London Pride

 I love London. There is always something new to discover, somewhere fresh to visit - alongside the comforting familiarity of well loved favourite places. My friend Lynn posted a picture of a London Jigsaw she'd just completed. It is based on the A-Z map. "I can see the street where my family live!" I said. Lynn is preparing to move house, and decluttering. She kindly sent me the puzzle.

I'm usually a 500piece puzzler

But this was too good to ignore.

The streets were very small, and the printing minuscule on some sections. I got out the Bug Viewer I use with the grandchildren. It magnified the pieces beautifully. I began on Good Friday morning, and worked on the green felt mat. That meant I could easily roll up the puzzle whenever we needed the dining table.

A few slight problems . Firstly,it was a while before I realised the picture on the box was slightly misleading. The A-Z logo in the corner was smaller, so more stuff showed in the Edgware section. And in the top right, there was no badge saying "1000 pieces" And then there was Marylebone. One section of road was missing three letters from the middle of the word. I checked and checked - but could not find the piece.

Over the weekend, I worked on the jigsaw, and Liz and Bob added pieces as they walked past. At 9pm Monday evening [after watching the various quizzes. Well done UCL for getting to the Univ Challenge finals] I returned to the dining table. Things were looking good. "I am not going to bed till this is finished!" I said. Bob had a programme to watch, then he came to help me.

Bob solved the MARY---ONE problem, ... he finally realised the damaged piece (had it fallen in a mug of coffee, or been licked by the cat?) was the one which fitted, but the letters were no longer visible.

We kept going and finished at 11.50pm! I took a photo and we had a final cuppa and went to bed.

So satisfying to have it completed! 

Lynn's intended destination for this puzzle was a charity shop - and I said I'd make sure it got there in the end. Lynn has been a good friend for decades, she has great faith, a generous heart, and a wonderful sense of humour. She is arranging this move while her husband is in hospital [where he has been for over a year] I am praying for her, for resilience and strength, and for her husband, continued healing. 

Is there anyone out there who would like to have a go at this puzzle and then pass it on to a CS?

Please comment on THIS POST by Saturday, including the words LONDON JIGSAW, and I will pull the winner's name out on Sunday. But you must agree do it promptly, and to pass on the jigsaw to a CS after completion. It is not to sit useless in a cupboard.

The Easter weekend marked the 16th birthday of Tracing Rainbows.

Nearly 7000 posts, almost 50,000 comments...and soon it will pass 5 million hits. Can you believe it ? I can't!

But more importantly, dozens of friends I didn't know back in 2008. Thank you everyone who takes the time to read my ramblings. God bless you all.

Moving Memories

 Exactly nine years ago, on 26th January 2015, I posted this picture

It was the day the vans left Kirby Muxloe, after nearly twenty years, to take all our stuff to Dorset. Exactly one year later, a couple of the deacons arrived on the doorstep with a card, a box of chocs, and a small orchid in a pot.

"We don't make a big thing of The Minister's Anniversary" they said "but we wanted to say thank you for the past year, it has been good having you both here"

I did not like to say "I am no good with houseplants, my silk ones die" - so we simply thanked them for their kindness - and all the support they had given over the previous twelve months.

I asked Jenny for advice, and now I have three healthy orchid plants [the other two were gifts from Dorset schools where I made play costumes]

Yesterday evening, when I came in, I saw the Church Anniversary Orchid has some blossoms on it [and more buds getting ready to burst into bloom] Happy Eighth Birthday, beautiful flower!

It is a lovely reminder of my good friends back in Ferndown. But now we are happily settled in retirement at Cornerstones- we don't plan to move anywhere else. The flowers are a reminder of God's faithfulness, and of dear friends who continue to keep in touch.

We have so much to be grateful for.

All Change!

This is going to be a rather busy week... 

Lots of moving and changing and re-adjusting to the autumn

SIL Gary has finished Paternity Leave, and has is back at work.

Liz and co have returned to London - Jessica will be back at Nursery and Rosie will be in a new class [she's Year 2 now]

And my bro and SIL are moving house. Their new place is not available just yet - so they will be staying at Cornerstones for a few days

To give them some quiet space, Bob is moving into Liz and Jon's cottage up the road.

