New Year's Eve Newspapers

New Year's Eve - another very wet and windy day.  I was up really early to help Thom with his new paper round - which he is doing for friend Samuel whilst he is away on holiday.  It was pitch black and we struggled to find some of the houses.  Unfortunately, Thom put one newspaper in the wrong house and missed another one altogether resulting in many people on his round getting the wrong newspapers!  Later on I apologised to Bella in the shop for this error. Without street lamps and clear house names it is very difficult to find the correct houses. Later this morning, Mary and I went into Andover shopping - quite a treat for us to spend time together as it is usually Thom I am out with.  The traffic into Andover was really busy but we managed to get parked in Suffolk Road and then walked into town visiting a couple of banks and shopping in Tesco's, Poundland, Wilkinson's and a card shop to buy condolence card to send to Colin Lee's wife.  Colin was a senior Freemason in Brighton who had been instrumental in getting me Royal Arch Provincial Honours.  A witty individual, he had a kind heart.  He will be sadly missed.  Quite a shock - he died suddenly at 9 a.m. yesterday morning at his home in Hove.  Mary and I had drinks in Cafe Nero and caught up on our emails and messages with our BlackBerrys.  Once back home we watched another Agatha Christie story in a nice warm lunge with a wood fire.  I have also ordered some new wood.  Sara, Mary and I stayed up late to see the new year in - Thom was upstairs in his room and came down to share some Cava with us.  We watched the wonderful fireworks from London on the TV. Sara went to bed just after midnight and I stayed up a little longer to watch some episodes of Father Ted.  I guess it will be a late morning in tomorrow.

Ducks at Duck Church

Sara is very unwell today - her previous cold has come back with a vengeance.  I was up at 5.30 a.m. and took Thom to the village stores so that he could put in the Sunday paper inserts before going out on his round.  Having got up I couldn't get back to sleep so made tea and pottered around this morning - making some American pancakes for breakfast with banana crushed into the mix - yummy.

I went to All Saints Church this morning to attend the Team Eucharist.  All the ministry team were there apart from Elizabeth.  A good service which was reasonably well attended but no more than there would be for a Winterslow-only service. Nils gave an excellent sermon based on Colossians 3 12-17 and Kierkegaard's Ducks.  A wonderful parable.  The story talks of a bunch of ducks who waddled to "duck church" where they heard a wonderful preacher-duck tell them how God created wings for them so that they could soar, explore and reach their full potential.  Amen "quacks" punctuated the sermon and the ducks remarked what a wonderful sermon it was - then waddled out of church back to their homes.  Nils' theme was that by following Jesus's teachings we can find that we have the love already inside us and it is not a matter of trying to gain more but a matter of expressing the love we already have and in that way we are truly loved ourselves.  He remarked that being a full follower of Christ we need to embrace a holy life - that is holy sharing, holy meeting and generally being with other Christians daily - not just on Sunday in church - and acting in a Christ-like way.  He challenged that he thought that only a very small minority do that.  This was one of the most "Lutheran" of sermons I had heard from him and I fully endorse what he says. Back home I took over responsibility for feeding the cats of a friend of Mary's.  I lit a fire and Sara and I watched another Miss Marple story on the television this afternoon.  Tonight I have been catching up on my electronic mail and have been shocked to learn of the death of a Freemason colleague of mine in Hove.  It seems that nearly every year begins with a death and a funeral these days.  A early night beckons as I was up so early this morning.  As I write this it is already 9.40 p.m.

A different Saturday

A slightly different Saturday to that which we would have normally.  The weather was wet and windy (again!) and Sara took Thom up to the shop to pick up his newspapers for his round.  She also bought nice fresh crusty rolls for breakfast.  Sara and Mary went off into Salisbury quite early and spent most of the day shopping - Mary has quite a bit of money to spend on clothes in the fashion shops and so wanted to hit the stores.  I worked in the study catching up on paperwork including writing up the minutes of the last meeting of Sarum Lodge earlier this month and sending the draft to the Worshipful Master.  I also wrote some letters.  This afternoon Thom and I kept a close watch on the football games with Saints drawing 3-3 at Stoke.  At half time they were winning 1-3 but found it hard to keep the lead as Stoke came back hard in the second half.  Nigel Adkins counted it as a point gained rather than two points lost. Unfortunately with a convincing win by Wigan at Aston Villa (0-3), Southampton slip back into the bottom three.  Reading also won and QPR play tomorrow.  Tonight Si and Ilona came round with their two children for a buffet tea - chicken fajitas and lemon syllabub with cheese and biscuits also.  Sara is feeling very unwell tonight and slept downstairs on the sofa as it was much warmer in the lounge with the wood fire having burnt for most of the day.  Quite cold tonight but at least the rain has stopped. 

Back to work - slowly!

