Diary - 25th April - 14th May 2012

I have been amazed at the number of people who have missed my daily blog and it is so flattering to think that I have so many readers interested in the meanderings of my life here in Winterslow!  So, I guess you need some form of explanation as to why there has been this unusually long gap in posts.  One thing I did discover, though, is that nobody seemed to have concluded that I might have died - is that reassuring or not!  Either people knew I was still alive and well or they just didn't know and didn't feel it important enough to find out!  Well, I am still here.

These past few weeks have been really very hectic with so much going on and so much I needed to do that I just haven't felt like sitting down and writing my usual narrative of events at the end of a heavy day.  This post, hopefully, will go some way to fill the gap - albeit in a very truncated form.  Principle distractions have been my continuing training for church ministry and the accompanying foundation degree which has required me to complete a portfolio on the subject of "Interpreting the Bible"; leading a number of different styles of services, writing and delivering sermons for those services and many other church activities.  This hasn't been helped by a persistent cold and poor weather which has made me feel quite lethargic and wretched.  Excitement did punctuate the period with Southampton FC's return to the Premier League after a wonderful game of football against Coventry City on the last day of the season.  Champagne certainly helped raise the spirits!  I delivered another talk on Titanic to my Freemasons' lodge on 2nd May which (pardon the pun) went down extremely well.  I have now started the third term of my ministry studies - this term it's Mission in God's World in which I am learning about a lot of new "ologies" and need to take a dictionary with me to my tutorials which are all the way over near Devizes.  This is a regular Wednesday evening commute.  Our House group continues to flourish and we are currently studying "Paul's Letter to the Romans" - a challenging book.  I am pleased with the way my training is going and seem to be on course and keeping my head above water.

Tom is currently studying for his GCSE modules and is in the middle of revision.  Mary has her SATS this week so we are all undertaking academic study apart from Sara who has got her new business venture "Jamie at Home" off to a flying start.  We are having to make appointments to see each other at the moment!  Complex Services work has been a bit slow in recent weeks but I have just picked up a new client in Newcastle upon Tyne so that might bring some interesting work in. 

The main distraction, though, has been Mum's health.  Ever since  Good Friday Mum has been in hospital in Grimsby with problems with her eyelids and vision.   Fortunately, the doctors seem to have found a drug which is alleviating the problem and as I write this we hope that she might, at long last, be discharged to go home.  My sister from York  has been to see her a few times as well as many relatives and friends.  Commitments down here have prevented me from going up but I try and keep in daily or every other day contact by phone. 

We all remain in good health and spirits but wish this dreadful wet weather would come to an end to lift them up higher.

It would be good to receive your comments.  I must remain focused on completing this blog regularly as well as on other things.  My time is being called from all sorts of directions but I can honestly say, I am never bored - just in a quandary as to what to do first!