Wot no blogpost?

Apologies to all my loyal blog readers, there has been no post for days now. In fact, I have decided now to formally close this chapter of my blogging career. It was only ever meant to be an advent project, then one thing led to another and I found so many fascinating things I wanted to share that it just kept going and going.

It's not that life is less interesting now. On the contrary, life is very full and exciting. My teaching career is developing apace, church life in Ashby is vibrant and family and friends continue to amuse, enthral and entertain. I want to concentrate on these things for now and if in the future I decide to pick up the blogging bug again, I hope you will visit!

So it's "Goodnight, God bless and sleep well" as we say in this house!

Hey-ho Hey-ho

Holiday memories!

Back to work tomorrow.

Ooh la la!

We at Ashby Baptist Church have gone all French. The church has been transformed into a French bistro and all our holiday maker guests have enjoyed their first day. We were entertained with accordian playing, quizzes, songs and a fashion show. Following a sumptuous cassoulet and brulee, we turned our hands to all manner of crafts including beading, watercolours, knitting like the tricoteuse, meccano and jigsaws!

We still have a visit to Lichfield and a Taize service to come.

All buttoned up

I remember the fun of sorting out my grandmother's tin of buttons and have always enjoyed the random colours and shapes in a collection like this. There's also the quirky interest in each button's history and the vague memory of the garment it may be from. Buttons are fun.

So I really understood what my one-to-one tuition friend meant when she advised me to take in buttons instead of counters to help pupils with maths. Who wants boring old counters when you can have all these shapes, textures, colours and stories!

A potted history of a May Bank Holiday day out.

First we dropped our son off at a big boys' play area like this:

Then we went exploring Stoke on Trent with map in hand looking for mugs, plates and the like in the famous factory shops.

Unfortunately we saw a lot of these:

...But eventually some of these.

Have you ever noticed that many of the successful potters in Stoke were called Josiah? (eg. Wedgewood and Spode). I wonder if they could have foreseen the decline of their industry or whether they would be amazed how long the success did last. Anyway, it is a sad sight to see derelict factories at every turn.

We didn't find any ideal plates or mugs but still, we came home a bit brighter having splashed out on a bargain pack of lightbulbs.

The musical medley of an Ashby Saturday morning.

First stop the market stall where the flower seller started humming cheerfully "Raindrops keep falling on my head". Encouraged be the admiration of passers by, he launched confidently at full volume into the whole song. It was actually very impressive, if you like that kind of song.

Round to the church coffee morning where our creative friends were transforming the church into a French bistro ready for Holiday at Home this week. All busily hanging bunting and pinning up doilies accompanied by French songs with a jolly theme.

Out again into the rain and there in front of Boots was a Morris Dancing group with blue painted faces and sticks and bells and banjos and all. They were literally singing in the rain. And dancing and having a jolly old time with old English folk songs.

So this is Ashby on an average Saturday morning. Covent garden of the Midlands!

Celtic Blessings

I incorporated celtic blessings into RE lesson today. The children especially liked this one:

May the roof above never fall in

And may we below never fall out.

If only everyone could just not fall out. What a happier place it would be.

Mind you, I think they liked this one because it was the shortest and I had asked them to write their favourite two. Another choice was:

May you have walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain,

And drinks beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

And those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire.

A bunch of birthday blessings

As my Mum celebrates her 80th birthday, she was delighted to share with me a surprise with a difference. A bunch of flowers from my sister from a company called BUNCHES. Check them out at bunches.co.uk. The website claims they offer Ethical flowers (whatever they are) and if you click on the charity link you find a long list of international development projects they support. And a surprise box of chocs with every bunch. Oh and a Christian fish!

Mary Mary...

....quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

Answer is "very well indeed". So well in fact that Mary at church is having a plant sale in aid of our youth work. 3000 plants must go!

I am going for a sneak preview tomorrow but the real event is Sat 22nd and Sun 23rd May.

Teas, crafts and good fellowship.

Ask me for details!

A triumph of modern engineering

Had a great evening out courtesy of Triumph who were opening their new dealership in Frog Island in Leicester. Free t-shirts, a hog roast and motivational speaker Digby Lord Jones. He spoke very movingly about British industry and the need to keep manufacturing. He told the story of Triumph and how it went through a period of 7 years of watching and waiting before the time for growth came. So many parallels with church life we felt!

Hog roast was great fun. Did they think...sausages ?.... burgers ? ... oh let's just go the whole hog!

But it occurred to me how this choice of menu reveals their target market. I don't suppose Jews, Muslims or vegetarians were there to eat the hog or buy a Triumph.

