Masterchef 2011

It's the final tonight and I must admit I will be feeling very sad as the final credits roll, no matter what the outcome. I have followed this competition throughout, the ups the downs, the lobster and the filleted fish and have enjoyed every minute of it. I think any one of these three could win but I'm backing Ash, the one on the right in the photo. Each one deserves to win as each are inspirational with their use of food and how they marry tastes, flavours and textures on the plate. Exquisite.
I have learned a lot about food as I've watched and seen some incredible things achieved in 3* Michelin kitchens. The Spanish restaurant and its 3 brothers who passionately run it was amazing. Such passion, such lovely gentle guys. 
So I will watch again with great interest and no doubt cry whoever eventually carries off the trophy. They have each put their all into everything they have done and have shown such pleasure and delight when other chefs have enjoyed their cooking. There is something quite humble about these 3 Masterchefs! 

When the Round, Round Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along!

He's a very round robin isn't he?!
Well I've done it again - what I always swore I would never do - produce a 'Round Robin' to put in our Christmas cards! But realistically, I am not going to contemplate repeating the same things time and again just so that they appear more personal. The things of import that have happened to us this year are what I'm writing and the people I intend to send them to will hopefully find this interesting, despite the lack of the 'personal touch'. When you receive a card which just has a signature and a pre-typed address label perhaps that is even more impersonal. Grab a card, sign it, stuff it in an envelope and press 'Print' for all your address labels to be ready to peel and stick! I know everyone is busy but really, what is the point? And all the overspending on gifts that are usually neither needed nor wanted and are on their way back to the returns desk on Boxing Day? 
I love Christmas - the lights, the time spent with family, the 'Good will to all men' but we're not buying into the whole commercialisation of Christmas this year. We are not going to have a house groaning with food and enough satsumas to sink a battle ship. The shops will only be closed a day or two at most. We will have a church meeting because 25th falls on a Sunday but we celebrate Jesus every day no longer going over the top on some arbitrary date in December which has its roots in paganism when all is said and done.
So I will send cards to people who I really want to remember and who I wish I kept in more regular contact with; and I'll include the round robin so they are a bit more informed about where we are after a year's passing than "Lots of Love Beverly and Duncan" would tell them. I do hope they all view this as a gesture of love and affection rather than an imposition or a way of not sending a personal greeting.

Social Interaction!

The written word, or its absence is always open to misinterpretation. One can read so much into what usually is intended as a flippant, off-the-cuff comment.
We have on-going discussions in our house about the boon or the blight that Facebook is in our lives. There are many bonuses to this 'social interaction' site. I have made contact and regularly 'chat' to pupils I taught many years ago and it's wonderful to see how their lives are developing. I am frequently reduced to laughter (LOL!) over some of the postings, quips and jokes people find and re-post in order to brighten the day of their Facebook friends. I can quickly maintain relationships with an occasional on-line chat and this is especially precious when the one you are talking to is on the other side of the world! So there are many good things about Facebook. 
But... yes there is always a but. You do have to be careful to write what you actually mean, careful not to ignore or exclude people from conversation strings or you may risk offense or hurt. Careful to remember what a large audience you may be writing to as you sit in the comfort of your sitting room typing away!
I have, as I said, maintained relationships with former pupils and lived through some incredible life changing experiences with some of these young people, both the exciting and the tragic and I am the better for this. However, I have also been privy to some exploits, some conversations, some language that I fear is none of my business and have had to 'unfriend' myself pretty swiftly. (I did explain and hopefully no offense has been taken!) Their lives are not for me to be a part of.
You can learn a lot about people through their statuses! 
My only real caution is that I feel Facebook 'chats' may take over from the real thing. To actually pick up the phone and actually interact with someone may become a dying art! Moreover, to visit and socially, physically and emotionally interact with your 'friends' will never, never be bettered by interacting on screen. To see the people you care for, to hug them, hold them in your gaze and your arms can never be superseded by on screen activity. Facebook is an addition not a relationship in itself!

Puzzled.com!

So, I explained the whole situation to Duncan. I have been explaining it all, blow by blow as I have been in conversation with the bin collection people who ironically call themselves 'Customer First'! I showed Duncan yesterday's blog; I waxed lyrical about having to hail the bin men and ask them to wait as I struggled with the recyclable glass, tins and plastic box and bag bringing them from the back of the house to the awaiting bin men at the front! Oh yes, I can wax lyrical and am known for a bit of exaggeration to enhance a good story..... so I was a bit surprised this morning to be asked: "So it's Thursday so I need to bring the bottles round to the front today, do I?" 
I think Duncan could get a job with Customer First, don't you? He'd fit in with the team very well! 