Today it was a question of really trying to get back to work today.  I had drawn up a list of things I needed to do and put them on an electronic "post-it" on my laptop screen.  I started the morning having a good tidy-up in the kitchen and then set to work in the study - going through some post and paying some bills.  I discarded some old documents on my desk and tidied that up so that I can work more freely - it was just a jumble of papers to start with.  Sara did a two-hour stint at the Lord Nelson, the kids amused themselves in their respective rooms.  I made soup and then watched another Miss Marple movie whilst eating soup, before returning to my study to send and pay some bills.  This evening I continued to work in the study and crossed off all but one item on my daily "to do list".  Today I have only ventured out of the house to post some letters and to retrieve some rubbish which the wind had scattered all over the garden.    

Strange objects in the sky

The weather continues to be dreadful.  Another quiet day at home in the warm was on the cards but I had to drive into Salisbury this morning to get my nearside headlamp bulb replaced at the Mercedes garage.  On the way home from midnight mass on Christmas Day morning the car warning light came on to tell me that the bulb had gone.  This was the first opportunity to get it fixed.  Whilst in town I banked Thom's money for his electronic game which he had given me to pay off the credit card used. The shops and bank were remarkably quiet although the out of town shopping along Southampton Road looked to be heaving if the traffic was anything to go by! I did some tidying up today and watched a couple of Agatha Christie "Miss Marple" whodunits.  I really enjoy these and as I still feel in a holiday mood thought I would indulge myself with watching a couple.  Sara cooked an excellent bubble & squeak made from the Christmas Day leftovers.   I also indulged in some astrophotography and took a photo of the Moon with a halo within which the planet Jupiter appeared (see photo).  I also took some photos of Jupiter and when I enlarged them on the laptop screen a small red object appeared together with a smaller white object.  In successive frames the objects were moving together extremely slowly against the backdrop of stars.  I really don't know how to explain it.   

Boxing Day - A Lazy Day - a Fun Evening

The awful wet and windy weather continues making one feel that it is better to stay indoors in the dry than venture outside.  so far this Christmas holiday I haven't been for a long walk and today was no exception.  A really lazy day today.  We didn't get up very early preferring to to stay in a nice warm bed.  Lunch was a light snack affair and Thom and I watched the football matches unfold on Sky TV.  Grimsby Town secured a good 1-4 wing at Lincoln City and Southampton managed a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage against Fulham.  Other teams at the bottom lost which means that Southampton remain just above the relegation zone for another few days at least - Wigan, Reading and QPR being below them.  It is really tight down there.  This evening was spent with our friends James, Sam and their two boys having a light buffet and playing charades until nearly 10.30 p.m. - much later than we had originally intended.  Another late night tonight but really enjoyable with good company. A fun evening with no television.

Christmas Day

After such a late night last night it was very difficult to get up this morning for most members of the family.  As I was on duty at All Saints Church this morning as Intercessor, I needed to get up.  I made tea (putting in some of Adam's Thai spirit in it to give it a kick) and made myself a light traditional Christmas breakfast of cold ham and boiled egg.  The children opened their stockings on our bed - as has been the custom since they've been born - but Sara and I left ours until after I had returned from church.  The service was the usual 9.30 a.m. Eucharist and I recited the same prayers of Intercession as had been used in the Cathedral last night - in fact I had already decided to use them before I went to the Cathedral - they seemed very appropriate. I had a swift chat with one or two people whom we don't often see at church before driving back home.  I made a wood fire and prepared bucks fizz for us all before Sara and I opened our stockings and then all of us opened our numerous presents.  The highlight for me was opening a really large present from Sara to find that it was a still life pastel drawing I had done sixteen years ago, which had laid ignored somewhere in our family room, and which Sara had now had framed. It looked great framed and I didn't recognise my own work at first. It reminds me of some of the works of Van Gogh which Thom has described as being something he would give away to a charity shop.  Anyway you can judge for yourselves from the picture above.   Christmas lunch consisted of prawns and smoked salmon for starters, roast duck with all the trimmings including plum sauce and finally Christmas pudding.  We phone Mum just before The Queen and she seemed quite happy to be spending Christmas Day on her own.  She had had visitors which was so a good thing for her.  The day went extremely quickly and in the evening we played a game of "Captions" - a game we received as a present from my sister Heather and her family.  Tonight we watched a couple of Carry On movies and all went to bed quite exhausted.

Christmas Eve - Midnight Mass

Christmas Eve and Sara is still feeling unwell.  The children are, of course, very excited and I went into Salisbury today for some last minute shopping - Thom wanted to spend some of his paper round money and, using an advance of his Christmas money, buy a new PSP and some games from Game.  He therefore came into Salisbury with me.  I had some money to pay into the bank and needed to get some cat food - Sara having forgotten to order it from Tesco.  On the way back we called in at our niece's house on Bishopdown Farm to deliver the presents for the children.  I held Nevaeh in my arms for a while and she clearly uttered the word "hello" when I was looking away.  We all heard it and it was quite distinctive. Not bad for a baby who is only three and a half months old!  I also picked up the Christmas presents for us.  Back home the usual preparations were being made - boiling ham etc. Tonight the whole family attended Midnight Mass in Salisbury Cathedral - a really lovely service with excellent music and a good sermon by the bishop.  We didn't return home until 2 a.m. and didn't get to bed until 3 a.m. after watching some television.  A typical Christmas Eve.

