Fun, Fun, Fun…

Carolyn at Mess, Muddle and Fun is proposing a blogfest of fun – each week [from April 27th for six weeks] she will suggest ideas which will be [she says]

…evocative of the fun we had as children, the joy in the process rather than the product, ideas to take us back to a time when how good we were at something didn't matter, the only important thing was… we [had] fun doing it….aiming for childlike rather than childish

I enjoy Carolyn’s blog – she is a talented lady and writes with enthusiasm about life, faith and creativity. So I think I may join in!

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Fabrice Muamba, Premier League footballer  collapsed during an FA quarter final match on March 17. His heart stopped beating for 78 minutes. But the devout Christian, 24, stunned doctors after recovering and being fit enough to walk out of hospital just a month after the ordeal. In an interview , Muamba said: "Someone up there was watching over me. What happened to me was really more than a miracle. On the morning of the game I prayed with my father and asked God to protect me - and he didn't let me down.

I am walking proof of the power of prayer."

No further comment needed!

The Best Birthday Present

Last Sunday we went over to Adrian and Marion’s charming cottage for a belated birthday meal. Their gift to me was this lovely Willow Tree figure – the Angel of Caring

Marion has just been commissioned as a Street Pastor, working with a team in Norfolk. The SP’s are certainly ‘Angels of Caring’ – bringing support and comfort to those on the streets…

• A warm drink for a homeless person.
• A pair of flip-flops for an unsteady girl who can no longer walk in her stilettos.
• A bar of chocolate to calm rising aggression
• A friendly ear or a shoulder to cry on.

She asked if I’d ever considered becoming a Street Pastor. Well, yes, I have thought about it, but for various reasons feel it is not the right thing for me at the minute [my body clock means I am a lark, not a night owl, and believe I can serve God more effectively by preaching at 10am rather than pastoring at 2am!]

“Can I be a ‘Blog-Pastor’ do you think?” I speculated, and told Marion some of the amazing encounters that have come out of writing Tracing Rainbows.

In March, I had an email from someone who reads my blog. It was quite out of the blue, and I don’t think this person had ever commented on any posts. But she was at absolute rock bottom, with a major problem. She just wanted to share it with somebody.

I was really concerned – it was late at night - I had only gone to the PC to switch it off when I saw the message. I replied promptly with some words of encouragement, and the assurance that Bob and I would pray and I asked where the person lived.

I went to bed that evening with a heavy heart. Had I said the right thing? Was this person near enough for me to go and visit in person? They could be anywhere in the world – I know that people in France, Canada, USA, NZ, Oz, Italy and India read this blog.

There was a reply the following evening – thanking me for the support, and telling me the location. It was too far for me to go. BUT – and this is the wonder of blogland – I have a good friend in that very city. I emailed her

“I can’t go into details, but please send me some websites of places in your city who could give good support to somebody with this particular problem….”

And within minutes I had received a comprehensive reply [thanks]

I sent the details off to my new friend. And received a brief thank you. We kept on praying. I sent an Easter e-card. But for three weeks I heard nothing. But we kept on praying.

And then, on the afternoon of my birthday we got back to Cornerstones after our trip out with Liz and Jon. They prepared a meal whilst I checked my emails. And there was a reply from the person who had originally contacted me on March 19th. Loss of internet access at home had meant she had been unable to contact me over Easter.

But she had begun to get things straightened out, and see a way through the problems, and the links I had passed on from my other friend had been helpful. She felt there was light at the end of the tunnel, and things were not as bleak as she had at first thought.

I was so thrilled – I rushed in to the other room and told the family that our prayers had been answered.

“That” said Jon “Is your BEST present today, Ang”

I couldn’t agree more.

I am so grateful for the good friend who gave me the info I needed without asking any questions – and to Bob who joined me in praying for this distressed person – and to God for helping to alleviate her distress. And I continue to pray that her situation will improve.

Live creatively, friends. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. Galatians 6;2

Bye Bye Bert

What a Talent

Bert Weedon 1920-2012 – a man who brought great pleasure to millions, and inspired countless youths to start strumming.

The Low-Down

Have you seen this logo recently?

