New year

Unless you are a Methodist you wouldn't know but 1st September is the beginning of the year for Methodists.  Ministers start there new appointments in their new churches, the holidays are finished and all the church groups and clubs start up again after the summer break.  The Methodist year has begun.

So that's what i have been doing, getting back into the swing of it again after having August off.  I lead a bible study group so i had that to prepare.  I lead the prayer group and although that never stops i had not been for a few weeks as i had been on holiday.  I go to a Sunday fellowship group which anyone can bring a topic to talk about but usually they rely on me to do that.  Myself and a friend have started opening the church midweek for anyone who wants to come in and find quiet or wants someone to pray with them.  Hopefully in time there will be enough of us for some of us to go out to the High Street and pray for people there or bring them back to the church for prayer.  This is going to take a lot of courage and boldness but we will do it.  We are expecting to see healings and miracles from God like so many other people are at the moment.

Since i have been out of work i have been stuck in a bit during the day so i have joined a church group where they meet fortnightly and usually have speakers.  Most of the people that go started out like i did by going to the Young Wives club many years ago.  We have now graduated to Midway although being as i am probably the youngest one there and the average age is 70+ should probably be called Endstage.  But don't tell them i said that.

So that is my time spent.  I have gone from not doing a lot during the day to going out twice in 2 days, woo hoo.  I don't count the other groups as they are all in the evening.

This then and some other things in the pipeline has kept me quite lately and hopefully i will have more to tell in the future.

Jenny <><

Have just posted in my other blog 'Learning and Yearning' if anyone is interested.

Jenny <><

Spam tab

You will be glad to know i have found the Spam tab under the comments tab.  Panic over.

Jenny <><

I'm back

I've been on my holidays to North Somerset and since i have been back very busy.  We went to the same cottage we went to last year as there was still lots of places that we didn't get to see.  This year we got to see Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole.  I went down the caves at Wookey but i am a bit of the opinion that once you have seen one cave you have seen them all.  I also have this silly feeling all the time that this is will be the day the cave caves in, lol! So once was enough i didn't bother at Cheddar but let hubby take the kids down the caves whilst me and daughter strolled through the gorge looking in all the little shops and having a cream tea.  

We also went to a car museum (leaving the girls back at the cottage, it wasn't their thing).  I will have to show the pictures when i get them on the pooter because i cannot do them justice with my description.  But there was lots of very fast sports cars, huge old American cars like you used to see in the old films and Shuumachers (not sure bout spelling) F1 racing car.  Hubby and G'son loved it.

Well this is going to be short and sweet because it was more by way of a trial run as i couldn't get to sign on to blogger on my baby computer, but i seem to have cured it by allowing some cookies that were disabled.  although this 'pooter is tiny it is easier to write with as i keep it on the dining room table.  My laptop i have on a small table and use from the armchair and is only ok to write small amounts.  It is better for playing on etc.

So now i am up and running i should be able to write more often.  

Also i am probably being a bit slow but where is this spam tab i have read about cannot see it anywhere and i seem to be getting some spam comments.

Jenny <><

Away

Well I have been at my daughter’s for a week babysitting the cat and my g’daughter.  Has been nice and peaceful and decided I would use the time for a kind of retreat and bible study.  Not to be, that funny thing that happens the minute you want some peace and quiet, or pick the bible up happens.

First my hubby will come in.  Now this happens at home the same, whatever time I pick the bible up he is guaranteed to arrive through the door.  Then when he went I would try again, but g’daughter would emerge from the bedroom sometime around midday.  Eventually she would go out, so I settle down again.  By now it would probably be mid-afternoon.

Just over the back someone is doing building work and has been for months, the noise of grinders, hammering, machinery booms out louder than necessary because the road behind somehow works as some kind of echo bowl.  The noise reverberates and aims itself at me as if coming through a loudhailer.  This noise was used when the hubby and g’daughter distraction had passed. 

If all else failed then by that time of day the other great aid to bible reading would happen, I would fall asleep after the first few minutes.  Your eyelids get heavier and heavier and you just have to shut them for a little while, and bang your gone.  Deep sleep.

4.30pm saw the coming home of next doors young twins and out into the garden they would go playing and kicking the ball against the fence.  Then cooking commenced in neighbouring houses with the clatter of pans and the distraction of lovely food smells wafting in through the open doors.

There was nowhere to get away from it all as being a new town house all the living accommodation is at the back of the house and it was very hot, so doors and windows had to be opened.  Anyway the cat wanted to lay in the doorway, just out of the direct sun and with the gentle breeze blowing across her and as it was her house who was I to argue.  I after all was just the babysitter.