And I'm going up to Manchester for a few days to support Steph and the boys. 

My return ticket turns out to be for the day when a rail strike is planned ... so I hope to get back...sometime..

And thank you to all those who commented on yesterday's post - so  many kind friends out there - I hope you felt the love and prayers winging your way, Sandra

Lent Reflection #3 - Leaving Deliberately

First looking again, then learning graciously, now leaving deliberately 

What do I mean by that? It is all about my mindset around letting go of things. For all of my 66th year, when I wasn't adjusting to the lifestyle changes inflicted by the Pandemic, or running Grandma's Nursery for Rosie, I was working towards retirement and moving.

There was definitely a lot of letting go/leaving behind at that point

• letting go of church responsibilities. 
• letting go of superfluous furniture and 'homewares'. Lots of stuff as we went from 40 years in large Manses [plus holiday bungalow] to just Cornerstones.
• leaving behind many friends - yes some friendships last, but there is a difference between day-to-day contact and distanced relationships. 
• leaving behind resources which we have no storage room for, in our new life - and realistically no use for. My beloved Palm Tree and my knitting machine.

definition deliberate [verb] "to engage in long and careful consideration" 

definition deliberate [adj] "done consciously and intentionally

Much as I love Cornerstones, and life in Norfolk, in many ways laying down 40 years in ministry wasn't done lightly. I found the leaving UCF easier because we did it deliberately. Bob spent a really long time considering his different roles, and working out how to leave the church in a 'prepared' state. Nobody in a church/school/workplace/family wants to find themselves asking "How do we do this?" and find the answer is "We don't know, X always did it" or "That was Y's job, and we've got no idea where the key/contact number/password is"

None of our furniture ended up in a skip. The dining suite went to Manchester. We considered what we could sell, and the 'better' pieces went off to Facebook Marketplace. And then two young friends were allocated Married Quarters at the barracks- and really grateful for a bed, sofas, coffee table, bookcases etc [it was dead weird going to visit, and sit in their lounge surrounded by our stuff though!] I am so glad to be able to picture my stuff in their family home now. 

After a couple of months in Norfolk, I deliberately left some social media groups I was in. I explained that we had settled happily, miles from Dorset and it just wasn't appropriate for me to be part of the group anymore. People were kind, wishing us well - and many have sent the occasional private message since. 

My Palm Tree went to a Primary School, along with a set of Nativity Costumes.  And my knitting machine, unused since Kirby days, went to someone who wanted to take up the craft in her retirement. Leaving these once much-used, special items with people who would love and care for them and give them new purpose felt really positive.

I acknowledge that I have been blessed with the time to prepare for this huge change, many people have to get up and flee and leave everything. But these news pictures remind me I have too much stuff - I need to be passing it on to others. My newly widowed neighbour told me yesterday that her late husband's winter coats have all gone to Ukraine Relief on a lorry - I said he was a good, kind man who would be glad that they were blessing others, and not hanging unused in a wardrobe. She said that thought was helping her.

Minimalism is definitely a Work In Progress for me. I can't look at an item and make the keep/discard decision quickly. I want to be sure I am not ditching something which still has a purpose for somebody else- nor yet hanging on to things which hinder my progress. This is a spiritual issue as well as a practical and emotional one. As the Bible says in Hebrews ch 12

So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends 

A Little Bird Told Me

February 2020, toothache, temporary filling, a crown would be needed [NHS cost £300]so I decided that proceeds from my Etsy Sales would now go to my Tooth Fund. I reluctantly realised I needed to downsize my collection of vintage table linens and put much of it up for sale. The Pandemic arrived in March, but in the following twelve months I raised the money. Then we moved in April - to discover the shortage of dentists [NHS and private] in East Anglia, and the realisation that if I ever did get a crown, it would be from a private practice and cost about £3000! I need another £2000+

I only a have a few tablecloths left, and most have damaged edges, holes or stains. They will not sell as they are. So I came up with an idea - why not cut the good bits of fabric out and make something with them? 

I have made some "Oiseaux des fêtes"

Here's their story...