It is the 2012 ‘Live Below the Line’ campaign, to encourage people to think about what it really means to live in extreme poverty. Fostermummy, over at My Beautiful Life posted about LBTL recently, and the website is here. Christian Aid, Unicef, The Salvation Army and many other charities are behind this venture. The basic idea is that for just five days from 7th – 11th May, you spend no more than £1 a day on food and drink. This puts you in the same position as someone living ‘below the Extreme Poverty Line’ as defined by the World Bank.

You can then send the remainder of your usual food budget to charity, and get friends to sponsor you for doing it, and generally spend time improving your own awareness [and that of your friends] of just how great is the gap between rich and poor.

The website is full of helpful tips, and a selection of £5 shopping lists, with accompanying menus.

“If we did do ‘Live below the Line’, it would have to be later in that week, as we’ll be at the Baptist Assembly and staying with Liz from May 4th-8th” I said to Bob.

“If WE did it?” he responded!

Oops! Even in a happy relationship like ours, where budgeting is a shared activity and we both regard giving and stewardship as an important part of our marriage, I have no right to presume Bob will agree with me. Ultimately, giving is a personal thing between God and the believer.

I am posting about LBTL now because I am still in discussion [with myself and God] about whether or not to take part.

I have no problems with

• the basic premise behind the scheme
• living on a low food budget for 5 days
• doing it from 9th-13th May instead
• preparing separate meals for Bob if he chooses not to join me
• having a very restricted choice of foods [rice every day]

but

• all the menus rely on buying ‘basics’ range products
• free range eggs cost more than £1.25 for 15!
• they suggest you drink nothing except water
• I normally eat more fruit and veg than this

Whilst I already buy many ‘basics’ products, do I really want to eat Sodium Triphosphate, Tetrasodium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate, and Sodium Sulphite in my sausages?

Is it right to abandon one principle in support of another? [I believe chickens should be happy and free to roam, so prefer to buy free range eggs]

If I only drink water, I know I shall get caffeine withdrawal headaches. So that would mean weaning myself off tea and coffee well beforehand – and I do not think I could survive the Assembly without a cup of tea now and then!

If I do not eat enough fibre, I know my IBS will flare up.

Now I am fully aware of the fact that this whole exercise is to help me to understand that people in Extreme Poverty do not have any of these choices.

• They have to eat whatever food they can afford.
• Their drink isn’t ‘tea or coffee’ it is usually dirty water
• IBS is nothing compared to the griping pains of real hunger

So I am dithering here.

Perhaps I should put Josephine Tey aside for a while, and dig out this book to read instead? We bought it in 1978 when we were engaged, and were both deeply affected by it.

It might help clarify my thoughts and help me decide whether participating in the LBTL challenge is something I should do.

Are you planning to LBTL in May?

How do you think it will work out in practice for you?

Busy Baking Bagels…

…because Steph and Mark are coming home for the weekend.

I used Karen's recipe [see here]but I have tweaked it slightly – I make the batch of dough into nine bagels instead of eight. The price of bread flour has gone up, and I reckon it now costs nearer 50p to make a batch - around 5½p a bagel. But that’s still 20% of the cost of buying them in the supermarket. And much, much tastier

You don’t really notice the slight decrease in size – and they do freeze well.

Karen recently mentioned on her blog [use it up, wear it out] that she had been borrowing books from the library. I asked her to review one of them – and she has kindly done so here. I already have one of Clare Young’s craft books [here] but this latest one “Christmas Crafting In No Time” sounds just up my street. Thanks for the review Karen!

Now back to getting things ready for the family visit!

We Will Miss You, Linda

Yesterday afternoon, around one hundred people packed into the chapel at the Crematorium, and then we went back to join another seventy or so at church, for the funeral of our dear friend Linda who died on Easter Saturday, aged just 66.

She was a great lady – wife, mother, grandmother, friend, counsellor…her life was built on her faith in Jesus. Linda’s husband Bob, her three beautiful daughters and other family members all took part in the Thanksgiving, and paid tribute to her – and my Bob led the two services and preached about her courage through her fight with cancer- and the deep peace that she knew in her heart – the peace beyond all human understanding, which comes from trusting in the Prince of Peace.

We were reminded of the plaque which hangs in the porch of her home, which summed up so much of her attitude

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

You did all those things, Linda- we’ll miss your smile, your infectious laugh, your listening ear, your wise counsel, and your thoughtful prayers.