E Mails to 'Customer First'!

Thought you may be interested/amused at our on-going conversations!
Is it me????


Sent: 16 November 2011 09:45
To: Customer First
Subject: Collection day

Dear Sir/Madam
I live on *****ADDRESS******* and according to
information you have supplied us with our collection day is Thursday. Again we
have missed the collection of our rubbish as they have been and gone already
and it is Wednesday!Please would you clarify when we should orchestrate the
many different bags/boxes/wheelies etc so that our rubbish will be taken? Last
week we had a month's glass/cans taken as we had been forgotten the week of our
collection!
Also, could you let us have a replacement green bag and white bag
for plastics as the present ones are filthy and in a bad state?
I wonder if you would consider, in future planning, replacing the inadequate green bag for
paper with a similar style one as the white bag for plastics as the green one
is sadly inadequate for its intended purpose.

Thank you
Beverly Curry



Good Morning

Thank you for your e-mail.

Firstly please accept my apologies for the confusion regarding your collection.  I can confirm that your collection day is Wednesday and this week you should have had a Week B collection when your wheelie bin/black sacks, food waste, plastic bottles and paper should have been taken.   The following week on 23rd November will be a Week A recycling collection of your food waste, plastic bottles and cans/glass.  This will change as from 5th December when all your recycling will be collected every week.  You can access the information at the following website:  http://www.recycleforcalderdale.org/postcode.

I can advise you that I have reported the missed collection from Wednesday to our Waste Management Team for their attention, refence SR805678 & SR805680.  In addition, I have ordered the replacement green and white sacks and you should receive these shortly.

I trust this clarifies the situation but if you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact Customer First again either by e-mail or by telephoning one of the numbers below.

Regards

Pauline Moore


Dear Pauline
Thank you for your reply and for dealing with the replacement bags but I would
like to repeat that the clever 'hanging hook reminder' that you issued me with,
and which I religiously follow, says that collections of ALL refuse is on a THURSDAY.
So that was my point really. Am I to now revise this?
Best wishes
Beverly Curry




Good Afternoon Beverly

Thank you for your further e-mail.

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the confusion regarding your collection day.  Our system actually shows that your collection is a Wednesday but I have now spoken with our Contractors, Sita.  They have explained that this is incorrect.  Whilst the area nearby is collected on Wednesdays, they do send a smaller vehicle to your property which means that your collection does take place on Thursdays.  The calendar you have been provided with showing that your collections are Thursdays is therefore correct.  As explained previously from 5th December 2011 all your recycling should be collected every week.

I trust this clarifies the situation but once again if you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Regards

Pauline


Dear Pauline
Thank you for this clarification and we will ensure our bins are presented every Thursday as the reminder notice says
Best Wishes
Beverly Curry

PS The wheelie bins were emptied yesterday. THURSDAY!

Dear Pauline
Good morning all. Happy WEDNESDAY.
Yes, Wednesday and guess what....yep, you
guessed it, the men have just been to collect food/plastic/glass/paper recycle
stuff despite your reassurance that our collection day was, in fact, THURSDAY!
I had all on to get it out and ready for them! Lucky I was in. So, after all
our conversations, no one, in fact seems to know which day our collection will
be and in December it all changes anyway! Confused? You bet!
Oh, and still waiting for replacement white and Green bags.
Best wishes Beverly Curry (yet another satisfied customer!)
Have a nice (Wednes)day!

Exciting Times.

What exciting times we are living in!
Although Duncan has been poorly and off work we have had a very good week.
Yesterday, we visited Marion, the oldest member of our church. I say 'we' but by that I mean some members of the Women's Group went round to spend part of our time with Marion as she cannot come to us as she is housebound. We had a lovely time and then returned to the church building to continue our teaching on the Fruits of the Spirit. Patience was our subject and as we struggled to relight the gas fire in the cold building we certainly needed to exercise some.
Then we had a visit from Janet and her grandson, Finlay, who is a delight, and he entertained us as we shared a cuppa and discussed Janet's trip to Australia - next Wednesday she flies off to visit her daughters for three months. We shall miss her but are delighted that she has made her decision to obey the call of God and join our church on her return. Tonight we are having a carvery meal to say farewell, au revoir, and there will be nine of us sharing the meal together.
So we are excited as we anticipate the next season and a visit from one of our friends in Cape Town who is flying over to the UK for two weeks at the end of December; we are organising a joint meeting of Halifax and Birmingham Harvester Reformational Churches which will most possibly be on January 1st. 2012! How appropriate would that be!

A Previous Meeting when Janet was teaching Duncan  to  Waltz!

