Water, water everywhere

We live at the top of a hill. At the bottom, on my usual route to school there is a bridge over a stream. Yesterday due to all the rain the stream had turned into a raging torrent running across the road. After going through the torrent a lorry had broken down. The resulting traffic chaos meant the morning school took me 2 hours. Aaaagh! Going through the flood water was quite scary, I wasn't sure I'd make it. Some dramatic scenery where rivers had overflowed their banks & turned into lakes.

Talking of water went in with J to his swimming lesson yesterday. The lessons got off to a bad start because he hated them, mainly because he had to be in the learner pool. Now he's gone up a class so he's in the big pool although he's still by far the biggest in the class. He is actually doing very well now & is quite fast.

Tunis cake

This was one of the cakes P made at Christmas. We ate it the day before Christmas Eve when my brother's neighbours all came round to sing carols. It's called a Tunis cake.

Weekend

What we did on Saturday night was go to a housegroup at the other church we've been trying out. This group is for families with children over 8. We had a meal & the children played games (J on the wii, surprise, surprise) then there was a time of worship & praying together for any issues we have in our family. It was a really nice evening & we met lots of nice people. The leader of the housegroup I went to on Friday was there & J was getting on well with her son. This family group only runs once a month, to J's disappoinment.
I've been to 3 housegroups this week, not sure I can keep up the pace.
Yesterday morning they had the Unity Service in the Village Hall which was packed out. Our minister was offering a chocolate to any child who answered a question, a lot of hands going up, funny that. Sat around a long time while P was packing up audio equipment. Yummy turkey casserole for lunch then lounged around doing Telegraph puzzle page & giving advice to J on Geography homework (not that I know much about Geography). In evening went to service at other church where we both felt perhaps God was saying something to us, but can't say what it was right now.

Caught in the act

Today should have been P's day off but they've got a rush on at work so he went in for a few hours. We both went with J to school then I hung round town while P was at work. I couldn't work out why the shops were shut then I realised it wasn't 9 o'clock yet. As J would say Duh! Not used to being in town that early. It was so wet & cold I went into M& S & got some tights then went into the loo & put them on under my jeans. They've just done up their restauant so it's much more spacious & easy to get round so I had a decaff cappuccino to warm me up as well. Then I got J some new socks. For the first time I got them from the Men's Dept - his feet are now size 8.
Then I got a purple handbag marked down to £5 with which I was really pleased but P says it looks like my last purple handbag, which it doesn't actually.
Having had enough of getting soaking wet I decided to head for the library, stopping to buy some almond marzipans from Thorntons on the way. The library happens to be near where P works & I was just scooting along popping a chocolate in my mouth when I heard my name being called & there was P. 'What are you eating?' he asked. Talk about being caught in the act.

My week

We've had so much rain here, the roads are almost but not quite flooded. On Monday my cleaner came & I did load of tidying. In the afternoon the Pastoral Care Team came for a meeting. They noticed & liked our new green glass splash backs which was good. Can't remember if I mentioned we'd got them. Then I picked J up from school & took him to library. On Tuesday I went to my usual housegroup which is where I got really frustrated but I'm not going to say any more about it now. In the evening I took J to his swimming lesson. His friend Tim was supposed to meet us at the pool after an after school club then come home with us as Becky his mum was taking older daughter back to uni. Trouble was club was cancelled & I got phone call from Tim saying he was on bus & would get off at our house. Of course we weren't at our house we were at swimming pool. Sigh. Got him sorted out in the end. On Wednesday we went to the Christmas lunch that was postponed because of the snow. Very nice but in spite of crackers & tinsel didn't feel like Christmas. My starter of smoked mackerel pate was just a bit too filling really but turkey & all the trimmings was yummy. Picked up J & after quick dinner P took him to piano lesson then went on to Unity meeting. On Thursday I had nice quiet day at home. J went to friend's house after school & didn't come back until 8.00. He had gone into sweet shop & spent next day's lunch money on mini-eggs & tic-tacs. Think he got a bit carried away by his taste of freedom - he & friend went home from school on train. On Friday went to new house group, they are such nice caring people, good to be back there. Watched dvd of someone called Joseph Prince. It was really moving somehow.
This morning got phone call to say an elderly man at our church, who used to be a minister there, had died. He had been unwell a long time & he slipped away very peacefully apparently. Will miss him though. Feel a bit sad.

So frustrated!

You know what it's like when some silly little thing happens & just a whole load of frustration erupts inside you & you over-react? That's how I feel right now. I just can't explain what it's all about, I don't even understand why I feel like this but I want to scream, in fact I have just screamed. I want to kick something but I can't, I haven't got the strength. Perhaps I'll just throw something instead.

Christmas

Ok this is what I did over Christmas. Despite the snow we set off for Wales. Had bad journey, heavy snow caused traffic jams. Finally got going on motorway when lorry driver started beeping & pointing at our tyre - puncture! Phoned Breakdown company - 12th in queue. P realised tyre not completely flat, managed to pump it off & get to tyre place a couple of miles away. Had booked place to stay in Shropshire, by time got there roads freezing & thick fog - scary! Hotel finally loomed out of fog looking like a scene from a Christmas card. Never so glad to see a hotel. Had nice meal & good night's sleep. Roads to Wales nice & clear until got to within couple of miles of my brother's when they were completely uncleared. Took wrong turning, ended up down little lane which petered out & we got stuck. Along came a truck & eventually towed us out. Set off again, a mile from my brother's couldn't get up hill. P & J set off for help leaving me alone in car. Along came a nice man in a landrover. Only way he could unstick me was to tow me backwards up hill. Yikes! But I did it & arrived triumphantly at my brother's place. Had really good Christmas day & Boxing Day except couldn't get car out to go to church & J went down with temperature on Christmas Eve although he was better for Christmas Day. I started feeling a bit unwell Christmas Day, took loads of paracetamol but a few days later symptoms more like full blown flu - very high temperature, very unwell, bad cough etc etc. J also went downhill a bit again. Anyway it ended up P & J went home leaving me behind for New Year feeling a bit like Cinderella. On the Sunday my brother was taking his mother in law home & took me along as well. On the way I started feeling really sick which was awful but when got away from hills felt better. A mile from mother in law's flat my brother's car broke down. Some friends of hers came & picked her & me up & took us to her flat. My brother got towed home, arriving at 4.30 am. P & J came the 50 miles to get me.
Apart from everything it was really nice to be with my family for Christmas, thank you for such a nice time if you read this.