Our thoughts are with your beloved Bob, and your family in the days ahead – but we rejoice with them that you are now free of pain and with your Saviour.

Pheasant Present!

I had a lovely surprise at school this morning. Yesterday I did a small thing for a colleague, and today she came into the staffroom, and said “Do you like eggs, Angela” When I said I did, she presented me with a boxful – fresh from the hens.

“Just a small thank you” she said.

But look – in the corner there is a smaller greeny-brown one

It’s a pheasant’s egg! The Clarence Court website says

Don’t be put off by pheasant eggs, there is nothing complicated about their use and they are almost as versatile as hens eggs, they’re just smaller and have a richer flavour. I wouldn’t advise using them in baking for example. But they are fantastic hard or soft boiled, added to salads, poached and fried – their flavour makes a great addition to all manner of dishes used in this way, and I think they are the perfect egg to use for Scotch eggs 

It also suggests they are particularly good hard-boiled with a sprinkling of celery salt. Now I just happen to have some celery salt which Jon gave me – so I have suggested to Bob [who likes hard-boiled eggs] that he should have it for his breakfast tomorrow.

That’ll make a cracking start to the day!

I Have Seen The Signs!

We saw some crazy signage in Norfolk last week – here are a few of them I had to photograph to share with you

Bob was quite excited about the idea of an ‘emergency microphone’! [Castle Mall Shopping Centre, Norwich]

On the other hand, I was baffled as to how something could be both ‘character building’ and ‘micro-deadly’ [Argos, Dereham]

I looked and looked and didn’t see a single frog or tadpole! [The Plantation Garden, Norwich]

This one is amazing [seen in Costa Coffee, Riverside Retail Park, opposite Norwich Station] I may show this to my Year 6 pupils, and see what they make of such dire punctuation!

Time For Tey?

I am halfway through the set of eight Josephine Tey books which I recently purchased from The Book People. I have read The Franchise Affair, Brat Farrar, The Man in the Queue, and Miss Pym Disposes. Bob is reading them as well –which explains why I am not working through in the order in which JT wrote them.[one of the delights of being at Cornerstones is plenty of time for uninterrupted reading!]

We have both reached similar conclusions – namely that the books feel very ‘dated’ and would not be easy to make into films nowadays. They were written between 1929 and 1952 – some in the inter-war years and then some more after WW2. Somehow they are ‘modern’ – there are cars and telephones, women have the vote, and some emancipation – but yet they are strangely ‘quaint’.

I think younger readers would struggle with the idea of no computers, or TVs [just radio], and no supermarkets [but there is the grocer, and the butcher’s boy on a bicycle]

The Franchise Affair, is set in the small town of Milford. Tey says of Milford High Street that

“the scarlet and gold of an American bazaar flaunted its promise down at the south end”

and middle aged readers like me know she means

…but those under thirty might infer this instead…

I consider that my vocabulary is pretty good – but JT’s wordy prose meant I was frequently checking the dictionary. Words like halidom, haemostosis, belle-laide, and Johannisberger were not familiar to me! [Are they known to you? and that’s haemastOsis, not ‘stAsis’ !]

Brat Farrar was almost credible, but I found myself getting a little annoyed with the contrivances of the plot. Similarly The Man In The Queue.

But I have to say that Miss Pym Disposes was the most …er …unusual of the four Tey-Tomes I have tackled thus far.

It is set in a Women’s College, where females are trained to be Physical Training Instructors.

I found it bizarre because there is an almost complete absence of sex. The girls are very earnest, worthy – and young for their age.

Now please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not saying I wanted this book to be full of ‘affairs of the heart’ or descriptions of people caught in the throes of physical passion – but surely the conversations in a college full of girls in their early twenties would include discussion of romance as well as of their anatomy lectures? Maybe I am just incredibly naive, and have missed something?

Miss Pym was reviewed by the Norfolk Library Services last year [here] – but the reviewer fails to point out that you have to wade through three quarters of the book to get to the ‘nasty accident’

That all sounds quite negative. There were some passages in these four books which I really enjoyed – clever description, Tey’s understanding of human emotions, unexpected ‘twists in the tale’

…so I shall persevere and read the other four in the set.

