Somebody said something very silly this week. That silly thing was "A little bit of rain never did anyone any harm!", she may or may not have been suffering from spent-far-too-much-time-all-together-in-one-house syndrome.
As a result we got up early this morning (far too early when you were still reading at 2 in the morning) and drove up to the Lake District. Arriving at Grizedale forest, a water main had broken (you would have thought this would have been warning enough) and so we couldn't use the toilets, but, heck, it wasn't raining so we went for a walk. At the top of the crag (or thereabouts) it began to mizzle. And then it began to drizzle. And then it began to rain. 'Why stop at rain' thought the clouds, 'when we can get rid of all the water in the world all at once?' and so the heavens opened.
At the drizzle stage we stopped off for coffee and chocolate biscuits in the forest, but we couldn't stay there for ever or we would still be there now, with hypothermia to boot. So we found a quicker route and made our way back down to the visitor centre. Absolutely. Completely. Utterly. Drenched head, coat, very soggy trousers, into the socks and down into the boots.
What a tremendous success of a day! Can't say it made me terribly popular though...
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tagged
Righto, I have been tagged by Mike Peatman. It is a blogging kind of chain letter. As such I have to tell you all 5 facts about me that you don't already know and then pass it on to 5 more bloggers. I shall admit at this end, as I do with all chain letters, that I will not be passing on this tag to anyone else, though purely because the only blogs that I read have already been tagged by Mike. Alas.
So for 5 facts. Hmm, never easy but I shall have a go.
Oh dear, I'm struggling at the first hurdle, I have been thinking intensely for the last 5 minutes and still haven't come up with 1 fact about myself...
1) I have learnt many musical instruments to a basic level and still can play none of them very well at all! I began by learning the recorder at primary school but stopped because I was moved down to the less able group after failing to improve as fast as the rest! I have played the recorder, violin, clarinet, keyboard and guitar.
2) My violin was actually taken off me! I started to learn the violin in year 5 at primary school and didn't enjoy it much, my mum told me I couldn't give up until the end of year 6, but at the Easter my teacher took it off me. It was a school violin and I never practiced it (it's not easy to practice when your brother steals your bow on a regular basis!), my teacher saw no reason in me continuing to have lessons, I think I was holding the group back too!
3) I got 99% at my keyboard exam! The first instrument I actually stuck at was the keyboard when I was in 6th form (it's easier to practice an instrument when you can put headphones in - there is less family complaint) and took my Grade 1 Primary exam in the summer before going to University. I gave up the keyboard when I went to University. At University I took up the guitar but gave that up after I returned in 4th year and was so busy with essays I never got back to the teacher to start up lessons again.
4) An uninstrumental fact - I used to take sugar in my tea until I went to University. My flat mates would never remember when they made me a brew so I learnt to drink it without.
5) When I was at primary school I wanted to be a missionary to China after reading The Small Woman, a biography of Gladys Aylward. I also remember being surprised when I discovered that not all Christians wanted to be missionaries! How cute!
So for 5 facts. Hmm, never easy but I shall have a go.
Oh dear, I'm struggling at the first hurdle, I have been thinking intensely for the last 5 minutes and still haven't come up with 1 fact about myself...
1) I have learnt many musical instruments to a basic level and still can play none of them very well at all! I began by learning the recorder at primary school but stopped because I was moved down to the less able group after failing to improve as fast as the rest! I have played the recorder, violin, clarinet, keyboard and guitar.
2) My violin was actually taken off me! I started to learn the violin in year 5 at primary school and didn't enjoy it much, my mum told me I couldn't give up until the end of year 6, but at the Easter my teacher took it off me. It was a school violin and I never practiced it (it's not easy to practice when your brother steals your bow on a regular basis!), my teacher saw no reason in me continuing to have lessons, I think I was holding the group back too!
3) I got 99% at my keyboard exam! The first instrument I actually stuck at was the keyboard when I was in 6th form (it's easier to practice an instrument when you can put headphones in - there is less family complaint) and took my Grade 1 Primary exam in the summer before going to University. I gave up the keyboard when I went to University. At University I took up the guitar but gave that up after I returned in 4th year and was so busy with essays I never got back to the teacher to start up lessons again.
4) An uninstrumental fact - I used to take sugar in my tea until I went to University. My flat mates would never remember when they made me a brew so I learnt to drink it without.
5) When I was at primary school I wanted to be a missionary to China after reading The Small Woman, a biography of Gladys Aylward. I also remember being surprised when I discovered that not all Christians wanted to be missionaries! How cute!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
RIP Spice Girl boots...
