Like....or Lurk?

My son says I 'like' everything. He says I'm the world's biggest 'like er'! 
Yes we are talking Face book and yes I do click the 'like' button a lot. By my reasoning, if I read something and enjoy it, agree or want to encourage the writer that their posts are being read and appreciated, I 'like' them. I think that's what the button is for. It's like a nod in a face to face conversation and it's friendly, to say the least. And, after all, we do write these things for our 'friends'.
You can see all who have looked at your page and those who 'like' and those who simply move on, or 'lurk'!
So, despite my son's ridicule, I shall continue to hit the 'like' button and continue to be friendly to my Face book friends!

Improvements?

I went to the doctor's this morning. I was able to book my appointment on line and could choose my time and the surgery I wished to visit (from a choice of 3) and also my preferred doctor. Well, that was the theory, but in actual fact I booked this appointment three weeks ago and had to see a doctor I didn't know as this was the only slot in the following three weeks! I was fortunate that the surgery was the one just up the road which was good as the appointment time was 8.20am!
It is a very small surgery but efficient and with a pharmacy. Today we found that the building had been 'upgraded' and now had an automatic, push button door. There is a problem with this, however, as the pathway to the door is very narrow you can't actually approach 'head-on' as it were, and so as you press the button the door begins to open and then seems to get stuck as you are in its way as it opens outward. I thought it was just my ineptitude but after sitting in the waiting room for ten minutes we noticed that everyone was wrestling with the door. It's fine on exiting but getting in is another story! The other drawback, perhaps an even more disturbing one, is that after the initial wrestle the door gives in and allows you in but then remains WIDE OPEN for what seems like an age, allowing all the cold air in and the warm air out, so we patients sat freezing waiting for our appointments!
So, not really an improvement and as for wheelchair users who are presumably meant to benefit the most from this upgrade...I think they may have to visit one of the other surgeries!

Addicted...again!

Reading my blog from May I feel I must write an update on that status and formally thank Jill Brearley and Karen Firth for their part in my shedding the excess pounds. We have been regular members at Rosemary Conley classes in Elland and Coley since the beginning of May and together Janet and I have lost over 6 stones! We feel so much better and we are so much fitter. There is, however, a downside for Janet - she literally has nothing to wear as her trousers are all so loose on her that she can put them on and take them off without opening the fastenings and her skirts just fall down! But as downsides go this is pretty good!!
I, on the other hand, have kept all my 'skinny' clothes from several years ago when Rosemary Conley worked for me before. I couldn't bear to part with them and am now so happy to be able to wear them again. The downside for me is that I have at least 7 bulging bin bags of 'big' clothes so we are contemplating having a market stall to sell our big stuff!
Reading this you may be thinking, 'well you lost it before and regained it all and more besides so what makes it different this time?' I know what makes it different, last time I did it on my own, under my own steam at home with my own DVD exercise programmes and my own willpower, making sensible food choices and I lost 3 stones. This time I'm going to class, with a friend and feel there is more accountability. I am encouraged and I don't want to slip and stray away from the healthy plan as I know I will be facing the results each week on the scales at class. 
These classes are GOOD! I have made new friends and am inspired and encouraged by the class leaders and the aerobic exercise and the Zumba classes are so much fun. It has become a way of life now and a good life it is too! I have lost at least a pound every week except for two occasions, once putting two pounds on and once maintaining. The slow, gradual weight loss is the best - you are hungry at the beginning as you relearn what it actually feels like to be hungry and take control over your body rather than letting it control you. Then the upward spiral starts - you lose a few pounds, you have it recorded and you feel good so you continue and next time you lose a bit more...and so it continues. The recipes are really lovely too - Duncan eats what I eat and he enjoys everything, he just has a larger portion! (Portion control is something else I had to get to grips with!)
The other thing which is such an encouragement is the 'Magic measure'. We measure our bust, waist, hips, arms, widest part, thighs and knees at the start and regularly after that and record the inch loss. To date I have lost 55 pounds and, at the last measure, 50 inches!!
I cannot recommend the classes more highly. If you are unhappy with your weight then go online and check out where your nearest classes are. Then GO! Find a friend to go with you if possible and that will keep you committed through the long, cold, dark winter nights. Curling up on the sofa in front of the fire is SO much more enjoyable after you've exercised and got up a sweat!!

