Vive Le Français!

Since I posted about my French soap, I keep noticing other French stuff. I hope to be among those lining up to gawp at the Bayeux Tapestry when it finally gets here. This French Embroidery has fascinated me since childhood.

Then yesterday, Liz alerted me to the work of French Canadian artist Elise Gravel. She has produced a great poster celebrating women scientists.

To my shame, I have to admit that I can only tell you things about half of them. More research needed there...

Liz said she'd like to put up EG's posters 'boys can be' and 'girls can be' in Rosie's bedroom. So I went onto the Net to find this, and found the French ones.

 My French isn't that good, so I was glad to discover that there are English versions available.
Who knew that in Quebec, the word is Prout? 

I love the sentiment of these posters- and if I was a class teacher, I would love to pin them on the wall of my classroom [probably in French, for added educational benefit!] 

My final bit of Français came with the delivery of my latest Marie Claire Idées magazine [thanks Steph!] 

Lots in here to get excited about... once I have translated it.

Clock... Not Working, Otherwise OK

About 30 years ago, an elderly gentleman in his 90s died. He belonged to my Dad's church in Norfolk, I remember him as a happy, determined chap, bright and alert till the end. He had left instructions for my father to take his funeral, and for my parents to clear his rented home, and distribute his possessions among his friends. His tiny one bedroomed place was very tidy, and spotlessly clean, but there was a lot of stuff in there.

One dear lady used to call each week and collect his pension book. He'd put it in an envelope with his shopping list on the front. J would collect the pension, buy the food, then write the amount spent on the envelope, and put all the remaining money inside. She did this for years. 

He would take the envelope, remove the book, and the banknotes- and place the envelope containing a few coins back in the drawer. There were hundreds of these envelopes, neatly lined up!
In another drawer were lots of little boxes, beautifully labelled - including one full of cogs and screws - "Clock- two parts missing, not working, otherwise OK"
His niece's husband owned a department store in Sussex, and they sent household linen each year for his Christmas gift. There were stacks of sheets and towels, still in their wrappers. Mum gave me a white bath towel ["for Bob to use at Baptismal Services"] I still have it!

The whole process of clearing took quite a while - Mum and Dad took it all home, and then distributed things among his friends, and sent the money to his chosen good causes. "I am not going to get like this" said Mum "Why keep those clock parts- it was never, ever going to work again..." Sadly, Mum herself died within a few years, aged 66 - she never reached her 90s, and Dad and I sorted out what few 'personal' items she had - but of course, Dad continued to live in their home, so much of their possessions were shared. He later downsized, and was pretty ruthless with 'stuff' - but left his tools to my brother and his books to Bob.

This week I listened to a Womans Hour Podcast about 'dostadning' - a Swedish word meaning 'death cleaning'. Margareta Magnusson, a Swedish lady 'somewhere between 80 and 100' has written it to help us declutter now, to save our loved ones the task after we've gone. One of her daughters is a journalist and suggested Mum put her principles into print [the cynic in me says 'jumping on the current Kondo/lagom bandwagon - and ensuring Mum's eventual legacy is more cash than clutter']

"Start the process somewhere between 60 and 65", advises Margareta. I am 62-and-a-bit, so approximately half way through that age bracket. Long time blog followers will know that I have struggled with decluttering for years. I hope that within a few years, we will retire to Norfolk [assuming I don't die first] But Cornerstones already has beds, a cooker, bedlinen and crockery. I cannot fit all the stuff in the Dorset Manse into that bungalow, but will need much of it up right until I move. How do I decide what things should be discarded now? 

Please don't mention my haberdashery and the Great Stash - whilst I am still fit and able to sew and craft, those items are constantly in use and being turned into other things. 

Any helpful suggestions as to where to start?

[I have already thrown away the broken, cheap watch from my jewelry box, and a faulty alarm clock which wouldn't reliably wake anyone. "Clock... not working, otherwise OK" is a ridiculous label!]

I Am Speechless!

When I began this blog I didn't think I'd keep it up. Now nearly 10 years later, I've passed 2 million hits. 
This picture is one I found online, but it seemed appropriate. Diverse fabrics stitched together by an elderly machine, to make a useful, beautiful quilt. I try to take the random things that occur in my life and put them together, redeeming things which others have discarded, making and mending... and by God's good grace, trying to make my corner of the world a better place.
Thanks for all your comment. I've made so many new friends here, and learned so much. While folk seem to enjoy my scribblings, I shall go on writing! 

