Photos of the Big Girls' Tea Party!

You have to hum "Mamma Mia" and "Dancing Queen" as copyright wouldn't let me put it on for you!

"Having the time of your lives ooh ooh ooh see that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing Queen!"

Big Girls Having Fun!

The Big Girls' Tea Party was a great success on Saturday. Wrenthorpe Mission was filled with ladies of all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds and we had a great time and many laughs.
The cake table was groaning beneath the weight of scones, cream sponges, biscuits, cup cakes and muffins the size of a small sub-continent!
The quiz on chocolate went down well - and very speedily! Boy do those girls know their chocolate - and can sing any theme tune on demand!
We took part in a silent, and then not-so-silent auction which all added to the fund raising for Worship Academy.
There were more serious moments - we heard a very moving testimony from Karen, who then sang a song she had written and we watched a dramatic dance which ended with single roses being given to some of the ladies. Beautiful moments.
The highlight for me was seeing nearly all of the ladies up on their feet (some feet in plaster casts!) and joining in the Abba sing along! We were all Dancing Queens for half an hour and it did do us good!
Thanks to Rachael Lindley for following the vision! To Jonathan Lindley for following Rachael on Saturday to make sure everything was smooth and almost seamless!
Until the next time...

Sorry To See You Go!

I've been having a bit of an "Unsubscribe fest" and it feels gooooooooooooood! I don't know where they come from but I am very tired of seeing that I have 47 new e mails in my in-box, only to find that only a couple of them are actually of any interest to me! So farewell Animal Bargains and Age Stop, no longer will I have to face the temptation of bargain sacks of doggy treats or the new, miraculous technology that will make me look and act like a teenage Madonna. Farewell cheap deals on romantic getaways and bargain flights to the back of beyond! I don't want to change my mortgage, I don't want to meet my perfect mate and I don't want to purchase viagra!!! Clicking the 'unsubscribe' button is so satisfying and I feel not a jot of remorse when they are all so sorry to see me go!! Ha!

Update!

Banners are done and ready for collection! Whoop! Whoop!

Banners are in Production!

We began our church, Harvester Reformational Church Halifax, in our living room in January. Just the two of us, just Duncan and I, but we had church proper - even to the offering!
We grew from 2 to 4 and began to look for a suitable space to hold church as we do not have a very big living room!
We looked at a lot of possibilities and were sure we had found a place but they gave back word on the eve of commitment! So we were disappointed and continued to look.
Two weeks ago 4 became 7. Squashed but great times in our lounge and then we found it. Not just a space but THE place and we have signed the contract and begin church in our new home on Sunday. It is beautiful and it is all ours, all week!! Good job, because last Thursday 7 became 8 and we are expecting to be 9 on Sunday!
Our new address is Unit B11 Tenterfields Business Park, Burnley Road, Luddendenfoot, Halifax HX2 6EQ. 
Our service begins at 10.30am on Sunday. We are in the middle of beautiful countryside and a 10 minute walk along the canal bank from our house.
So we now have a home for all those chairs Chris and Phil bought us off EBAY! They will be moving in on Friday! As will our new EBAY fridge!
We have the space all week every week, so I will be having a regular Women's Meeting at 2pm on Wednesdays for a couple of hours, starting next week on 18th May.
We will be holding Teaching Services every Friday at 7.30pm. That's all for starters but do keep looking at the blogs for regular updates. 
We are eagerly anticipating the Worship Conference June 17th-19th when our friends from Cape Town will be joining us. Come along and be blessed.

Big Girls' Tea Party!

                                                            Wrenthorpe Mission, 

                                                                               School Lane, 
                                                                               Wrenthorpe, 
                                                                               Wakefield                                                                                                             WF2 0JL

If you're not already booked up on Saturday afternoon, May 21st...oh, and if you're a girl,of any size... you are very welcome to join us at Wrenthorpe Mission for an afternoon of female frolics and fun. From 2pm to 5.30pm there will be tea and cakes and singing and chatting, much fun and laughter and the chance to get to know some amazing women! For further details please e mail me on beverly.curry@tiscali.co.uk or leave a comment on this blog! The main organiser and the one who had the vision for this meeting is my very good friend, Rachael Lindley and so it's bound to be good. If you don't know Rachael - well now is your opportunity to meet her! 2pm Saturday 21st May. See you there!

 
School Lane, 
Wrenthorpe, 
Wakefield WF2 0JL

Delightful!