Hello again...remember us? Duncan and Beverly!
It has been a long time but we're back...from Cape Town (again), and back to blogging. 
From the stats it looks like 42 people have clicked on the blog today so, if this is to be believed, then there is still interest out there in the musings of two people who LOVE Cape Town and have a lot to say about it and also about lots of other things!
Note the new design? Just to alert you to a new, second beginning on the blog.
Unfortunately I have little time to compose a blog at this moment as it took an age to find the forgotten/changed password, but let it be sufficient to awaken from our dormancy of the past months and make a declaration of intent - we will be blogging much more frequently from this moment on!

We are experiencing some beautiful weather at the moment here in Yorkshire - clear blue skies and very hot sun and our terrace of 10 houses has been out enjoying it at every opportunity. The washing lines have been full, the adults have been washing cars, sitting out chilling with cold beers and wine and the kids have been having a wonderful time in a huge paddling pool and spraying each other with a hose pipe!

I LOVE the sun and have been making the most of every second! so you can imagine our collective dismay when the people in the 'big house' behind our terrace lit their garden refuse bonfire in the middle of the afternoon! 

Why? Do they not see or appreciate that every window is open, every washing line filled with flapping clothes and every patio and garden area filled with people sitting out and enjoying the sunshine? Do they really think that we want our houses and lungs filled with their acrid smoke? Can they not hear the shrieks of the children enjoying themselves? Their selfishness amazes and infuriates me.

When I challenged her last time she had a bonfire on a sunny day she merely said she had nearly finished! Obviously not realising that the damage had been done and the washing smelly, windows closed and a lovely afternoon spoilt! No apology. I overheard her discussing my complaint with her husband - his comment - "Well is this all your smoke?"as they stood at the side of their fire! Speechless.

I suppose some people just don't realise that their fires affect everyone in the vicinity and so I hope this blog serves as a 'public awareness' post and makes such people think twice. But, unfortunately I think that some people just don't care and if they want a bonfire they will jolly well have one and we can all go to.........close our windows and gather our washing in!!!

What Hope For Our Education?

Quote of the day: (Observer Sunday May 13th 2012)

"If anyone says to you: 'staff morale is at an all time low' you know you are doing something right."

Who said this?

Sir Michael Wilshaw.

Who is Sir Michael Wilshaw? I hear you ask.

Chief Inspector of Schools.

Mr OFSTED himself!

Before and After!

I wrote some time ago about having to knuckle down and get on with getting this excess weight off! Well...needless to say I failed to resist all the sweet things and other goodies and find myself several months on without a jot lost!
So...what worked before? Rosemary Conley worked before and I lost a lot of weight as I stuck to a low fat diet and also became quite addicted to the exercise routine. So much so, that I knew the 30 minute aerobic exercise routine by heart and didn't need the video but could do it to the music track! I took a recording on cassette to Chris and Phil's in Turkey one year and pounded out the box steps on the patio at 7am before the sun got too powerful! Addicted, as I say. And the pounds did roll off.
I have more to lose this time but every diet has to start somewhere and Janet and I have been 'at it' for nearly two weeks now having enrolled with a Rosemary Conley and Zumba class which we attend on Wednesday evenings. After our first week I got the 'Slimmer of the Week' award and Janet achieved the 'Super Slimmer of the Week' award having lost 5 and 6 pounds respectively! So we have proudly stuck our certificates on our respective fridges and continue on, encouraged and determined.
The question was - do we stick up the 'Before' photos that we were asked to take as added incentive?
 'But they're awful' I kept lamenting - 'Look at the size of me...I'm like Tessie O'Shea's bigger sister!' 
But then we reasoned, well, I reasoned...this is what everyone always sees! This is what I look like! It's only ME that doesn't see it every day, only when I look in the mirror, which I avoid!
So, as you can see in the photo, the certificate is there and so is the sheet of photos and they are a real incentive! I don't want to look like this any more! So 5 pounds gone and 3 inches...so far.....................watch this space!
Now...to the exercise bike!

Happy Birthday from Age Concern!

I know that the one thing we, as mortal beings, can be certain of, is that one day we will die. I am also aware that the whole subject of death tends to be rather a taboo subject with us westerners and we prefer to ignore it, hope it will go away and we live as if it is never, ever, going to actually strike us. 
I also have lived through the deaths of both of my parents, both far too premature, particularly my father who died very suddenly at the age of 49, and many close friends who have been 'taken before their time'. I have one friend who tragically lost her 3 month old to meningitis so I am very aware that death is ever present with us as we live our lives. 
BUT...I do think that this communication from Age Concern on the day after my birthday is a bit insensitive! It would appear that my birthday, like Christmas, is having its own 'boxing day' introduced - if you get my drift! I'm not shying away from the inevitable but don't need to be whacked in the face by it on the day after my celebrations!
Duncan's birthday card adds a little balance to this 57 year old's day....