My M&S

It doesn't take much to make a good experience a great experience. A surprise gingerbread man each with our coffees at M&S this morning.

Not only that, a new (at least new to us) gadget that flashes and vibrates to tell you your food order is ready. So there we were quietly dunking our gingerbread men. Graham's went in head first, mine went paddling first to his middle, then to his neck... then....BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ... jumping in shock, almost spilling our coffee we realised this was the signal that our toasted teacakes were ready! And 3 pats of butter! What fun. We really ought to get out more!

An apple for the teacher...

When they asked me to go on a trip to the apple store, I confess my first thought was a farm shop associated with an orchard or something. Or a museum like one I have visited in Japan that explains how apples are grown, packaged and sold. But no, this is the electonic version. I am going on 3 trips next week with different groups each day to the Applemac Shop in Leicester. Educational workshops will be offered no doubt aimed at persuading us all to ditch our PCs and convert to an Apple. I look forward to having a bite. Taste and see!

Tell me more...

Thanks to the General Election, our school became a polling station and to keep us amused, the school brought in an author to teach us (the teachers) the art of storytelling!

We amazed ourselves with our previously hidden abilities to make stories from objects and pictures. We developed themes and added funny twists. We laughed maybe a bit more than we should have done. We sat at the feet of a great storyteller (Adam Guillain) and came away inspired to be that storyteller in our classrooms in future.

We also learnt about an exciting new project called the story museum; a fantastic collection of traditional and modern stories for all ages.

Connections

What a small world we live in. Just had a message from Genesreunited telling me of someone wanting information from me about one of my family branches in 1781. I wonder who he is and where he is now. So out came all my folders again with countless documents and notes. I left the actual roll of wallpaper that contains the nitty gritty of the tree in all its detail. I fear that might crumble away if handled too much. Reading through the notes I see others from that branch contacted me a few years ago from California. So I may have the joy of introducing these two to eachother. I also came across correspondence from Australia. How far my ancestors have dispersed from humble beginnings as Lincolnshire farmers!

Gone in a Jiffy!

What was life like before Jiffy bags? All paper and string using those knots we learnt at Brownies I suppose.

Anyway I am glad of a Jiffy bag today. I have just sent off my first module for my post grad study. If it meets with approval at Edge Hill University it will count towards a Certificate in Education on Professional Development. If I continue, it could lead to an MA but that is a long way off yet. I am just glad to get the first bit sent off and reclaim the dining table!

Cherry Blossom

Have you noticed the cherry blossom this year? It seems heavier and pinker than usual. I think the hard winter has made it so.
It reminds me of Japan where we enjoyed the annual cherry blossom festival in the local park. The whole town would celebrate the beginning of spring and various stalls were set up. Our little church would sell home made cakes and crafts and give out gospels.
Can you imagine that here? I think not! Still, we can rejoice in the one who made the cherry trees bloom.

Empty plates

What a privilege to visit the 10 groups and see the "Guess who's coming to dinner" event in action. Driving in the dark from Donisthorpe to Packington Whitwick to Breedon to Ashby was exhausting but so worthwhile.
You could feel the buzz as guests arrived and the shriek of "You're here" and working out who else might be turning up.
Dishes were shared, pavlovas demolished. As the night went on, the chatting turned to laughter and in some cases hilarious party games. Can you pick up a cereal packet with your teeth while standing on one leg?
The things we do! All in the name of fun and fellowship!
Thanks to all the brave people who took part. I was so thrilled to see our young people happily mixing with older people.
Watch this space for next year!

"Guess who's coming to dinner?"

Well the 66 people all know the address they are going to and the part of the meal they need to provide. Other than that the evening will be full of surprises. I just hope and pray the 10 groups all have a great evening. The key to the success of the evening is to relax and have fun. It is not a food show. It is not "Come dine with me". It must not be judgemental! It is purely for the fun of finding out who else is around the table and what is on the menu. Good people of Ashby - enjoy!!

Peace at last!

...or let's not. Not a cloud in the sky! Not a plane trail in the sky! It's beautiful out there. No pollution, no noise. I feel really sorry for stranded passengers but it is such a blessed relief to have a break from the endless air traffic. I know we may not have our constant supply of foreign imports for a while and businesses worldwide will suffer but we will just have to eat locally produced food again. Nothing wrong with that!

Life is full of surprises

Well what are chances of this happening? I only know 2 people connected to the small town of Sedgefield (not counting Tony Blair) and it turns out they lived next door to eachother! My friend Katharine at church lived next door to my cousin Julie! Can't wait to hear how they discovered they both knew me.