What a delightful place! I highly recommend to you The Crown Coffee House in Halifax town centre. Until yesterday I'd never heard of it, didn't know it existed but now I can't wait to go again.
Lucy treated me to lunch for my birthday and we went yesterday. The cafe is on three floors and we were right at the top. The menu is extensive and everything is hand made on the premises and is gorgeous! Well the coronation chicken sandwich was! The dilemma of the puds came next but I settled on almond and cherry pie with custard! Mmm. 
The food is excellent and reasonably priced but the real reason to visit is to experience the staff! It is a real 'olde worlde' tea shop in a sense and the staff are the real delight - especially the lady who waited on us. She's going on holiday soon...is trying to cut down on the wine...likes fruit drinks but not the really carroty carrot juices...has had all on moving things about for decorating...recommends the hot beef sandwiches...the men like those...particularly the suited businessmen...and so on. I feel I know this woman so well now! When I was choosing my pud I jumped for the almond and cherry but Lucy wanted to hear the rest of the list...all described in full detail...and when I heard 'Toffee and walnut tart' I wavered but our waitress was having none of it...'No, you stick to the almond and cherry, with custard, you'll like that. And you can always have a taste of hers!' Such a character. 
We had a lovely lunch, then back to Lucy's for a worship time before Duncan joined us after work to drive me home.
The day had also been an adventure for me as I went into Halifax on the bus! I realise just how dependent I become on the car. It was a real adventure, though I thought it was very expensive at two pounds forty one way! 
Thank you, Lucy for a lovely lunch and for introducing me to The Crown Coffee House. Ladies who lunch must lunch there again...soon!

Nothing Like It!

A whole night's sleep! I can't remember the last time I slept through the night! Woke up at 6.30am and felt so good, so refreshed! I totally understand how sleep deprivation is a form of torture!So today starts with feeling lively and awake and not with so may yawns that my jaws ache!! Hallelujah! 

In the Wee Small Hours...

Up at 3am again! I know I am blessed to be able to catch up on missed sleep tomorrow but I am heartily sick of being woken up in the middle of the night - and I am sure Duncan is too! In fact he is getting so used to it that he was awake before I was tonight! He's sleeping again now but these broken nights are not good, especially now he is back at work tomorrow...or should I say today?!
The problem is still with my sciatic nerve which is being pinched or trapped by bulging discs in my back. The discs seem to bulge when I have been lying down for any length of time and then all I have to do is turn over and wham, pain as the nerve is trapped! Once I am up and about and the pain killers have kicked in I'm OK but then I have the dilemma of not wanting to disturb Duncan again! So it's now 4.05 am and I'm blogging! 
Looking at yesterday's stats was very interesting - did over 40 people really 'hit' this blog yesterday? Wow! And there have been some hits today so I am joined, albeit fleetingly, by more insomniacs!
So daily routines start again tomorrow. Schools are back in for the final thrust, the Summer term; the 'last chance to get ready for these GCSEs' bash. Do I miss it? No, I can honestly say that I am very happy and content being retired. As the small of fresh bread baking wafted through the kitchen and a home made chicken and mushroom pie cooked in the oven last night, I was struck by how happy I am with my life. 
Church is fantastic and I feel that for the first time since I became a Christian I am where I should be and everything is 'real'! We are scheduled to sign the lease for the church building this week and so expect to be in there in a couple of weeks. Exciting times.
I will be marking exam papers in a few weeks, and have a weekend in Cardiff coming up at an examiners' conference so that will be a reminder of how things used to be, as well as helping out with the finances! When I was teaching there were many wonderful times and I am delighted to be in touch (on facebook) with ex pupils from all of the schools I taught in, right back to Colne Valley High School where I began my teaching career all those years ago! But I am so pleased not to be getting up to go in tomorrow, to start the uphill climb of another term! Teaching was very different when I joined the profession. Better in almost every way I think! I didn't want to become the dinosaur who sat in the staffroom and bemoaned how things used to be so I made a timely and fortuitous exit!
So despite the trapped nerve and the 3am wake up call I am very happy! Apostle Paul tells us that he learnt to be content in all things and I think I am learning that too,and to 'not let my heart be troubled'!
So a long and rambling blog which has kept me occupied as the minutes tick by into the start of another day! And my feelings of frustration at being woken up and having to get up at such an unsociable hour have melted away!
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!

All Good Things....

What an incredible time we have had this Easter.
The weather has been glorious and as the holidays draw to a close I feel bound to write a blog to recognise this fact; we have been truly blessed by sunshine and blue skies throughout this holiday!
Back to it tomorrow (well not for us retired ones, obviously!) and it is sad. But we have another store of good memories to reflect on, culminating in an absolutely fabulous day yesterday - church at ours with three new members, then a BBQ in the sunshine, eating and chatting with friends late into the afternoon and evening. Clear blue skies throughout and sun, sun, sun. And a great future to look forward to! We must enjoy every day on the way though!
I have hundreds of photos and will write a blog for more of our holiday times, but just wanted to do a quickie to show gratitude for such a lovely holiday, to the provider of the glorious weather! (And to get rid of Derren Brown - have seen quite enough of him, thank you very much!)