A Job!

Goodness - I hadn't realised that it was so long since I last posted on here.  It has been a very busy time for me.  On one morning a few weeks ago I had the urge to visit a local shopping centre - one of those Designer Outlets.  There are often little notices in shop windows saying that they need staff, the first place I went to had one of those and when I went in they wanted someone part-time in the middle of the day.  I walked in for a chat and came out with the job.  I have been there for over three weeks now and although it doesn't pay much every little helps.  I have really suffered for it, with blisters and sore feet - oh how my feet have hurt!  My legs have hurt and my knee has swollen, but it is (almost) worth it - my feet & legs are just about getting used to it and the (pitiful) income has been a great help.  My family have a habit to feed - it is called "eating" and my income pays for it.  
There have been times when I really have not wanted to go into work, there have been times when I have been there when I just wanted to be at home, but on the whole I enjoy it.  It is not, and never will be, my dream job but it is good to have a job to go to, to be able to interact with other people and to have a challenge.    
My husband has his first interview in months tomorrow when he has to get himself to London by mid-morning.  Typically the weather has taken a turn for the worse  just as he needs to travel, so he decided that it would be wiser to go by train and after all there is a London train from the station around the corner from us, all very convenient and helpful.   This morning however he discovered that most of the London Trains on Grand Central were cancelled today and with more snow forecast this evening and overnight we are not hopeful that they will be running tomorrow.  We will need to pray that things work out for him.  
Temperatures have plummeted here and the snow is causing many problems but we are not too badly affected just yet.  Beth is not impressed that they have had only a light dusting of snow on the West side of the country - she is hoping for more snow - silly girl.  

Jehovah Jireh

As I said in my bio I am definitely a "work in progress" as far as allowing God to be in control and am finding it very hard to deal with the fact that events are happening in our lives which we cannot control.   
My husband has been in and out of work for around 18 months.  He works as a contractor and in the past went from contract to contract with no difficulty but these days the contracts are few and far between.  Last year he finished one contract at the end of October and didn't get any work again until February.  This year he has worked for around 4 months on and off.  His last contract should have been for 6 weeks (the shortest ever) but he and the team he was working with were just too efficient and they got the work done in 4 weeks.  Since then he hasn't worked and when he doesn't work he doesn't get paid.   We have been trying to find work but during these recessionary times it is just impossible.  My husband has proved his willingness to go wherever the work is, he travels all over the country, staying in bed and breakfast hotels or whatever accommodation he can get just so that he can earn something, of course a great deal of it has to go on his accommodation costs.  Usually he comes home at weekends for some family time but the last contract was in Plymouth which meant he was unable to come home as it was just too far. 
We don't get social security and because when he was made redundant he took contracting work rather than making a claim on our mortgage protection insurance, it appears that our insurance is now invalid and they won't pay out. All our savings are gone, our overdraft is maxed out and we have no source of income.   At a time like this we have great anxieties about or future, we have only two years left on our mortgage and to lose our home at this time would be a nightmare, it is heartbreaking to be unable to meet our financial commitments and to provide for our children.  We don't know what is going to happen but we are sure that our Heavenly Father, who loves us more than we can know even to the point of giving His own beloved Son for us, knows what we need and will provide for us.  Last week our son came home from school with the soles of his shoes separating from the uppers and we just didn't know what to do or how we were going to buy new shoes for him.  The next morning we got a call from someone who wanted to give us a gift to help out.  When we saw him we thanked him and said how grateful we were to be able to buy some shoes for our son, the next thing we knew the gift had been increased to cover the purchase of shoes.  We just give thanks to God our Father for His loving concern.  In my last posting I shared two passages of Scripture which God was impressing on my heart, and this week I have had two people who don't know of the existence of this blog have texted me to share exactly those passages.  I think God is trying to tell me something!  I firmly believe that God provides for our needs but sometimes He takes us very close to the wire.  For me that wire is a line of trust, I have to believe that He will continue to provide for us despite all that seems to point to the opposite.  I often think, and sometimes say to my husband, "it will be interesting to see how God gets us out of this one"  Sometimes the trusting is so hard to do and I confess to feeling very down at times as our situation seems so hopeless, but one thing I know with absolute certainty is that however this situation turns out, I would rather go through it with God than without Him.

Blessings to the soul

Just after I had posted that last thread I had a look at a couple of other blogs which I follow from time to time, one of which contained a posting which was a reminder that God not only cares for us and has a plan for our lives but that that plan is already in motion.  That posting was such a blessing to my soul.  I would love to be able to reproduce it in full but will need to ask permission to do so.