"For centuries, people have celebrated by sharing meals together – birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Christmas… Family and friends would gather to share food and love. Traditionally a special cloth was spread across the table, usually white, often trimmed with lace or embroidery. 

When it became old, stained or torn, it was replaced – and the old cloths were often discarded. 

These little oiseaux des fêtes [birds of the feasts] have been handmade using the salvaged parts of the fabric, where possible incorporating original stitching and trimmings, together with fresh embroidery and beading. 

The birds serve as a reminder to us of those happy times, and of our nearest and dearest who are far away.

Each bird is unique, decorated on both sides, with a ribbon hanging loop.

Every bird comes in a voile gift bag, along with an explanatory tag telling the story."

I have advertised them in my Etsy Shop this week. I have no idea whether or not they will sell. But I have really enjoyed making them.

I'm hoping people will send them to family members who they will be unable to visit this Christmas.

I have only made eighteen so far. Maybe if sales take off, I shall make a lot more.  There is plenty of fabric available. [My Etsy shop is here. This is shameless advertising!]

"Oiseaux des fêtes"

I Am Still Here

It has taken the best part of a month to change my profile on Blogger. Yes, I am now retired and living in Norfolk.

But I am having email issues.  Some of you good people have sent me messages and they have bounced back saying "Undeliverable - Inbox full"

Do not worry - they are getting through to me. However although I can read them, I am unable to reply from my regular address - so my replies will come from somewhere else. Apologies for all the confusion this has caused. Sometimes technology is not our friend.

Merry Thoughts

Gradually we are getting straight. The bookcases are secured to the wall, and we spent all yesterday afternoon trying to decide what goes where.

In the Technology Room [Rosie's name for the room where the computers and electronic stuff is] We have theology books and Bible Commentaries, non fiction, reference books, craft books of all sorts, and cookbooks. These fill up two IKEA Billy bookcases. 

In the lounge is another Billy, full of our fiction collection - the bottom two shelves are children's books. The pre-move cull of DVDs and CDs means there is space on the narrow shelving unit for poetry books too.

In the bedroom is a very small bookcase holding Bob's Terry Pratchett collection - and we are keeping the top shelf clear for "library and other borrowed books"

It does feel a little strange to only have about 25% of the books we used to have - but we have the ones we use a lot for reference, and the fiction we enjoy reading again and again. And none went in the bin - they were given to friends, and theology students, or sold to Ziffit [and just a few to charity shops]

Rosie is still having a WhatsApp bedtime story. She's ecstatic that her local library has re opened, and now she is five she qualifies fir her own library ticket. Access to books certainly fills us with cheer, and merry thoughts. 

I cooked a chicken a couple of days ago, and stripped all the meat from it, and used the carcase to make stock [ in the recently unpacked] slow-cooker. Did you know that that the V-shaped bone at the sternum is called the furcula but it's also called the wishbone or the merrythought ? The furcula is formed by the fusion of the two clavicle [collarbone] and its strength helps the bird fly.

The ancient Etruscans thought this bone could be used to divine the future. 500 years ago in England people believed that if two people pulled it apart, the person with the larger piece would get their wish. And if two girls broke it, the winner would be the next to marry [sometimes it was called the marriage bone.] 

Words fascinate me, I'm grateful for all our books, and for all I've learned from them

Boxing Day

I love the way children supply their own words when they want to describe something and cannot think of the right term. When Liz was very small, we drove past a garden full of beehives "Look at all the honey-sheds!" she shouted. Rosie likes using her own terminology for things too. Last Tuesday when her Dad came over to Cornerstones to help us unload the van, she referred to it as Boxing Day.

I've had fun labelling boxes. Maybe not quite as efficiently as in previous moves - Bob has been so much busier this year and so the bulk of packing fell to me. And sometimes I wrote slightly misleading labels.

Not wanting anyone to injure themselves, I made sure to write Heavy where appropriate. Bob misunderstood this, and when he read NOT LIGHT he took extra care when lifting. Only to discover it was an IKEA "Not" Light! 

We had lots of boxes of books, despite the massive cull - Bible commentaries, fiction, craft books, reference books, hymn books, cookbooks, children's books... One box was labelled SOD BOOKS. 

