Out with the old, in with the new

So far this year has been marked by a cold which does not want to go away! Every time I think I am getting better, I do a little too much and back it comes. I did use the Magnet service at Acocks Green and it seemed to go down well. I used it again on 6th Jan (actual Epiphany) at Space in Solihull where Deb and I discussed ways of making sure that our services were as inclusive as possible.
Last Sunday was our Covenant Service at Dorridge and straight afterwards I drove Holly back to Cliff. There was a holdup on the A38 south of Burton (which I think in hindsight probably had something to do with the draw for the FA cup which Burton were part of) so we went for a mystery tour through Barton under Needwood amongst other places. Back on the A38 again we made good progress and stopped for lunch at our favourite Little Chef at Alfreton. I was very tired by the time we got to Cliff and really needed the mug of tea and sit down after we had transfered her belonging up to the second floor. I decided not to stop on the way back but trundled along with no problems, getting home by around 6.30.

This week has been the start of my 'new me' resolution.  I have put on about a stone since the last time I was at Papworth in the summer and I need to shift at least some of it before I go back in March. They also want me to improve my fitness. Last year I was attending Pulmonary Rehab twice a week which is an hour of gentle, self-paced exercise but in November I started going to aquafit once a week at my local leisure centre. I found that I enjoyed it (one of the things I have missed since being on oxygen is swimming) and, by using the longest tube I have for my portable, I can manage to work on the spot. I can pace myself and the water supports me. This year I am going to go twice a week, Tuesday and Friday, which means that it is worth me getting a daytime membership. That also means that when I feel up to it (or I want a change) I can use the exercise bike in the gym or go to spinning (indoor cycling) classes without paying extra.

This Sunday I am preaching at South Yardley about whether it is wise or foolish to follow someone as the first disciples followed Jesus. We will be looking at what we are prepared to give up or leave behind and what we will take up as we work to keep our covenant promise.

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home and the shepherds are back with their flocks, then the work of Christmas begins. To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people and to make music in the heart.

One cello, two lamps and three sets of music.

Feeling very tired now. One of the problems of a lack of oxygen and an excess of willpower is that when I stop, I really stop! On Sunday, the choir were singing in the morning service and the younger children were using clay models they had made to act out the Nativity. This involved Nick making up a long lead to allow Hannah to video the scene at the front but still be connected to the gubbins at the back which then projected it onto the screen. It was very much a 'seat of the pants' service but all went well. Then home to eat a lovely roast dinner - the blessings of an oven-timer and a husband who can operate it.

In the afternoon, Holly and I set out for Acocks Green with one cello, two lamps and three sets of music. I used it as an opportunity to get Holly to drive in the snow and she managed very well. A short rehearsal and then candlelit carols at 4. At 5.15, after a cup of tea and a mince pie (or two) we set off for Dorridge with one cello, one set of music and two lamps. The choir were only singing a few items in Dorridge candlelit carols - we did our carol concert last Sunday - and Holly was going to sit in the congregation. 7.30, time for more tea and mince pies before setting off for home.

There was no Mustard Seed on Monday due to the weather and so I walked into the village with Holly for her dentist appointment. I did some shopping while she was poked and prodded and then back home where I tried to encourage her to start one of the four essays she has to do before January 13th. In the evening she went out to the Solihull Scout Network Christmas do and I drove to Heartlands to sing some more carols around the wards. The roads were OK apart from the traffic jams.

Today I drove us all into town as there were cheques to pay in and Holly was meeting up with some friends to see a film and stay overnight. Nick and I abandoned her there and then went to Tescos to do the final bit of shopping and fill my car with fuel. By the time we got home my body was telling me I needed to stop. Tomorrow's planned trip to Bicester to be a LAM lady that lunches has been cancelled due to weather and illness so I am going to have a quiet day - as long as the buses are running, otherwise I will need to go and fetch daughter!

Right now I think a cup of tea, the Telegraph Toughie and a long hot bath followed by an early bed.

In the bleak mid-winter

Today is definitely the bleak mid-winter! At 10 this morning I had to have the standard lamp on in our living room (which has big windows at both ends) to see to read and when I got back in this afternoon at 3, I had to put the light on. Bring back the cold, clear and sunny weather please - but no snow until after I have fetched Holly from college on Thursday. The number of Christmas cards on the side is growing, Nick will need to put the strings up across the room soon before we run out of (clear) flat surfaces - my pre-advent tidy didn't last long.
Yesterday morning was spent discussing the Start! course which we will be running in January at Dorridge Methodist Church and we decided that I should produce a flyer for it so that might be a job for this evening.

This is a tealight stand that I bought in a charity shop in Shirley yesterday. I try to get something 'new' each year to add to the decorations and I liked this.
Another thing to do is make some gingerbread biscuits - my sister bought me a set of russian doll measuring cups for my birthday and I need to work out if they are American (most likely) or English cups before I can use them - for various people for Christmas.

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.