Russian Dolls

Another early start with me taking Thom to the shop to begin his Sunday morning paper round at 6 a.m.  I delivered some more cards as I was up and also delivered some BRF books to St. John's Church for onward delivery to the recipients.  I attended All Saint's All Age Eucharist this morning with Elizabeth officiating. Another good sermon/talk with Elizabeth using her lovely set of 15 Russian dolls - the smallest being smaller than a pea!  Her theme was that God is not just great - he also looks after the small and week.  He is everywhere for everyone. Felt quite tired this afternoon and watched a couple of Will Hay films - The Goose Steps Out and The Black Sheep of Whitehall - whilst wrapping presents.  I went down to the Lion's Head for a couple of pints with Richard this evening - the first time we've done that in six weeks!  To bed quite late this evening - such a long day.

Saints lose to Sunderland

The Bible Reading Fellowship books arrived yesterday and I spent the morning sorting them ready for delivery tomorrow.  I also delivered a few Christmas cards around the village and did an one and a half mile walk to deliver some up at the top of Gunville. The ground is very wet after the torrential rain we have been having over the last few days.  This afternoon Thom and I went into Southampton to watch Saints lose 0-1 to Sunderland.  A poor result which still leaves Saints above the relegation zone but only on goal difference thanks to a defeat by Wigan Athletic.  At least we won't be in the bottom three on Christmas Day.  Still a lot of work to do if Southampton are going to play Premier League football next year. 

Christmas breakfast

Another early start this morning.  Sara is feeling very much under the weather with a sore throat and general feeling of illness. I attended the Ambassadors' Christmas breakfast this morning at the Grasmere House Hotel in Harnham and Chris Huffam gave a very entertaining talk about time saving or time management.  The members were in a festive mood (we had bucks fizz to start with) and it was a most enjoyable morning.  After the meeting I went into Salisbury for some last minute shopping and a free coffee at Cafe Nero and then on to Sarum Graphics to pick up 850 Parish Magazines before they closed for Christmas. These I delivered to the distributors as well as to The Rectory and two churches.  Sara was busy in the Lord Nelson this lunchtime and I stopped off to deliver a copy there too.  A quiet evening in for once.

A prayerful day

I woke early today and took Thom to the shop to pick up his newspapers and then dropped him off at the bottom of The Causeway to begin his round.  I decided to attend Morning Office at All Saints today and arriving at the church found myself alone.  I said the Morning Office in the aisle chapel and returned home feeling very restful and at peace.  This evening, there was no formal house group as a number of the members were out carol-singing.  Therefore, I still went around to James's and we chatted about a number of things and spent a pleasant couple of hours together.  Sam joined us towards the end of the evening and we said Compline together which was a very pleasant way to end the evening - as was the glass of wine!  It is good to take time off from a hectic schedule and spend it in reflection and prayer.

Timing

I attended Mid-Week Eucharist this morning at St. John's which was taken by Elizabeth who gave a really good homily about the timing of God's call to Elizabeth and Mary in Luke's gospel.  We often forget when we read the Christmas story that at the time of Mary's annunciation, Elizabeth was already six month's pregnant.  The Eucharist was followed by a meeting of the Team Staff and we were introduced to the new Team Administrator, Cara, who will be taking up her duties in January.  We went on to discuss the arrangements for Holy Week and one or two other housekeeping matters.  This afternoon I met with Ashley in the Shopping Outlet Centre in Wilton where, over a cream tea, we discussed our various essays and study progress.

Morning in Romsey

Another mild day today although I am sure Sara would think it was cold.  Still no sign of Mary's BlackBerry this morning despite more searching.  Sara and I took our long awaited morning off to go out together.  We keep saying that we must do this but our work always seems to get in the way and we rarely have any time for ourselves.  We made the effort and went into Romsey where I bought Sara her main Christmas present - a piece of jewellery which cost me three times the amount Sara had thought it would cost - because it said, on the sales literature "From £xx.  It is now her main present even if that had not been the original intention.  We also shopped in Aldi's and Waitrose as well as looking in a few other shops.  We had coffee at Asante's cafe which sends some of  its profits to help a village Africa. It also sells African art pieces.  I posted a whole batch of Christmas cards in Romsey and bought more stamps and yet more Christmas cards to finish off those still to be posted.  This afternoon Sara found Mary's BlackBerry under the covers of her bed.  In fact, I had already felt it under the sheets when searching this morning but thought it was the control for the electric blanket.  Deep joy and relief.  Spent this evening in the study with more Christmas cards to write.  Received the marks for my last two lay ministry assignments - 60% and 63%.  Massive scores for me which indicate that I am very much on target for a decent degree mark.  On those days when I feel my call is slipping away these marks make me feel that I am called to this ministry and give me the boost I sometimes feel I need to go on.  I think I enjoy the hard work more than I sometimes believe. Interestingly enough, the harder I think the assignment is, the better my score.  All those hours in Sarum College library seem to pay off.  It is said that the more hours in a college library the better the grades.  There must be some truth in that.