Now don’t get me wrong I loved spending time with g’daughter but I thought I would get to do both as teenagers don’t tend to stay in much do they?

Well the first 2 nights she actually came home early, the third she brought home 2 friends for a sleep over, and the funniest of all was on Wednesday. 

She wanted to go somewhere that both me and her Mum thought she shouldn’t go.  Now I had no problem if it had been early in the day but it wasn’t and Mum who was away anyway had said no over the phone.  Well you know how teenagers can be and a discussion was had with me saying, ‘well you know what I have said so it is up to you now’.  With that God was on my side, the heavens opened, the thunder rolled and the lightening flew across the sky.  The person she was going meet who was fishing, phoned and said, ‘don’t come I’m scared of the thunder, I’m leaving’.  Well this made us all laugh and I said, ‘see, told you Nanny knows best.  They met at a far more suitable place.

So the week ended and I had a peaceful and enjoyable week and loved spending some time with g’daughter but as for the rest, well, it didn’t quite happen the way I thought it would.

Jenny <><

New post

For those interested in Christian things i have just posted in my other blog Learning and Yearning.

 http://learningandyearning.blogspot.com/

 Jenny

Mixed bag

It has been a bit of a mixed bag this last week.  There have been ups and downs.  Fun moments, anxious moments, challenging times and times when you think again about the awesomeness of God as you see him work.

There wasn't even any church Sunday night to go to, as there was a big special service for the superintendent's leaving do at another church a few miles away.

A bit of a scare midweek when hubby text me to say there was a big fire in the High Street.  That was all he had heard on the radio and as our church is on the High Street we hoped that wasn't it or the derelict buildings next door.  It wasn't, it was an Italian restaurant further down.  Completely gutted.

Just had our last bible study for the summer, will meet again in September.  That will give me a chance to get some prepared in advance and get ahead of myself.  Spending some time over my daughters soon babysitting the house, cat and teenage g'daughter.  So I thought I would spend the time using it as a bit of a retreat.  Read my bible, listen to God, praise and worship.  That is the plan anyway, we shall see if it works.

Well I said this week had been a mixed bag, I just opened my cupboard door and two old casserole dishes of my mum's fell out and smashed all over the kitchen floor.  It has scratched all the flooring as well so feeling a bit peeved at the moment.

Jenny <><

Seriously

As soon as a baby girl can sit up on her Daddy's knee, she looks up at him with those big eyes and long lashes and learns to wrap him round her little finger.  This is where girls learn to relate to men.  They flirt, manipulate, learn how far they can go, push, before exasperation sets in.  They learn to understand their femininity.  How to cope with and handle the woman they will grow up to be.  It is all preparation for the time the hormones kick in and they go into the world to find their soulmate, hopefully for life.

So what happens to girls nowadays in this world where we seem to no longer require men.  Girls are more often than not, now brought up in one parent families where the father is mainly or totally absent from soon after birth.  They no longer have that knee to learn upon, a role model to teach them how men and women relate to each other.

We seem to have a new trend emerging I believe because of this.  More and more young girls are turning to their girlfriends for love, affection and sexual fulfilment.

Girls are saying that all girls are bisexual and even if they don't believe that, say it to keep face with their mates.  They kiss, cuddle and hug each other even if they have a boyfriend.  At sleepovers they all share a bed and will tell you they like to snuggle up and cuddle each other to sleep.

From there a larger number than before will go on to full sexual relationships with a girlfriend.  I believe it is because they feel safe, females are what they know about and also it is the fad of the day.  It is pushed at them by the media, magazines and the world of stardom with actors and singers.  It is the modern thing to do.  And after all you cannot get pregnant.

Boys also play a part in this too.  It's not really their fault, but they to suffer from not having a father figure, role model.  After all how do they know how to treat a girl properly and with respect when they have never been party to a proper husband wife relationship.

Another trend that I think is helping girls to think girls are best is that more women are leaving their husbands, sometimes of many years, and going to live in a lesbian relationship with other women.  What signal does this give out to young impressionable girls?

The tide will turn and the pendulum will swing back, it always does, but in the meantime we have a lot of very mixed up youngsters about, unsure of their sexuality or their place in this crazy world we have turned it into.

God did not say for fun, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh." He really did know what he was talking about.

Jenny <><

Bits and Bobs

Went over the RSPB nature reserve the other day and realised once again that I am a country girl at heart.  I love the smell of the country and the sounds.  I don't mean the smell you get when you drive past smelly farm, but that smell of grass, meadow, earth that you only get in the country away from too much civilisation.  Also a major river runs alongside, it's a tidal river so there is that unique smell associated with a salty river.

