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!

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!