Lost Phone

The weather has certainly warmed up and the wind has dropped.  This morning I drove into Amesbury to the Tesco store there to buy some more Christmas cards to complete the postal ones. Tomorrow is the last day to send cards by second class post to arrive for Christmas.  I also called in at the garage in Shrewton to buy to large bags of kindling.  There were tears this evening as Mary has lost her BlackBerry.  We have looked high and low - even through the rubbish bins but can't find it.  She is absolutely heart-broken and was in a particularly bad mood all evening. I had a terrible headache this evening and decided to go to bed reasonably early - i.e. before midnight.  Sara went to Thom's school this evening to discuss the assessments for his GCSEs.  He seems to be doing well and with a little more effort and dedication could exceed the projected grades such that he could do much better than many of his peers. 

Christmas is coming fast!

A very changeable day weather wise today - alternating between bright sunshine and then heavily overcast with torrential rain.  Thom came back from his paper round with £37 in Christmas tips.  Wrote some Christmas cards first thing this morning which I posted on my way to the Baptist Church where I had decided to worship today.  The service was informal with some 17 children present.   together with the adults there was a congregation of about 40 all gathered in the little "tin tabernacle". I was given a warm welcome by a number of the congregation - most of whom I know anyway - and I enjoyed the informality of the occasion and the excellent teaching from the baptist minister who had come over from Andover.  He spoke about Abram's call and his relationship with Lot and Isaac and drew parallels with Mary's Annunciation and Christ's crucifixion - the sacrifice of a son.  Certainly a sermon to remember and delivered in a calm knowing way.  I stayed for coffee (my car was blocked in anyway) and had a chat with many people.  It really was a friendly and joyous occasion.  Back home, Sara had cooked a Sunday lunch of chicken thighs and chorizo to a recipe of Nigella Lawson.  A really lovely meal.  This afternoon it was back to writing more Christmas cards (as was this evening).  Tonight I attended the Nine Carols and Nine Lessons' service at All Saints where I gave the first reading "The Fall" which I delivered whilst the church was in darkness and before the first carol - "Once in Royal David's City".  The service took the same format as every year with the same choir introits and organ voluntaries. As well as reading I also acted as sidesman for part of the church - collecting the money at the end.  There was coffee and mince pies afterwards and I stayed and chatted for a  short time before returning home to write some more Christmas cards!  As I write this I have run out of cards and will need to purchase some more.

Global Warming

Another day at home today.  Thom took himself to the shop for his paper round this morning which meant that Sara and I could have reasonably lie-in.  Mary and her friend Natalie also laid in. Terrible news this morning - a gunman in Connecticut has shot and killed 26 people - 20 of them children in a junior school.  The gun laws in the USA really do need to be reviewed.  I walked to the shop myself for a newspaper, milk and fresh rolls and croissants for breakfast.  Sara did a taxi run to Andover to take one of James's children for his hockey match.  With James out of action with his broken leg,  Sara has offered to run their children around when Sam is running other errands or one of the other children.  Some real practical help.  After that, Sara took Mary and Natalie into Salisbury - first for the cheer-leading training session and afterwards shopping.  Thom cleaned my car whilst I sent off my completed and proof-read essay to my tutor, wrote the two articles for the parish magazine and opened up and recorded all the Christmas cards we had received.  I had intended to send a few out as well but that can now wait until tomorrow when I'll blitz them.  Because of the massive increase in the cost of postage this year, I shall be more selective as to those I send out.  Many on the Internet will get a greetings email and the Christmas newsletter.  I watched a fascinating programme on the TV today about the shrinking sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean which emphasised the concerns we should all have as a result of global warming.  Having said that, we haven't felt much global warming down here until today.  The ice has all gone and the ground is really wet.  Southampton FC didn't play today (their opponents, Chelsea, are in a competition in Japan). Despite no game, they still remain above the relegation zone - just!.  Norwich's win over Wigan kept them up but a massive win by Aston Villa at Liverpool (1-3) and a win by QPR means they are far from safe.  Sunderland lost against Manchester United and so a win by Saints against Sunderland next Saturday could send Saints up the table.  A loss could put them back in deep trouble.  I would like to see them remain outside the bottom three on Christmas Day.  Like old times again!