Bob gently asked if I was getting fed up with packing, this was not my usual sort of language. I was momentarily baffled. What on earth was I thinking to write that? Then I realised it referred to the two large volumes of the Shorter Oxford Dictionary! Mags and Pauline, I could do with your library skills getting my shelves straight! 

One kitchen box contained oil, flour, and some empty jars. I wrote that on the side, but on the top just labelled it Zarephath. Someone in Dorset asked for an explanation, as did Jon when we unloaded it here. "It's in 1Kings 17, the story where God provides food for the prophet and the faithful woman" I said "You know I never miss an opportunity to tell a Bible story!" 

Thus far nothing seems to have been damaged in transit. We have a slight issue with the four orchids. They are fine and healthy - but we cannot work out where to put them, so currently they are standing in the bath! 

Lack of new garage/workshop [aka Lathe Palace] means there are a lot of items stacked in the summerhouse and there are boxes everywhere in the house. And lack of the new wardrobe means we have our clothes hanging on the rail I normally use for play costumes - it does feel as if we are sleeping in a Charity Shop. But I am sleeping really well here, so is Bob. That has to be a good thing. 

By the next Boxing Day - December 26th - I think we should be straight! 

Moving Stories #5 - The Box

The final Moving Story ...In 1965 I was ten - and we moved from Hartlepool to Norfolk. A friend from church had some sort of clothing business, and gave my parents some "suit boxes". I had a couple to pack the stuff from my bedroom. I still have one of them to this day.

It folds up, the corners slot together, and there are holes for a cord handle. It is very battered now, and I think this will definitely be its last move. But the various labels on it show what a varied life it has had. 

A's room

Wedding Dress

Electric Blanket

Bridesmaid's dresses

Gift Bags

In the move from Bexleyheath to Leicester it was Box 423. At that move, everything was tagged with Raffle Tickets, and carefully listed in a little book, because we were going into temporary accommodation for seven months.

That's not bad going for a cardboard box which is 56 years old, is it? 

The next few days [weeks?] will see us unpacking all these boxes and trying to fit the contents into a bungalow which was already furnished. There's going to be a lot of stuff which will not be staying,  and "why did we bring this?" questions, I am sure. 

Fresh Fields, Pastures New

Among the birthday/retirement/leaving cards was this one

An unusual picture, I thought, as I opened it. Two cows in a field?

But the message inside from two dear friends was both caring and challenging. "Hope you settle into your new field quickly" it read. And on the left hand side was this wise advice for Christians reaching the end of working life... 

AFTER WORK, we are still called to be 'salt and light'

BY BEING - enriching those around us and humbly helping people to see another way to live. 

BY SPEAKING - our voice of wisdom, love and compassion

BY SERVING - formally or informally, the community of family and surroundings we inhabit

RETIREMENT isn't a biblical concept!

Yes, M & P you are absolutely right. Thanks for the reminder. The days ahead will be very different, but we will still follow and serve the One who called us all those years ago. He has tasks for us to do - and we know He will guide us in this new pattern of life, and the next part of the adventure. 

[UCF services will continue - check out United Church Ferndown YouTube and in the playlists you will find all the Sunday services]

Well Here We Are At Last!

All those boxes, loaded into the van, and unloaded at the other end. Box after box after box. 

So grateful to Alan, David, Geoff, Jamie, Rick and Jon. We finally returned the rental van to Dorset on Thursday lunchtime, getting back here in the Skoda at 6:30pm

We called on the family who were just going for an evening stroll. Here are three of us in our parkas [looking like Manchester Mods, said Liz] Rosie is incredibly confident pedalling her bicycle now. 

We are taking things very slowly - no need to rush with unpacking. And unlike other moves, no rush to start a new job, or get to know the place. 

Last time we were here, I left a message on the fridge as an encouragement. 

We are mostly just resting, and enjoying the peace and beauty... I had some amazingly colourful flowers from Steph, Gaz and George for my birthday 

Plus loads of cards, emails, phone calls etc. wishing us well as we start the New Adventure 

Everyone has been SO kind. 

