Hot Sunday

There are just no words to describe our football team's performance. I'm just not going to say any more. After watching this event I'm not mentioning J & I went swimming & there were loads of people at the pool. It was like the beach. I wanted to go in to try out my new swimsuit but I waited until nearly everyone had gone because I was feeling fat, I don't know why really because I don't think anyone else was what you'd call super slim. Anyway it was quite nice in the water but I did wish I'd gone in earlier so I could have sat in the sun drying out a bit longer.

J was so funny walking round in his flippers, a bit like an elongated penguin.

Today has been really hot but in the heat our house really comes into it's own - it's so cool.

I feel in a bit of a fed up mood today, I don't know why really, I have such a lot to be thankful for.

Food for thought

On Sunday at church the Sunday School children had made amazing pictures from food. P had a bit of a problem with it as he doesn't like food used for art when there are people starving in the world. It's a tricky one. The teacher said we could take it home & eat it but we didn't fancy it really, not after it had been through those little fingers.

Come on England!

Talking of football I saw this house the other day!

Tennis

Most of today I've spent watching tennis because a) I like Wimbledon & b) I've done a lot of tidying over the last couple of days & I need a rest. I sat with my feet in cold water for a couple of hours to stop them throbbing.

Talking of Wimbledon didn't the Queen look nice yesterday.

P & J are having a bit of a hard time at the moment as neither of them likes watching either the tennis or the World Cup whereas I do. J has stated that I shouldn't be allowed to watch both but I've basically said 'Tough'. There isn't much else on anyway.

Trouble reversing

I realised last night that a lot of my trouble with reversing up our drive is that the plants along the fence have become overgrown.

'That shouldn't be a problem as long as you stay parallel with the fence' said P in a rather superior tone.

Then he got caught up in the brambles & hit the wing mirror against the fence.

Joy!

Yuk

I was putting something in J's bag this morning & noticed the front compartment smelt like something had died in it. On investigation I found what I think was once a muesli bar & 2 sandwich bags containing lumps of green mould.

Young boys are just a different species.

Don't tell Dad

I just tried to put a nice picture in here but the internet was too slow to let me do it. Never mind.

Here are some updates:

• Dad doing well although has been told to take it very easy
• My brother's hand doing well, he says it's more painful as it gets better due to nerves growing back. Scar looks like a tiger scratched him!
• Minister's mum doing well, was at church on Sunday though quite pale & thin
• Organising youth event has been seriously stressful! Why can't they give in their forms on time?!!
• I have got an (almost) all terrain new outdoor scooter. I call it Monster Mean Machine. It has seriously improved my quality of life. I can even get to the compost tip by myself now. Bliss!!
  
• In the last week I have reversed our car into Dorothy's car, reversed Monster Mean Machine into our car's wing mirror, reversed the car into Monster Mean Machine's shed & reversed the car into the rubbish bin. What is wrong with me?
• I have discovered that telling J not to tell Dad what I've hit with the car doesn't work.
  

Tiscali you could do better

Notice anything different about my blog?!!

Just trying to liven it up a bit which isn't helped at all by the fact I keep losing internet connection. Tiscali you're not up to scratch!

I'm back

Hello I'm back. I've been with my brother to visit our extended family following our aunt's death. This was quite a long journey & was preceded by complete organisational chaos on our parts. I'm too embarrassed to go into the details of how badly we planned this trip. Anyway we arrived to find our uncle (as in our aunt's brother) in hospital so we spent most of the time there visiting him & didn't see much of the lovely weather or beautiful countryside. It was really good to spend time with him though, I hadn't seen him for years & he is a real character with a wicked sense of humour. He is diabetic & has a foot infection which has sent his sugar levels crazy but he is slowly improving so should be home soon. My mum's cousin & her niece came & met up with us at the hospital & we were having a great time laughing & joking & taking photos. I suddenly thought 'This is a hospital & here we are practically having a party!' We managed to get past the security men as I was in the wheelchair so they thought I was a patient so we didn't worry about visiting times!

The really, really good thing that happened was we met up with our first cousin. When we were young we saw her & her brother every year & were really close. Then there was this awful family falling out & we were on either side of the divide even though my brother & I weren't personally involved in it all. The result of this was I hadn't seen her for 24 years. Anyway my mum's cousin gave me her mobile number & I thought I would text & ask if she wanted to meet up. She replied & said she would love to & we met up in a bar. I felt really nervous after all that had happened but it was great. We all just got on really well, like the intervening years had never happened & talked & talked late into the night & went back to her house for sandwiches. I just feel that after having been robbed of my cousin for all those years I've got her back & we're determined to stay in touch. All three of us also seem to be determined not to carry on with the silly feuding & fighting that has been so much part of our family for years & years.

Sadly her brother is very ill with schizophrenia but won't take his medication & is so disturbed at the moment that she can't see him because he becomes very aggressive towards her.

Really my family is the most precious thing I have.

Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

I just used this as the verse on the front of the church prayer bulletin. There is so much trouble in so many lives at the moment it just seemed appropriate.

Oxford

My Dad is doing really well. He's back home & walking a bit more each day. Our minister's mum is slowly improving as well. Also my brother had good news from the hospital re his hand which is doing well & he can now drive again.

We are gradually getting back into normal life. Yesterday we went on a trip to Oxford but spent a lot of time in traffic jams. We had a good time when we were there & also went to see the White Horse at Uffington (this is a chalk white horse carved into a hill side) & then had a really nice meal in a pub in the village. The best chips ever! More roadworks & traffic jams on the way home, got home very late.

Lots of Oxford we didn't get to see, think we need to actually stay there so we can have a proper look round.

Both yesterday & today very hot. Will write more about it all tomorrow.

Cumbria

What happened in Cumbria is just so awful. My friend Naomi was actually there! She is planning to move up there & had gone to look at houses. She sheltered in a shop & could hear gun shots outside. Terrifying. I just feel so sorry for everyone who has lost someone or who has been injured.