Better Than Soap On A Rope!

Here's James Martin in his kitchen making pastry. Yes, that is his home. unlike other cooks, who film in a TV set on a West London Industrial Estate and pretend it is their kitchen and their table etc, JM is actually in his own house.
Notice behind his right elbow, a bowl of lemons - but what is that behind his left elbow? It looks like a lemon on a stick!

Well, it is, sort of. It is a ProVenDi soap. In 1950, on the shores of Lake Geneva, a French, family-run soap business invented these novel soaps. The owners, expert 'savoniers' realised that bars of soap left by the sink can easily become slimy and slippery - and slide out of wet hands onto the floor. Why not drill a hole through the middle of the soap to make a bar that rotates on a shaft?
It was a stroke of genius- schools and public washrooms across France loved the idea. Just rub damp hands round the moisturising Marseilles soap to create a creamy lather. And teachers and janitors do not have to fish disintegrating bars of soap from the floor, or out of basins of water. For almost 70 years they have been in French schools. I have no idea why we didn't have them in British schools [my school had those horrid dribbly liquid soap dispenser, which were always empty anyway] I love Marseilles Soap, it is a real treat when friends and family return from holiday with a little bar for me. 
My Futility Room Plans included dreams of French Style...so my Christmas Present from Bob was this - a lovely lemon soap on its own stem. You have no idea how excited I was when I opened my gift on Christmas Day! He's mounted it behind the FR sink [although I know it will have to come off temporarily when we eventually do get round to painting] Thank you Bob.
I am not sure that having soap like JM will improve my cooking though...

Buzzing With Excitement!

In March 2019, the Women's World Day of Prayer Service will be from Slovenia. That seems a long way away- unless you happen to be on the WWDP National Committee and have been preparing materials for this event since 2017. [I am in London this week for WWDP stuff]
I confess to almost total ignorance about Slovenia until I started the preparation. I couldn't even locate it on a map. Then I discovered [to my shame] that it is bordered by 4 other countries - and I have visited every one of them - Albania, Italy, Hungary and Croatia. But the great thing about Slovenia is the bees. This nation is passionate about them - nearly 5% of the population keep bees. 
For three centuries, since Slovenian Anton Jansa studied bees and became a recognised European expert in apiculture, this nation has recognised the vital importance of these insects to our survival on the planet. May 20th is always marked in Slovenia as AJs birthday.
The Slovenians have been petitioning the UN - and have finally succeeded, last week it was declared by the UN that this year, May 20th will be recognised globally.

Watch this space, there will bee more information soon...

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

Did you sing this nursery rhyme as a child? Mulberry bushes have been grown in England for centuries. There is much debate about where the original mulberry from which inspired the song was grown.

Here are some nurses dancing round the Bethnal Green  Mulberry, growing in the grounds of the London Chest Hospital back in 1944.

We know this particular mulberry is extremely old.

This tree was around in the time of Bishop Bonner, who was Bishop of London in the 1540s and 50s. In fact, the Hospital has a wooden inkwell which has a brass plate explaining it was made from a branch of the Mulberry beneath which Bishop Bonner sat while deciding which heretics to execute, confirming that the tree was already considered to be ancient over than a century ago. Bishop Bonner used to live in Norfolk before he got his episcopal mitre- and his cottages in Dereham are now the town museum. 

The tree has survived for over 400 years- including the ravages of WW2 - don't let it be destroyed now! It still produces a fine crop of fruit each year, despite bearing the scars of one of Hitler's Bombs. Sadly, developers want to cut down the tree, and build a block of flats, despite protestations from every quarter. The developers, Crest Nicolson, say it must be moved, because it is apparently in poor soil. There is no evidence to bear out this statement - just lots of mulberries each year! They have also taken cuttings. How jolly helpful of them!  Read the full story here - and if you feel able, please sign the petition to save this wonderful, and ancient tree . Thank you

More...