Thank you all

 

Moving Stories #4 - The Bridge

We had such a great time in Orpington. Liz was in the Church Playgroup, Bob took services, I helped run the Toddler Group and I was involved in a couple of Women's groups. The people were so kind and generous to us. Bob bought a motorbike from one of the members, and rode off to College everyday...but in 1986 he finished his studies, and was to become the minister of Welling Baptist Church, Bexleyheath.  No newborns to feed this time- and Liz was even helping write labels on boxes. Fellow student Nigel offered to help and we hired a van. It was less than10 miles from our house to the new one, and we figured it would be easy to do in just two trips. We knew the route already - down to Petts Wood, round the roundabout, under the railway bridge then due north through Sidcup, crossing the A20 and A2, and there you are...easy!

Yeah, right - except all our earlier journeys had been in a car, or Bob on the bike. As he and Nigel went round the roundabout, in the fully loaded van they suddenly realised that they were too high to go under the bridge directly ahead of them! Fortunately traffic was not too heavy, as Bob was forced to reverse back round the roundabout and find an alternative route! [at least they did realise in time, unlike this driver]

We did get moved in safely, into a rather small house - but after 10 months the church was able to buy a more appropriate property which had a downstairs loo, an office for Bob and a room where we could hold small church meetings.

In 1995 we moved up to Leicestershire, briefly in temporary accommodation then in a beautiful house till 2015. Six years in Dorset, where we have been so happy. Now, I'm going back to Norfolk, again taking things in a rented van - forty four years after Dad and I made the journey from Norfolk to Hemel. And I still have that old Pyrex dish!

So grateful to all the friends and family who have helped us along the journey - and conscious that God has been with us all the way,

Moving stories #3 - Loo Rolls And Tea Bags

Back in my first teaching job, I worked with a woman who always bought her loo rolls from Harrods. Her reasoning was this - in the sale, Andrex luxury paper was reduced if you bought in bulk. She lived in a large house, so if she bought a year's supply at a time, it not only worked out cheaper than Sainsbury's budget brand, but she also had a Harrods van arrive outside her front door, and it amused her to see all the nosey neighbours twitching their curtains.

Christmas 1984. Bob was in his third year at college, Steph had just been born. One of his fellow students had become an agent for "Traidcraft" - a new charity supplying fairly traded goods. She needed to sell a minimum amount for the first month, so urged the students to buy the stuff. I decided we should buy a year's worth of loo-rolls to help her reach her sales target

We'd recently acquired a small undercounter freezer- but we couldn't afford to fill it. I had read that freezers need to be kept full - even if it is just bags of water, or rolled up newspapers. My experiments had shown that you can use tea bags straight from the freezer. So we also bought 1000 teabags.

Then things went pear-shaped. Out of the blue, the charity which ran the Housing Scheme restructured things and we had to leave. The Manse at Crofton Baptist Church, Orpington, as empty, as they were between ministers. One of Bob's tutors told CBC that a poor student family were being made homeless- and these lovely people said we could live there. By now I had a toddler, and a 3 month old baby to feed. So again we used a removals company. They were very good - but as one chap unloaded ninety six loo rolls he asked me if we had health issues. And then when I told him the 1000 teabags were going straight into the freezer, I think he decided I really was strange.

We gradually used up the teabags and worked our way through the loo rolls. We were so happy in that house, and the church folk were really kind to us. But I have never felt the need to buy teabags or loo rolls in such vast quantities again!

And by the way, as we gradually unpack and settle in to Cornerstones, I feel I ought to point out that it is exactly twelve years today since we first took possession of this bungalow [pictures here]

UPDATE Wednesday went well - van loaded and on the road soon after 9am. We arrived mid afternoon and unloaded ( much faster than before - considerably fewer boxes) The planned fish'n'chip supper was late. We went to FIVE places before we found one that was both open and willing to take payment by credit card! Today we take the hired van back to Dorset then return in Bob's Skoda. And we will be properly, finally here! Unpacking is another story... 

Moving Stories #2 - The Beer

1982, Liz was 7 weeks old, and we were leaving the horrid tiny flat in Gillingham to go up to London. Bob had finished his year as Student Minister and was about to begun full time studies at Spurgeon's College. We were going to live in an OAP housing scheme, where I would be one of the wardens. The pay was pitiful, but a two bedroomed flat within the scheme went with the job.  Liz was not sleeping, and seemed to be breastfeeding non stop. I was exhausted. We knew we couldn't manage the move ourselves this time, so booked a local removals company. It was a hot summer's day.