A very sad thing just happened, I had to throw my old denim platform boots away because they'd gone mouldy in my wardrobe. It was a very sad occasion. They served me well as Baby Spice at the Year 6 disco we put on for prospective year 7s during my last year at school. And they made me a good 6 inches taller.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
All Quiet On The Western Front
Another update on my reading list. I have added All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque to it since I realised it had been missed off the first edition. I have now read the book and so can remove it again. An absolutely remarkable book, and refreshing to read about the First World War from the point of view of the Germans after studying so much history from a British perspective.
I remember quite well an assembly that our head teacher gave to us once about the First World War in which he got the whole year to stand up and then class by class got us to sit down again until there were only a few left standing at the front. His point was that the soldiers in the trenches were not decimated as is so often said, decimated means ten percent of. The soldiers in the trenches were killed in much greater percentages than 10 in 100. Reading All Quiet On The Western Front brought that home to me once again.
I have also been reading up about Rwanda today and searching for blogs of other people working out there. I came across an interesting blog at www.ianwk.blogspot.com through www.rwanda-aid.org. I think I will start to brush up on my French before I go to Dundee to start my training with Signpost International too, despite working in France for Spring Harvest Holidays for 2 summers my French language skills are no further on than when I stopped studying it at year 9!
On another book note, I have also read C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed so now my reading list stands thus, all of which I have started:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Life Together
Alister McGrath - Theology The Basics
Bill Hybels - Too Busy Not To Pray
Nick Spencer - Asylum and Immigration - A Christian Perspective
Alistair Redfern - Being Anglican
I remember quite well an assembly that our head teacher gave to us once about the First World War in which he got the whole year to stand up and then class by class got us to sit down again until there were only a few left standing at the front. His point was that the soldiers in the trenches were not decimated as is so often said, decimated means ten percent of. The soldiers in the trenches were killed in much greater percentages than 10 in 100. Reading All Quiet On The Western Front brought that home to me once again.
I have also been reading up about Rwanda today and searching for blogs of other people working out there. I came across an interesting blog at www.ianwk.blogspot.com through www.rwanda-aid.org. I think I will start to brush up on my French before I go to Dundee to start my training with Signpost International too, despite working in France for Spring Harvest Holidays for 2 summers my French language skills are no further on than when I stopped studying it at year 9!
On another book note, I have also read C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed so now my reading list stands thus, all of which I have started:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Life Together
Alister McGrath - Theology The Basics
Bill Hybels - Too Busy Not To Pray
Nick Spencer - Asylum and Immigration - A Christian Perspective
Alistair Redfern - Being Anglican
Monday, December 18, 2006
Shaping the sofa to fit my behind
Ben was up over the weekend, he is off to Thailand this week with friends for Christmas. We had a mini 'UnChristmas', as Sophie called it, on Sunday when we swapped and opened presents. Ben got me the box set of The Vicar of Dibley, a most superb choice I thought! So I have spent much of the day shaping the sofa to fit my behind and have watched much Vicar of Dibley.
Saturday would have been UnChristmas but it was the choral society's Christmas Concert which had me in rehearsals for 3 hours on Saturday afternoon and then the concert in the evening so it was UnChrismas Eve instead. The concert was fabulous, we were singing Rutter's Gloria and were accompanied by Intrada, a brass band from Preston. The brass really made it, with tingle making crescendos and pounding Timps. When we had finished the Gloria with Rutter's resounding finale I could have sung it again straight away, I was very sad to hand my music in at the end of the evening!
Sunday morning saw music group lead the all age service at church. I had been making puppets all week of many many varieties of birds and an angel (I regretted agreeing to make the puppets when I discovered that all of the characters were birds... not easy to draw!).
In the evening I went up to Lancaster for my final visit before Christmas and went with Sarah and Kieron to the 'Guest Service' at church. It was wonderful to see the all age orchestra, and to hear them and I came away feeling very Christmassy. I also saw our angel from Monday in situ complete with lights shining on his wings to create a colourful effect, fabulous!
Saturday would have been UnChristmas but it was the choral society's Christmas Concert which had me in rehearsals for 3 hours on Saturday afternoon and then the concert in the evening so it was UnChrismas Eve instead. The concert was fabulous, we were singing Rutter's Gloria and were accompanied by Intrada, a brass band from Preston. The brass really made it, with tingle making crescendos and pounding Timps. When we had finished the Gloria with Rutter's resounding finale I could have sung it again straight away, I was very sad to hand my music in at the end of the evening!
Sunday morning saw music group lead the all age service at church. I had been making puppets all week of many many varieties of birds and an angel (I regretted agreeing to make the puppets when I discovered that all of the characters were birds... not easy to draw!).