Mary's 12th Birthday

Mary's 12th Birthday today. Wow, how time flies!  I know this is a constant theme but I really don't know where the time is going - it certainly never drags in this household.  We are always so busy.  Mary came into our bedroom really early and opened all her presents.  She was very pleased - especially with all the money which she had received from relatives.  The weather has turned much warmer now and with it heavy rain and wind. I had originally thought that this was the morning for the Ambassadors' Breakfast Club but as I lay in bed I realised that this was only the second Friday in the month and not the third - a lie in was therefore possible.  In fact, I didn't lie in for long and got up and worked in the study.  Sara did her usual stint at the Lord Nelson this lunchtime whilst I stayed at home.  Having finished the last essay, I felt slightly less stressed today and so pottered about more than I should. Tonight Mary brought home a really nice friend, who lives in Salisbury, to stay over. Instead of going out for our traditional Chinese meal at the Water Margin restaurant in North Baddesley, it was decided to buy and bring in a Chinese takeaway from Porton.  This was my first trip out of the village all day.  I seem to be finding myself staying in Winterslow more and more and only venturing out when absolutely necessary. Sara and I hope to have a half day in Romsey next week and I hope to meet up with my fellow student, Ashley, some time next week too.  Tonight I also experimented with my Canon EOS camera by trying to take some astro-photographs.  Not too many successful ones but I did get quite a stunning shot of the constellation Orion from our garden which included some trees in the foreground.  I have posted it it here as I am quite proud of this achievement.  The tripod is not as steady as I would like but if I can get that fixed then longer exposures should be possible.

Staff Lunch at the Hook & Glove

Another cold day today - more ice having formed on the top of the water butt at the front.  Mary stayed at home with a heavy cold.  Warmer but wetter weather is predicted for tomorrow.  I had my monthly training meeting with Nils this morning at the earlier time of 10.45 a.m. which lasted for about an hour when we reflected upon what advent means, inwardly, to a Christian - not simply the theological answers that are trotted out.  After this, I picked up Sara for the Staff Team Christmas lunch at the Hook & Glove in Farley which was well attended by current staff members as well as quite a few retired clergy and their partners. I had duck parcels, poached salmon and cheese and biscuits and Sara had garlic mushrooms, poached salmon and tiramisu which looked quite heavy as a dessert.  The lunch went on quite a bit longer than we had thought and a proposed trip to Tesco had to be postponed in order to get back home in time to be there for Thom.  Once again, House Group was held at James's with there being just four of us tonight - myself, James and the two Methodists, Ivan and Duncan.  Sara was struggling tonight to try and upload photographs for an album she wants to prepare and send to the USA of the two children's lives so far from birth to the present day.  In the end she had to abandon the project as the software simply did not want to oblige.  A warmer but wetter night tonight - very dark and miserable.  Went to bed at midnight.

Happy Chanukah!

A really interesting and varied day today.  Although not as cold as yesterday, it was still bitter and the temperature remained on or only just above freezing point.  A fully packed day of appointments.  This morning I attended Mid-Week Eucharist at Whaddon followed by a meeting of the Team Staff at Alderbury - a meeting which lasted some two hours.  After that I drove to the Park & Ride at Petersfinger and caught the bus into Salisbury so that I could continue/complete my essay.  In fact, I managed to complete more than 1,500 words but still need to write the bibliography and finalise my conclusion.  This I had intended to do tonight but it has been left over until tomorrow.  My target is to complete and submit the essay tomorrow which will be well in time.  That will just leave me with the final one to write before the end of next week.  I returned to the Park & Ride and drove to the St. Mark's area of Salisbury to meet up with Sara and the kids for a visit to Si and Elona to join them in their celebrations of the Jewish festival of Chanukah (or Hanukah as it is more commonly known).  It is often referred to as the Jewish "Christmas" and consists of the lighting of candle over an eight day period to commemorate the re-dedication of the Temple at Jerusalem after its desecration at the hands of the Greek king, Antiochus IV.  The event was very informal - we ate a buffet of different foods - spring rolls, corned beef, sweet corn, peanuts - including traditional potato pancakes called latkes.  Candles were lit and Jewish liturgy recited.  I was asked to read a passage in Hebrew.  I am sure my pronunciation was appalling!  A really enjoyable evening which the children really enjoyed.  Mary has been feeling unwell today and came out of school this afternoon.  There is a dreadful bug going around at the moment I am still suffering from the cold I picked up in Liverpool over three week's ago.  This cold weather is simply not helping.  Another busy day awaits tomorrow.  Finally went to bed tonight at midnight.

So cold!!!!!!