I sat on the end of the bed, feeding the baby, my back to the room whilst three blokes trekked up and down the stairs carrying boxes out to the lorry [and moaning about the number of boxes of books] I said to Bob - "Can you make them a cup of tea, please?" "I don't think so, love, they are on the balcony having beers with our neighbour"
What! drinking then driving? And how do they know our neighbour?

Bob casually said "Well, it seems they were all inside together a few years back" 

Drinking and driving seemed a minor issue after he said that! Whilst I try to be loving and forgiving, and I do believe that people can change, I have to admit that for the next few hours I was really concerned that all my worldly goods had disappeared up the road with a group of ex-cons. Everything did arrive safely in London, I needn't have worried. The only problem was that I'd labelled every box with a bright tag in red, orange or green - and someone at the other end had labelled the lounge and 2 bedrooms with matching tags. But the men just unloaded boxes into one room, then the next, then the next. It took quite a while to sort it all out! 

That move was when I realised that moving gets more complicated as you acquire more possessions - and children! 

UPDATE Tuesday morning, with help from Jon, we unloaded the van. After a snack lunch, we drove back to Dorset, getting here at 6.30pm. At 7, Jenny and Peter delivered our evening meal, piping hot, ready to eat. Better than deliveroo. Thank you. Today will be a repeat of Monday. 

Moving Stories #1 - The Dish

 

August 1977 - My first teaching post, and I was going to Hemel Hempstead. Still called a "New Town" - and consequently teachers, nurses and other key workers were offered good accommodation at a subsidised rent. I had a neat unfurnished one bedroomed flat, first floor, small balcony, tiny bathroom, smaller kitchen - but all I needed back then. Dad and I had been able to measure up, and he had built me [in his Norfolk garage] a wall unit incorporating cupboards and bookshelves to go in the lounge. Then he dismantled it, to travel "flat-pack" to Hertfordshire. [no one in the UK had heard of IKEA back then] He rented a van from a bloke in Dereham - and we loaded it with all my stuff, the precut bits of wood, my bed and a cheap dining set. 

We arrived early and I set about unpacking whilst Dad screwed the unit together. Jean, from down the road, a member of the local Baptist Church, turned up unexpectedly with home-made soup and sandwiches for us, fruit, cake, and fresh milk for our tea ..she remained a good friend for so many years. 

Then when it was all sorted, Dad took me to the supermarket so I could stock my food cupboard. That was when we discovered it...in a dark corner at the back, on the bottom shelf - a dish of dirty, smelly beef dripping. What to do? I didn't have my own dustbin- rubbish had to be dropped down a central chute into a huge communal wheelie bin below. I wasn't sure if it was wise or safe to put this glass and food waste down there. "Don't worry" said Dad, wrapping it in a bit of newspaper,"I will take it home and deal with it later" He hugged me, and drove back to Norfolk - and completely forgot about the dish.

Two days later, he was having his lunch when Van-bloke turned up at his front door. "Reverend, you left this in my van. My missus washed it up, but she thought you'd want the Pyrex back" And to this day I have that oval Pyrex dish!

Sunday was amazing, but emotional. Monday went fine. My little Toyota and one big van load of stuff got to Norfolk OK. We were both exhausted but slept very well. Today we will unload, and take the van back for load #2. Full details later....

I'll Get My Kicks On Route 66!

Nat King Cole sang

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Well, I am planning to motor east very shortly, and I shall be going M27,M3,M25,M11...not quite so lyrical. But today, I hit the ripe old age of sixty-six. The next stage of the adventure. I've tried to apply for my Bus Pass, but I need to be in Norfolk before that can be sorted out. 

All tips for freebies/perks/concessions available to women reaching State Pension Age will be gratefully accepted!  Thank you

Retired, Re-tyred, Re-fired

As more things are packed, two rooms are stacked with boxes, and other rooms becoming strangely empty. My office-  the little front bedroom, feels bizarre. The single bed went to a local charity months ago. We've sold the desk unit, and moved out the other bits and pieces. For some months I have been using a stacking chair from church, and my lovely Captain's chair has gone to Cornerstones. The rickety metal garden table [which we'd decided to leave behind in the shed] has come inside. So this is my workstation now

I think the dents in the carpet will gradually recover. Bob's office is almost empty now - but he kept the green screen curtain up until all the recording work was finished. 