'Don't it make you want to dance?'

Oh yes!

It's Like Riding a Bike!

They say that once you've mastered the art of riding a bike you never forget. Well, I think 'they say' correctly. 
My first bike, a girls' 'sit-up-and-beg type bike, was my sister's cast off when I was too small to ride it without discomfort and great fear of falling off! But ride it I did and I so loved it, the sense of independence, the wind rushing past my face as I sped down hill.  The smell of the Germolene beneath the plasters covering my many scrapes and grazes! Nothing put me off, but then I grew up! Bikes lost their charm as makeup and boys took precedence and working up a sweat while getting to your destination was definitely not cool!
The next time I had a bike it was a new bike, it was a blue bike and it was my bike! A blue mountain bike with rugged tyres and NOT having the dreaded drop handle bars that I was scared of. I didn't want my head to be so close to the ground, thank you very much! So, my new bike came to me when Harry was young and his dad and I planned to ride the South Downs Way over two days. To say planned is barely truthful, to say prepared would be a lie, so the 70 mile off road, up hill, down dale, over tree roots, grass, stony tracks first day finished me off! Much more preparation was needed! I gripped those handle bars so tight all day that I couldn't open my hands for a couple of days afterwards, so Harry's dad completed the second day on his own!
So the blue mountain bike spent its days rusting away in the shed and was given away when Duncan and I moved from Dewsbury to a much smaller house here in Luddendenfoot.
When I retired we got rid of one of our cars, Harry took it off our hands! When Duncan began teaching 3 days a week in order to support us as we began the church I was left without the car 3 days a week. Now I have my own transport again as on Monday I bought another bike! A second-hand mountain bike which was a very good buy and enables me to nip along the canal bank and to get to church in about 10 minutes. Fantastic! Independence once again!
The canal bank is very muddy at present and the negotiation of cobbled bits beneath the canal bridges was scary as I was riding much too close to the murky canal; the lively dalmatian who, in the cheery words of his owner, 'loves to chase bikes' was also a challenge I could have done without on my inaugural ride, but I got there unscathed and feeling very good!
We bought a basket for me like the one in the picture so that I can carry file and Bible and bits and bobs for the Womens' group. I wanted a wicker one so that I could be a real 'Miss Marple of Mary Meed' but it really didn't seem to be in keeping with the mountain bike image!
So, yes, I think that once you've learnt to ride a bike you can always get back in the saddle. I wonder if the same is true of roller skates. I used to LOVE my roller skates; they too had the attendant odour of Germolene but they too were worth it!
Watch this space!

Update after Half Term!

Harvester UK - Leaders of Birmingham and
 Halifax  Harvester Reformational Churches.

291 hits on this blog yesterday, and as one of my faithful readers pointed out on Facebook, it has been nearly 2 weeks since I wrote a blog! So I am feeling very remiss as I begin to write today! 
First day back to college for Duncan so not an easy day adjusting back to the workaday week, (though easier for me than for him I suspect!)
Last week was hectic but very, very good! (I am smiling as I use the word, 'hectic' as our South African friends use the word in entirely different contexts to where we would use it...hectic steak, hectic reading matter and even hectic body lotion!!! Yes, that does make the mind boggle. Hectic!)
We had an excellent time with our friends from Birmingham Harvester Reformational Church. Graham and Annie Unsworth have been leading the church for over two years now and are the only other Reformational Church in the UK so it was very good to get together and feel encouraged by each others testimonies. 
Graham is a prophet and he brought accurate words to several people present and also spoke very well on prophesy, teaching and explaining in ways we all appreciated. Annie spoke a short but impactful word on dying to self, something she is familiar with and so can speak with authority and integrity.

They certainly left us with much to think about and we are even more certain that we are in the right place at the right time; square peg/square hole, and it is very exciting.


We were a little nervous about absenting ourselves from our Sunday meeting as we have not done so before but we had booked a 3 night stay in a cottage in the Dales and so prepared to leave the church in the capable hands of the body - if you see what I mean! Before we departed we visited Joyce's mum, Marion, and had a cup of tea and a lovely time of chatting and getting to know each other better; she is now the oldest member of our church! 87 and she is brilliant - so lively and interested to know what's going on; wanting to know more and more about the Bible and what God is doing in the earth these days. 