In the meantime these Scriptures have been a lifeline to me during this anxious time.

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  

Jeremiah 29: 10-12  

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?   "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". 

 Matthew 6:26-33

Miscellany

The last few weeks have been very difficult and have caused us a lot of heartache.  My husband has found it increasingly difficult to find work in these straightened times, and we have found ourselves facing weeks and weeks with no income but still having to meet our mortgage payments and other commitments.  By the grace of God we have managed so far although not without great anxiety.  


At the beginning of this month we had to deliver our daughter to Lancaster to begin her university career.  She has settled in relatively well and is enjoying her time there, although not without hiccups along the way.  


A couple of days ago our son and his friends were playing with an American football at lunchtime, but rather than just playing catch with it, they were playing tackles etc.  As we pointed out to him later - there is a reason why American football players wear a lot of protective clothing.  During one tackle he was knocked to the ground with his arms pinned to his body thus rendering himself unable to break his fall, consequently he landed on his head.  On getting up he was unable to walk straight and had problems with his sight although it returned to normal in around 10/15 minutes.  Unfortunately he didn't tell anyone until he got home from school, even then he only told us that he has got a headache because he had fallen over during a game.  Close questioning (here you need to think interrogation) elicited the truth of the situation and close observation.   We ended up in the emergency department until 3.15 a.m.!!!!!!  Unsurprisingly he hasn't been back to school since but as next week is half term we expect him to be back at school when it re-opens.  In the meantime the headache from the concussion he sustained, and the pain in his neck from the whiplash injury might serve as a reminder of the need to refrain from NFL games without the proper protective clothing - especially a helmet.

Positivity in education

I went to school this morning for a special celebration assembly.  A celebration of achievement.  When the students make extra effort they are rewarded with positive comments or stamps in their planners.  When they get three stamps they get a credit and at the end of the year if the number  of credits exceeds a given number they are rewarded with vouchers to spend on books, music or whatever else they want.  They also get rewards for 100% attendance.  In all the ethos is to encourage a positive attitude to learning and on the whole it works very well.

Remembering

We watched the coverage of the commemoration of the anniversary of September 11 today.  It is so sad that that act of terrorism has had such lasting consequences for so long, and I should think it will continue for a long time to come.  This however is a day for reflecting and remembering.  Everyone will remember for the rest of their lives where they were on that day at 2pm when the news started to come through.  I was saddened and irritated that the broadcast of the ceremony on BBC news 24 was marred by the presenters talking over the reading of the names and even conducting an interview!!  Who thought that was a good idea chaps?


Later this evening we enjoyed the last night of the Proms - a brazen festival of patriotism, fitting, given the date, that we are celebrating the things that are good about our society with joy and gusto.  Super music, great musicians and a brilliant soloist as the entree before the dessert of the traditional romping tunes of the finale.  I wish we expressed our pride and patriotism more often than once a year.  We need to.

Back to school

Sad to say school is back and the daily schedule is dictated by school hours.  Christopher is now in Year 11 - his last year of school and into GCSEs, where have the years gone?   I can't say much more about school because he never tells us anything about it other than it is boring!!


At home Elizabeth and I are still preparing for the advent of university.  She is counting not only the days but the hours too, although her excited anticipation is mingled with anxiety over the unknown element.  Her new laptop arrived yesterday but she had to wait for her cousin to come and sort out the internet connection for her.  I had done it but it didn't work, all he did was redo it :(  He assures me that this often happens, don't know that it makes me feel any better.


Whilst my nephew was sorting out computer problems today Beth was sitting trying to do things on her computer, she talks to it as she is using it, sometimes quietly and sometimes, as today, she rants at it.  She started complaining at it today along the lines of "No- I don't want to uninstall that program, that is why I clicked on the uninstall button, I am perverse that way, why won't you just do what I want you to?"  To which a quiet voice from the corner by the wireless router said "If you gave me a bit less attitude I might do what you want"  It was so funny to see her face as she started to get the idea that "the laptop" might argue back.  A little later she was gently talking to it as she was doing things on it, Marc and I were exchanging looks and raised eyebrows then he quietly (again) said "use your inside voice Elizabeth" which made her laugh so much that she almost dropped the laptop - eek.  The whole thing was hysterical but I guess you had to be there!
  
