some sort of pattern, entirely their choice!

I knotted one end of the wool, threaded the needle and knotted that  too, so nothing came adrift.The Rainbows produced somewhat haphazard designs.

The work of the older girls was a little more structured, with lines, circles and crosses.

The teenage helpers working with them were absolutely brilliant

They all had name tags which were tied on to their white circles. I brought them home and tacked them together with the red felt, popping a lavender bag inside, and attaching a ribbon for hanging.

The girls then used regular metal needles to sew round the edge and finish off the lavender sachets.

They will be able to hang them on their Christmas tree, or give them to Mum or Gran for a gift. They were quite amused when I said that when I was a little girl, everybody's gran kept a lavender sachet in her knicker drawer!

Next week they have a Special Event - so I am not back until 21st - when I have a one-off session and need to come up with a quick and easy idea. 

I think they have tried really hard with this, especially ones who have never wielded a needle before. "Miss, the thread has come out of my stick" "I can sew with proper fabric, but not with this stuff" "The way the stitches are all different colours. it's like magic!"

These sessions are rewarding,but utterly exhausting. I really admire the leaders and teenagers who give up every Monday night to work with them in the Village Hall.