Does anyone else out there have time for Tey?

What I Did On My Holidays Part 2

Liz and Jon went back to London on the train Friday evening, and then we had a lovely meal with Christine. But on Saturday we were on our own. After careful internet research, we went to the weekly Saturday boot fair at Hellesdon. On arrival we discovered it wasn’t there! For this one week it was a Model Railway Exhibition – and we didn’t fancy paying to go in.

We pootled back to Cornerstones via Bawburgh – a pretty little village on the edge of Norwich, teeming with lovely views and oozing with history! The church is one of the rare round-towered parish churches [more prevalent in East Anglia than the rest of the UK] and has a great story. Read it here 

This was the site of the grave of St Walstan – patron saint of farms, farmers, farmhands, ranchers and husbandrymen.[details of him here] Behind the church we found the well – clearly not the original!

We had a lovely conversation with the lady arranging the flowers in the church then we walked round the rest of the village.

The mill has been converted into flats now- but it was here that Jeremiah Colman originally milled his famous mustard [more info here] The river runs through the village – in this photo, themill is just behind Bob

Walstan and his animals are commemorated on the village sign

I’d recommend the King’s Head for a coffee- but the food looked quite expensive! [Adrian and Marion agreed with us when we told them about our trip!]

Seconds Away!

Some people [like me] feel almost naked if they are not wearing a watch – whilst others [like Bob] seem to manage perfectly well without a timepiece on their wrist. Admittedly he often has to ask me what the time is, but he can get through a whole day without a watch.

I have a beautiful silver ‘dress’ watch, a 50th birthday gift from Bob. Very elegant – but distinctly lacking in accuracy [worn on Sundays and evenings out]. I also have an ‘everyday’ gold-coloured watch – but I like to have a cheap plastic watch to wear when working with small children [where finger-paints, PVA glue, and the sand and water-tray are a regular hazard] and doing messy jobs at home. My school watch needs to have clear numerals [so I know when it is playtime] and a second hand [for mental maths tests]

My last watch [£5] from a cart in Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre - has finally given up the ghost. It lasted nearly 4 years, so I replaced the cheery red plastic one last week with a blue one [£4.99] from Clas Ohlsen, the Swedish store in Norwich.

I wore it on Saturday morning – but when I checked it, around midday, the second hand had dropped off – it was floating around inside the dial. You can just see it lying along the bottom in this picture.

I was a little miffed, to say the least. OK, it had only cost £4.99, but one doesn’t expect it to malfunction within two hours of being worn. I emailed the company on Sunday afternoon. I am very impressed by the fact that by 8.34am on Monday, Rebecca Jacobsson had replied [That’s a Scandinavian sounding name, isn’t it?] She assured me that if I return the watch by post, with the receipt, she will arrange a refund. She appreciates that I do not want to go all the way back to Norwich! So tonight I’ll pack it up and take it to the PO tomorrow.

That sounds like good customer service to me – I shall wait and see how long it takes for my refund to arrive. Then I may splash out £9.99 on a plastic watch from Argos!!

Proud Of The Buttons

There’s a scene in the film Witness where the Amish widow, Rachel, lends John a coat which belonged to her late husband [John’s coat is bloodstained]

 

Rachel – I should tell you, this kind of coat doesn't have buttons. See? Hooks and eyes.
John - Something wrong with buttons?
Rachel - Buttons are proud and vain, not plain.

And I think she may be right. It is possible to become inordinately fascinated by buttons. Floss, for one, understands this, I know.

My friend Kath gave me a bag recently, of about 1000 buttons. I spent a whole hour sorting them out, when I probably ought to have been doing other more productive tasks. But they are so lovely!

I sorted them by colours into my six IKEA glasses which were nearby [I won’t be able to drink from them again till I re-home the buttons!]

Blues and purples, browns and greys, reds and pinks, blacks and golds, white and pearls, yellows and greens.

I love these textured white ones – some are vintage Bakelite or similar material I think. These coloured ones too are really pretty[look at that tiny pale green shell, centre right!]

And these have such lovely variations in colour.

I must find some really interesting projects to make good use of this generous gift!

Meanwhile, my friend Alyson tells me that at Charlecote Park there is currently an art installation involving buttons. [Alyson saw it, and thought of me!]