Those of you who do pray, please add her to your list. She is happy and content with her lot, even though she is housebound. Please pray that her inner peace will continue.
So Friday we packed, (less 'stuff' this time as I'm managing to convince Duncan that he can leave some of his books behind! Though he did sneak 5 tee shirts in for a 3 night stay - and 3 pairs of trunks!!)
The cottage was wonderful and we had the most idyllic time. In the heart of the Dales with fabulous views, comfortable accommodation and the use of a sauna and large, indoor pool, we were so happy to be there. We had the pool and sauna to ourselves most of the time!
So coming back was a bit of a struggle and going back to work an even bigger one for Duncan, but we do love our home, and we are looking forward to getting back into the routines of church - though routine is not really a word I would use in the context of our church! When we see what is happening, what God is doing in order to bring reformation to His church in these days, it is amazing. Reform the church to reform the land is something we first heard from Doctor/Apostle Andre Pelser and we begin to see that the church is actually God's Genius at work and when it reforms and comes into line with the plans and purposes of God, then the land will experience reformation too. These are exciting times. 
If you are reading this and you are interested in what we are talking about, you will be most welcome to chat to us at any time - via this blog or at the church building at Tenterfields Business Park, Burnley Road, Luddendenfoot, Halifax. We meet there every Sunday at 10.30am and Fridays for a teaching meeting at 7.30pm. We also have a Women's Meeting at 2pm on Wednesdays. 

Harvester Family Get Together!

Come and join us next Wednesday when Prophet Graham Unsworth and his wife Annie will be joining us to share from Graham's recent trip to South Africa where he attended the Summit Conference and spent time with other leaders. Graham and Annie are the leaders of Birmingham Harvester Church. We are really looking forward to seeing them again and hearing what God has to say to us through them! Do come and join us, you'll be very welcome.
Wednesday 26th. October at 7.30pm.

Tuesday, Tuesday!

There's something about Tuesdays! There always has been for me; 

Tuesday has never been my favourite day.

In my teaching career I was invariably on duty on a Tuesday. Wandering the corridors in search of miscreants, just close enough to the staff room to hear the guffaws of laughter and the buzz of chat that I was missing out on! Department meetings were on Tuesday, so Tuesday was also a loooooooooooooong day!
Tuesday - too far away from the weekend - the one just gone and its memory fading, or the one on the horizon - too distant a vista to begin anticipating.
When I went part time, only teaching three days a week, Tuesday was one of my days off, well, actually, as my other day off was split in bits of Monday and Friday, Tuesday was really my only other full day off, but as it was sandwiched between working Monday and Wednesday I never really got the most out of it.
Now, of course Tuesday is all mine! But as Duncan works Tuesday to Thursday in college we don't sleep well on Monday nights - it's like the night before a new term every week after four days away, so I usually burn the midnight oil on Monday night. But I can go back to bed when Duncan has gone! I am so blessed! That's what I did today and got up (second time around) at 11am! So Tuesday can begin in earnest now! 
We do tend to sleep very well on Tuesday night!

Faith Through A Lens!

Hello Readers
Duncan and I have entered a photography competition and the public are allowed to vote on line if you go to:

 http://www.faiththroughalens.co.uk/category/gallery/ 


We each have 2 photos and at present 3 are on the first page and a further on is on page 2 - though this may change as more photos are added.
The site explains all the judging process.
Hope you like the photos!


The photo on this blog is courtesy of Leigh Collins of Cape Town South Africa.

Registered Office: Congregational & General Insurance plc, Currer House, Currer Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 5BA. Telephone: 01274 700 700 Registered in England No.93688

That's the number of hits recorded yesterday for this blog!
Two hundred and twenty four!
More comments came in yesterday which was lovely, but I really don't understand this gargantuan increase in readership. Don't understand it but love it. So are we looking at the same numbers today I wonder?

Postman, Postman Don't Be Slow......

I have always loved getting post. I think everyone does really. The 'thwack' as the letter box snaps shut and an assortment of envelopes skids across the floor! When I was a child and growing up I remember the anticipation of the postman's arrival, and the disappointment as he passed by on the other side. Truth to tell, we didn't really receive much post, and what did come was usually the brown envelope type which would often alter my parents' mood for the worse once opened, but that never dampened the desire to hear the 'thwack'! Some days, was it Saturdays(?) there were two deliveries, so the anticipation built twice, and the disappointment stung, also twice if nothing was forthcoming.
It's so much worse now! E mails come in at any time of day or night and I can check for mail whenever I want - so the anticipation and consequent disappointment knows no bounds! 
Both snail mail and e mail are often the same though. Even when the 'thwack' is heard, or the 'You have 14 new massages' is read, the disappointment usually follows, as most of it is guaranteed to be junk.
But when that personal letter 'thwacks' or I see that special name in the Inbox, it is still one of the nicest feelings!

Happy Birthday Duncan!

