Of Blankets And Bathrooms [And Harry Redknapp]

This jolly Santa was one of the trees in the West Moors Festival last week. He came from KB Installations- the company whose showroom is just up the road from St Martins Church.
I thought this was quite an unusual take on a decorated tree, and to be honest, I had never really been aware of this company [we have a perfectly adequate bathroom thankyou]
I I took my photo and moved on. 
Then I was in the cupboard at church retrieving the Christmas Decorations.
And I realised that we had a whole load of knitted blankets in bags up on the shelf, plus some woolly hats.
These had originally been destined for Romania, but the charity said they did not want any more.
So where should these ones go? 

We choose 2 charities each Christmas [one global, one local] and all the offerings from our special Christmas Services are given to them. This year, we're going with Christian Aid, and 'hope for food' which is a Bournemouth based charity.

You may have seen them last Christmas when they got into the national news. Local hero Harry Redknapp was crowned "King of the Jungle" - but found himself inundated with roly-poly puddings, having said on screen that he missed Sandra's puds when he was making the programme.
Harry donated them all to Hope For Food - and paid for custard to go with them and went down to help serve the puds to hungry and homeless people. [that's taking your giving seriously - well done 'Arry]
Well, I checked out their website and as well as food they wanted bedding, blankets and warm clothing.

That would definitely be a good place for our hats and blankets, I thought - far better that they are keeping people warm than that they sit forgotten in a cupboard. So I looked on the website for how to donate them - and there was a drop off point at BK Installations.
And when I got into the showroom the girl was so grateful - and we had a chat about their Santa Tree, and Hope for Food and our Christmas Offerings. Then she said "And our company is doing a special thing for charity too" 
They want to give something back to our community in Ferndown & West Moors So they're planning to give a new bathroom completely free of charge to one deserving individual or family who would truly benefit from it, [and who lives within an 8 mile radius of their showrooms]. How amazingly generous. This is not a huge nationwide company - but they want to share what they can. "Please take a leaflet" said the girl "There maybe someone you know of through the work your church does, who might want to be entered"
There's a lot of love, and warmth, out there this Christmas - pass it on!

Love, Pray, Vote

What A Winter Wonderland!

As we did last year, we again went into Bournemouth to look at the Tree Wonderland. This event is nothing like the size of Manchester's Lightopia - but it is free, and open to all. 
At 6pm, we parked up at the top of one of the shopping streets, and strolled down towards the Christmas Market. 
Bratwurst, Fudge, Waffles, Elf Hats, Warm Scarves, Whimsical Door Hangers, Mulled Wine, Churros, Chocolates - we looked but did not buy! Then we did buy a portion of chips each and strolled through the gardens admiring the trees.

It was very pretty. The trees were exactly the same ones as last year [But in slightly different places]And at least this year the tall one with the tunnel through was illuminated [in 2018 it had broken]
Once we got to the Pier, we walked right to the end and looked at the waves and ships blinking their lights out in the Channel.
Then we turned and looked at the sweep of the bay - and all the properties, large and small, which line the coast.
We walked back up to the car - stopping to buy hot chocolate en route.
How fortunate we are to have such a lovely display on our doorstep.
It was good to see so many families out enjoying the lights - children squealing with laughter, lots of oohs! and aahs!. There were competent skaters taking a turn on the ice [and others clutching wildly to the partners, or the edge of the rink, desperate not to slip over] There were many couples [like us] strolling hand-in-hand, looking at the lights on the trees, but also with lovelight in their eyes.
I did enjoy it - a walk in the park, a bag of chips and cup of hot chocolate hardly counts as an extravagant Date Night - but it was all I needed to fill me with a warm glow of happiness. Thank you Bob

The brief video has much better pictures than I could take - including lovely aerial shots of the Pier and the Big Wheel

Who's The Boss?

I've been purchasing fairtrade goods for well over 30 years now. In the early days we had a few disasters - one of Bob's fellow students became a rep in 1984, and we wanted to support her. For Christmas we gave everybody on our present list a Fairtrade mug, and a packet of teabags. The mugs were well received, but the tea tasted dire! She also had loorolls in her catalogue [and they were recycled paper] If you purchased in bulk, it worked out cheaper than anywhere else. I decided to buy a year's worth which meant we were paying half our usual price. Unexpectedly we had to move house suddenly. I think the removal men were very confused about our toilet habits, as they shifted all these boxes.
But fairtrade coffee, tea, bananas and more are common items on our shopping lists - and we are glad that workers in India, Africa, the Americas etc are all benefitting from better working conditions just because we are willing to pay a few extra pence for our groceries.
But this past week I have been reading about a fair trade scheme in France. Yes, France - not considered a third world country. What's that about?