I have been writing another blog  for students with recipes and basic cookery no-how to ensure that she and her friends don't either starve, waste all their money on takeaways, poison themselves or wreck the kitchen.  The latter may seem to be something of an exaggeration but it did happen with one of her friends.  I must be mad because I have agreed for that same friend to use my kitchen to cook a meal for her and more of their friends.  Most of the recipes on that site are my daughter's favourites and I am astonished at the predominance of CHEESE.  Virtually every recipe contains it although today's offering - chicken curry - doesn't.  Yaay.

Last day of August

It has been such a beautiful day here, sunny and bright but not oppressively hot.  Typical post bank holiday weather.  Just as everyone goes back to work the sun comes out.
I was cogitating about what I should cook this evening.  I had decided on salad but it was what to go with it.  Eventually after discussion with my daughter I decided to do a Spanish omelette.  That would have been great but looking through the veggie rack I discovered that I had no onions.  Oh well back to plan B, cheese souffle.  I really like cheese souffle and I don't find it as much of a palaver as some people seem to think it is.  I was showing my daughter how to do it but I am not convinced that it is something she will be cooking when she gets to university.  Oh yes - I paid the deposit on her university accommodation this morning so she will definitely be going.  She leaves us in 32 days, not that she is counting or anything! 
School should start again tomorrow but we have some INSET days so my son will not be back until next Monday.  Now THAT is coming up fast!

Results Day

Whoopeee - she has done it!  My lovely, sweet, clever daughter has done well in her A Levels and has secured her place at university.  She will be leaving us in early October to go to Lancaster to study English Language and German.   I am going to miss her so much.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day the A level results are published.  My daughter is engaging in serious distraction activity, so far today she has cleaned the house, turned out her bedroom again, all done whilst singing very loudly.  It is amazing how someone who can sing beautifully can sound so dreadful when singing along to an iPod.   I have baked her lots of cookies to keep her going this evening.   Sadly for her UCAS have announced that Track, which would have given her information about whether she has got her university place just after midnight, is not going to be available until mid-morning tomorrow.  To my mind that is not necessarily a bad thing, there is no point staying up until after midnight and no disrupted sleep due to great excitement or great disappointment.   She is just going to have to wait until she gets those results tomorrow but breakfast is going to be a very tense time.

How will God answer prayer?

After being made redundant for the third time several years ago, my husband turned to temporary work on a contract basis rather than being unemployed and trying to claim benefits.  For several years this worked very well and he worked constantly but with the downturn in the economy came cut back in his field of expertise, and employers are less willing to pay for agency workers so last year for the first time he was unemployed for several months.  With the help of savings and a large overdraft we got through it although singed round the edges.  He is now in the second week of unemployment again and we do not have the resources we had last time.  The fact that my dear husband decided to seek work wherever and however he could get it (i.e. by contracting)  means that we are not entitled to any benefits and the mortgage protection insurance policy we had paid throughout our marriage had become invalid.  We could have just claimed on it when he first became redundant but we decided to work to pay the mortgage instead  so it seems pretty unfair but those are the rules.  This is incredibly hard and we don't know what is going to happen but we do trust God to provide for our needs.  Sometimes though we question the level of our trust and ask ourselves repeatedly how God is going to get us out of this one.  It becomes so easy and so tempting to try to second guess God or even (!) make suggestions about how he might to it to Him.  The presumption is staggering.  I'm sure you must have heard the old adage about the way to make God laugh being to tell Him your plans!  Today our daughter came to me and showed me what God had prompted her to read today.  She had read John 11:6 where Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was sick but instead of rushing to his side and healing him, Jesus stayed where he was for another two days.  Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus were perplexed that Jesus didn't come until their brother was dead and buried.  Jesus could have healed him of his sickness but he chose not to.  Would healing Lazarus have been the answer to Mary and Martha's prayers?  Most definitely.  Would it have demonstrated God's glory?  Undoubtedly.  By waiting and restoring their brother to them from the grave rather than from a sickbed God bestowed so many more blessings.  He demonstrated his glory and power in a far more potent way, He showed Mary and Martha that He is able to do far more than we ask of Him, and he gave the greatest gift of all to His friend, Lazarus; He showed him that death is not the end for Christians, He made clear that He is there with us even at that final hour in this world and gave Lazarus the great blessing of absolute confidence that there is nothing whatever to fear in death.   In this God demonstrates so clearly that He does not answer our prayers in what we think are the obvious ways but in His own good and perfect way, and sometimes in very strange ways.
So for us in our situation - we still do not know what God is going to do, we do not know how God will provide for our needs but we do know that He is able to do more than we can ever ask for or hope for.  One of the evident blessings which God has given us already is the way He has upheld and boosted the faith of our daughter.
I would love to be able to post here in a few days that God has provided work for us and that we have a regular and secure income but if that doesn't happen then I pray that God will give me the grace to rejoice in Him for His own sake,  to continue to trust Him,  to continue to seek His will for all our lives and the wisdom to discern His leading.  