Sometimes I think we really are living on a very small island.

Easter by text messages

I heard today about a scheme whereby you can receive texts that tell the Easter story in real time as it happens over the week and beyond. Sounds amazing. Imagine a text: " They have just led Jesus away" " He's carrying the cross now.." and then waiting for the Easter morning text with good news. I will be looking out for this next year. Available from www.jesus.co.uk.

St Giles did not disappoint

Red ribbons, photographers and bucks fizz were all there! Our new charity bookshop (St Giles Hospice Bookshop) is launched. Ashby people will have no shortage of good books to browse for the foreseebale future. O happy day!

The universal language of chocolate

Trip out to Scaddows farm shop yielded some unusual surprises: Wild boar pate, individual Yorkshire puddings (made in Yorkshire) and frozen pain au chocolat(s). Got us talking about the Japanese Choco Pan which is the same thing. So Japanese do import as well as export! And talking of chocolate, Cadburys could be opening high street cafes soon. Well that is an exciting proposition. But first we have a new charity book shop to look forward to in our town; opening tomorrow. Should I expect a fanfare, balloons and free books? I suppose not but it is exciting none the less!

Bank rant #2

Ok so my local bank doesn't look quite this derelict but it feels like it. The wrong date on the wall I ranted about earlier was at least correct today BUT it was held together with a bulldog clip. The shiny marble effect counter bears the circular scars of a previous collection of stick on pens and the once colourful display boards of advertisements now bear a mismatched assortment of home made printed out notices reminiscent of a social club. The row of a potential 7 counters has at most 2 members of staff available to help but usually only one. Behind the counters is a huge impressive room which in a bygone era must have been a hive of activity but now houses empty desks and one rather large old photocopier. I don't know how I am going to vote in the forthcoming election, but can anyone offer a return to customer service, quality, and pride in appearance? I want to walk into a bank and feel that old sense of security that they will look after my pennies and make me feel safe. Right now, I am just glad to get out of the building without it falling down!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

We were presented with a homemade Simnel cake at breakfast this morning. That explains the mysterious grated lemon I found in the fridge yesterday!

I love Simnel cake. The 11 marzipan balls representing the 11 disciples after Judas betrayed Jesus.

So we are celebrating today.

Hallelujah - Jesus is risen!!

Good Friday

It's Friday but Sunday's coming!

Tell me

What came first

Easter or the egg?

Crucifixion or daffodils?

Three days in a tomb or four days in Paris (returning Bank Holiday Monday)?

When is a door

not a door?

When it is rolled away.

When is a body

not a body?

When it is risen.

Question:

Why was it the Saviour

rode on a cross?

Answer:

To get us to the other side.

Behold I stand.

Behold I stand and what?

Behold I stand at the door and

Knock knock.

(Easter Poem by Steve Turner)

Storm and a Teacup

I once heard about someone who used to enjoy hearing the shipping forecast while snuggled up under the quilt. The knowledge of wild weather out there made the comfort of the warm bed all the more cosy!

But now, as I sit down to a cup of tea and look out of my wide window, I see a storm brewing. The chimney is rattling with hail stones and the clouds are thickening like treacle.

The resultant cosy feeling isn't working for me. The reason is I have a husband out on a motorbike, a son out rock climbing and a daughter on a long-distance drive.

My friend Anna celebrated her first anniversary of receiving a successful double lung transplant today. In her thanksgiving message she expressed gratitude to her donor, her family and friends, the church and so many others. The miracle of a threatened life now saved is amazing in itself. But this success story has a deeper meaning too. Anna became a Christian on the Alpha course last Autumn and has a different new life to celebrate too. She is an inspiration to all who know her and we rejoice to have her as our friend. God bless Anna and her lovely family.

Bags of bags

I believe in recycling, donating to charity and buying from charity shops but it has gone mad in our road. Almost everyday we get a new charity collection bag put through the door. Some are for reputable charities like British Heart Foundation. Others for more suspect groups who have never been heard of. But the thing that bothers me is the sheer quantity of them. No one would have enough clothes to fill all the bags that keep arriving.
So what do you do with them? I know you are meant to put them out and they are supposed to be collected and re-used but they never are. They just lie there getting covered in grime and dust and slug slime so I don't do that anymore. I started collecting them in a bag thinking I would use them as bin liners but I tend to use big strong black bags designed for rubbish. So I now have a huge collection of charity collection bags. What on earth can I do with them? Suggestions please.

Easter bunny gains meaning

Having taught the Easter story in all its glory over the course of the last 5 weeks, today was a more relaxed craft-based RE lesson. Card making!