Meet Nicolas Chabanne, a French entrepreneur. Four years ago, he was trying to persuade the supermarkets to sell wonky veg [not terribly successfully] and somebody said "Please look at milk sales" He did - and found a disaster - the big retail groups were driving down the prices mercilessly, dairy farmers losing money on every litre.

And a mere 8 cents a litre [6.8p] was the difference between a farmer going bust or making a living. The suicide rate among French dairy farmers is 30% higher than in the general population. Chabanne calculated that if the average French consumer spent just £4 more per year on their milk, the producers might survive. He was convinced people would be prepared to do that.

Since he launched C'est Qui Le Patron?! [Who's the boss?!] 3 years ago, French consumers have bought 123million litres of milk CQLP. It is now the fourth biggest milk brand in France, outsold only by the most cutprice supermarket own brands.

Furthermore, CQLP is run by a co-operative of 7500 members, paying just €1 to join. They now have more than 30 sustainable lines [including honey, sardines, flour, apple juice] and these have been produced to specifications decided democratically by the consumers.

Overall sales have exceeded targets 10 times over. Supermarkets assume that all consumers want competitively priced produce. CQLP is changing that. 
Chabanne says "A lot of consumers want to behave more responsibly...they want healthy, quality food, produced ethically and transparently...with respect for animal welfare and the environment by people who are paid a fair price. And thet're willing to pay a little more for that"
"CQLP is about consumers taking control. There will always be people, for all kinds of reasons, for whom price matters most- but there are more and more who feel slightly guilty and would like to do better" He pictures his archetypal target customer** as "a couple in their mid 30s, working parents with young kids, aware of the climate crisis, of eating healthily, of animal welfare, of plastics in packaging, of the plight of the farmer...but unable to afford full organic. CQLP is the answer"

Consumers can vote on the website for products. Other countries are taking up the idea- Wie is de baas? in Belgium, ¿Quien es el jefe? in Spain - and The Consumer Brand in the UK
Watch this space- it seems a like a great idea to me.
More info on CQLP here.
** his target customers sound like my children - but this grandma thinks it's a good idea too.

You Tell 'Em Rodney!

We went into the bank last Tuesday. There was a table, covered with boxes of baubles and lights and tinsel etc.
And a sign from Dorset Police, saying "Hang Up On Fraudsters"

Do you think they meant us to drape tinsel round the necks of any scammers we encountered, or decorate the dodgy market traders with silver balls?
By the way, thanks for all the great comments on the apostrophe post. We passed a greengrocer's shop in Manchester whose signage was totally free of the "Greengrocer's  Apostrophe". Then I saw the strawberries! Creative spelling at its best. 

Pause In Advent #2 - Come

Advent means coming, and we usually take that to mean preparation for the coming of Jesus. But I want to turn it around today, and consider that Jesus says 'Come'
Come to me and I will give you rest [Matthew 11:28] is a lovely message to people who are worn down by the stresses of life. And in Luke 14, Jesus tells of a banquet, where the host tells his guests "Come, everything is ready" - Jesus has prepared a banquet, a rich feast of abundant life - and it is for everyone. The Good News of Christmas is for all people- it is not restricted to the rich or the righteous, the important or the intellectual, it is Good News for ALL.
I love that truth. Stuart Townend has written a brilliant song about this [he tells the story behind it here] Great words, and it's got a brilliant toe-tapping tune too. We sang it last week at UCF - a useful reminder at the start of Advent that our church needs to be welcoming all who come. [and as Sue put it so cogently on Thursday, if you are not welcomed "then find another church...because if [they] don't make a stranger feel welcome, then they are not doing what they should be doing"]  

Come, all you vagabonds,

Come all you ‘don’t belongs’
Winners and losers, come, people like me.
Come all you travellers tired from the journey,
Come wait a while, stay a while,
Welcomed you’ll be.

Come all you questioners looking for answers,
And searching for reasons and sense in it all;
Come all you fallen, and come all you broken,
Find strength for your body and food for your soul.

Come to the feast, there is room at the table.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.

Come those who worry ‘bout houses and money,
And all those who don’t have a care in the world;
From every station and orientation,
The helpless, the hopeless, the young and the old.

Come all believers and dreamers and schemers,
And come all you restless just searching for home;
Movers and shakers and givers and takers,
The happy, the sad, and the lost and alone.