Cold feet and warm fellowship

Last week on Facebook we saw a friend appealing for help with a Christian camp on the East Coast as they were desperately short of staff  so my daughter volunteered her help,  got herself packed and ready to go in just 2 days.  She has been to camp many times but this was the first time as a leader, she has had a great time with many blessings and has enjoyed it immensely despite the cold nights and wet days.  
We did get a desperate phone call at 7 on Wednesday morning.  The previously fine weather had turned wet with a vengeance and her trainers had sprung a leak.  Wet feet are not a good idea for her as she suffers from Raynaud's syndrome, hence the plea for us to go over and take her waterproof boots.  I added some pairs of thermal socks to the boots for good measure.  
We were invited to stay for the evening meal which was lively and very loud but we enjoyed the atmosphere and company of the children.  Everyone was grateful that we had taken the boots - I guess she might have moaned about her feet a bit, or maybe they were just concerned about her. 


Me?  I'm just glad they were on the East Coast and not in Wales!

Back online

I have been struggling with my laptop for some time.  For some unknown reason I had virtually no memory left and my nephew who is a computer whizz and keeps our computers and laptops in working order couldn't find out why.  It was difficult because I didn't have enough memory to run all the programs.  A few days ago the anti-virus program stopped working and I was unable to get it restarted, so once again my lovely nephew came to my rescue.  He took my laptop away to his computer hospital (otherwise known as his house) and when he brought it back today it was like having a new laptop, he even managed to keep all my emails and contacts etc.  Sadly he thought I was using Internet Explorer so he saved the bookmarks in there but not the ones on Firefox which is the browser I was actually using so I guess I will find out in time what I have lost.  Not to worry because I now have enough memory to run my programs and it was very kind of him to help out - again.

Summer holidays

Ok so it's day 2 of the school summer holiday.  So far we have slept in one morning, and suffered the headache for it, I have done a humungous pile of ironing, dodged the rain with the washing and taken my son to his physiotherapy appointment. 
Gosh what an exciting life we lead.

Happy Birthday Beth

On Tuesday of this week my daughter had her 19th birthday.  It is so hard to believe that the tiny baby of yesteryear is now a grown woman.  I may well be turning into my mother but however old she becomes, this young woman will always be my baby girl.

We had a good day, her friends came over for lunch (pizza - what a surprise) one of them stayed until well into the evening just to be with her on her birthday because the others had to go for various reasons.

She is a bit miffed because her 15 year old brother has already matched her in height.  She had realised that he was definitely going to be taller than she is but she had hoped that she would have a little longer as the taller one.

Weekends - I do give a fig.

We don't often get to the windows at the back of the house to look out over the garden, the children's bedrooms are at the back and I am not always brave enough to enter.  When we did last get a good look out there we discovered that the felt on the roof of the shed was in a poor state, hanging off in places and torn in others.  It needed re-doing pretty quickly.  The trouble with that was finding a small enough roll of felt.  I could have bought a roll in one of the DIY sheds but it measured about 20 metres and cost upwards of £30, which is a bit much for one small shed.  We never go near e-bay but a friend found a roll which was only 5metres long by 1  metre wide, it cost less than £8 and as it was not too far from where David is working he was able to go and pick it up.  One up for ebay.  I spent yesterday evening hanging from a ladder removing the old felt and trying to get the new stuff on.  That may not seem like a difficult task except that the shed is in a corner of the garden, tight up against the fence so there wasn't a lot of room to get a ladder in and where I could get it in, it was pressing up against the side boards of the shed roof - just the boards which I needed to be able to ease back to get the felt down the sides to hold it in place. This is where the hanging from ladders comes in as I leant back and pulled the ladder away from the shed whilst still standing on it.

I've also managed to get lots of planting done and the garden is now looking much tidier.

I was given a fig tree earlier in the week and it has been in my south facing garden for the rest of the week  and now I have a ripe fig which I haven't yet picked.  I am looking forward to that.