Two weeks ago, I declared my blogword for 2018

The idea for this came whilst I was in Norfolk. It had grown out of our Advent Conspiracy themes [Worship fully, spend less, give more, love all]
It was only when I got back to Dorset, and I was riding my bike along the cycle path, that I watched buses driving past on the road, and remembered the name of the Bournemouth and Poole Bus Company - it is morebus! Every bus has the word more emblazoned on the side.

You know I love words - 'bus' is a contraction of the Latin word omnibus. That means for all.
So our local transport company's name could be re-interpreted as morebus = more for all.
I was thinking about buses on Friday as I listened to the story of Rosa Parks in Alabama in 1955 [BBC Radio 4 Extra] This was the real start of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, and Martin Luther King's call to non-violent resistance [such as the bus boycott]
Our world still needs more justice, more dignity - for the many, not the few.
BTW Jeremy Corbyn didn't originate those lines, he borrowed them from Shelley's Poem "Masque of Anarchy" written in 1819, after the Peterloo Massacre 

The people there were peacefully protesting. Over a dozen were hacked to death in the Calvary charge, and hundreds injured. 
Their banners proclaimed their desire for "Reform" "Universal Suffrage" "Equal Representation" and "Love" 

Most definitely, we still need more love, for all

A Thimble of Love

Sorting through a bag of buttons and bits which someone gave me recently, I came across a very grubby little brass thimble. Grubby - but with a lovely pattern round the base. I set to with the Brasso, and it polished up fine.

It is very golden on the inside- I suspect it has been lacquered.
I remembered that lovely bit in Peter Pan where Peter first meets Wendy and she sews on his shadow for him. 
He confuses the words kiss and thimble!
I've worn the thimble this week when I was mending Bob's fleece. A true labour of love, because I really dislike sewing zips!
Another labour of love this week was dismantling the UCF Christmas Tree

A group of us stacked over 600 squares into heaps, and worked out how to make the blankets. Over 40% of the squares were knitted in Wilko Jade Yarn - so we had to balance them out carefully. I took photos of the arrangements .
Then kind people took stacks home in order to sew them together.
I spent Monday evening at my friend Jenny's house. We sat and worked away together and drank lots of tea. I calculated that it is going to take me at least 15 evenings to complete my blanket!
Our aim is to make blankets large enough to properly cover a single bed, as we feel that is a useful size. I am hoping we should get four [a few squares measured 15m not 10cm which meant some reconfiguring!]
At least sewing the soft squares together does not require a thimble!

Courgettes Not Carbs

We watched Tom Kerridge's recent programme about weight loss, and he made a delicious looking lasagne using slices of courgette instead of pasta. He topped it with ricotta  [a cheese I can eat] It looked tasty, so I decided to give it a try.

This lighter 'lasagne' saves on calories without compromising on taste. Each serving provides 436 kcal, 45g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 18g fat, 6g fibre and 6g salt.

From Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight For Good - serves SIX

Ingredients

800g beef mince

1 tbsp oil

2 large onions finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, grated

2 carrots finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 tbsp caraway seeds

3 tbsp tomato puree

700ml beef stock

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 beef stock cube

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 sprigs rosemary leaves picked and finely chopped

200g button mushrooms halved

2 large courgettes, thinly sliced on an angle

2 beef tomatoes sliced into 12

250g ricotta

1 ball mozzarella grated [125g]

10g/⅓oz grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Spread the mince out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake on the top shelf for 40 minutes, breaking it up every 10 minutes. It should be a deep-brown and even colour. Remove and set aside. Keep the oven on.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions for 10 minutes, or until soft, adding a splash of water if they start to stick.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes then add the caraway seeds, stiring for 30 seconds. Stir through the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.

Add the mince, stock, tinned tomatoes, stock cube, herbs and mushrooms. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to a rich ragu.

Pour the ragu into an ovenproof dish, about 23x33cm/9x13in and 5cm/2in deep. Layer the courgettes then the tomatoes on top, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Season the ricotta with salt and pepper and dot evenly over the tomatoes. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan and bake for 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown.

I tweaked the recipe slightly. I'd forgotten to buy mushrooms so missed them out- and had regular tomatoes instead of beef ones. 

I made it in 6 individual dishes - 3 topped with ricotta, and three topped with ricotta plus grated cheddar [I had no parmesan or mozzarella to hand] and I have frozen four of these.