Come self-sufficient with wearied ambition,
And come those who feel at the end of the road.
Fiery debaters and religion haters,
Accusers, abusers, the hurt and ignored.

Come to the feast, there is room at the table.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.

 ... the wonder of love, and the power of grace.

Sacré Bleu!

Pantone have just announced their Colour of the Year for 2020. It's blue.
Classic blue - a shade reminiscent of the sky at dusk.

It has been chosen because is all about reliability in an uncertain world. Our brains find blue to be a restful, calming colour. Mind you, watching the video, I did not find the blue liquid coming out of the teapot very reassuring!

Vogue has immediately produced an article telling us how to bring this colour into our homes.
I have had a quick look around my home - which is already very blue and spotted three things which show I am right on trend already.

My lovely blue jug. OK it has been collecting dust on the bedroom windowsill for a while- but I think I shall move it downstairs to the lounge now.

My one blue and white Willow Pattern plate - bought in a CS when I was doing a Literacy Lesson on the associated Chinese Legend. Bob is not particularly fond of the WP - but I shall use it as a serving plate in coming days.

Finally my beautiful "Let there be light" lamp. Bob bought this for me many years ago. It has various Bible verses about light on it - all in shades of blue and white. I love it.
Currently it lives on the landing- providing a gentle light to show the way to the bathroom during the night!
So yes, I already have my calming blue influences - and have no need whatsoever to dash out and buy anything else.
My favourite colour is red- but I have a lot of blue in my home, and I do wear a fair bit of blue as well.

It is certainly much more restful than last year's colour - Living Coral

Do you like blue? Is there much of it in your home or your wardrobe?

Reading Matters

Years ago, I heard Alan Bennett tell how he came out of the National Theatre on London's South Bank, having watched a play with some friends. As they approached Waterloo Bridge, a homeless woman huddled under a blanket called out "Give us some change sir, they've taken away my books"
Bennett, an avid reader [and writer] could not imagine life without his books. He fished in his wallet and gave her a £20 note. He ran to catch up with his friends, and told them of the encounter. 
They laughed at him, and said "She meant her benefit books"
Well, maybe she did - but I know how much books have contributed to my life. Why should people who are 'of no fixed abode' be deprived of reading, along with all the other comforts of life?
Some homeless people are able to visit their local libraries - and enjoy a warm welcome as well as access to reading materials - but more than 800 libraries have been closed since David Cameron entered Downing Street in 2010 [equivalent to one closure every 4½ days]

So I was very glad when Liz told me about a scheme called "#BuyShelterABook" - [launched on Monday on Twitter] by an independent bookshop in London. It asks people to send donations, and these will be used by Shelter in 12 of their UK 'hubs' to buy books for homeless people. Full story here
Yes, I know they need food, and blankets and warm clothes [and ultimately a settled place to live] but books can change lives. "Books were my pass to personal freedom" said Oprah Winfrey of her early life. I applaud Simon Key, the bookshop owner, for setting up this initiative.
This appeal runs for one week only, and finishes tomorrow evening, and the Big GreenBookshop in Wood Green will add to the final amount donated. 

Believe In Better - Be More Awesome!

This is the motto of St Mary's CE First School in West Moors - and yesterday I enjoyed hearing the Year 4 "Woodpeckers" Class singing Christmas Songs at the Tree Festival in St Martin's URC Church.
The children were enthusiastic, and happy - and gave great enjoyment to all the visitors who were listening. [I;'m not allowed to post photos though]
The Tree Festival itself, now in its 5th year, was indeed even better and more awesome than before. More trees, more community groups involved.

Santa and Snowman trees, and eco-friendly trees

A memory tree, and the local Myra's Wells charity

A number of local "Care Providers" produced trees

Knitters and Natterers, 5 Gold Rings [and elsewhere, the whole 12 Days Of Christmas theme]

Pleased to see all the decorations on the Scout tree were made by members of all ages- youngest to oldest, reflecting their activities. The WI covered their tree in little wrapped Jampots- and called it Jam and Jerusalem

And the UCF tree with the Christmas Crackers theme.

The members of this little chapel work very hard to have a visible presence in the heart of their community. I'm glad this event is so well supported. There should be lots of visitors tomorrow night when it is the local Carol Event, and St Martins Gospel Choir are singing. I never took a shot down the aisle showing the rows of trees. I've been really remiss about my pictures- this year St M's have their own minister [and wife] - and I completely forgot to take a picture of James and Pauline. They were both working hard yesterday, greeting people, serving refreshments etc. 