We did start by discussing the very tenuous links between eggs and new life and therefore Easter. We admitted there really was no religious meaning to bunnies and chocolate but I encouraged the class to remember the real meaning of Easter while they were munching on their chocolate this year.

And so we got on with the cutting, folding and sticking as various pop-up cards and collages emerged from the busy tables covered in scraps of material, felt pens and tissue paper.

Then something happened. A girl came to me with dripping blood haivng cut her finger with scissors. Instinctively I ran it under water, gave her a paper towel and suggested she hold it tight to stop it bleeding. She seemed quite calm so I continued circulating round the class. Eventually I came back to ask how she was.

"Fine thanks. And I used the blood to add pink cheeks to my bunny. Look!!" Oh my goodness. How I laughed. She was just showing incredible resourcefulness but imagine being given an Easter card with real blood on it! .... but then a significance hit me. Blood shed on the cross! So now I know the link with bunnies and Easter!

Going against the flow

I know we are called as Christians to go against the flow but this is ridiculous. Going to church today all prim and proper in best coat and husband with big black Bible under his arm we came face to face with something like this crowd coming the other way.

It was the occasion of Ashby 20 - a very popular annual event for runners for miles around. Crowds were gathering on Bath Grounds ready for the start. The starting hooter was being tested for the big start. The little quiet lane we normally walk along was full of very fit looking people all with earnest looking faces as they stretched, took pulses, jumped about and generally prepared themselves for the big challenge. Some of them actually looked very funny with black bin liners on to maintain the correct temperature, others wore very odd looking skinny shorts and vests. But the funny thing was, because there were more of them, they were the normal ones. And here we were as 2 decent church-going citizens walking along on a Sunday morning, yet we were the ones who looked eccentric! Ah well. I guess that is the story of my life. Always the odd one out!

Evacuation

Just got to the till and loaded up my week's worth on to the conveyor belt. Potatoes and carrots got through just before the screaming fire alarm. Evacuate the supermarket. All transactions frozen. Tills locked and out we all trooped leaving our defrosting vegetables all over the shop!

Outside it bacame one of those mini-crisis situations where the normally reserved British public start talking for once and slightly infirm people are offered wheelchairs.

The talk quickly developed into a humerous consideration of the worst situation to be in when this happens in a supermarket. The loo? The last item on the conveyor belt? The changing room? No I think I agree with the man who suggested just sitting down to eat your all-day breakfast and getting the first mouthful of bacon and egg near your drooling lips!

Ten minutes later we were ushered back in. Normal service resumed as quickly as possible and nobody spoke to eachother again.

HiViz

This is part of the fetching outfit I had to wear at work today. I was put in marshalling position to ensure 300 children ran the full mile for their Sport Relief sponsored run. The temptation for them to cut corners was immense. If no one was looking, they surely would have shortened the course considerably. Being there in that jacket was enough to deter cheating.

And how many of us slow down or think twice about cutting corners on the road at the sight of a high visibility jacket or police car?

Paper doilies

When did you last have doilies on your shopping list?

I love the paper doilies we still use at church teas. An ordinary plate of sandwiches looks so much more inviting with a pretty paper doily on the plate.

The original ones were made of lace and invented by a London draper by the name of Mr Doiley!

A packet of paper ones last a lifetime as so many sheets are tightly pressed together. Just like cup cake cases, there is something very satisfying about separating the layers of paper.

And of course the doily sheets can be used in countless craft activities. Who remembers making cut out doll's clothes from doilies? Or snowflakes? Or picture frames? What else?

Mothering Sunday

Croissants for breakfast today - courtesy of my son. It must be Mother's Day. In the days when Mothering Sunday meant a day's release from work so that young men could return home to visit their mothers I don't suppose they had croissants. Just having your son home is a treat for any Mum!

We don't mention Mother's Day at school. Some children have lost their mothers through death or separation. Others have such bad experiences at home that motherhood is not something to celebrate. And then in church one needs to be careful too. Some mothers have lost children through death or broken relationships, other women long to be mothers but are not. But we can celebrate fellowship which acts as family. We can all identify someone who is like a mother to us or like a daughter to us. I always feel like a precious daughter when a certain lady at church calls me "my flower" in general conversation! And we can try to be a mother and daughter to others.