It is my little sister's 50th Birthday today!  How frightening is that!  Time really is flying. The temperature has really plummeted today and there is thick frost and ice on the cars.  The side roads are treacherous with ice too although the main roads are clear.  Despite the weather I woke up early and took Thom to the village shop at 6.00 a.m. to begin his paper round. I bought a morning newspaper and went back to bed to read it with a cup of tea.  This morning I did a bit of work in the front garden - in particular I cut back the stumps from the old tree to clear a passageway from our new side gate to the front of the house. I then re-shingled the path to make a clear route.  Although the weather was freezing the work kept me warm and reminded me of how Shackleton's crew had managed to keep themselves warm by sheer hard work.  As I am currently reading his account of his ill-fated expedition in 1914-17 I can relate well to it with this current weather. I also managed to order tickets for the Saints v. Chelsea FA Cup tie on the 5th January 2013.  Unlike on previous occasions, no tickets will be sent out but our season tickets will be activated to allow us entrance through the turnstiles.  I have made a clear note of the booking reference just in case it doesn't work!  This afternoon was spent in Sarum College library where, after initially writing a letter of advice to some Complex clients, I set about writing the first 1,000 words of my essay for the "Living the Christian Life" module.  I have until 18 December to complete the two essays and want to get the first one completed this week.  That is my aim anyway.  I didn't spend as long in the library as I had planned because the car park there was full and I had to park in a time restricted car park in Crane Street.  I called in at Tesco for fuel on the way home and finally got back to Winterslow at around 6.30 p.m.  An early night tonight as it is so cold!!

Mission Giving

Another bright but cold day today.  I made bacon and eggy bread for breakfast - the first fried breakfast for a few days as I have been eating porridge a lot recently.  A slow start to the day but spent the morning writing letters to accompany cheques which I was sending out to various charities as part of the Winterslow Parish's Mission Giving - a total of £4,500 posted out today.  I walked to the post office to buy more stamps and to post these letters.  Did some more work this afternoon and washed my filthy car - the country lanes around here are so dirty that you only have to take your car out for a few miles to bring it back as though you had been on a lengthy rally.  I didn't leave the village all day today.  This afternoon I rang Mum to see how she was.  She seemed bright and had had a visit from my sister yesterday which had pleased her.  Tonight Sara has gone over to West Dean - the village where I preached yesterday - to a craft fair in aid of a charity.   She has taken Mary and Thom is upstairs in his room leaving me alone downstairs to write this and then to watch some TV before having an early night in bed.

Prepare the Way

A busy Sunday today.  Indeed, most Sundays are now extremely busy.  As Sara was still feeling unwell I took Thom to the village shop at 6 a.m. so that he could put the inserts into the Sunday papers before setting off on his round.  Sara, who was feeling a little better, and Mary went to West Dean with me for the Morning Worship service.  There were about 16 of us there today, including two members of my Support Group, and the service seemed to go well.  I gave out small advent candles to each member of the congregation for them to take home and light there. The second advent candle this week was the Candle of Preparation and each of the small tea-light candles had this message wrapped around it (see picture).  One member of the congregation was a homeless person whom I spoke to at length after the service but who didn't need any practical help other than a lift to Tisbury - given to him by another member of the congregation.  After the service and the coffee, Sara, Mary and I went to Tesco's and did some shopping for lunch - a nice big piece of beef which, once home, I cut into two sizeable joints - freezing one and roasting the other. I prepared roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire Puddings which were served up at about 4 p.m.  Tonight, Mary went bowling with the Rockface group and Sara, Thom and I went to Whaddon to support Zoe who was leading the Evening Prayer service there.  Apart from us there were only two members of the congregation which was rather sad.  Zoe did a really good service with Sara giving one of the readings and I operated the CD player. She also used two of my advent tea-lights as altar candles - a nice touch.  I do wonder why we keep this service open.  It seems that they would prefer a BCP (Book of Common Prayer) service anyway.  Back in Winterslow, afterwards, Thom and I joined Richard and David for the Pub Quiz.  another win for "Last of the Summer Wine" with me taking home a bottle of red wine and Thom a chocolate Santa. A perfect end to a pretty good day.

Saints up to Fifteenth Place

Up early this morning to take Thom for his paper round.  Sara is not feeling very well today.  Thom and I stayed at home this morning (me to print off and put together my sermon for delivery)  but left early for Southampton for the game between Saints and Reading - a real 6-pointer.  We parked easily and walked to St. Mary's Street for fish and chips.  The weather was bright and cold today so the brisk walk was welcome.  Saints won the game 1-0 which had the effect of sending Southampton up to 15th in the Premier League - their highest position since the first day of the season.  Sara went to bed early tonight and left me to watch Match of the Day on my own.  A very satisfying day.

A night in

After a morning at home in the study, I spent the afternoon, from about 1.00 p.m. until 7.00 p.m. working in the library at Sarum College preparing for the service at West Dean on Sunday and writing the accompanying sermon - on the topic of Malachi and the advent preparations for Christmas. Tonight Sara attended a farewell function at the Lord Nelson for Sara Penny who is living the village to join her husband in Australia where he he is working on on three-year contract out there.  Sara is spending the night with her friend Izzy at her house. Richard came around at about 9.00 p.m. and we cracked open a couple of bottles of wine, and had a nice chat about all sorts of different topics.  This "night in" replaced our normal night at the pub and was by far much cheaper. 