Other than that my recipe was the same- it tasted lovely, and I served a green salad alongside.

I shall look out for TKs book in the library, in case he has other good recipes in it!

Not Such Venerable Beads

In the middle of all the news this week about Cabinet reshuffles, and Princess Charlotte's Nursery, you may have missed one really encouraging report-  The manufacture of Plastic Microbeads and their use in cosmetics and 'personal care products' is now banned in the UK. They won't disappear completely from our shelves for a few months- but it is a great start. More information here and a brief video here.

You may remember that back in June, I made some beeswax foodwraps.

The aim was to reduce the amount of clingfilm which I use and then discard.
They are still in regular use, although I think it's probably time to re-wax some of them, as there are fold lines developing and the wax coating is wearing thin there.
Here are four things from my fridge currently benefitting from the beewraps;

Half a butternut squash, and half a grapefruit - the cut sides covered with wraps, a bowl of food and a block of cheddar.
I have to say that they are excellent for wrapping sandwiches neatly. I was using them all the time I was teaching last term. In my lunch hour, I'd unwrap the cloth on my desk as a makeshift plate, with the stack of sarnies on it - and eat them, held in my left hand, whilst I marked books with the pen held in my right. Then I'd shake the crumbs into the bin, and fold up the wrap and put it back in my briefcase. All very efficient. Similarly, I'd my lunchtime orange and put the peel onto the wrap, so that it could be packed up and returned to my kitchen at home, to go in the food waste bin.
I have plenty of beeswax- so when I get a spare afternoon [!] maybe I should make a few more of these useful little wraps. Much better for the planet than more plastic, whether in the form of clingfilm or microbeads,.

This Barnum Hokum Aint't Humdrum, Has Momentum!

In the Christmas hols, we went to the cinema in Norwich with Adrian and Marion [my bro and SIL]
I'd left it too late to catch the Orient Express, so we opted for The Greatest Showman instead.
This film bills itself as 'inspired by' the life of PTBarnum - he of the three ringed circus, Little Tom Thumb, George Washington's Nanny et al.
It is a musical, and it stars Hugh Jackman, who does very well imho. It is a cheerful romp, lots of jolly music, rather contemporary dancing, and lots of CGI [circus elephants etc]
But it does play fast and loose with the facts.
You have to decide- if you want strict historical accuracy, then stay away. If you want a family friendly afternoon, with no sex or swearing, and magic and sparkle and singing, then this will do you fine.
You can read a couple of relatively positive reviews here and here - both of which acknowledge that the film doe snot set out to portray facts, but to provide entertainment. Which, after all, is what PT Barnum himself did.

Marion and I were particularly interested in the part of the film where Barnum comes to England to meet Queen Victoria, and meets Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale" who was a gifted singer who had been touring Europe. 
He takes her back to the States for a tour there. It does go pear shaped, and she breaks her contract with him. In the film, there are suggestions of romance- in fact it was more that she was unhappy with his promotional style. 

Our interest was sparked by the fact that Miss Lind wherever performed her concerts, she always gave away a high proportion of her income to charity.
Just prior to going off to America, she had performed in Norwich. The monies raised there she gave specifically for the provision of a children's hospital.
The Jenny Lind Children's Hospital, opened in 1854, was only the second children's hospital in the UK, after Great Ormond Street which had opened 2 years earlier.
I enjoyed the film - as Marion said, it would make a good stage musical [not sure how you'd get the elephants in!] but it has sparked my interest in the real Barnum.
There was a lot more to him than his circus acts. He was a shrewd businessman, a self-promoter, and convinced of his own genius. He believed 'there's a sucker born every minute'
There is nothing new under the sun...
I rate this one ***