As I write this blog I am also looking at a photo on my desk, a photo of Duncan on his birthday last year - as happy as Larry in the bookshops of Hay-on-Wye! We had an overnight stay and 'did' all the bookshops and Duncan really was in his element. 
This year has been different - for a start off he is at work three days a week and Wednesday is one of them, so we celebrated when he'd finished a hard day at the chalkface and joined us at the end of our Ladies' Meeting in church for a cuppa and a birthday cake. (See below).
What a lot has happened to us in a year! Birthdays always seem to make one sit back and take stock, don't they?
This time last year Harvester Reformational Church Halifax didn't even exist!
Duncan didn't have a job.
We were wondering what the direction of our lives would be after leaving Elim and spending three months in Cape Town. Everything seemed to have come to a standstill. What were we to do now? 
There were several possibilities but we were praying and expecting God to say exactly where we were to be when all the time, we realise now, God was saying one word: "Reformation!" and as for the where? Well, where did we want to be? 
As soon as we admitted that actually, we wanted to be here, in this place, in this house, everything slipped into place like a well-oiled machine and now we know we are exactly where we are meant to be, doing exactly what we are meant to be doing, in exactly the way we should be doing it! A couple of round pegs in a couple of round holes! And there is such peace in this. 
Oh there are still trials and tribulations - as we were always promised there would be, (1 Peter 4:12-13), but we know we can overcome them and come out better and more mature because of them. We are not standing still; not treading water. We have righteousness, joy and peace! What more could we ask for?


Well, for the calorific value of a slice of birthday cake to be the same as a stick of celery!

Hello, Hello, Hello!

We had our Ladies' Meeting yesterday, as usual, although some rather unusual things occurred! As we were preparing to begin in worship I saw, through the window, a tall, athletic man walking along the path towards the church with a young lad in tow. As the day was so glorious we had all the windows and door open wide. As the man and I made eye contact we immediately recognised each other, I had taught with him at Sowerby Bridge High! He was with a group of staff and Year 7 pupils on a walk around the valley and one of the pupils had a desperate need for a toilet! The teacher was exploring the Business Park and seeing our door open thought we may be able to provide the necessary toilet. He had no idea what the church was, that it was even there and even less idea that I was involved with it and so it was a good time of catch up while he waited for his pupil. Supplying the needs of the community takes many guises!

We then had our meeting and Duncan joined us at the end as he usually does after his day in college. We were having a cup of tea and chatting when we saw two uniformed policemen walking up the path towards the church. "Quick, hide all the stolen stuff!" was out of my mouth before I had chance to stop myself!!!  The policemen came in and joined us for a cuppa and we had a good chat and were able to tell them a little about the church and hear what they had been busy with in the town centre that day. As they left Duncan assured the that we would pray for them and Mohammed, one of the policeman, said he would pray for us. So we were able to meet the needs of more members of the community, albeit only with liquid refreshments at this time. But we are now known by two more groups of people in our community. 

"Your Word will run up and down the valley" was a word we had at the worship conference in June; a word that is now a song in the church thanks to Margaret who penned the lines. It's running! 

Beginning to Feel Confident!

Well, here it is; lurking behind the leaves is the Sonic Cat Scarer! Its manufacturers must be pretty confident of it working as they give a 4 week guarantee. That is, give it a month and if the cats have not been deterred then return it for a full refund.
So we put the batteries in and positioned it carefully and watched and waited.
Over a week has passed and apart from one or two piles at the start of the trial we have seen nothing since. We did test it on our cat and saw her shoot off and has since given the whole garden area a very wide berth. One of the tabby cats shot up on the shed roof and shot off very quickly so we are beginning to feel quietly confident that the device is actually successful.
We can supply the address of an excellent company who produce sonic scarers which do, it seems, work!

Titus Salt : Biography

Titus Salt : Biography

No Bigger Trees!

We went to Salt's Mill yesterday afternoon. We wanted to see the Hockney Bigger Trees Exhibition and were very disappointed that this exhibition is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays. Why not? I don't really understand why a door cannot be opened so that we can wander in and look. What prevents this on these two days? It would only take an extra person or two to keep an eye out for any vandalism wouldn't it? Or is there something about art galleries that I am failing to understand?
Given the number of staff on duty in the half empty Diner perhaps some of those could have been more usefully employed in the galleries as look outs. Well, not all of them, obviously, as they failed to 'look out' and see us for some considerable time, when we were seated and gasping for a cup of tea! 
The Bookshop is very good, though, so we spent a goodly time in there perusing a variety of books from more unusual publishers as well as the ones seen in high street bookshops. (The few that are remaining in the face of Amazon's increasing monopoly!)
The whole experience of being in Salt's Mill is wonderful. It is so very BIG! The heady, pungent perfume of lilies fills the galleries which is wonderful to the point of sickliness! The light and atmosphere are fantastic.
We shall return on a day when we can see the Bigger Trees and I'll write again to report on our experience. 
A very good lace to visit - and when you consider the history of the place, the wonderful Titus Salt who provided so much for his work force it gives much food for thought. (See following blog link.)