There I could stay, just me and the one who made it all.  Sharing a word here and there.  Turning to smile at each other as we both spot a butterfly passing by.  Enjoying that feeling of oneness when it is enough to sit together and there is no need of words.  I am my beloved's and he is mine.

Deep sigh!

Saw my green woodpecker in the garden today.  I just got my binoculars out as he was coming nearer the house and out came the neighbour to hang out her washing.

Another deep sigh!

He has taken me to the banqueting table, and his banner over me is love.  Song of Songs

Jenny <><

No. 6 blessing

Quite a few years ago I heard someone mention the No. 6 blessing.  I was confused.  I hadn't realised that there was a list of blessings.  Who wrote them?  Where would i find them?  Why had I never heard of them before and what was the No. 6 one?  Was it more special than the others?

 

This was a puzzle to me for a number of years and I felt too silly to ask anyone what the No. 6 blessing was, especially as everyone else seemed to know.

Then one day the secret was revealed.  Did I feel stupid or what.  A great lesson learned.  Clean your ears out and listen properly.  There was no numbered list of blessings.

Please turn to Numbers 6 verse 24.

"The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace."

Jenny <><

I’m sitting in my dining room looking out at my garden.  At the bottom of the garden is an enormous Oak tree.  I love this tree and have watched it grow for over 35 years, and boy has it grown in the last few years.

This tree is full of life from top to bottom although strangely not very often full of acorns.  In fact the tree could be called Oak city due to the way it is used by the wild life.

Let me explain.  In the top quarter the crows perch and once but only once nested.  Half way down the tree to the bottom of the tree the wood pigeons like to sit.  They don’t seem to like the very top, probably sways too much for them to hold on.  Again half way down to the  bottom the magpies come, usually with a view to annoy and bully any other bird that seems like good sport.

Blue and great tits flit in and out the bottom half.  Surprisingly it’s sparrows and starlings that never seem to use it.  Black birds and robins perch in the bottom branches also and green woodpeckers run up and down the trunk.

Now I must mention the green woodpeckers because my husband is always moaning about the holes they leave in the lawn.  That’s a whole different discussion, but when he described the size of said woodpecker he reckoned it to be about the size of a small penguin by where his hand was off the ground.  Having explained to him they are about the size of the magpies without the long tail he just grunted.  So of course now whenever we see one we just shout, ‘your penguin is in the garden’.

If you look closely at the trunk of the tree there are ants running up and down.  Now how far they go I have no idea as I have never climbed the tree and don’t intend to, but it would be interesting to know though.

When we have a good crop of acorns there are plenty of squirrels about and then the magpies really have fun.  They seem to like nothing better than annoy the squirrels.  It gives me hours of pleasure watching them think up new ways to rattle the squirrels who in the end get so angry they end up chasing them.

So there you have it my Oak tree like a city to lots of diverse birds and creatures all living in their particular part of it, and I cannot sit and look at it without seeing something of the glory of God’s creation before me.

 Jenny <><

Friday

I am sitting here with my ear phones in my ears plugged into this computer.  First night of the Proms is on the TV, it's something heavy by Mahler.  I have the sound on the TV turned off.  Every time i go on to another web page i get my ears blasted.  The last blast was 'you have mail', nearly took my ears off.  Why you might ask, and i can only say, 'i don't know'.  I was watching something on BBC IPlayer and haven't bothered to either turn TV back up or unplug my ears.  I do so like being different lol!

G'daughter has fried the innards of her laptop by using it on the bed where all the air vents have been covered causing it to overheat and burn something out.  Shop is looking at it and hopefully it can be mended.  It will still cost though but is cheaper than buying a new one.

Complete change of subject.  I was hoping to get my bus freedom pass when i was 60, then they changed the rules and i will have to be 61 and four months and four days before i can get it and a pension.  Now they are talking of speeding up bringing women up to 65 before getting their pass.  So now i don't know when or if i will get one.  Silly thing is hubby got his at 60 and he will be working to 65.  Poor me :(

Now, i am hungry but don't know what to eat, i'm thirsty but cannot make my mind up what to drink.  The man singing on the TV (without sound) looks a bit constipated the faces he is pulling so i will give Mahler a miss.  Think i will find something good on pooter to listen to being as my ears are still plugged in to it.

What do you think....

Jenny <><

Help needed

Ok folks, help is needed.  I wrote a long blog piece for my other blog 'Yearning and Learning'.  I wrote it in word and then copied and pasted it in.  But it wouldn't accept it.  