Prayer

I have been thinking about prayer a lot over the past few days.   The way we pray when we are in trouble or in need is so different from the way we pray at any other time.  We pray so much more frequently and more intensely when we are in need, when things are going well it is easier to push God to the sidelines of our lives. For the past 40 years I have been hung up on the idea of "a quiet time" spent alone with God and have been heaping guilt upon myself for the fact that I can't sit still and focus on one single thing at a time, but I suddenly realised that that is such an unrealistic expectation which we put on ourselves.  In the other important relationships in my life I speak to the people concerned everyday and about everything.  There would be something desperately wrong with my marriage if I only spoke to my husband at a set time each day and in a formal setting and it is the same with my relationship with God.  I have always talked to him as I go through my day, about  small things as well as the major things in life and I have realised that that is a healthy way to be in communion with God.  Obviously at times of trouble I spend more time praying and talking with God, just like I would sit and talk to my husband about things which concern me, but in the meantime I will continue to talk to God as part of my daily life just as I do with the rest of my family, after all that is the most important relationship in my life, and the one that all the others hinge on.

Heat confusion

Yesterday was supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far.  It was certainly hot enough to make me feel faint, but today seems to be even hotter, so what on earth possessed me to decide to make jam this afternoon?  And why did I decided to plant out the seedlings which have been waiting for weeks for me to get to it?  Would they curl up and die if I waited until the sun has gone down this evening?  Probably.
Despite having made jam I have told my offspring that I am not cooking this evening, whatever we eat will be cold, I flat refuse to put the oven on.

Days like this are only fit for catching up on all the cards I am way behind on and prepping my next session for my SEAL group.  (SEAL = Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning)   I did make a card this morning which has to arrive for Wednesday morning, so I wasn't cutting it fine or anything

not really.


I enjoyed making it once I got the initial idea in my head.  I prepared a paper basket to fill with pressed flowers, cut out a small label and added the recipient's name to the handle of the basket.   That got me thinking and I went out into the garden to cut some more flowers for my flower press, once out there one thing led to another, and that is how I ended up filling tubs with compost, to transplant seedlings, in the midday sun.

Sunday

I haven't been blogging for a while we have all been so stunned by the death of my nephew's son in a terrible, tragic and freak accident.   In addition to that my husband was admitted to hospital last weekend and only got the all clear to attend the funeral a couple of hours before it started.  He still has to have a further investigation but hopefully we will be able to get back to normal again soon.  June has not been a great month for us so far.

My family were not happy this afternoon, they insisted on torturing themselves by watching England play Germany in the World Cup.  I said it would end in tears!

Apologies

Sorry not to have been here and posted anything but it has just not seemed appropriate in the circumstances.  I will get back here soon, but I just have to be able to find the right words.

Where are the Risk Assessments?

What makes authorities think that a warning sign of danger is an adequate precaution?  Do they think that children will stop and read them before running off to explore somewhere new and exciting?   Do they think that a child will look for all the safety notices before climbing on rocks or in our case heading for a river?  Do they not realise that placing stepping stones (specially made for the purpose) in a river is an invitation to people to use them?  Why place stepping stones across the river at the side of a bridge if they are not there to be used?  If, close to those stepping stones there is an area where the riverbed shelves downwards and the water is considerably deeper, why is the riverbank not fenced off?  Why all of these things in a place where the water does get deeper and the calm slowness of the river is deceptive, hiding a vicious undercurrent which can drag an unsuspecting child (or adult) down?   All of these things make a beauty spot a place of unexpected and unbelievable horror, and this weekend a family suffered the heartbreak of losing a child within moments of arriving at this maintained beauty spot.  A family is now in so much pain - my family.  My poor nephew and his wife and their surviving children are grieving the loss of their lovely boy on a trip which was taken to celebrate his 8th birthday - a day which should have been filled with such joy and happiness but it ended in tragedy.

The ruins of Bolton Abbey with the river in the foreground are so picturesque, and are enhanced by the stepping stones and the bridge across the river.  It makes for a beautiful picture but what happened there this weekend was just so ugly.  A child slipped and fell into the river and was dragged under and swept away before anyone could grasp him.  A family is left devastated and the other people in the vicinity, many of whom jumped into the river to try to save him, are traumatised.  However beautiful the picture is it worth a life?

Where is the sense of it all?

In Remembrance of Aaron Page 

5 June 2002 - 5 June 2010

Friday evening at the end of a very mixed week.  Half term holiday so no having to get up at silly o'clock to get everyone off to school/college etc.  The sun finally appeared this week although it waited until I had got the washing done and draped over airers etc because it was too wet to hang it out.  (I seem to have been doing endless ironing this week).
Exams start next week and we have been taken over by revision this week in differing ways.  My daughter has got herself "into the zone" and is head down working all day, just taking short breaks.  Only son on the other hand was very difficult to get motivated; he just doesn't seem to understand the need.  On one day he spent more time resisting my efforts to get him to revise for his first exam on Tuesday than it would have taken to do the revision, consequently he is having to do more now although he is at least doing it now.