Not As Good As I'd Hoped

I collected this from Ferndown Library on my return from Norfolk. Another of the Josephine Tey mysteries. This one is set in 1936, Edward VIII has become King, and JT inherits a cottage in Suffolk. The cottage is in Polstead, the little village which gained notoriety in 1827 as the location for the murder of Maria Marten in the Red Barn. Just over a century later, Tey finds the villagers are still sensitive about the events, and suspect all 'incomers'.
This one was a disappointment. The plot was complicated with lots of references to the earlier murder, and ghostly intrusions. 
But what really put me off was an error which jumped off the page at me. Somehow the fact that the author had not done a simple bit of research to check her accuracy irritated me. 
This is not a plot spoiler, it is quite irrelevant to the story, but having read it, I found myself doubting the other parts. 
Tey and her partner, Martha, go to the Harvest Festival at church. The author describes in detail how badly the woman in the pew behind Marta sings a particular verse of the hymn How Great Thou Art . But it is a verse which Stuart Hine wrote in 1949! Surely somebody should have bothered to check the date when the hymn was written? 
I shall not give up though, if I can find other books in the series available through Dorset libraries, I will give them a try. 

New Year, Love Food, Hate Waste

Don't you love the way that the same word can mean two totally different things?

"That girl is full of sauce, she'll find herself in a real pickle soon, and I don't relish being around to sort her out"...And none of that has anything to do with tracklements.

I am not sure that chutney or mustard have other meanings though. 
Please pause for a moment to lament the impending closure of the Colman's Mustard Factory in Norwich after 160 years. Very sad news- I hope they reconsider!
I've been busy sorting out the pantry. I brought quite a few foodstuffs back from Norfolk, including a 2 half eaten jars of pickle and chutney, and an almost finished bottle of brown sauce. Hugh F-W's Leftovers book contains a great recipe for "Many Chutney Brown Sauce" developed by his Head Chef Gill. I love brown sauce on my Saturday Breakfast, so decided try it out on Saturday.
You simply scrape all the stuff into a large saucepan, [add a little boiling water from the kettle if it is very thick]bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then taste for flavour. If needed add in some more salt/sugar or vinegar. Gill suggests that some mango chutney will add 'brightness'. Now purée with a stick blender/processor. Boil for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly. Pour into sterilised bottles. From jars to bottles in about half an hour..

I put the jar of tamarind paste in the picture because I added a spoonful of that to the mix. I knew that HP sauce lists tamarind as an ingredient.
Gill says this sauce will keep for a year. I think I will get through my 2½ bottles well before next Christmas.
Liz and Jon made lots of splendid sourdough bread whilst we were in Norfolk. My other thrifty activity last week was to turn the heels of two loaves* into toasted breadcrumbs. These should keep for a month in the airtight jar. I'll sprinkle them on salads, use them to coat fish, toss them over trifles...

*is this a case of 'showing a clean pair of heels'?
Have you found any new ideas for Christmas Leftovers?

A Psalm For The New Year

Last weekend we were worshipping at our favourite little chapel in Norfolk, and our friend Charles said that around the turn of each new year, he likes to read through Psalm 103. I love the idea of having a special Psalm for the New Year. Many of the verses in this one were already familiar to me, but it was good to realise they all came from this one Psalm. It is like a good Christmas cake- rich in fruit, packed with goodness, sweet and nourishing. Here it is from 'The Message' version. Read it and be blessed and encouraged as 2018 begins...

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!

O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

God makes everything come out right; 

he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work, 

opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, 

nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth, 

so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset, 

he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.

Men and women don’t live very long; 

like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, 

leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always, 

eternally present to all who fear him,

Making everything right for them and their children 

as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.

God has set his throne in heaven; he rules over us all. 

He’s the King!

So bless God, you angels, ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels, alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are— everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!

The Ongoing Saga Of The Futility Room

First, I must apologise for accidentally deleting some comments the other night. Happy New Year to those kind people, I will try to maintain my resolve to switch off at 10pm - after that I neither think straight or type accurately. 