It was created by Alfreda McHale and is called ‘Seeking Pearls’ The website says “Jars of buttons and threads are assembled on shelves in the Laundry so that, at first glance, they could be mistaken for sweets in an old-fashioned sweet shop.  The viewer is free to touch and play and becomes a participant in the work:  you can decide how you want to sort your bowl of buttons and where you want to put your jar.  As you sort and play you can lose yourself in memories and associations.  Your reasons for sorting buttons one way or another may be transparent (colour, form, type) or may remain private and personal (‘my mum had some like this’).”

Do buttons fascinate you too?

Have you got a button jar or button tin?

Please May I ?

say thank you…

• to all of you who sent such kind birthday wishes
• to Millie from New World who sent me a lovely ‘Olive’ magazine – it was waiting on the doormat when we got back from Cornerstones
• 
• to Adrian and Marion for a lovely evening yesterday, with a great meal and gorgeous birthday gift
• to Liz and Jon for a super week at Cornerstones with us
• to Catriona for answering so promptly when I sent an urgent message at 7am on Friday about a friend in Scotland who was very ill [pleased to report that he is making good recovery – so thank you God, too!]
• to Bob for driving all the way back to KM, whilst I was busy in the passenger seat, knitting furiously! My holiday project is almost completed. Finished pictures soon, I hope
• 
• to everyone who entered my Celebration Giveaway.

I just dismantled the Easter Egg Sculpture, filled the blue bowl with the names, and asked Bob to do the honours and select somebody

And the name that came out was Please May I ? So if you email me your address, the goodies will soon be on their way.

We have just gone through our diaries together- the next few weeks seem busy as ever. Baptist Assembly, SATS, Jubilee Celebrations, and Holiday Club all approaching alarmingly fast.

What Goes Around…

…comes around - or so they say.

That always struck me as a rather pointless saying, along the lines of “If you lived here, you’d be home by now” and “She’s no better than she ought to be”

But what goes around quite happily in my kitchen is my roller towel.

I’m perversely pleased with this item, and as I was drying my hands on it this recently, I felt it deserved a mention on the blog.

I get a little irritated when teatowels and handtowels get muddled up in kitchens [I notice it happens a lot in school staff kitchens] and unless you have a convenient rail on your cooker [as we do at Cornerstones] it is not always easy to find a good location to hang towels.

When we got married, we were given dozens of towels – including lots of pairs of hand towels. So a few years ago, I took three of those pairs and made three ‘loops’. Bob cut some brackets from some scrap wood, found a bit of chrome tubing, and voila! My roller towel. It is on the door from the kitchen to the utility room – so ideally placed between the two sinks. I store the two clean ones close by, so if the towel does get grubby, I can quickly replace it.

I had the towels, the fixings were from Bob’s Stash in the garage [yes, he has one too!] so it cost nothing. As opposed to the ones for sale here and here.

Where do you hang towels and teatowels?

And have you any ingenious solutions to suggest?

Let Them Eat…

…cake! Marion and I share a birthday so we have been invited over to their place this afternoon for a belated birthday meal. I made one batch of sponge, then divided it to make two cakes- one plum, one coffee and walnut – with a spoonful  of crème fraiche as an accompaniment [low fat naturally!]

Not Meg, Or Mog, But Moses!

The book I bought [brand new, but only £2.50] in Fakenham Parish Church Book Sale on Thursday was this…

I love JP’s artwork, and have had his Christmas and Easter books for a number of years. This one uses text from the King James Version of the Bible, and retells a number of Old Testament stories.

Don’t you just love the crocodile eating the oa?

JP uses silhouettes and shadows to great effect

The book had some great reviews when it came out

“Pienkowski is a genius - He can do fabulously delicate silhouettes and he can do big, bold and colourful....the result is a humorous unsqueamish presentation of Old Testament stories for very young children.” Boyd Tonkin - Independent

“Pienkowski uses the traditional language of the Old Testament for stories such as the Tower of Babel and Joseph and his coat of many colours, matching this with his vivid 'Meg and Mog' style in-your-face illustrations. A real meeting of old and new.” Pet O'Connell - Evening Echo

It presents some of my favourite OT stories in an accessible way. Money well spent!