What we got up to in Church last Weekend!

They Work!

I have arthritis in my right hip and my left knee and was having to take strong pain killers in order to get sufficient relief at night to enable me to sleep.  
I was taking stronger and stronger pills as they seemed to lose their effect after a couple of weeks of taking them, and the subsequent effects of taking tablets like Tramadol were not good! So when someone recommended that I try Regenovex tablets I thought it was worth a try. The price made me gulp, even when I was told that there was a 3 for 2 offer on at Boots! Shelling out over £40 on something which may or may not work....but when in pain anything is worth a try.
The advice was to take two a day for the first week to get the pills into the system and then reduce to one a day for...ever more!  So I took them and continued taking them for a few months and the pain did reduce and then went almost entirely and didn't prevent me from sleeping so I was very happy except about the money we were having to pay for them. 
So I discussed this with my doctor and said I really thought they should be on prescription. He didn't exactly say that they were nothing more than a placebo but I was certainly left thinking that the pain reduction was nothing more than coincidence and that I may as well come off them, save money and see that it was just the time and rest that had brought about this improvement.
So, I saved the money and came off them and...after a few days the pain was back, pulsing down my leg as soon as I lay down in bed!
I have now bought some more and have been taking two a day for a week and the pain has gone and I can sleep again. Coincidence again? I don't think so.
So, if you suffer from arthritis or joint pain I would recommend you try them and please let me know how you get on...and tell your doctor too. They really ought to be on prescription!

Leaving on a Jet Plane!

As I type my nieces, Deborah and Jackie will be taking off from Gatwick Airport for an 8 day stay with my sister, their mum, in Turkey. This is a regular trip which they make several times a year but has yet to lose its excitement...the countdown of 'sleeps' on Facebook, the preparations, the packing, the departure lounge, the take off. Exciting to share from a distance too, with just a touch of envy.
One of the members of our church will be jetting off to Cyprus for 10 days next Monday to be at her son's wedding. We have shared in the preparations for this trip too...the passport, the ticket, the dress for the wedding, the gold sandals, the packing. (The packing was done weeks ago, Joyce likes to be prepared!)
We are beginning preparations for our own 'jetting off' too. Preparations that begin for me with three weeks exam marking to finance the air fare to Cape Town in October. We are planning to return for two weeks to attend the Summit Conference of Harvester Churches and spend time with those very dear friends we have over there. So, although October is a long way away we are still excited at the prospect. There will definitely be 3 of us and hopefully 4 boarding the flight.
I can't leave this post without some mention of the hit record that is the title of this blog. Peter, Paul and Mary...their song always transports me to another place, not a place that any jet plane can actually take me...back to a Christmas Day in my 15th (?) year...we were a family of 5 adults and I was the youngest but that didn't stop us all from being too excited to sleep and we were up at 4am unwrapping all the presents that were stashed under the tree. It was a wonderful Christmas, so full of laughter, so many presents, the biggest being a Kenwood Major food mixer for my sister which sat in a box the size of a house with a bow as big as a top hat proudly sitting on top of it.,..so exciting. Mind you, the early start took its toll and my dad and Christopher, my brother-in-law, had to go back to bed for a bit more sleep as we women folk prepared the Christmas dinner. One of the presents was the aforementioned record and Chris and I loved it and played it over and over singing along clutching our hair-brush-microphones...over and over....until we heard my dad shout across the landing to Christopher, my brother-in-law..'I wish that ******jet plane would hurry up and take off so that we can get some ****** sleep!' Laugh....we laughed until our sides ached, laughter fuelled by the excitement of the festivities and the joy of being together for this special time.
Leaving on a jet plane is such an exciting experience and our love and prayers go with Deborah and Jackie to Turkey, to Cyprus with Joyce and will go with us to Cape Town in October. And our love is still going to that other place where my dad has been for so many years now. God bless you Dad, your 'plane' took off far too early and you've been gone from us for so many years but you are remembered so well and still loved even better.

Comic Potential!

