One and a half kilometres and a word from the Lord

Swam 60 lengths in 45 minutes today. Came home and then came the free newspaper through the door to spur me on...

Shopping list

Today I made a shopping list, and ticked off what I had bought.

Fund raising

My trip to Rwanda with Signpost International is fully paid for, but when we are there we will be undertaking a number of projects which themselves need funding. See the Rwanda Update post for details of the projects I will be doing. I hadn't realised I was meant to be fund raising until recently and now have very little time to organise anything before I go at the end of January. Please please please post ideas of what I might do sponsored event wise that I can use to raise money! It needs to be mildly challenging, but not ridiculous considering the time constraints.

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

Cornered... no escape...

Tomorrow I am all set to meet the new Bishop of Lancaster. The vicar collared me ouside church this morning and suggested I go to the 'Welcome to Lancashire' service or 'Hello this is the Kirkham deanery' or whatever it is in Lund tomorrow evening. He said a lady from church was going and I could speak to her... I thought, mmm... then he turned away and she was there offering to pick me up at ten to seven! So no music group for me tomorrow night... and I have been instructed to make myself known. There is no escape!

Jogging - what's that all about then?

I went for a jog yesterday. Please try not to look too surprised. My friend Jo invited me to join her as she goes for a jog fairly regularly. I was not entirely looking forward to it, I can't remember the last time I did exercise, though I think it was probably some point around about 4 years ago when I was a member of the gym at college. Actually I used to be quite good at running and ran cross country representing our school when I was in about year 10. I may have represented the school, but I did come second to last...!! I blame the bogginess of the field at Preesall, my feet were more accustomed to sandy St. Anne's soil. Still, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I did not die on our jog, nor even stop. I may make a long distance runner yet. London Marathon 2020 here I come.

Join Me

I have now finished Join Me - a very enjoyable read. Considered buying his next book, Yes Man, when shopping in Windermere last week but managed to resist.
My reading list now stands as before and I'm wondering where to go from here? I might be feeling pro-active this week in which case I think I'll go for Bonhoeffer. I might not though.

Doing what's right

OK so I relented and chose to start Danny Wallace first. Well, I know my weaknesses and limitations I suppose...

Joy sent me a link to a very enjoyable game today too, so I've been wasting a little time on that this morning! It is very difficult, but I'm enjoying the mouse choir... If you want to join me in the internet game madness try it out here:

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2006/10/sound_factory.php

If I was clever and all that I would be able to include a link without the long address, but I'm not and can't be bothered to work out how right now.

Other plans for today include watching the creation debate and then perhaps I will come back to you as promised with my thoughts... that's if I don't get too distracted by singing mice and Danny Wallace... anything is possible!

Book addiction, lacking reading addiction.

Hooray! I have finally finished reading Jodi Picoult's Vanishing Acts. I have been meaning to read it for absolutely ages, seeing as I bought it in about June, lent it to Sarah who spilt juice on it and knowing that I am picky about the state of my books (I like my shelf to look like a bookshop not a library, books are so much neater when they look unread even if they have been) bought me another copy whilst we were at New Wine. So I have been in possesion of it since the end of July. I feel so much happier now that it is read!
Still which of the partly started books to I tackle next?

Here is the list:
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 (lets face it, it's not going to be this one)

Or ones that I have not started yet:
C S Lewis - A Grief Observed
Danny Wallace - Join Me

Notice how the majority of my unfinished books are thoroughly edifying ... and like wading through soup. I suspect I will attack the new books first - A Grief Observed is so short I can probably manage to finish it at some point in the near future, and let's face it, Danny Wallace is far more appealing. I just know I'll have gone out to buy another Jodi Picoult before I know what's hit me.