Oh my - I have spent a whole day in the garden, hedge trimming, digging weeding planting & tidying.  I ache everywhere.  The garden is looking better, there is still a long way to go but it is definitely better.  We normally tackle most of the heavy work during the Easter break but the weather just wasn't playing ball at Easter.  Why is it whenever I cut back the bushes with the hedge trimmer my arms give up the will to live?  At lunchtime, after the morning gardening session, I couldn't even lift up my drink because my arms were so weak.  At last I have got some summer bulbs in, albeit a bit late, my peas are in and I have at least got some tomatoes in, more to come though. 
In the middle of this, DD dropped some of her revision files on her finger and shattered a nail, the whole neighbourhood heard the screaming.   As she is going out this evening I had to find the time to repair her nail.  Actually it was a bit of a relief as it gave me a chance to sit down for a while.  Only son was very selective about the type of help he was willing to give; for which read "not a lot" although he did eventually decide to mow the lawns.
Our garden is very small but we do manage to pack a lot into it.  Flower beds, pond, seating area, patio, large strawberry patch (because they took over) and various veggie areas.  Usually in our small garden we grow, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, salad onions, potatoes, french beans, peas, dessert apples, cooking apples, herbs and whatever else takes our fancy.

These photos are from a couple of years ago but they give a pretty fair representation of what our little patch of green looks in summer.

God's plan for me

I just read a post on a blog by someone who seems to be fairly young but with a wonderful blog title (http://theplanshehasforme.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-season.html) and a lot of sense.  Kassi I just loved your comments on relationships and the fact that some people come into our lives just for a season and although sometimes we hang on by our fingernails, when their purpose in our lives is done God moves them on.  I would just add that their purpose in our lives can sometimes be that we have a purpose in their lives.  It is God, our heavenly father who plans and completes the purposes of our lives.

If not for God's perfect plan for my life, I could well be still trying to avoid a man who I found so irritating at times that I tried very hard not to be near on the few occasions when our paths crossed.  That would be such a pity as we have been happily married for the last 23 years.  God arranged for our paths to cross literally and for a very long way - 20 miles in fact.   He joined our young people's bible study group on Saturday evenings and when we arranged a long walk he came along.  A group of around 20 - 30 people walking can split into much smaller groups over a distance  as people walk at different speeds.  Our group was no exception and we split into several groups, each of which splintered into smaller groups.  We were with a group of about 8 people but the two of us were deep in conversation and when we turned around after another couple of miles they were nowhere in sight.  On that 20 mile walk I learned that his awkwardness was due to deep seated shyness and that once his reserve was broken through he was a lovely man.  When we reached our destination we discovered the reason that we had walked so many miles alone; the rest of the group we were walking with had found a bus stop in a village we passed through, and on discovering from the timetable posted there that there was a bus due, had opted to take a ride for the rest of the way.  As for me - I knew that my journey with this man was not going to end in Whitby.

PROM DAY

Today is the big day - 6th Form College Prom.   She has already done this before.  There was High School Prom and then last year was 6th Form College Prom but because she decided to stay on for an extra year she gets to go again!  We have paid for everything twice - the hair, the nails, the cars and everything else so this time I did her hair and nails, it was great fun, we spent good time together and enjoyed ourselves and the outcome is as you see here.  I am pretty pleased with this - especially the hair as I am no hairdresser but with an idea and a little research on the internet enabled me to do this.  It feels so good to be able to do something like this for my daughter.

 

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The venue is the Royal Armouries in Leeds which has to be an awesome place to hold an event.  http://www.rai-events.co.uk/  They
 all met up at college to board the black double decker bus which has delivered many of them to college on a daily basis, for the trip to Leeds.  There is no accounting for taste, I would be happy if I never set foot on a bus again, but they seem to have some sort of emotional attachment to this one.

Just for love

My daughter has her prom on Friday.  I have repaired her broken and chipped toe nails with acrylic, despite being horribly allergic to it.  I am eating anti-histamines and still scratching my hands but at least her toes look better.  They are decorated with black gloss and silver glitter which will go perfectly with her beautiful black gown with silver and gemstone straps. It would have been so much easier to use Gel though.
 This afternoon was waxing her legs and eyebrows.  A very girly time - lots of fun and giggles. 

I even let her have a go at waxing my eyebrows

- am I mad?

- I should have made her try out somewhere which doesn't show although I can't think where. 