There's nothing like a good laugh to lift the spirits after a hard day and Thursday wasn't an easy day, particularly for Duncan who had had a visit from OFSTED! So we were pleased to have something planned to take our minds off ourselves and lose ourselves in the muse for a few hours.
We had been invited to the play a while ago and, to be perfectly honest, even though we are both big fans of Alan Ayckbourne, we weren't familiar with this play from 1998, and the futuristic theme did nothing to enhance its appeal. Also it was Am. Dram. and we weren't really expecting anything out of the ordinary!
Were we in for a surprise! It was absolutely hilarious and we laughed and we laughed and then we laughed some more! The standard of acting was high and comic timing successfully accomplished by most of the actors (and 'actoids') on stage.
The basic storyline is that the stars of soap TV programmes of the future have pre-programmed robots acting in them rather than people, hence 'actoids', the results of which, with a few malfunctions thrown in here and there is very, very funny. Ayckbourne is a master of the art and this bunch of drama enthusiasts at Dewsbury Arts really did him proud!
I must just add that another dimension to the comedy was added for us by the three elderly ladies sitting behind us, one of whom said very loudly at a quiet moment in the action...
"Oh, this isn't my cup of tea at all, no, not my cup of tea at all....and looking at the programme I don't think the next one is going to be either." 
To which her companion replied: "They have all these good actors and actresses and they waste them on a play like this!" 
Priceless; humour in a different dimension! They didn't appreciate their Comic Potential but we did!

Green and Pleasant Land!

We do live in a beautiful place and I am very blessed to be able to walk along the canal bank and get to our church in about 20 minutes. As the weather was bright yesterday I walked to church for our Wednesday Women's Group instead of getting a lift with a friend. The surrounding hillsides looked very lush and green as we have had quite a bit of rain recently but the puddles on the canal bank had dried up in the sunshine so it was a very pleasant walk. Well, it was until I noticed all the rubbish bobbing about among the reeds in the canal. Take away food cartons, beer cans, bottles, plastic bags...I was really saddened to see such a mess and always am bemused as to why people can't take their rubbish and put it in a bin - there are a lot about!
But then I noticed something even more puzzling! 
I like dogs, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a dog lover and would never be a dog owner. I have come to understand something about myself over the years, and that is that I like the idea of having pets rather than the reality of it. When Martha pops her clogs, or should I say pops her paws, I really do not want another cat even though I am so tempted by the cuteness of little kittens. As I say, I like the idea of being a cat lover rather than loving cats! 
I digress, let me return to my walk along the canal. 
As I walked I began to notice tied up plastic bags in the grass along the side of the footpath. Several tied up plastic bags. Yes, you have made the correct link in your thinking to my talk of dogs previously!
I have often wondered at the people walking with their dog and standing around while the animal 'performs' and then skillfully scooping the offending matter deftly into a plastic bag and tying it in a tight knot, then walking on with the bag swinging between their fingers. Wondered at their diligence and evident love for their 'man's best friend' and for their fellow man in order to perform such an act of dedication. But it comes with the territory, it is your responsibility as a dog owner. But to go through all that palaver and then just dump it on the canal bank...?? 
I then began to wonder about the responsibility of cat owners. When other people's cats use your garden for their ablutions, aren't they responsible to whip out the old plastic bag and remove... oh dear, here I go again! 

Tell Me About It!

I think that, of all the common expressions we use in the English language, 'Tell me about it' is the one that infuriates me the most. In fact, the very attitude of 'tell me about it!' in a conversation is guaranteed to make me shut up and curtail the conversation because, in fact it tells you very clearly that the listener does not, in fact, want to know!
I'm sure we've all been in a conversation, when you are answering someone's question, and as you detail some of your trials it's as if they have to 'trump you' and go one better. Well, if you think that's bad listen to this...Their apparently solicitous enquiry about our health and well-being was actually a thinly disguised opener for them to tell you all their problems and woes. That's the main reason, dare I say, only reason for some opening conversational gambits? 
It shows such a lack of respect and interest in the other person to actually say 'tell me about it.' It says you are not interesting in your world, but let me tell you about mine, as there is nothing that you have experienced that is of interest to me because I have been there, done it and yep, I've also got the tee shirt. 
'How are you?'
'Fine, thanks, just a bit tired...'
'Oh I know all about that, I was up at 6, fed the kids, walked the dog................'
(So you don't want to know why I'm a bit tired? Your tiredness so trumps mine, knocks mine into a cocked hat, it is as nothing, in fact, no, now I realise, I am not tired at all.....)
Oh dear, I am going on a bit aren't I? But I think it is so important that we actually listen. When we have a relationship with someone, it's not a competition, it should be a means of showing the other person that we value them, that we are interested in their life, that we love them want to help with their trials and tribulations, even if the only way we can do that is by trying to empathise as we listen as they get things off their chest.
So when you ask, seek to be interested in the reply and not to simply 'go one better'. 