What did i do wrong and how can i write a post somewhere else before transferring it to here.  

Any ideas?

Jenny <><

Comments

Have been told by Guido that he couldn't put a comment on my last post.  The only thing that changed was i added the verification word onto it to stop spam comments.  I have changed it back so hope it works now.  I will get someone to check it for me as i cannot myself.

Jenny <><

Hello again

Well it has been 5 months this time, so much for good intentions. Have struggled to get a bit of order to my life since being at home but i am getting better. I have got out of the house a bit more and once a week me and a friend go for a walk around our local park.

I used to get frustrated with my mum for being so slow but now i seem to be the same, everything takes forever. Mostly because hips, knees and ankles do not work as good as they used to. I don't get as much done in a day as i once did or the days are getting shorter.

The biggest thing that has happened has been my daughter moving house. On her birthday she was offered a new build 3 bedroom town house meaning she could get out of her 2 bed 2nd floor flat. Only problem it hadn't been built yet. Usually with the council you get offered a place and have to move in about 2 weeks later. Well with this house we couldn't even get near it, but just take a peep from a distance onto the building site watching it go up. The house is only 3 roads away from me, a lot nearer than the flat but still a good walk. I get there by taking a bus to the park entrance and then walk through the park, out the other side and just down the road. Takes me about 20 mins but my hubby can walk the whole distance in about 10 mins, but then he is a lot fitter.

The frustrating problem with the house was that she kept getting told it will be ready by... and it wasn't. Then you will have the keys by... and she didn't. We started packing and stopped packing. She packed the summer clothes and then had to unpack them as the weather got hotter.

Eventually on the 1st June she got the keys and moved in on the 14th and it all happened in a great rush, BUT WE DID IT!!!!

By then though we were both in agony with our backs and everything downwards and living on pain killers. Bending over packing boxes and running up and down 2 flights of stairs as her new house is a town house took there toll. But it was all worth it and now she can unpack at her leisure.

G'son has already unpacked and i think g'daughter has nearly finished. As they are both on the top floor i don't go up there too often. There are plenty of boxes in the garage though but the problem is where to put all the stuff. For the first time in 14 years they have a garden, a very small garden but nevertheless it is their space with grass and somewhere to hang out the washing.

The cat was traumatised for a while and wouldn't come out of the lounge but now she loves the garden and can hiss at the cat next door through the fence and try to pounce at the squirrel.

So the on off move has rather taken up my time this year but now it has happened so the next step is to get me a bit fitter and out and about more.

Jenny <><

Blogger has changed

It's only been two months and blogger has changed???

Well not only has things changed with the blog site but things have changed for me as well. I am now redundant, jobless except for a little bit of typing i do occasionally for someone. I had it all planned, all the things i was going to do and i have done none of it yet. The day after i finished work i had to go to the dentist, within a couple of hours of getting home i started to get a temperature, the shivers, achy all over. The snow came down so i was stuck in with this virus and still a toothache. The next week i went back to dentist and had a filling. Then the pain really started. The injections had irritated the nerve down the side of my jaw. Ouch!

The third Wednesday i went back to the dentist again and it was just beginning to subside, he said leave it for another two weeks to see if it settles. Thankfully it has but i still know it is there now and again.

So i have only just started to feel a little bit more normal in the last week and i have spent most of that over daughter's babysitting.

I got very down and despondent during that time. What had happened to all the things i had planned, i couldn't see how i was going to do them. That still is a problem, arranging my day, as hubby is around at all the wrong times and his sleeping pattern means i have to be quiet at times when i could be making a noise. I will also have to find places to go as well or i could find myself never going out. People keep saying it is early days, but we will see.

Daughter is ill again with a cold that seems like it might have gone to her chest. I have never in a long while known so many nasty viruses around and they seem to linger and keep coming back. It's the cough you cannot get rid of either.

I bought myself a Wii fit+ just before Christmas and i have yet to set it up and use it. That was one of the things i was going to do when i finished work, GET FIT. So far as i have not done anything or gone anywhere i am stiffer than i have ever been. My hip seems to have set. So feel free anyone to challenge me to see if i have got the contraption set up and am using it in the next 6 months lol!

My other leaving work treat, is this that i am typing on, my new toy, a netbook. I love it. I can look at what is happening while i am having breakfast. Stick it in my bag and take it over daughter's and play on facebook when I'm there. I have wanted one for awhile. That will be the last of the treats though now I'm not earning :( Never mind i have more than enough of everything i need.

Jenny <><