I hope I can fit in a trip over to Wimborne this week to look at the trees there too. And before you ask, NO!  there are no plans to host a Tree Festival at UCF. I've seen all the effort that goes into staging these events, and I'm happy just organising our contributions to two other festivals. 

Have you been to a Tree Festival this year ? 

[or contributed decorations to one? ]

A Special Ap-Peal

I rarely post twice in a day - but this is good news! Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State has stepped in and issued a Holding Direction to Tower Hamlets Council while he considers what to do about the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

This is progress, but we still have a long way to go. Please take a moment to read what the Gentle Author says here, and send a supportive email if you can. Thankyou

Aftermath!

We've had our busiest few days for ages- and now we are living  stumbling through our home in the aftermath of it all. 
Thursday - putting up Christmas Decorations at Church, including decorating two trees, OAP lunch
Friday- the School Play, The School Christmas Fayre, sorting out Festival Tree stuff
Saturday - Switching on of the Ferndown Christmas Lights [Bob doing lal the PA, I was staffing our church stand] - so we were out from 10am to 7pm.
Sunday - re:vive Breakfast Church, including children's activities [and then resting all afternoon]
Monday - putting up a Festival Christmas Tree in Wimborne, going to Craft'n'Coffee Group [and doing a demo] putting up a Festival Christmas Tree in West Moors, and trying to sort out play costumes.[Meanwhile Bob conducted a funeral, then went for a flu jab]
And the house is in utter chaos.

Boxes and bags of play costumes, some stuff sorted and ready to return to school. Nativity costumes waiting to be sorted and hung on the rail ready for Sunday's service. Half the lounge is full of this stuff.

Cable reels, mic stands, safety mats and other PA gear in the hall, waiting to go back up into the loft.

In the back bedroom, the airer is covered with laundry, and there are two baskets of clothes alongside, all waiting to be sorted, folded, ironed and put away. Finding clean underwear each morning has proved something of a challenge this week.

In the porch lurk boxes and a stepladder from the tree decorating activities.
But it has all been worth it - Two trees decorated - with the help of a cheerful 3 year old, and the set of Advent posters displayed in the church [thank you CPO] and all the other decorations [as yet unphotographed] make the premises look properly festive.

Here's one of the tables set for OAP Lunch Club. Doesn't it look inviting? And this isn't the Christmas Special - our dedicated team of volunteer staff work hard every week to make our senior guests feel welcomed. [Menu on Thursday was a pear and goat's cheese starter, main course, roast chicken dinner, and dessert of Cherries Jubilee, followed by tea or coffee - delicious, and only £4 to pay] 

Friday's play was brilliant, and School Fayre less so. However I heard of someone else who'd been there, and she had only had one customer, and taken just £1.50 - which didn't even cover her booking fee! The Lights Switch on was incredibly well attended. The organisers reckoned double the number from last year. I didn't have time to take pictures- other than Mickey Mouse, who dropped by my stand right at the beginning. I gave away around 250 leaflets, and between 30 & 40 groups came to have a picture in our Photobooth [mostly families, but also 4 dogs in different seasonal outfits with their owners] 

On Sunday I worked with the children to colour and fold Christmas fortune tellers /  cootie catchers / whirlybirds [these origami toys have many names] Inside there were various questions to answer - some factual about the Christmas story [who came to see the baby Jesus? where did he sleep?], others wanting their own ideas [what was the best gift you have ever given? what is your favourite part of Christmas? These two young ladies got very engrossed in operating their gadgets, and quizzing each other. Even the youngest children were confident with their answers.

Two more trees decorated on Monday. Wimborne got the "Names of Jesus" decorations which we used in West Moors in 2015. West Moors has "Christmas Crackers" and I have no close up shots of them [yet] Here is a picture of the team doing the final assembly a couple of weeks ago.

Yes it has been busy - but so worth it. There is so much sadness, and doom and gloom around right now, and it is good to see someone's face light up when they see a sparkling tree, or watch the children acting and singing, or enjoy a laugh with friends over a good meal lovingly prepared.
I am really glad we have joy, peace, hope and love as our Advent themes at Church this year.

Its Very Sad, There Will Be Tears' At Bedtime, The Editor's Cant Cope.

