Lots of tea and lots to do!

Today we awoke to a small dusting of snow - not sufficient to prevent Nick going to Buckingham. I was up and out by soon after 9 and heading for Warwick to get the church poster printed. There is a card cum stationery shop which has a copyshop in the back opposite Cafe Nero and they are good value. While waiting for the poster to be printed, I popped into Caffe Chai - a little independent cafe which does proper tea in proper mugs (and very nice carrot cake) - for breakfast. When collecting the poster I couldn't resist a pigmee card about Spine Flu.

(c) Peter Cross - The Great British Card Company

On (or back) into Solihull to Hobbycraft as Christmas preparations are being held up for want of tape pens (two ran out last night!!). On the way drove past a Severn Trent man using a metal detector - presumably to find a stopcock under the snow. Then to Tudor Grange to book into aquafit. Last week there were 27 of us and the pool was a little full so Jo told us to book in early. This week of course there were only about 10. Having booked in, I sat in the cafe with a mug of tea and watched the long-tailed tits in the trees outside whilst trying to pick hymns for my service at Lyndon on Sunday.

Into the town centre after aquafit for some lunch in Starbucks but also picked up a pair of PURPLE LEATHER GLOVES from John Lewis. I wanted some last year but all the purple ones went early on so this year I have got in first and spent my Christmas money before I have got it :0)

Now sitting at home recovering from all the dashing about with another mug of tea - is there a theme there somewhere?

Second morning in a row that Nick has had to defrost the drainage pipes from the bathroom. Yesterday I couldn't have a shower before I went out as he had to take the pipes off and bring them into the kitchen to defrost. Today he had a shower but left the plug in the bath until he had finished in the hope that the rush of hot water would clear any build up since yesterday - no. So it was outside again with the hotair gun! After I had my shower I put the plugs in the bath and sink to see if that makes any difference tomorrow.

Some progress is being made on the 'getting ready for Christmas' front - I have sorted a card list so I know how many stamps to get and have started to make some cards but presents still need wrapping.

I am begining to lose faith in David Cameron. I thought we might have a chance of common sense politics (if that isn't an oxymoron), yet when comments by Lord Young and Howard Flight make the headlines, instead of saying 'Well that isn't a very sensible or polite way of saying it but there is an element of truth in what you say', he makes out that they are living on the moon! Politics is not black and white, or at least mine isn't, and by dismissing what they said he is dismissing a lot of people in this country who think the same. How are we ever to have a sensible debate on things when there are topics - like benefits - which seemingly cannot be discussed. What happened to free speech?

So the government is going to turn education upside down again. Please let the teachers get on with teaching and stop moving the goal posts!!! Yes, I think it is a good thing to raise standards in education but you need to know about how the changes will impact in practical terms and the best way to implement them. I think the Education Minister should have to have been a teacher (a good one, however they define that) and preferably a headteacher. It is much more important that they have experience of leading schools than that they are an MP.  Sorry - end of rant :)

Garlic and primroses!!

This year I have grown two courgette plants, two pepper plants, a row of carrots and some salad leaves. We got a steady supply of courgettes through the season but the peppers suffered from lack of light due to the courgette leaves. Next year I will plant them further apart. Having cleared the bed after the first frosts, I was considering what else to grow. We eat a fair amount of garlic and it sounds very simple to grow, so on Rememberance Sunday, I split a bulb of garlic into cloves and planted them. This is a picture a week later.

Looking round the garden, my primroses are starting to flower. This one keeps being threatened with eviction because my husband doesn't appreciate having to mow round it!

Two lots of choir this week - Thursday night at my church at Dorridge and Friday night at Acocks Green Methodist. We are doing Ding Dong Merrily on High in 5/4 with occassional 6/4 bar - breathing is optional seemingly for us altos as we have the 'echo' at the end of each line! Before I went out to choir on Friday, I managed to get a first draft of my sermon written which was a weight off my mind and Saturday was spent collecting together things for the prayer focus and photographing some so that they could be put in the powerpoint.



Things to remind us of Jesus' leadership and the way he encouraged others to lead.



Things from the crucifixion which remind us that leadership is painful and has no guarantees but should be about hospitality and celebration. The sign shows that whatever we do will be received and valued by some but ignored or rejected by others.

Pause for Thought was good last night , we had quite a wide ranging discussion but I was disturbed that a lot of people had felt that Rememberance Sunday should not include references to conscientious objectors or people who felt broken by the part they played in the war. The idea seemed to be that the worship group should have warned people (how?-with a banner, in the notices?) that this was not going to be a 'traditional' Rememberance. I found Andi very inspirational and uplifting and it was clear that he spoke from the heart and had a challenge for us. Some of us last night tried to explain how we thought he had talked about rememberance and how all the elements of the service contributed to that. We did have the silence (at 11) but not the 'they shall grow not old'. Instead we had the reading ' First they came for the communists, but I did not speak out as I was not a communist' which I have used before and think was a very appropriate challenge for a congregation like Dorridge. Maybe the worship group should not have arranged a sermon series on peace to end on Rememberance Sunday? Or maybe people should be more open to receiving what God is saying to them even when it doesn't come in the expected form.

Today could not be more different than yesterday. Yesterday woke to cold and foggy which cleared to cold and sunny. Today has been wet and grey all day. Porridge for breakfast, jacket potato in Shirley for lunch but healthy diet spoiled by two double chocolate muffins with afternoon tea :)
Still have sermon to write for Sunday but have been thinking about it whilst trying to establish who maintains the website, distributing information on Network weekend and Methodist School of Fellowship and looking for a replacement small table for the children to use at Mustard Seed.
Main excitement for the day is that Sarah has had a baby girl after three boys. Sarah is my husband's cousin's daughter so goodness knows what relation that makes her to me but at 9lb 2oz her daughter is a bonny lass. Dad used to read us funny stories from old Devon and one of them was called 'What relation be I to cousin Emily?' I really must try to find a copy.

This evening is chicken curry (made by my chef with the remains of Sunday's roast) and then Pause for Thought which this week is looking at the sermon which Rev Andi Smith gave us on Sunday. Follow his musings on Saltley Methodist Church.

Let's try again

This is another attempt to start my blog. Now I have been on fb for a while, maybe it will be easier.

Today I have been on a course about churches using social media for mission. I have learnt quite a bit and been encouraged to get involved in the church website which is something I have been resisting for a long time. We heard from Rev Jayne Webb who uses twitter to point people to her blog which is serving as the church website whilst a new one is being constructed. We also met Rev Gareth Edwards who is a Methodist Minister in South Wales and part of the leadership team at the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life. I shall try to include more pictures in my blog.