Anyway - she did fine

Tomorrow she wants me to put gel nails on her and add artwork but she thinks I can do it between 3pm and 5.30pm and prepare and cook our evening meal before I leave for a meeting at 5.30  - oh yes I have to eat something in that time too as I will be so late back.  I also have to try to do her hair in a pin up style before Friday. No pressure there then!

Roll on Saturday

Weekending

After a weekend of energy sapping, headache and nausea inducing heat (43.7 deg C on Saturday) the weather is much fresher today.  Still hot but nothing like as hot (or humid) as the past two days.  The night time temperature in our bedroom with windows open and ceiling fan running was 32 deg. C.  Our garden is south facing which means it gets full sun all day with no shade at all.  I found an off-set parasol in a local shop for a really good price but we did our usual thing of "thinking about it" rather than buying immediately and when we went to buy it we found a staff member dismantling the display model for a couple who were waiting to buy it - sadly the last one.  So we still have no shade in our garden.

Emotional Literacy

I run groups in High School looking at Emotional Literacy, endeavouring to help students understand their feelings - particularly feelings of anger and frustration which cause them to lose control of themselves which is an Emotional Hijack.   The idea is to look at the different stages of anger and the physical reactions within our bodies when we start to get angry, and encourage them to understand how adrenaline can drown their ability to think clearly.  I could go into more detail but I don't want to put you to sleep. 
This morning was rather trying - the pupils were so obviously not interested - they just did not want to be there and were trying to see if they could make me throw them out of the classroom - but it didn't work!!  Which just goes to show that at least one of us is learning something about controlling our anger.  

Some more nail art

A few more examples of nail art done over the past few days.

Wheat Free Saturday

I have been baking wheat free cakes for my son who is wheat intolerant but loves cake. As wheat free cakes can be a bit dry I used fruit to moisten them. The first one was a straight forward fruit cake, although because I didn't have any dried fruit in the house I used dates - not as good as using raisins.  The recipe is here http://www.wheat-free.org/fruit-cake.html. 
 The second is a banana loaf, moist and luscious and found here: http://www.wheat-free.org/banana-bread.html

My only son

My teenaged son has been complaining of back pain on and off for a couple of months but nothing stuck, it came and went so there didn't seem to be any point seeing a doctor after all he is a healthy, active boy, keen on sport etc.  This week however, after a fall in PE he is in considerable pain and struggles with almost every movement, so I took him to the surgery.  The doctor we saw was a locum whom we had never met before.  He started off by prodding the vertabrae so C showed him exactly where the pain is, after which the Dr never touched him again, didn't ask any further questions but made assumptions such as 'since you haven't mentioned any tingling in your feet there isn't any nerve involvement'.  He didn't ASK about pins and needles or any other sensations or deficits and certainly didn't examine him at all.  He then pronounced his diagnosis, prescribed Ibuprofen and Ibuleve, suggested that C should look up Pilates on the web, and said that he should be "a new man" in 24 hours!  You can imagine how much this impressed me!   
We returned today as he is still in so much pain, we saw another doctor and things couldn't have been more different.   I had no expectations that the diagnosis would be any different but felt that he deserved better treatment than he had received especially as he is in so much pain.   He was thoroughly examined and closely questioned, blood tests and x-ray have been ordered and a physiotherapy referral made.  As the medication prescribed earlier had not been very effective the doctor prescribed something stronger because, as he said, the body needs to keep moving, or the pain will get worse but the pain needs to be under control to allow that movement.   Thank goodness some doctors are on the ball.

Nail Art

I haven't done much nail art for a while but I did have a little play yesterday although these are not from that time, I would have to photograph my toes to show that - maybe later?

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Family Values

I watched the press conference from the garden of 10 Downing Street this afternoon.  It was very interesting watching the two party leaders, now Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.  They had plenty to say, answered lots of questions and it all went very well despite the best intentions of the assembled journalists but there was something else going on in that garden which, for me at least, eclipsed Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg.  Behind the two men was the garden wall, attached to which was a nesting box which caught my eye at once.  Initially there was little activity around it but then the blue-tit parents appeared one at a time, seemingly oblivious of the crowd of journalists, politicians and staff, intent only on feeding their chicks.  Well after all, the Conservatives did promise to promote families didn't they but I don't suppose this was quite what they had in mind.