The last couple of years have seen a few health problems for the pair of us, and we could do with some R&R. 

A couple of people have remarked recently that when we arrived 6 years ago we "hit the ground running" and we haven't stopped since. I'm hoping that as we are retired, we also get re-tyred. I reckon we are both definitely due for a retread! Another friend, Rev Lynne, an Anglican priest, says that she is praying that we will be re-fired with fresh energy and enthusiasm from the Holy Spirit, as God leads us into new areas of service.

Isn't this the most beautiful handmade card? Sent from blogfriend Judi in Canada, it ticks all the right boxes - I love the industrious bee, and the shining golden details. And yes "Celebrate every moment" is a great motto. Thank you Judi, I'll treasure this, and your thoughtful personal greeting inside. It arrived with a proper handwritten letter too - what a treat.

Retired, re-tyred, re-fired, the adventure continues...
 

Start Where You Are

 Use What You Have...Do What You Can...

As I've been reading books with "Libby" over the weekend I have come across this quote, [from the late, great Arthur Ashe] in a surprising number of places. I'm a fast reader, and books with lots of pictures take even less time. But these words have cropped up in books on Minimalism, Sustainability, and Frugality. These are my three favourite non-fiction reading topics at the minute.

On Easter Monday I decided to put things into practice. The day began with Bob discovering the small hole in his pjs had turned into a massive split down the side of the back seam. All other nightwear is packed or already in Norfolk. I got out the machine and made a patch from the pocket. Sorry, Patrick and Esme, I didn't pattern-match! These pjs are so thin that we'd already decided they would be chucked**.  But I used what I had to salvage the situation just for a few days.

I went through the food stocks - and made 2 beef&butterbean bakes [topped with squash&spud mustard mash] plus two apple&date galettes, two pasties, and most of the remaining veg plus lentils produced 3 days worth of soups.  Now I can pack a few more kitchen items [stick blender, potato masher etc]

I know many of the books tell you to 'eat out or live on takeaways' during the week you are moving - but the former is currently impossible, and the latter would not be my choice. Especially since I discovered that I packed all but one pair of chopsticks- and we can hardly share one stick each.

**This past year - and especially the last month, I have been wearing the same clothes - day in, day out. Many are stained, thin, frayed...and I have been mending and darning - but I have consciously decided to "wear them out". They are not good enough to pass on to a charity shop, they're unsuitable for rags, and sadly, most are non compostable. 

Liz made the suggestion that at the end of the pandemic, one should have a "Viking Funeral" - and ceremonially burn all these garments which have come to the end of their lives after much honourable service.  I quite like the idea- but not sure that I want to waste the wood needed for the longboat - or that the council would like such a spectacle happening on Bournemouth Beach!

March Past

It is the last day of March. The year is already one quarter through - we've passed the equinox, and altered the clocks. On Monday I celebrated 13 years of blogging. In the next 12 days Bob and I shall celebrate Easter**, celebrate my 66th birthday, I'll become an Old Age Pensioner, he will conduct his final service at Ferndown on April 11th ...and then on the 12th, the Big Adventure of moving to Cornerstones and entering Retirement. 

It has been a very strange year. I remember vividly our journey back to Dorset after our Christmas trip to Norfolk at the end of 2019. Bob was driving and I was taking notes of our conversation. As we understood it then, preparation for retirement had four strands - 

1. seriously downsizing the contents of the Manse. Selling stuff, giving it away, recycling it.
2. working out what needs to happen at Cornerstones [eg new garage, new handbasin, patio door replacement, paint the lounge etc]
3. helping to equip UCF to operate without a minister in the gap till the next one comes - handing over jobs, leaving necessary information, and generally encourage the fellowship to continue doing all the good stuff in the church and the community.
4. plus planning in a three week stay in Manchester with Steph after the baby arrived, when Gary returned to work after his paternity leave.