Then there is the perennial problem of where to put the apostrophe. I have opted for the one mother in honour of my one real Mum (Happy Mother's Day, Mum!) but it is open to debate.

etaoin shrdlu

ETAOIN SHRDLU

Though not actual words, these two groups of letters form the most common letters in the English language arranged in popularity order. The letters formed the first two rows of keys on a Linotype machine which was invented around 1884. This fascinating piece of printing history is then unearthed all these years later as a useful theme for the Listener crossword. And presumably the letter order of popularity remains the same. But I wonder whether the increase of textspeak and the erosion of vowels may change it oneday?

Stress Relief

This is what I was looking forward to after a long day in the classroom. So I dragged my dusty self up the wooden hill and ran the hot water. With just enough energy left to reach for the Radox Stress Relief, I was anticipating a long relaxing soak. But no. The new bottle had never been opened and the top was stuck fast. No matter what I did it would not budge. Wrapping a flannel round it didn’t help and the kitchen gadget used for such tasks was a long way away. So with feverish fury I battled on desperate to release the promised stress relief. At last, an easing of the top and it opened to exude the fruity aroma and foamy liquid. Ahh! Stress relief at last. But was the tightness of the top a deliberate marketing ploy to make me appreciate the effect of stress relief all the more, I wonder?

Spring has sprung

Saw these in a garden I pass as I walk to town. The garden belongs to a property that has changed hands since last Spring. So whose crocuses are they? Were they listed in the fixtures and fittings as part of the sale? Have the new owners noticed them and do they like them or will they pull them out and replace them? It strikes me they are like the lilies of the field and all other growing things - they belong to God. He gives them life and we enjoy them! Praise God for signs of Spring!

Sea-fever by John Masefield

Preparing to teach a topic on “The Sea” I stumbled across this old familiar poem. The rhythm of it takes you straight out onto the waves. I can’t wait to see what my class of 7 year olds make of it. Living as we do so far from the sea makes it all the more enticing. Thinking about it, when did I last see the sea?

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

A day out with a difference

 

   

Friends took us to this place for a great day out today. To say a museum would not really do it justice. It is a collection of 29 POW huts full of 1940’s interactive experiences and displays. I loved the music hall puppet show, singalong and Stanley Holloway monologues. And the prefab house where you can peer nosily into every window. Soapy smells, tunnelling Great Escape re-enactments, nostalgic sounds, and  models that seemed to breathe and move just enough to make you take a second look.

Lunch was chosen from a wartime-themed menu. I had the submariners’ feast and Graham had Churchill’s pie. Followed by big mugs of tea to wash it all down.Only in a military-themed attraction would you find this in the ladies loos! A hand dryer called Airforce!

To find out more about this amazing place click on the link below.

http://www.edencamp.co.uk/

Time warp

 

I’ve just had a scare. When I was flicking through the freeview channels tonight I came across the caption:

Yesterday will return at 6.00am tomorrow.

Yesterday was ok as far as a day goes but I don’t want to go back and re-live it. I want to move on to something new please!

I assume “Yesterday” is a tv channel but I so rarely watch tv that it is one that passed me by I’m afraid – if indeed you can be passed by, by yesterday. Oh dear, this is getting too complicated for me now. But let’s hope tomorrow arrives as something fresh and new!

All linked up

Thanks to some helpful advice from a friend, I have learnt how to make my links work better. So when I say, for example, “If you want to know more about Simon’s book Walking Home, Click here,” it should take you there as if by magic. Don’t you just  love learning new things?

Something to smile about

A fast-moving jolly presentation that will keep you gripped for the full one and a half minutes. You will not want to miss a moment. Enjoy ... and be challenged! Look out for the sticking plaster!

Book launch

A book launch is an exciting thing. We so enjoyed attending Simon's launch of "Walking Home" on Saturday. It is like a birth of a dream, a graduation of achievements, and final resting place of all the hard work that has led up to that point all rolled into one. Apart from the fantastic array of homemade cakes on offer, it was just good to meet friends old and new and celebrate something noble. I have advertised Simon's book here before: 30 Jan Walking Home. But it is worth a second mention. I picked up my signed copy and began reading it on the way home. Just as well I wasn't driving, as it had me crying with laughter. The line that rendered me helpless was: "Walsall is a place where cold rice pudding causes a stir, especially if it is free!"

But quite apart from the hilarity, the book is full of poignant observations and reflections as Simon literally walked home to Leicestershire from Paris on his pilgrimage with a difference.

Qwertyuiop

Taught the children all about qwertyuiop today. What a lovely word to say. Finding the home keys and learning to touch type using the BBC Dance Mat was, I hope, as exciting and inspiring for them as it was for me to teach. A word of warning to anyone who tries this with a classroom full of computers: Make sure all sound is on mute! Or it'll drive you mad!