Coffee Morning in Amesbury

I woke up early today to find that it was truly freezing cold.  Ice to a depth of half an inch had formed on the top of the garden bin which is currently full of rain water.  I still can't shift this cold and I received telephone calls to inform me that two of the members of our House Group couldn't attend this evening through illness.  Two others couldn't attend for other reasons. I drove up to amesbury for a meeting with a prospective member of our Lodge.  I met him and his three-year old sone at Costa coffee and we chatted for about an hour and a half.  I also visited the recycling centre and dumped some bottles and cans.  This afternoon Sara attended an interview for the part time position of Team Administrator in the Clarendon Team.  She will know on Tuesday whether she is to go through for a second interview. She will be excellent for the job.  We learned today that our friend Sophie is leaving the area and moving to Wales as soon as her house is sold.  That will be a big blow to the local parish where she is secretary and has led worship.  Tonight I led a small House Group of three at James's, staying behind afterwards for a glass of wine and a chat.  Still need to write up my service for Sunday and write my sermon, although after tonight's house group discussion I have some good ideas for it.  Back home quite late and watched a couple of episodes of "Not going Out" for light relief.     

First Christmas Meal

Woke up in Grimsby this morning to find that it was snowing - although not unexpected it seemed to be falling more strongly than I had anticipated. I phone Sara to find that the weather in Wiltshire was cold but bright.  The snow seems to be mainly in the north and in the deep south-east.  In fact, the snow didn't lay for long.  Breakfast this morning consisted of the excellent sausages which we had bought yesterday from Pettit's in Bethlehem Street.  I packed up the car and was ready to go by 9 a.m. In fact, I finally left at 10.00 a.m. after putting out some re-cycling bins for Mum.  I dropped Mum off at her hairdresser's and set off for the south - arriving back in Winterslow at 3.15 p.m. after a good and uneventful journey - little traffic and good weather.  Tonight Sara and I attended a "white table" event put on by my lodge in Salisbury. The opening and closing of the lodge was rather shambolic - we had had no rehearsals beforehand and a few simple mistakes compounded others!  The dinner seating plan was chaotic too but eventually enough seats were found for everybody and I was able to sit opposite Sara and next to the potential new member whom I had invited along as my guest.  We ate a traditional Christmas dinner of prawn cocktail, roast turkey, Christmas Pudding, cheese and biscuits and mince pies with free wine.  A very pleasant evening and a good opportunity to get to know a possibly new member.

Hospital Visit

Second full day in Grimsby and Cleethorpes today.  Woke early and wrote up my blog and then made tea for Mum and me. I also received an early morning call from a potential new client and discussed his problem in some detail. Breakfast today consisted of corn flakes and scrambled eggs on toast. After breakfast I once again read the scripture readings for Sunday and scribbled down some thoughts for my sermon.  I also looked up the Collect Prayer and Introduction to the Peace to add into the Morning Worship at Advent service. I called in to see my cousin, Michael, in Cleethorpes but found that he was out.  After pushing a Christmas card through his door and then drove on to see Auntie Mim in Sandringham Road, Cleethorpes and spent an hour and a half with her catching up on family news.  It is always such a pleasure to go and see her.I returned to Mum's before noon and after half an hour there - which included a telephone consultation with another client - I drove Mum up to the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital where she underwent a bone infusion procedure to protect her bones from becoming too brittle and sustaining serious damage if she fell.  This procedure lasted about an hour and during that time I had a quick lunch of a tea cake and coffee in the cafeteria.  After the hospital visit it was back to Mum's via Petits the butchers to buy some excellent  Lincolnshire sausages - three pounds of which I am taking back to Wiltshire - and also Aldis and Ron Ramsdens.  Mum seemed in much better spirits and zoomed around those shops - I had to keep chasing after her to find her!  Tonight, as a Christmas treat, I took her to The Trawlerman Carvery and Pub on North Sea Lane, Cleethorpes which is located on the site of the old Flamingo Night Spot.  By the time we got there - 7.30 p.m. - it was very quiet indeed.  People up here seem to eat very early.  At £3.69 each the carvery was excellent value for money and the beef I had was very thick and tender.  I drove back along Cleethorpes sea front and Mum delighted in seeing some of the Christmas lights already displayed by some properties. We ended the day watching Arsenal's Champions League game against Olypiakos which they lost 2-1 - yet will still qualify.  We had cheese and wine to round off the day.