My son had to come home from school this afternoon as he was experiencing such severe pain in his back after a clash with a classmate during a PE lesson.  He was in so much pain he could neither stand nor sit and even laying down was uncomfortable.  Fortunately the doctor's surgery had had a cancellation so I was able to get him in during the afternoon.  The doctor we saw wasn't a regular, we hadn't seen him before and hopefully he is only temporary.  He hardly examined C at all, made assumptions about the lack of other symptoms without asking any questions and then diagnosed a muscle spasm!  Clever doctor.  I do hope that this is a muscle spasm and the anti-inflammatory medication and gel not only provide relief, but allow the spasm to relax.  If so, I think it will be in spite of the doctor and not because of him.

Darling daughter just gave me a half pedicure - she shaped and filed my toe nails and did the cuticle work.  Now I just have to grow my arms long enough to paint the toenails to ensure a set of pretty, summer tootsies.

Government

So we now have a new government - I do hope that they haven't rushed into this partnership, after all it is only SIX days since the election.  Not like we have been waiting for the result or anything.

To be serious though I do hope that this coalition works, and more to the point I hope that they keep the country (and us) working. 

Missing parcel.

I am waiting for a parcel, I have been waiting for my parcel all day.  Where are you Citylink?  I have places to go but I have to stay in for you, have you lost my parcel on your van?  It isn't very big but I need it.  Why make me wait until the end of the day? 

Tall Stories

My daughter has matched me in height, brushing 6 feet,  for over a year now and her brother is desperate to be taller than she is.  He has virtually achieved his dream, it certainly looks pretty close when they stand back to back - we will need to measure them soon to be sure.  She was thinking she had until the autumn, if not Christmas before he caught her up but I think she is going to have to concede defeat now.

Believe me buying trousers for a fashion conscious girl of 6 feet tall and size 8 (UK size 8 = size 6 USA) is a nightmare, it seems designers can't believe that anyone of that height can be so skinny.   That all pales into insignificance at the side of trying to buy trousers for a young man a whisper under 6 feet tall with a 20 inch waist.  Thank goodness for Asda's school trousers with adjustable waists but casual trousers either have to be joggers or have eight inches of fabric bunched up in a belt or two large darts in the back of them, and  still he wears them drooping around the midline of his backside  yuk, yuk, yuk.   I hate that look!!!!  It always appears as though they have done something they should have grown out of in their pants.

Books

There may prove to be quite a lot about books on this blog as I am a voracious reader when I get the opportunity.

I have heard a lot about Catcher in the Rye over the years but it was one of those books which I had never got around to reading, however, as it had been brought to my attention again this week I determined that I really should.  I ordered it from Amazon and it arrived very promptly courtesy of Amazon Prime, but I was very disciplined about it and left it to one side until I had finished the book I was already reading.  I cannot claim that I am always so disciplined when it comes to books, sometimes I have 2 or 3 on the go at once.  As it seems to be so popular and a long term success I could be very posey and claim that Catcher in the Rye is the best book I have ever written but that would not be true.  I admit I am only part way through the book but so far it has been tedious in the extreme and I am not eagerly taking every opportunity to pick the book up.   I am willing to be wrong if it does take wings and fly in the coming chapters, indeed I am willing it to do so.

I won't be holding my breath though.

Coming of Age

Yesterday demonstrated the fact that our daughter is now grown up as I took her with me to the polling station, not just for companionship but so that she could vote for the first time! 

She has taken much more interest in the election this time which I was glad to see and really thought hard about how she was going to vote.  Since the polls closed she not only stayed up very late to see the results come in overnight - the slowness was a bit of a disappointment - but has just rung me from college to see how things are going.

It's a shame that her interest has not been rewarded by any clear, decisive outcome but that is the nature of democracy.

Boots

We bought our daughter a pair of boots for Christmas.  She suffers from Raynaud's syndrome so when we spotted these we thought they would be good for keeping her feet warm in the winter months, and also help her to stay upright on her feet when there is snow and ice on the ground.  She certainly got a good opportunity to try them out this winter.

She wore them on Christmas day which was very icy underfoot and landed on her behind within minutes - but then what do you expect when you try to run on sheet ice?  They have served her well as she has walked to and from college over the winter months. 

There is however one big drawback to these boots - take a look at the soles - which are specially designed to grip in snow and ice.

They also seem to be designed to grip every ounce of mud which is walked through and apparently even where there is none, because she swears she doesn't walk through mud.  They are also designed to release that mud the moment their soles land on a carpet!  As we don't have a porch or boot room there is no option but to enter the house and then take them off and surprisingly the tiny clods of mud scatter throughout the hall and kitchen.  Of course they don't release all their mud in one go - they save some for when they are put back on and then scatter it again - just to ensure that I have to vacuum it up again.

It was ever thus.