In the evening I went up to Lancaster for my final visit before Christmas and went with Sarah and Kieron to the 'Guest Service' at church. It was wonderful to see the all age orchestra, and to hear them and I came away feeling very Christmassy. I also saw our angel from Monday in situ complete with lights shining on his wings to create a colourful effect, fabulous!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Angles, Angles all around
No, not my spelling error... I have been teaching the Christmas story and this is a common misspelling in the books I have marked. One child pointed out to me that her neighbour had written angles instead of angels because they'd been learning all about angles in numeracy recently and had been learning the spelling!
On another angel note, Sarah and I have returned to church to make another angel (back by popular demand!!) this time to go up in church for the Christmas services. We had to go out again to buy the resources so we had different materials to make him out of. As a result he looks much different. I can't quite decide which one I prefer.
The board, expertly put together by Dave and then backed in black.
"Look! It's as big as me!"
The finished angel.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Rwanda update
I have finally received some details about my adventure to Rwanda!
The main project for the team will be to create a community centre. Signpost international already own the building, Hope House, and this is also where the team will be based and where the office is. Our job will be to make the centre function for the community. We will be creating a community cafe with space for other micro enterprises - an internet cafe, a jam making business and a craft shop.
Another project is a water project providing a water tank to collect rain water so that the villagers won't have to walk several miles each day to collect water.
It transpires that I will be doing a fair amount of teaching in the local school as well. They intend on using the skills I have developed at St. Martin's! Curiously this is the part I am least sure about, though purely because I worry that I will not know whether the children are learning any English which will be of any use! I am going to have to read up on TEFL, learning a second language is far different from learning to read and write in a first language. I am sure that all that I learnt on placement in Germany from teaching English and observing English lessons will come in useful!
The main project for the team will be to create a community centre. Signpost international already own the building, Hope House, and this is also where the team will be based and where the office is. Our job will be to make the centre function for the community. We will be creating a community cafe with space for other micro enterprises - an internet cafe, a jam making business and a craft shop.
Another project is a water project providing a water tank to collect rain water so that the villagers won't have to walk several miles each day to collect water.
It transpires that I will be doing a fair amount of teaching in the local school as well. They intend on using the skills I have developed at St. Martin's! Curiously this is the part I am least sure about, though purely because I worry that I will not know whether the children are learning any English which will be of any use! I am going to have to read up on TEFL, learning a second language is far different from learning to read and write in a first language. I am sure that all that I learnt on placement in Germany from teaching English and observing English lessons will come in useful!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
My last 4 love hearts
My sweet supply in my top draw has dwindled to the last 4 love hearts. This is very sad. When they have all gone (I shall try to eek them out for a day or two longer) I shall be sweetiless until Christmas. I don't buy my own sweets, I rely on presents to replenish my supply! The sweets I got as presents from my class in July lasted until October probably. These love hearts were in a goody bag I got at the youth conference at the beginning of September.
Oh no! Now I'm down to 3!
I think this post was going to include more than an audit of my sweet collection when I started but Jo distracted me on the phone and now I can't remember... heigh ho.
Oh no! Now I'm down to 3!
I think this post was going to include more than an audit of my sweet collection when I started but Jo distracted me on the phone and now I can't remember... heigh ho.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Maranatha!
I seem to be missing many post-creating elements on this page today... can I only do things if I know HTML now? Most confusing.
Father Peter once told me how we should say 'Maranatha!' or 'Come Lord!' in the run up to Christmas and that he had got the children at the school attached to his church saying it. I will always remember that. I love advent, having the time to think about Christmas and to prepare for Jesus' arrival. A couple of years ago I read 'The Art of Waiting' by Wendy Bray as my advent book and it was excellent preparation for Christmas. This year I am not committing myself to an advent book as well as my normal time of Bible reading because as a house group we are using a study from America called 'Breaking Free' which involves a lot of time inbetween group meetings. I have high hopes for God to use the study to teach me many things about myself and allow him to free me from things which keep me captive. I am also re-reading 'Strong Women, Soft Hearts' on a similar theme. Each time I read that book I learn something new about myself and about God, I recommend it.
20:11 - now it is working
Father Peter once told me how we should say 'Maranatha!' or 'Come Lord!' in the run up to Christmas and that he had got the children at the school attached to his church saying it. I will always remember that. I love advent, having the time to think about Christmas and to prepare for Jesus' arrival. A couple of years ago I read 'The Art of Waiting' by Wendy Bray as my advent book and it was excellent preparation for Christmas. This year I am not committing myself to an advent book as well as my normal time of Bible reading because as a house group we are using a study from America called 'Breaking Free' which involves a lot of time inbetween group meetings. I have high hopes for God to use the study to teach me many things about myself and allow him to free me from things which keep me captive. I am also re-reading 'Strong Women, Soft Hearts' on a similar theme. Each time I read that book I learn something new about myself and about God, I recommend it.
20:11 - now it is working
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