Mags commented a few days ago that she had missed the explanation for the Futility Room. I'm not sure where I first heard the name. But it strikes me as a brilliant moniker for the place where much of the housekeeping is done. Because this is often how I feel about this Sisyphean task.
The Kirby Muxloe Manse FR was just off the lovely large kitchen. It was tiny but useful. The Ferndown Manse has a much smaller kitchen and no FR.But the previous owners of Cornerstones added an extension which includes this luxury. I do not want to take it for granted. 
Downside - it is the first room entered when you come in by the side entrance. [The bungalow  is on a corner so entrances are front and side.] As we usually arrive in the dark, we stagger in with luggage and deposit it in FR, so it frequently looks like the left luggage office at Paddington.
Since 2009 we have done nothing to improve the room, other than adding a washing machine given by kind friends. The move from KM meant we had 3 wall cupboards and a dishwasher, which Bob put in place. So now we have a well equipped room. Painted in Builders' Magnolia, with my cheap white melamine cupboards on the wall, and under the worktops next to the appliances, some old wooden kitchen units painted in white gloss. A bit of a hotchpotch!
The acquisition of a length of vintage French Linen Roller Towel fabric set my fevered brain working. Visiting NT properties and reading Country Living magazine conjured up dreams of a FR decorated in country house laundry room/French farmhouse style. I began a Pinterest board, and bought tester pots from Wilko. Restful greys and blues. Farrow and Ball may hail from Ferndown, but I find their prices are high, and their shade card rather pretentious.

We painted the trial squares, bought the paint, and emptied and took down the wall cupboards [which we stood on the worktops] That was in the summer.
In October we were too tired, and last week we were happily busy with the family.Only one minuscule bit of progress made on the FR. That was on the afternoon of January 1st.
But that will get its own post next week... 

Tree Fellers Wanted!

There is something very sad about the discarded Christmas Tree leaning against a bin.
I am much happier about schemes where your tree can be shredded and mulched and made into something useful.

That said, our own tree, and the ones at the church are artificial, and get packed away and used again and again.

The knitted tree will be dismantled on Monday and we shall start sorting out all the squares and planning the blankets.
A friend asked me on Wednesday why trees are taken down by Twelfth Night, and I explained the traditional belief that the "Christmas Feast" was deemed to last Twelve Nights. The Church decided it begins on Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of Jesus [manger, angels, shepherds etc] and continues to the Feast Of Epiphany [Jan 5th/or 6th] when we remember the Visit of the Magi [Wise Men/Three Kings]
Once they have been and gone, then Feasting ceases and we get back to work!
But I am left with a few questions which seem to come up each year at this time of undressing, dismantling and packing away.

1. Why is it that you put away complete sets of carefully wrapped, untangled strings of functioning lights - only to get them out a year later and find they have been knotting themselves up in the box, and may not be working properly?
2. Why do you take all the decorations from the tree then dismantle it [plastic] or take it off to be shredded [real tree] only to find at the last minute, a treasured decoration still nestling in the branches?
3. Why do you leave some items in the box when you start the decorating process, because you are not sure if you like them enough to hang them up - and still dislike them at the start of January, but do not have the courage to recycle them to the bin or the Charity Shop? [please note- this year I have been much more disciplined about this, and some have now left the house for good!]
4. At what point is it acceptable to cut up your cards to make gift tags, new cards or other craft items for next year? [One year Steph told me off for doing it the day after Boxing Day]
5. Even if you are super diligent, how come there will always be one small bauble hiding under the sofa when you vacuum in February?

I once knew an old gentleman who had a red Christmas Bauble pinned to the middle of the pelmet in his lounge. It had been there for years. He never moved it - he said it was part of his custom, to honour Christmas all year, just like the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge did!

Well Deserved!

In recent days, the media has been full of articles about people who have been recognised in the Queen's New Year Honours List. You may or may not agree with the system. Like me, you may wonder why certain celebs 'get a gong', when it is not altogether clear how they have contributed to society. But I am pleased that since the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the British Empire Medal has been awarded to 'ordinary' people who have made a difference.

I am particularly delighted this week that our friend Eddie Martin has received the BEM. Eddie lives Ferndown, and our church is happy to support his charity, Myra's Wells. Do read the full story of how Eddie's response to the tragic death of his wife in 2005 was to do something positive in her memory.
In September, UCF donated the Harvest Thanksgiving Offerings to the charity - and Eddie came and spoke movingly about the work which has been going on for more than 12 years now.
When Myra was killed in a road accident, Eddie asked for gifts in her memory, hoping to raise enough to build one well. At the time, people donated enough for two - and the gifts have kept coming. Over 104 communities in Burkina Faso have now been blessed with fresh, safe water. 
God bless you Eddie, for all you continue to do. We know that meeting the Queen and getting your medal will be a great honour - but the smiles on the faces of these children probably means much more.

You can make a donation here if you wish.