Tell me about it!
I AM! 

Herding Instinct?

It seems to be happening more and more frequently, we drive into a fairly empty car park and park somewhere where there is a fair bit of space so that parking is easier and so that we can fully open the doors and exit the car with more ease. We went for a carvery, parked as I describe above and before we could even get out of the car two other cars had zoomed in and parked either side of us. There were LOTS of other spaces but I suppose they felt more secure nearer to us?
The same in Tesco. Loads of spaces around our car when we went into the supermarket but dozens of cars clustered around our car and loads of space in the rest of the car park when we returned with our shopping!
Then, at the doctor's surgery on Monday, there are PLENTY of vacant seats; two separate groups of vacant seats in fact. Duncan and I sit down. Two other people come and sit one seat away from us. Another person comes and sits next to us. There are about 15 vacant seats in the other group! Then two people come and squeeze into the only vacant seats next to us! Why? Is it our personal magnetism? Warmth? Or is it the aforementioned herding instinct?

Perspective!

Things happen. Sometimes we look at things and think 'If only I'd done...' or 'If only I'd left a bit earlier...' Life is full of 'if onlys'!
So sometimes stuff happens that you really would rather didn't happen to you.
I have experience of two things like this in the last week and I am interested in my reaction to each one. Perhaps the teaching on the Fruit of the Spirit that I've been doing with the Women's Group at church is beginning to sink into my spirit and I am at last learning!
How do we act or react to negative situations? Do we have ourselves a little pity party or do we see how fortunate we actually are, even in the midst of difficulties? Is our glass always half full or half empty?
Last Thursday we had the strange phenomena of frozen rain. It was raining but the rain landed as sheer ice, glass-like ice and it was treacherous largely because it was so unexpected. It was raining and the ground looked wet, not icy!
So when I heard the noise of the dustbin men coming and I realised that we had not 'presented' our bin for collection I popped on my plastic Crocs and shot out of the door. And then shot up in the air and landed very heavily at the bottom of the six stone steps that were covered in the aforementioned glass-like ice! 
I was in shock. 
I couldn't move at first and when I tried to get up I just slid on the ice. I managed to get onto my knees and retrieve my shoe which had shot off and under the neighbour's car. I also managed to hobble over to the bin and 'present' it for emptying. I managed to get up the steps on all fours and into the house and then I managed to slump onto the sofa. 
Then the pain began! I noticed I was bleeding on my left arm and I realised that I had hit in three places and the place that took the greatest impact was my bottom! Then my side above the waist, then my left arm. I had also banged my head but this was not significant as my bigger, more padded derriere had received the biggest bang!
So I sat and waited for Duncan to come home. When he did we assessed my bruising that was beginning to come out and realised how lucky I was! Yes I was very lucky. I didn't break my ankle, elbow or back and ended up with very painful bruising but no lasting damage. It could have been so much worse. A week of largely sleepless nights as it was painful to breathe when I lay down was the biggest problem - and spectacular bruising! Spectacular!
My glass very definitely half full there!
Second occasion - we set off on Monday to a cottage in the Dales about an hour's drive away, for a five day break. We were really looking forward to it and sped along happily until we had almost got to Skipton. Then we were overtaken by a van who pulled along side us and the driver wound down his window to shout at us. We wound down our window...
'You've got smoke pouring out of your back wheel, mate!!!'
'Oh....thanks!'
Fortunately we were just approaching a roundabout where there was a petrol station/
Co-op shop so we pulled in and examined the damage. Oh yes, there was a lot of smoke and the wheel was very hot and the smell......
We phoned the AA and about an hour and a half later the nicest AA man turned up and had the wheel off in no time. The hand brake cable had stuck 'on' and was causing the brakes to seize. He sorted this and checked the other wheel and we were on our way again and arrived late but in one piece.
It could have been so much worse. The man could have ignored the smoke and we could have driven on until the tyre burst into flames. We could have been in the middle of nowhere. It could have been minus temperatures as it had been the previous days. It could have been a more serious problem and we would have had to return home. Instead of which we were mildly inconvenienced and met a really nice man from the AA who, coincidentally, gave us some good advice about what cars to buy/avoid!
Glass half full again!
I remember the times when I would not have reacted to such incidents with such calm. I would have gone through the: 'Why me?' or 'Why do these things always have to happen to us?' 
Instead of which our blood pressure remained steady and we got on with things and counted our blessings.
It's all about perspective, how you look at things.
I think the studies on the Fruit of the Spirit have helped!