PS It isn't this Trees exhibition apparently! This one is too big to be housed in the Mill. The one that is on is 25 Trees! Sorry if I misled you!

Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better | Video on TED.com

Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better | Video on TED.com

Solve One Problem to Find Another!

So the new 'garden' is finished!
We only have a very small piece of garden across from our house and it was one of the only ones that had earth remaining as most of the other residents in the terrace of 10 houses have concreted over their land to provide hard standing for cars or garages.
So the 8 cats on the terrace have been using our earth as a toilet! We have tried chilli powder, turning the earth bright orange, but the cats were not deterred!
So, we have put slabs down the centre and now have a bit of a patio with a couple of chairs and a table. We have put stones to either side around the remaining plants and shrubs covering up every vestige of earth. 
As the garden progressed the cats were squeezed onto smaller and smaller pieces of earth to complete their ablutions and they now seem to have got the massage and have sought alternative places.
Hooray!
But now we have a mole who is determinedly digging up piles of earth around the borders of stones and slabs!
Aghhhhhhhhhhhh!
I've read that sticking a child's windmill in the earth will send moles away as they don't like the vibrations caused as the wind blows! So, Pound Shop here we come!
Looking on the bright side, these piles don't smell!

Try Something New....

I have shopped at ********* (big supermarket) for years, well over 23 because I was shopping there before Harry was born and I have always thought that even though they were a bit more expensive it was worth it because the quality, especially of fresh produce, was better.
We have been getting increasingly frustrated with supermarket shopping in general and have been slowly coming around to the view that the "one big shop" is not a good idea. I always spend much more than I have intended and the 2 for 1 'bargains' seem such a good idea until you realise that 'buy one get one' is actually, more accurately, 'buy one chuck one!'
Over the past weeks we have been disappointed with the short life of most fruit and veg, the tastelessness of meat (even the 'Taste the Difference'/ 'Best quality' products) and the general experience of the supermarket shop.
Last week we went to said supermarket for a few odds and ends and were very surprised at the bill, so we checked all the items, not our usual practice, and found we had been over charged for 2 items.
A lengthy wait at customer services led to a scurrying round the shop to locate the said items by the young assistant. 
Result - Oh it was OUR mistake. The 'offer' product was not, in fac,t the product I had selected but the one next to it! (Millimetres away from it and very easily mistaken. Or is this the point?!). 
OK, so we won't take this product. "Oh I can easily deduct it from your bill, no problem!"
Next product, same explanation given. 
No, I insist, I took it from a promotional display and it was definitely the price I had quoted, not the price on the receipt. 
More scurrying ensued.
"Well I don't know how that could have happened, it was wrongly displayed and we've changed it now but you can have it at the lower price. No problem!" (Or words to that effect.)
So what if I hadn't checked my receipt? 
Am I wrong to assume that most people don't check each item on their receipt? Isn't the speed of the shop what we go to supermarkets for?
I explained my concern and that I was not happy. 
As only one till appeared to be working, I had been kept waiting an inordinately long time as the assistant had let another colleague who was serving another customer 'push in' saying sure, no problem, go ahead", obviously not realising that her kindness was OUR delay and wasted time! Or how many 'No problems' there had been!
So she told me I could make a complaint to the manager. No problem.
Nice! She even offered me a form to do it on! No problem.
She began explaining that I would have to direct my complaint to the two assistant managers as the manager had just jetted off to Florida!! 
Was this meant to make me feel better?
Oh I know, I'm moaning on and there doesn't seem to be any point as supermarkets have got us where they want us, haven't they?
Well, no, we do still have a choice and while we keep shopping at the supermarkets we see the small businesses and the farmers who produce the products being driven out of their livelihoods and dictated to about what and how they produce their goods to serve the big supermarket concerns. 
So, even though it is more inconvenient we have made a decision to buy all of our meat and fresh fruit and veg from a local farm shop while it is still in business! We will be able to afford less but what we do eat will actually taste of something.
There will be some things, tinned goods, washing powders etc., which we will use our supermarkets for, stress on we will use them for, but we seriously will be endeavouring to avoid them whenever there is a possible alternative. 
Going round the farm shop is a delightful experience. And the food is yummy!