How easily our plans can be thrown into the air - I went to Manchester in early March for Steph's Baby Shower. It was so good to see her, and her lovely MIL Andrea. And I came back on the [almost empty] train- which was very late into Euston. My original plan had been to walk to Waterloo - but timings meant I caught the tube instead - which was jam packed with commuters. And then there was my dry cough, and the anosmia, and the self-isolation- and Bob got ill...[I didn't say here just how ill he was]...but we recovered 

And all the plans were abandoned.

Church life shifted to Zoom and WhatsApp - no more services in the building, meetings in the Church Hall, or homegroups and pastoral visits in people's houses. Bob's study became a recording studio - and instead of play costumes I was making headbands to hold facemasks, and pyjamas for the teddybears. For the first time in forever, I wasn't planning Holiday Club Crafts.

George arrived and we met him online. It was all a bit emotional. #4 on our list had been abandoned. We finally got to Manchester in June, and sat in the garden with our new grandson. Then on to Norfolk to find a leaky boiler, and Rosie unsettled, missing Nursery, and no real contact with anyone other than her Mum and Dad. I spent the summer 'in a bubble' at Cornerstones, teaching Rosie, and enabling her parents to get their work done.

Item #1 on the retirement list was sorely neglected, and #2 was impossible. #3 was the only thing that really did get sorted- but in such a different way. Training people in preparing YouTube services, organising PA gear and cameras for future Livestream events. Setting up WhatsApp groups and PhoneBuddy teams. In 40 years, I have never been conscious of Bob working so hard, learning new skills in record time, under such strange and stressed conditions.

One year on and Steph's back at work, George is settling in well at Nursery, Rosie is loving school, and I thank the Lord that the family are thriving. What an unexpected twelve months...but we have got through it! 

Everyone has a different story to tell - so sad, some happy. We must not forget the lessons we have learned about kindness and caring, giving and sharing - I hope that now the evenings are lighter, and rules are gradually being relaxed, we can all work towards a brighter, safer, healthier year ahead.

**three special UCF services this weekend - look out for details.

Changing My Name To Ebenezer

Bob feels my 'thrift' is going a little too far. As we get closer to The Day, I am steadfastly refusing to replace things, and "making do" with what we have. I am becoming more miserly than  Ebenezer Scrooge. Everything has to earn its place in the removal van - and I don't want to be taking unnecessary items. And I will get the last bit of use out of my supplies. "Don't use so much toothpaste! I refuse to buy another tube here- there's one in the Cornerstones bathroom already, and a spare in the cupboard" Which would be OK if the tube here had been full at the start of the month...[I have a 2nd tube in the downstairs loo, and also two little 'travel ones' from my sponge bag] 

This is empty! Bob declared, dropping the tube in the bedroom bin. A snip with a pair of scissors revealed enough for four more brushings.

I've got just three pairs of old socks here, all the rest went to Cornerstones a while ago. But these are old, thin and holey - and once my toe went through, they became uncomfortable to wear. 

My darning mushrooms are both in Norfolk"! I wailed "Only you could come out with a line like that, Ang" Bob responded. I improvised with the plastic ball that holds the elastic bands, and used some red yarn [couldn't find the black] to mend them.

I've emptied all my shampoo into one bottle, and shaken it enthusiastically. The regular stuff, two sponge bag travel samples, and that weird brown stuff which Steph gave me. It looks like a herbal cough medicine now. But there's 80ml there which should last a fortnight. If there's any left it can be used for general cleaning. Best facecloths are already in Norfolk - leaving two old ones in the bathroom, and the other old ones [including the 'baby' one I had for Liz in 1982, now so thin you can read the paper through it] have been relegated to the cleaning rags [and will be chucked when we leave] Good towels packed- and I shall pack the old thin ones we're using this month to go to the Dog Rescue place when we move out.

Actually, Ebenezer isn't that bad a name - it is Hebrew and means "God has helped me get this far" and that's definitely the case. Steph's friend has just called her new baby Tali [Talitha] - which is Aramaic, and means little girl, or little daughter [Jesus used it in Mark 5:41] I think that is really sweet [once my Embroidery machine is unpacked, I shall be sewing her a named bib]