Happy Holiday

It seems such a long time since I had a decent amount of time off so I am really looking forward to this break. Funds (or the lack of them) prevent any exotic locations other than my back garden and perhaps some exploration of the Historic Scotland sites which I’ve never seen, even though I’ve been a member for years. But all I really need to relax is a pile of novels. Oh, and I have a dental appointment somewhere in the middle. What joy.

I may blog – I may not.

Interview with new Primus

It took an outsider, and from Englandshire too, to do the first blog interview with our new Primus David Chillingworth. So there is nothing else for it but to point you in his direction.

Books

Whilst on retreat recently I read John Pritchard’s How to Explain your Faith. I have read Bishop John’s wonderful books on prayer and intercessions and find him easy to read and understand. This book is no different. It covers all the criticisms one might come across against Christianity and gives a reason why we believe. There are lots of good quotes too throughout the book. It might even be used by a group, something I’m thinking about.

The other book I was reading which I have finally finished was Revelation by C J Sansome. I’ve read another one of his books in this series and they are marathons to get through. Lots of history, lots of blood and gore, and a murder or eight to keep you turning the pages.

By the way, the next Bookmark book is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society meeting on 24 August. It is a wonderful book and you’ve plenty time to read it.

Harumph

The past fortnight have not been good for us in Durham Towers. We are all rather grumpy and with good reason too.

For twas on that Monday morning that the Gas Board came to dig up our street.  Neighbours round the corner have just had their pipes renewed and said it was a little inconvenient but you could still get in and out of your driveway with a ramp. Ha! I noticed a fortnight ago that all the men in the street somehow had ramps but none of us women did.  Those men who are out all day and only park their cars overnight. Whereas I work from home and am in and out all day long. Despite protestations to the crew from Newcastle and promises made by them, along with excuses, nothing has been done. So I’ve had to park my car away down the road, half on the pavement which is doing no good to my tyres, and watch lorries squeezing past it.

Of course, this all happened just as I moved my study from the peace and tranquility of the garden at the back to the ratatatating of the tar flattener and an assortment of diggers and dumpers at the front. I’ve made them cups of tea, I’ve willingly reversed all the way along the road when I couldn’t get through with nary a grumble, but none of it has done me one iota of good. I still have no access to my driveway.

And my other grumble, while I’m in the mood, is the weather. Oh yes, we have weather here on the east coast and it ain’t good. None of the heatwave that is mentioned every 5 mins in the media – oh no! Heat?  Ha! I laugh in your face!  We have had a fortnight of haars and chilliness with one slightly sunny hour 2 days ago in the evening. So I am sick and fed up of warnings on what factor suncream to wear, how to stay cool (when we are all in jumpers) and skin cancer scares. It’s pneumonia we’re worried about!

So there! Rant over. And don’t get me started on the amount of coverage Michael Jackson’s death has got…

Boogying on down in church

Yesterday was the last day of Junior Church before the summer holidays. We gave out good attendance certificates with lots of applause and I got some lovely thank-you cards (in purple of course).

We always do something special for the children on the last day. So far we’ve had a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, a magician and this year we had a Fischy Music concert. It was a first for me and what fun we had, stamping our feet, whooping, waving our arms. The kids loved it – and grown-ups too, I think.  What I really liked was that most of the actions were actually sign language – beautiful.

I bought their new CD ‘Down to Earth’ with all the extras (videos showing actions, teaching notes and activities, music arrangements, lyrics) so you can expect to hear some more. Some of the kids knew Fischy from school where they do affirmation songs and stuff about anti-bullying.

And go see them if you haven’t already.

Quote of the day

Blogging is the first draft of history.

Nobel Prize committee, explaining why blogs are now eligible in the writing and newspaper categories.

Day off

My day off yesterday began with a little root canal treatment by the gorgeous Pedro. This was painless thanks to the very large syringe of something that was popped in to my gum and then out my ear via my eye socket. However the temporary filling has left a particularly nasty taste in my mouth, only removed temporarily by eating tasty morsels. I fear my diet is not going to go particularly well this week.

Then it was back home to catch up with emails and a little bit of work which needed dealt with.  Not to mention holding things up to be photographed and catalogued on Ebay for Son #1’s latest passion. It has got to the stage that if something isn’t nailed down he could be selling it from under my feet.

Shopping followed – a job I love. Then back home for a little rest. Had just settled down in front of the TV to catch up with everything I’ve missed last week, and was thinking what tasty morsal I might have for dinner, when the phone rang. Didn’t answer it, of course, it being my day off, but did listen in just in case. Thank goodness I did. For it was then that I remembered I should be doing Quiz Night at church in 15 mins.

Quiz Night was great fun though. We mixed up people into different teams which meant folk got to know others. And of course, we thought that this would prevent ‘The Foleys’ from taking 1st prize yet again. That didn’t work as Archie was still on the winning team. Well done Archie!  Even with the 2 disputed answers you’d still have won! Thinking next time we might do a completely religious quiz and see how things go!

Today is sermon-writing day for Family Service and 8.30am gang. Have been invited to Gay Pride march to take photos of a certain priest who is talking on weddings.

Garage sale

Son #1 has finished his finals (and passed!) and is taking a year out before going on to do the Masters. (Scottish Lit in case you’re interested.) He is looking for temp jobs and they don’t seem to have fallen in his lap quite as quickly as he thought they would. Plan B involves selling his goods and chattels on EBay. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But this has involved raking through boxes in the garage and making a considerable mess in the process, hauling them all indoors to be photographed and listed, interrupting me constantly to ask advice – heh! what do I know?

I fear it will all end in tears. Or at least it will be me who has to run up and down to the Post Office. And just how much does it cost to send a book to Japan?

Art. But not as I know it

Son #1 took me to the Edinburgh College of Art today to see the degree show. His girlfriend, Rachael Bibby, has just done her Masters and you can check out her stuff here. It was quite a change from her usual portraits but I liked her ’spiritual’ theme.

As for some of the other stuff… some of it was just too weird for me. The pie chart pouffee showing death in Scotland was cute but needed a little more explanation. Loved the man-baby which was the spitting image of Son #1 so had to be bought. It was reminiscent of Ron Mueck. Thought the black feather pile would have been better had it been breathing.  Cute puffin/people wall paper. And then there was just some very weird stuff.

Heh, everyone’s a critic.

Retreat? No, advance!

The parish Silent Retreat is over and seems to have been universally enjoyed. Those who were convinced they’d never manage, did.  The programme was probably a little too filled for such a short time and may be says more about me and how I’d like to retreat.

Whitchester Retreat House served us beautifully. Good food, lots of space, and glorious rooms.

Whitchester

I had the Buccleuch Suite with white leather sofa and chair, TV (that I couldnt get to work!), kitchen and the works.  A double bed instead of singles would have made my life complete.

Lovely grounds to sit in.

After silence was over some of us gathered in the open-shed-thing in a garden (what is the name?) and shared stories and laughed. Someone said it was like the Red Tent and I think that is exactly what it was like! Stories of death, illness and women’s bits.

The 'Red Tent'

Prayers ascending for the one who couldn’t make it. And here are the retreatants looking very happy now they can talk.