Lost In The Amazon

Duncan writes...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/09/amazon-publishing-bookshop-boycott-grows


I realise I have not done myself any favours. Like many, I have been seduced by the jungle, have browsed books in the early hours and bought them, to find them dropping seductively through my letterbox, only a day or so later. 


But now the UK landscape is selling only one battered volume: ‘Custer’s Last Stand.’ Waterstones (having already clipped their apostrophe) remain the last flag flying for that oasis of civilized behaviour, the bookshop, on an increasingly ruthless high street. Are we to surrender our volumes to this behemoth?


I bit the hand that fed me many a Saturday afternoon in Borders. The easy browsing with coffee and comfy chairs and a place to watch the world go by is, heartbreakingly, lost. 


‘What is the matter?’ ‘Between whom?’ ‘The matter you read, my lord.’ 


Get behind me, e-book, Kindle and any other.


Forever let it be folded corners and the finding of a postcard in years to come that marked the place we got to that rainy holiday. 


‘Dear reader, I will not marry him.’ 

Economy Drive!

                                                             




We're trying to cut down on the amount we spend at the supermarket and to that end we have calculated a weekly maximum amount that we have budgeted for food.
We've tried to cut down before but have always been seduced by the 'bargains' that we simply couldn't ignore! The 2 for 1 or BOGOFs that fill the fridge and freezer until they pass their sell by dates and are jettisoned into the bin!
It's so easy to arrive at the supermarket clutching a list of, say, 20 items you need and then an hour later, leave with a trolley FULL of items you thought would be nice and a bargain!
So, this time we are not allowing ourselves the safety net of the plastic, the 'flexible friend'! We draw out the week's allowance in cash and we shop using cash. It doesn't half make a difference to your mental attitude as you push your (smaller) trolley round. It's easier to say no to the things not on the list and it gives much more incentive to economise and actually save! Real notes, hard cash being passed over at the check out makes you realise how much you are spending and how hard you have had to work to put those notes in your purse in the first place. The first week over and we made a surprising saving and still managed to eat very well!
Handle your cash, don't always deal in plastic - it DOES make a difference!

Currys...Still in Cape Town?

People ask: "Why do you call your blog Currys in Cape Town when you came back from Cape Town and live here?"
Well, firstly, I think it would be true to say that we left a significant part of our hearts in Cape Town and also, when I look at the audience figures for this blog, I am amazed at how widespread my audience is and I would hate to lose anyone by terminating this site! Take a look at last week's stats:

United Kingdom 73

United States 48

Canada 12

India 11

Belgium 5

Brazil 5

Saudi Arabia 4

Slovenia 4

Philippines 3

Russia 3

And this wasn't a particularly busy week!

It would be so good if some of these readers would 'join' and make comments!


The new website for the church has a blog section and I intend that this become the church's blog and the other one will fold but not this one! These two Currys will always be in Cape Town in one way or another!

INTRODUCING....

www.harvesterhalifax.org.uk

...OUR NEW CHURCH WEBSITE!
There is a link at the bottom of the page too. 
We are very grateful to Graham and Ben Unsworth for their help in setting us up and running yesterday and we are delighted that we and Birmingham Harvester Reformational Church have the same corporate image! 

Starting the Climb...My Experience!