In Grimsby and Cleethorpes/Royal Succession

I woke quite early this morning - 6.00 a.m. and then dozed for half an hour or so.  I was woken by Mum's "cock crowing" alarm clock at 7 a.m. and went downstairs to make tea for us both.  It was cold in the bedroom so I stayed in bed and wrote out all the Christmas cards for delivery around Grimsby.  At 50p per card postage we are certainly going to have to cut down on the number of cards which we post.  Most of our friends are on email and so we shall send electronic versions of our newsletter to them as a Christmas greeting.  I shall donate some of the postal savings to Morning Star.  Mum made breakfast of porridge and we had some spare time before I took her to visit her doctor in Cleethorpes.  I joined her with the doctor for the consultation and we spent nearly half an hour discussing her various ailments and the pharmaceutical treatments.  She also has an appointment at the hospital tomorrow (which I will take her to) and another appointment with the doctor on Thursday. After picking up a package of further drugs (sounds terrible when put like that doesn't it!) we returned to her house so she could take them and also ring to check if she should go to the hospital tomorrow following the change to her prescription.  They confirmed that she should.  After visiting Ramsden's (where Mum me some new slippers) we drove into Grimsby town centre for her to pick up a new disabled badge for the car and I topped up my Vodaphone dongle to enable me to work on the Internet - it is frustrating not having a wireless signal here in Grimsby.  We also visited the re-cycling centre to dump her old TV and delivered a few cards to people on the west side of town.  Tonight I cooked us both spaghetti bolognaise and we spent the evening watching the Royal Variety Show from Albert Hall.  These performances are not my favourite "cup of tea" but I did find tonight's show quite entertaining.  It was announced today that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child who may, in due course become our monarch.  The Government intend to bring into law a new rule of succession enabling the eldest child, whether male of female, to succeed to the throne.  If born a girl the child will still be the third in line to the throne and thus become Queen Regnant in due course.  This news certainly seemed to buck Mum up who, whilst feeling unwell, seems to be managing okay at the moment.

Lunch with my spiritual adviser

Woke early this morning and made tea.  I was slow to get started but there was no rush as the morning service at Christ Church, Toxteth Park (see picture), has been re-timed to 11 a.m.  I half-packed, had a shower and Malcolm made us bacon butties.  We walked round to Linnet Lane for the church service which was a Eucharist taken by the curate, Lyn with Chris giving the readings and preaching.  Being the first Sunday in Advent the preaching was on the theme of "waiting".  A good sermon as usual from Chris.  It was good to see old familiar faces and as the Peace was exchanged many of the congregation greeted me by name - a really nice touch giving one the feeling of belonging. The congregation is growing and there is an informality which we don't have at All Saints, Winterslow.  I think we would do well to be a little bit more informal.  I stayed behind for coffee and Chris confirmed that he would join us for lunch at Maranto's afterwards.  As my spiritual adviser there were a few issues I wanted to discuss with him and what better way than over a roast beef lunch on Lark Lane.  We ate and chatted for two hours on a number of issues - both about the church and about life in general.  It was ten back to Malcolm's for coffee and the rest of my packing.  I eventually left Liverpool at about 4.30 p.m. and set off for Grimsby.  The roads were very clear until near Oldham where there had been a shunt on the M62 motorway.  I was delayed about half an hour getting through the congestion and then proceeded across the Pennines towards Leeds, Hull, Thorne, Scunthorpe and eventually Grimsby at 8 p.m. - a journey of three and a half hours - much later than expected.  Mum was watching TV and I sat with her whilst we viewed X-Factor and Katherine Jenkins.  Mum went to bed early tonight at around 10.30 p.m. and I stayed up and watched a Father Ted - the one with in which Father Stone is struck by lightning on a crazy golf course.  Then to bed myself - reading for a little while until I eventually turned off the light and went to sleep.

With family, friends and supporters

A really cold morning here in Liverpool today.  Although I woke at 6.30 a.m. I didn't get up for another hour or so - making myself a mug of tea and reading.  A lazy morning with bacon butties for "brunch" and enjoying a read of the morning papers.  At 12.30 I set off for the Liverpool v Southampton Premier League match at Anfield.  I walked to St. Michael's Station and caught a direct train to Sandhills from where I waived the opportunity to catch the "Soccerbus" and walked the mile and a quarter to Anfield, buying a programme from a cheerful seller.  On the way I also met a number of Liverpool supporters all of whom cheerfully engaged in conversation.  Liverpool folk are always so friendly and willing to engage in conversation and a mutual interest in football, even if one supports the opposing side, is sure to find favour.  The game was not as exciting as I had hoped and Southampton lost 1-0.  Liverpool were not on top form but were certainly better than the Saints who seemed tired and lacked pace. I sat next to one of the parents from the Clarendon Junior Football Club whose son had played with Thom. It seemed odd talking to a Winterslow person in the heart of Liverpool.  Still a defeat by such a narrow margin is not a disaster and Liverpool certainly should have done better.  I retraced my steps back and was fortunate to catch a train back to St. Michael's as soon as I arrived at the Sandhills platform.  Tonight I enjoyed a meal with my cousin Lynne and her husband Stuart as well as good friends Geoff and Alma at The Red Fort Indian Restaurant. The meal was excellent and the company and conversation so enjoyable that the evening simply flew by and before any of us knew it the clock was showing 11.30 p.m.! Three and a half hours of constant chat.  Always a highlight of a trip to Liverpool to see friends and family up here.  Malcolm and I didn't have a long session tonight preferring to have a relatively early nigh to catch up on last night and a busy day.