Snow thoughts!

going nowhere fast!

Well – I am going to join the throng and pass comment on the snow.  We have been cut off now for two days and the novelty is starting to wear off.  The fridge is also starting to look a bit empty – a symptom of us all being at home!  We do not have a village shop but can get hold of potatoes and eggs so will be OK! We can always eat at the pub if all else fails!  Everywhere looks so lovely – our garden looks the same as everyone else’s which is always a bonus.

 

rolling in the snow

We had a family upset because my beloved husband got rid of the sledge when he was clearing out the garage a few months ago on the grounds that it is not used!  Yes, it was the end of the world!!  We also feel that we may have been a bit hasty in parting with my 4×4!!  Next week this will all be a memory – I hope.  It amazes me though that we don’t seem able to cope.  I wonder that as global warming sets in if this will be a common occurrence!!

It’s been ages!!

I have to confess that it has been quite a time since I last Blogged.  The reason for this is that I have not set aside the time.  I have just been looking at some of the blogs of my friends as it is a good way to catch up and am amazed by their interesting lives!  As a look back over this last week I have had a great family Christmas – the only blot being a husband with man-flu.  Now he is better he is reluctant to admit it and keeps retelling how he had to go to bed after lunch… and is it really necessary to cough as he remembers. ahhhhhhh.  I am realising that I am not as stoic as I once was.  We went out last night with friends to celebrate the New Year at a black tie dinner.  We do not go to many and we ate far too many courses and did not get to bed until 3.30am.  I have been suffering all day and have been fighting a tendancy to be irritable.  We also showed our age by watching the fireworks from inside because it was so cold outside!!  Next year I think we will stay in with a mug of cocoa.  I am off to New York tomorrow with my eldest (Emma) for her 21st birthday. I will endeavor to record the happy events!!

I am out of the playground

Well – I have to say that I am feeling like a small child that is watching others play from the other side of the playground fence. Why? Well, I have been dumped out of the playground of face book. you see I suspect that is has something to do with the fact that I was spammed and my friends kept getting rather dubious and inappropriate messages left on their walls. I am now in the position of not being able to log on, they that control all this, who ever they may be are ignoring me and so I can’t play. My friends or at those who have noticed are being neglected and as for Crumble by virtual dog, she is unfed and unplayed with. I just hope somebody else has noticed and is feeding her. This has been going on for weeks now and it has left me thinking.

Have I missed it – well to be honest all I have really missed are the witty status statements of my friends. My time is filled with slightly more productive things than the virtual world. Also I reluctantly admit that none of my so called friends have emailed me to see if I am alive. Then I realize that actually my friends are real friends not virtual ones and I do not need face book to be in the playground (at least that is what I tell myself!!). I am missing not being able to see that antics of my daughter and her uni friends. The pictures that they post tell me a bit more than said daughter!

So – if anyone should stumble across Crumble can you feed her she must be very unhappy by now.
I rest in the knowledge that I treasure my friends in a very real way and thank God every day for them.

Guide Dogs Beware

On Monday I had the extreme pleasure of going to London to meet up with a friend for coffee. The said friend has a wonderful guide dog called Hugo the relevance of this information will soon become clear. Due to the vagaries of the train pricing system and my eagerness to save £10 by being able to buy an off-peak ticket I used the line that goes into St Pancras. I had been told by a friend that it is easy to get to Elephant and Castle (my destination) using the Thames Link overground so for a change I thought I would dispense with the Northern line and give it a go. All was well and a jumped on said Thames Link train only to quickly discover that I was on the wrong one – not a problem though because I simply went to Blackfriars where a very helpful underground person pointed me in the right direction and I made my way to the Embankment to get the connection. By this time I was late and I don’t do late so I was getting frustrated with myself. As I was fighting my way along the platform I suddenly noticed Hugo at the other end. My immediate reaction was one of relief that they were held up too so I pushed through the crowds with more urgency and as I approached Hugo I threw my arms around him saying with great enthusiasm “Hugo, you’ve found me!” There I was in full hug mode when a voice from above said “madam, he is working!!” In my haste to greet Hugo I had not noticed that this particular specimen of guide dog was attached to an older gentleman, with a grey beard. I extricated myself in a sort of ridiculous stoop and hurried on my way. I then continued my journey with a silly grin on my face and was soon able to greet the real thing. I can not believe there is a Hugo look alike in London!!

What have I learnt – several things… look to see who is attached to the guide dog before you throw your arms around it. also and probably more importantly God is saying to me that I need to keep my eyes on His bigger picture. It is all to easy for me to focus on what is getting my attention by what life is throwing at me and loose sight of what is around me. Also it is really important that I keep my eyes fixed on God – that is where my faith depends.

I simply ask God to equip me with the grace to do just that.

New Things

Last weekend was a weekend of new experiences. The first was on Saturday when I made my way to St Prancras staion – very impressive I must say – I like the statue of the couple in an embrace – it made me look forward to seeing James all the more!! Anyway, I then made my way to the Eurostar check in. Now this was an experience that I was really looking forward to. I have to say that I will always be in favour of a way of travelling that does not involve a plane but what an experience. I am very sure that this would not be a first and only… then the tunnel, again a first experience. If I am honest I was alright until a visualised all the water but just as I wondered if I was about to panic we popped out like a cork and sped through the french countryside. I was entranced by the french looking villages….. I know…. what did I expect. Then having got to France I encountered the Metro for the first time. Why is it so expensive in London or anywhere else in this country? The service was excellent and at a fraction of the cost. I made my way to the Eifel Tower see Emma and James over the finish line – now that was a very proud experience and I thanked God for keeping them safe – especially through Paris traffic.

London to Paris

I have just taken James and Emma to the station as they travel to London tonight to start a London to Paris cycle ride for charity. James is cycling for a local hospice and Emma is cycling the Hannah Payne Memorial riding for the disabled Trust. Hannah was a close friend of Emma’s and was killed in a car accident 2 years ago. I am a bit of a proud mummy and wife as they have worked hard for this. I know that they will do it. I know that God will keep them safe.

Well – I give in

I never thought I would do a blog – in fact I have often been heard to declare that they are an indulgence I haven’t the time for – so why am I doing it? Well – because I God is teaching me so much that I thought that it would be a good way to keep track of myself! So, if no one reads it then it doesn’t really matter, but if what I am learning gives food for thought then that is a bonus. I can’t promise that I will do this regularly because I am a hopeless case when it comes to admin but even if it lasts just one week I can claim I am a blogger!!