Every journey has to begin somewhere. If it's an uphill struggle then the start is often the most difficult part of the whole journey - the decision that you ARE going to make the journey, you Are going to do it!
The new year is often a time for new resolutions - lose weight, get fit, get the finances in order, stop biting your nails!
Losing weight - now there's a subject I could write a book about, and getting fit! The thing is, I have managed both in the past. I have lost several stones and been fit enough to run half marathons (four, in fact, though you may not believe it if you saw me now!) So what happened? Life happened. I ate more than I used in my activities and I stored the excess as body fat. Not rocket science, just a simple equation - I did too much of one thing and not enough of the other and got the resultant imbalance. Then, taking exercise is harder; it hurts more the more body you have to move about so you are even less motivated to do it and the weight creeps up...creeps up...creeps up....
I got arthritis in my knee and my hip so that made exercise harder; harder but not impossible but it was another deterrent to getting fit and allowing the creep...
So you find yourself at the bottom of a very long uphill climb and actually beginning seems impossible so you don't! You make excuses and the creeping continues...and so it gets harder and harder....what a cycle of viciousness!
Looking at 'before' and 'after' photos can motivate you but then you look at your own 'before' and 'after' pictures and feel devastated that you let it all go! 
Slump! 
Creep...creep...creep...
You have "an enormous amount to lose" and to lose a couple of pounds a week seems like such a drop in the vast ocean that it hardly seems worth it...creep...creep...creep
So, I gave myself a hefty kick up the backside this week and decided that I have to DO something about it! No-one else can do anything but me! No amount of people telling you that you don't look fat...you are such a lovely bubbly person you wouldn't look good thin...Oh don't worry about your weight, life's too short BUT THAT'S JUST THE POINT! 
I don't want to shorten my life, I'm enjoying it far too much. So, I have to take back control and stop the creep...creep...creeping!
I know it won't be easy and it IS an uphill climb, but like the climb in the photo, the view is so worth it. My 'view' will be comfort in my body and clothes, a better feeling about myself and so many clothes hidden away in the back of the wardrobe that I will be able to wear again!
So I'm starting the climb. I have not declared that I am going to give up anything but I am going to have less of the foods that I know don't do me and my climb any good. I am going to get this body moving more - I have had 3x30 minute stints on the exercise bike this week and have 'cycled' 39 kms! I have started and I do feel better.
So, if anyone out there reading this needs a bit of a kick, a motivator, a companion on the uphill climb I am very happy to 'compare notes'! I may be puffing and panting too much to chat as we go but having someone else on the journey is always good!
(I also should add that I will be praying for extra help to resist the tempting things and have less of them; cheating? Maybe, but allowed in this case I think! Available to all, no exclusions, so not cheating!)

This Is Your Captain Speaking...

Such a tragedy, made all the more so because this liner was so close to land yet people have died; been trapped and died.
All the obvious links to the Titanic disaster which happened 100 years ago this April, spring to mind.  Apparently, according to some news reports, in one part of the stricken ship Celine Dion's voice was singing out the theme tune from the film as the ship went down. 
I remember quite a lot of details about the tragedy of the Titanic from the many times I taught 'An Inspector Calls' for GCSE English Literature. But this morning I Googled it again and  found an alphabetical list of all the people who were lost with the ship, nearly 100 years ago. Their names, occupations, cabin class and how much they had paid to be aboard on this fateful maiden voyage of the ship that 'couldn't sink', recorded in a long, long list. It took a long time to scroll through all the names!
So many farmers, grooms, maids......all perished because of human error; a fatal flaw in the ship's design and consequent response to the holing by the ice berg.
And now we see images of the Costa Concordia and read of lives lost, also because of human error. Human pride that made the decision to go off course in order to display the grandeur of this splendid ship at night to the nearby islanders.
And the captains? What of the captains of these vessels? Those charged with the responsibility for the lives of all aboard, both crew and passengers?
It's a fact isn't it, that the captain is the last man to leave a sinking ship? Everyone knows this don't they? I do, and have always understood that this is the way it should be. I grew up with this understanding gleaned from films, stories...it is just what happens. If a ship sinks then the captain has the responsibility to stay on board until the last...humbly saluting as he courageously disappears beneath the waves if Hollywood is to be believed. Captain Edward Smith went down with the Titanic.
Captain Francesco Shettino apparently 'fell into' a life boat and then spent many minutes arguing with the coast guard who was so incensed at his dereliction of duty that he threatened to do him a damage!
"This is your captain speaking..." the voice you hear when you're 35,000 feet up and excitedly on your way to Cape Town! He tells you about your progress, the weather in Cape Town and invites you to relax and enjoy the journey. HE is responsible. He has trained for it, is paid for it and IS responsible for getting us up there, getting us over there and landing us safely there. Just so the captain of the ship! Captain - 'chief or leader' as the dictionary simply states. With the title comes much responsibility.
So what can be said in Captain Shettino's favour? Is there anything?
It is one thing to make an error of judgement, to be prideful and to suffer the consequent fall, but not to own up to that responsibility? To lie, to leave those who you are responsible for to sort themselves out, survive or perish without your help! 
It is not for us to pass judgement but it does lead me to wonder...who is the captain of your ship? Who is steering your course and can he/she be relied upon not to 'go off course' into imminent danger? When you have faith in God, a real relationship with God, you have the assurance that God will NEVER go off course. He will never lead you astray. He will always have your best interests at heart as long as you listen to Him and obey what He says. Yes, He does speak to those who have ears to hear and He promises that He is the same today, yesterday and for ever. He is I Am - but that is a whole other blog!