(PS the Farm Stall on the photo is the one we shopped at while we were on holiday and it was this that began to convince us that we should stop shopping at supermarkets!)

At the Car Wash!

We had a very muddy car when we returned from our holiday. We had been staying at a farm and had a muddy farm track to negotiate every time we went out. With all the rain...much mud! So we decided to have a car wash at Sainsburys. We drove into the new, fully automated structure and obeyed the red flashing light that dictated: "STOP!" Then "REVERSE!" Then "STOP!" again until we were perfectly positioned for the soapy squirt! Duncan turned to me as the machinery sprang into life, and said: 

"Do you remember the car wash in Cape Town?"

Oh yes! We had been blessed with the loan of a car for the first few weeks of our 3 month stay and when we were to return it we thought we'd pop in through the car wash first. We filled up with petrol, also a novel experience as 5 men leapt to our service, filling the petrol tank, checking the oil, checking the tyres, wiping the windscreen.... 

As Duncan paid he asked: "Do you have a car wash?"

 "Oh yes, just round the back!"

So we drove round the back and the same man opened a big, wooden gate for us and showed us where to park. Then, the same man donned apron, filled a bucket and grabbed a sponge, and with the widest of smiles began to give the car a really thorough wash and polish. 

The cost? A few rand. 

The service? Excellent.

So we returned a clean and shiny car with grateful thanks. 

I must confess to feeling a bit uncomfortable as I sat in the car and had it so well washed by a man. It doesn't tweak my conscience when the huge whirling strips of rubber do the job as I sit! I know which I preferred though. Service with a smile always wins out in the end. I like the human touch!

Soap Opera?

I kicked Coronation Street into touch a few months ago!
I had watched it since I was a child and had been 'hooked' on the relationships and all the happenings and dramas in The Street, it's melancholy wailing theme tune drawing me to the box at 7.30 each Monday and Wednesday evening. Yes, just Monday and Wednesday and I think that was enough! Perhaps part of the demise of the programme, in my opinion, is that it is stretched far too thin and the writers are making it impossibly unbelievable. It is based on a street in Manchester! Can so many things really happen to the residents on one street? Do we the viewing public, really expect and want these impossibly dramatic things to be screened every other night of the week with a break for another "Holiday?Hotel/Wifeswap-from-hell type programme in between screenings?
The train crashes, murders, deaths, funerals, criminal goings on, men becoming women, homosexual relationships....are they really what the viewers want? I remember the scurrilous tongue of Ena Sharples and Dennis Tanner being wrongly accused of stealing from his mum's purse and Len Fairclough's death being high drama and realism enough for me in yesteryear. It was realistic because, if I remember correctly, Len had actually died in real life and so had to be written out of the script! 
All of human nature is here, but do we really want to explore the deepest depths that man can sink to in a programme that is screened well before the 9pm 'watershed'? Is there something wrong with me longing for the gentle, largely uneventful tracking of the relationships that develop and mature in a neighbourhood? If I were to write a programme based on Ripley Terrace the closest I would get to murder would be the murderous looks I give to the cats, yet the lives of the people on the terrace,and their inter-relationships are still well worth telling. And yes, there would be moments of drama - births, deaths, accidents...but all part of the tapestry of life as it is really lived. A gentle programme that would enrich my life by watching, would mirror some of my own experiences and enhance me rather than remind me of how terrible life can be.
So, 'Coro' be gone.
I continue to watch Emmerdale. Perhaps because it is more rural and although it has had some sensational storylines I have been more tolerant of them as I thought they were stories worth thinking about. But now...why does the impossible 'kidnap' of Jacob have to be the next storyline? It is going the way of all soaps, or perhaps was always so and I was a bit too biased. 
I think the beginning of the end came when they changed the filming of the opening credits. Replacing the aerial shots of the rolling greenery of our beautiful county we now have allusions to dirty dealings and treachery - clothing strewn on the floor and trailing towards the stairs and a woman stroking a man's leg with her foot beneath the table! All far too suggestive for a programme that starts at 7pm. (Even if she does seem to miss the man and stroke the table leg!)
So, Emmerdale, I think your days are numbered!
All part of the process of clearing away the dross. I have a life to live here on the terrace. That'll do for me!

Post Card from the Edge!