Yes, we have to announce the unfortunate demise of the Apostrophe Preservation Society - because "ignorance and laziness have won". In 2001, John Richards, a retired journalist, set up this society after seeing the apostrophe misused so often, in so many different places. He wrote to a national newspaper, hoping for perhaps half a dozen letters of support. He heard from more than 500 people all around the world.
Writing on the society's website,John says: "Fewer** organisations and individuals are now caring about the correct use of the apostrophe in the English language. We, and our many supporters worldwide, have done our best but the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!" The website is here and will remain open for a little while longer - it has some great examples of bad signage. Update on website - see comment below from Bless

This is bad enough  - but the one underneath is even worse

And I expect better than this from Sainsbury's. After all, they have an apostrophe in their name, so they should know where it goes.

World's End Stores has more errors than you can shake a stick at...

And as for this sign below in Welsh - who knows what this one says!

I have taught so many 'apostrophe' lessons as a Supply Teacher. The omission apostrophes [can't, wouldn't, they're, he's and the baffling won't] and the possession apostrophes.

1. My method for teaching children about the latter is this - ask yourself, does this belong to somebody?
2. To whom does it belong?

Example:  we have "the girls umbrella." Look at the words on the page, and with your hand, cover up the person who owns it [the girl] So that means the apostrophe goes after the L.  The girl's umbrella.
What about the boys toilet? That's for the boys. So now you know the apostrophe there goes after the s. The boys' toilets. This method seems to work for most children, and then they can manage more complex ones [the ladies' cloakroom, James' boots] 
I have lost count of the number of schools where letters go home about the Parent's Evening [there's only one parent?]

I walked past this school recently, and was very disappointed to see that they have no apostrophe in their logo. I suppose they would argue that it 'looks better' from a graphic point of view.
But I was even more upset to see the banner outside, which proclaimed that 'good' rating from Ofsted also had a misplaced apostrophe. I didn't stop and take a photo, as there was a child beside it, and I didn't want to get arrested. I suggested to Bob that I should go back after dark with a Sharpie and correct it, but he dissuaded me.
John Richards is 96, and I can understand he is slowing down, and needs to put away his Tippex - but I shall continue to do my best to use good English and to pass on these skills to the younger ones. You have no idea how hard it was to mis-type the title of this post!
If you have something to share, spend a few minutes proof-reading it, please.
Don't spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar!  
** Bob is irritated by articles which confuse fewer and less. 

It's All A Bit Seedy

Do you know the Greek myth of Persephone? Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, she was abducted by Hades and taken down to the Underworld. Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvest, is distraught, and searches everywhere for her child, neglecting her responsibilities to make the crops grow. Eventually she finds out where Persephone is, and the girl returns- but Hades has tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds. So for six months of the year Persephone must return to him in the Underworld, and during that time, Demeter is sad, and the earth experiences winter, and little or no crops are harvested...This was the story I was told as a child. But I had never seen or tasted a pomegranate. I doubt that my Grandad, who told me the story, had ever eaten one either.

I knew that the name came from two Latin words meaning apple and seeds - and that "garnets" - the dark red jewels beloved of the Victorians - get their name from their appearance. They look just like these seeds. But it is only in recent years that I've found these fruit in the supermarket and occasionally purchased them
Just before I came back from Manchester, I went into Morrisons to buy a few groceries. I'd found a recipe requiring 100g pomegranate seeds.
I had two choices
I could buy a packet of seeds weighing 100g for £1.25, or I could buy a whole fruit for 70p.
You will not be surprised that I went for the cheaper option.
It was cheaper
The only packaging was the skin which Nature had given it
The seeds inside weighed considerably more than 100g.
A win-win situation
[although I did splash some red juice on my best apron]
It did not take long to get the seeds out [I used Jamie's method of inverting half over a bowl and whacking it with a wooden spoon]
Why would anyone go for the other option? - I suppose they might be really pressed for time. But they cost more to buy, and the plastic packaging adds to the landfill and pollution. Pomegranates do look like apples, but with a funny little coronet.Anyway, here's the tasty recipe 

Aubergines with Lamb and Pomegranate

490 CALORIES - SERVES 2

2 aubergines, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cinnamon
7 ounces lean minced lamb
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the aubergines in a roasting dish skin side down. Lightly brush with some of the oil, season with a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the onion, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add the lamb, pine nuts, and tomato puree and cook for 8 minutes more. Just before the end of the cooking time, stir in the pomegranate seeds.

Remove the aubergines from the oven and divide the lamb mixture evenly between each half. Return to the oven and bake 10 minutes more. Serve topped with parsley.

Pause In Advent #1 - Finding The Perfect Gift

My first Advent Pause this year is just a simple short video, entitled "The Perfect Gift"

Update- apologies for being late adding the link list in the sidebar. I hope I havent missed anyone. It is not too late to add your name if you want top participate.