Ignorance is Bliss?

This weather is lovely at the moment! Cold and crisp and bright in the daytime and clear skies at night where we can gaze and appreciate the wonder of the planet and our minuteness in the face of it all! Duncan often disappears to the end of the terrace and stares for ages when we have the sort of clear nights we are having at the moment! He'll go out with the rubbish to the bin and disappear until he has a crick in his neck!
Wonderful! So I was dismayed to see an article on the news last night about all the detritus that is going around our planet in space. Rubbish that's been spinning around for years - since man began exploring outer space. Furthermore, a damaged piece of Russian junk is on its way back to earth and will 'most likely crash into the Indian Ocean' on impact! Not very comforting news!
Mankind does have such an ability to spoil stuff, due to negligence, carelessness or just plain ignorance. Litter dropping has always been something that pushes my buttons. There is simply no need as we have so many bins we can always find one but too often I see people mindlessly unwrapping their cigs/sweets/crisps and just dropping the wrapper without a second thought. I remember sitting in the car with someone and we were at a red light when the driver of the car in front wound down his window and tossed out the outer wrappings of a cigarette packet onto the road. Without a second thought, my driver jumped out of the car, ran to the car in front and tapped on the driver's window. A startled driver wound down his window and asked what he wanted and was presented with his litter with a "You dropped this" and then the lights changed and everyone drove off! I was, and still am impressed at such quick thinking.
We live in a beautiful part of the country which is very well provided for with tips and refuse and recycling plants so there really is no need for folk to dump their old settees and mattresses in the middle of beautiful countryside.
I am also impressed to learn that one of my Facebook 'friends' regularly goes out litter picking in her neighbourhood! Well done, Barbara, you are an inspiration.
So we can all do something about keeping our earth litter free but what of the situation in space? In this case I do believe that perhaps ignorance is bliss.

Happy New Year! Cape Town at Currys!

We joined with Birmingham Harvester Church for New Year's Eve this year. We are the only Harvester Churches in the UK and we are very excited at how God is moving and teaching us how He wants to reform His church in these days. 


So, seven members of the Birmingham church travelled up and arrived just after 6pm on Saturday. We shared food and had a good catch up. Werner, a member of the Cape Town Harvester Church is over here for 2 weeks to see Katie and our country in that order! 
The Glow Sticks I'd purchased were fantastic and we were amazed at the inventiveness everyone displayed and we were soon covered with 100 glow sticks between us, all merrily glowing away in the dark!
Our proceedings got off to a wonderful start when Werner announced that he had asked Katie to marry him and that she had accepted! 
So we started our evening on a high note indeed. Here they are performing a rap for us later in the evening!

Our church building is small so we were located in another unit in the business park for our meetings so we walked over, glowing all over with our glow sticks, and began the evening with a 'cabaret' time where we each did a 'turn' to entertain the rest. Songs, poems, both serious and funny, a story from Werner, a rap...but the grand finale was Annie, Mary and Dinah performing "The opening round of the 2012 synchronised swimming competition!" Hilarious! I have never seen a dark blue table cloth and a couple of clothes pegs put to such good use before!

So, as midnight approached we were in the middle of a wonderful worship time and it was so right and fitting that we journey into 2012 in silence. No Big Ben, no Aulde Lang Syne, no  hysteria...just quiet...our own thoughts, our own prayers just for a few precious moments. It was wonderful; so complete. The old has gone, the new is here.
We wished each other 'Happy New Year' and then set about preparing the Chinese Lanterns for launch...forgetting about the howling gale outside!
So, many spent matches and torn lanterns later, we gave up and came inside. It had been fun sussing them out and we will know what to do next time! When it isn't blowing a gale!