Got this post card from Harry last week and it had only taken a week to reach us! Very good! Well done SA Mail. Also well done on franking every one of the 5 stamps which Harry liberally spread over the surfaces of the card! He is having such a great time over there. He has been up Table Mountain on foot and in the cable car, been wine-tasting several times, has swum in the sea at Hout Bay, seen stunning sunsets from the top of Lion's Head Mountain, toured Robben Island, seen penguins and 'osterriches' (and enjoyed eating the latter!) done the biggest Bungy jump in the world, been cage diving with sharks and now wants to sky dive! He will be going up to Kruger next week and then to tour Soweto and Pretoria before flying to the Sudan from Jo'burg. He has a week there with medic friends and family before returning to the UK! Oh yes, and he's done a bit of doctoring too! Actually had hands on in the operating theatre! He has encountered Harvester Cape Town and been entertained and looked after by our family over there! I don't think he's going to forget this trip in a hurry!

Firm Foundations!

                           
We are beginning the Harvester Foundation Course at church on Friday evening and you are very welcome to join us. We begin at 7.30pm. The course runs for several weeks and I'm sure you will find it interesting and it will bless you.
Just a quick reminder of our address:
Unit B11
Tenterfields Business Park
Burnley Road
Luddendenfoot
Halifax.


Also ladies - we have a ladies' meeting every Wednesday at 2pm. All welcome.


                                 
PS. This isn't us by the way, but they are ladies!!!

The Apostle and Prophet of the Dance!

This is one of my favourite pictures from our Worship Conference at Harvester Reformational Church Halifax. Yes, I do keep giving us our full title but that's because I'm so very, very happy that this work has begun up here in Yorkshire, and that Duncan and I have the privilege of leading it. I took many, many photos over the weekend - over 700, but as I've already said, this is one of my favourites. Let me introduce you to Prophet Lynette Collins and her husband, Apostle Leigh who are the leaders of the dance in the Harvester Church in Cape Town. I think The picture tells you all you need to know about them! Look at the joy in their faces! They are busy bringing Reformational thinking into churches all over the word and teaching on the dance in ways that are easy to understand and are accessible to all. To dance for the Lord, not for the congregation to be entertained, but as an expression in the whole body of the church, of our love and adoration to God. This is how He wants to be worshipped - in Spirit and in truth. This is how we worship in Harvester Reformational Churches. It is liberating and it it wonderful. 

They are a multi-talented family as Leigh and Kristopher their son, are excellent mime artists and we were treated to a sample of their gift on our Saturday fun night! 

Sadly, this wonderful family - along with Eric, Leigh's brother and his lovely wife, Angie are on their way back to Cape Town now and it was very sad to say goodbye; but we are connected in the Spirit. We are one family, one body in Christ and we are very blessed. 

Some of you may be thinking that this post is really one that should be on the Harvester church blog, not this one, but the more I go on, the more I realise that our lives cannot be compartmentalised in this way. We are who we are, we believe what we believe and we share what we know on every occasion. "Go and make disciples of all men...". Our 'card' says "commissioned to go. Commanded to love". We have to practice what we preach!

So I hope the Christian content has not offended any of my readers. But if it has...maybe there's something to think about there?

Corker in Cape Town!

We are thinking of you Harry as you begin your first day on your placement at Tygerberg Hospital. As you spend your days and nights in the shadow of this beautiful and incredible mountain hearing the sea as it crashes on the rocks and splashes over the sand! Oh what a romantic thought, but it is true. Harry is in one of the most incredible places on earth and we wish him joy - as much joy as we had during our three months there last year. Yes, we were there this time last year - seems impossible to think that now, but we were. And it seems impossible to think how much has happened and how far we've come since then. What a difference a year can make! 
We know Harry will have a wonderful time. We know he will learn lots and come back a different person, even after only 8 weeks. But the changes won't be just in his head and in his improved knowledge and medical ability; no, the biggest changes will be in his heart, soul and spirit.
We tracked his flight right through to the 'Arrived' status on the KLM website and we cheered and cried as he landed. We look forward to hearing about and 'tracking' his journey as he lives there for the next two months. We will be praying for you, Harry. We love you very much!

How's Your handwriting?

Marking GCSE exam papers over the years has been an eye-opening experience. I'm afraid I'm coming to the conclusion that the vast majority of 15-16 year olds cannot write! Oh I don't mean that they cannot convey their ideas successfully onto the page.  They are as imaginative and inventive with the language as ever but they don't write with script that can be read. They are losing the ability to write legibly and I find that very sad. Keyboards and slide pads have taken over! Don't get me wrong, I love my lap top, but I also love the fact that I can, and often do, write with a fountain pen - it gives me great delight and it looks good and can be easily understood - well I think so. My dad had fantastic, beautiful handwriting. My sister has lovely, neat handwriting whenever she writes - it's always the same, always neat. Duncan and Harry both have very distinctive and lovely handwriting, as does Pam. As I said, what a sadness that this skill seems to be dying out in the future generations as they don't get to appreciate the beauty of it or see the need!

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.