Saturday 28 November 2009

A Writing Day

No.1 sister has arrived and hopefully we are going to have a Writing Day. I am working on the short story for the project Bea and I have, and she has her next thriller to get written. No.2 sister joins us tomorrow, all being well.
She should have her first thriller published next year.
There is only me letting the side down now.
We went for a walk to on the beach this morning - very cold, very strong wind.
We can't get the DVD Player to work and we were looking forward to evening Couch Potatoeing in front of Men Behaving Badly.
Can Captain Butterfly help us?
He has migrated to warmer climes for a week or so - but if he has his antenna turned towards us at any time he may get my cry for help.

Thursday 19 November 2009

talking to Bob and Dougal

We are talking to Bob and Dougal at the moment - they are on the computer screen. Everything seems to go on much as it was over there. Our old house has been revamped and somebody is now living there - maybe a local family.

It was a lovely house. One of the oldest houses in camp, lots of big old trees round, and we did have a pool although it has gone now.

Audrey and I were out yesterday - it was very windy and a bit wet. We finished our map and then did a couple of return visits. Then two of my sisters dropped in for coffee - they had come down to the front to look at the sea - highest tide of the year combined with strong winds made a dramatic seascape.

This is the week of our Circuit Overseer visit, so we will have his special talk at the Hall tonight, which I am really looking forward to.

He gave us a short talk on Tuesday - some excellent, clear and simple advice for all us out there on the doors with our Bibles.

We now have to put it into practise.

Monday 16 November 2009

Monday morning

Monday morning is a very different thing when you are retired. I look forward to it now.

My hands are still bad, which I am trying not to worry about.

The buddleia plants arrived while we were away. They had been left in the hall downstairs. We are going to take Bea's to her the next time we visit, and Jacks is calling in for hers this afternoon. They are a new dwarf variety that the Captain found on the net.

We are looking at some photos Joy and Peter sent us - expat life goes on, enjoyably on the whole.

They are great travellers, so maybe we will see them here one day. There was a time in Saudi (before they left) that we were round at Joy's parents house almost every day.

We both had a good day yesterday - The Captain because he had a good find - see his blog - he had his Captain Metal Detector hat on at the time. And me because I finally found the lady who lives near the KH at home. Audrey had asked me to take over the call, but i could never find anyone in. Anyway, I called again yesterday, on the off chance, and there she was. We had a good chat, she took a 'What Does the Bible Really Teach?", and I am planning to call in again next Sunday.

We also had a wonderful talk at the KH. And Maggie wants to work with me on Tuesday and Audrey on Saturday, so I am all booked up. I can remember this time last year feeling a bit depressed, not just about my health, but also about finding my feet in the cong, and wondering if I would ever be brave enough to attempt driving here...

Saturday 14 November 2009

A trifling mystery

What a stormy day! Amazing winds, torrential rain, and the channel sounds like a million freight trains roaring outside. Its a good thing we drove back from Eastbourne yesterday.

I didn't get out on the work this morning - not just the weather, but my hand was very bad, I can barely type at the moment.

Had a lovely couple of days with Bea. We went to Heather Small (see the Captain's blog) - great evening - and took Bea to lunch at her local yesterday. Its a short drive over the Downs, and they were all grey and green and wuthering in the build up to the storm.

Bea said i must not say in my blog what she made us for pudding, so all I will say is that plum and raspberry is an inspired trifle combination, but how I happen to know that must remain a mystery.

Haven't been able to do too much today because of the hand, but the Captain has been a tower of strength as usual. He did all the washing, and its neatly hanging up now. I turned all the vegetables into a giant bean and veggie stew, but even then he had to help me with cutting them up.

Bea had bought me a beautiful little china bowl - the pattern is Orchard Ducks, and it is like a companion piece to one of my favourite poems. Its a Glimpse of Paradise poem, and it goes like this:


Four Ducks on a Pond

by William Allingham


Four ducks on a pond,
A grass-bank beyond,
A blue sky of spring,
White clouds on the wing;
What a little thing
To remember for years -
To remember with tears

Wednesday 11 November 2009

a dramatic day!

A dramatic day. Linda came over and met us for lunch at the local - excellent roast lamb by the way. The house buying had reached a crucial stage. She had to get the mortgage in place by
4 o' clock or the house would be put back on the market.

She came back for coffee and biscuits and spent a tense afternoon on the phone to brokers, agents, boyfriends, you name it. The Captain took her blood pressure at one point and the tension was showing in the figures.

She may not have been helped by my driving us back from the pub, as Captain B had had a couple of pints. She seems more relaxed when he drives (so am I) - and said something about 'a white-knuckle ride'.

A bit worried I checked with Senor Butterfly and he said i did fine...

Anyway we got back safely which is what counts.

She left, after 4, with the thing still unresolved, but phoned us from the train to say that - subject to survey - the mortgage has been agreed.

A great relief - and just one more hurdle!

They only have two more months in their rented flat so we very much hope it will all go through smoothly and quickly.

I did more some driving - and reversing - in the morning with Audrey, as we did return visits.

One of the ladies I have called back on many times, and how is always very nice, but never has much time, a very busy lady, said that she was going to email me and perhaps we could talk that way! I so much hope she will - and must pray to Jah that she will.

She said that she noticed that we came out in all weathers (it was cold and rainy this morning) - and i am not sure that many people really notice that, or think to wonder why we do.

We have been talking about the Trinity, not something that is on many peoples minds these days.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

singing in the rain

We had a quiet weekend. Jacks cooked us dinner on Friday - roast chicken with all the trimmings.

We - my field service group - were in Arundel on Saturday, witnessing near the Cathedral. There are lots of charming (and presumably very expensive) cottages there many with stunning views. I was working with Jean and we had two nice calls.

Col went metal detecting on Sunday, but they were rained off. And so were Audrey and I when went we went out this morning. It was monsooning it down and so we all decided it would be best to do return visits. Audrey and I lasted 30 mins before we were just too wet and cold, so we went back to her place for a coffee.

Lots of driving dilemmas for me, starting with me meeting the dustcart driving in to Audrey's tiny road as I was trying to leave it after picking her up. I had to back up and find a space, which I managed after a fashion and it was able to squeeze past me. Then I had trouble reversing at the Kingdom Hall car park - which was completely empty at the time. Then, as I drove back into Audrey's road to drop her off, there was a gigantic removals van blocking the end. I had to park halfway up and then reverse into someone's dustbin filled drive to get back out again.

But, with a lot of praying, I did it.

I came back via the supermarket so I wouldnt have to go out again.

Its still raining and I can hardly see where sea end and sky begins.

Everything looks wonderfully, miraculously green.

Captain B is busy looking for balcony plants on the internet. He wants us to have a buddlia (spelling?) - the butterfly bush!

Friday 6 November 2009

arthritis

bad attack in my hands this week, so have not been doing much.

Captain B and i are off for supper at Jacks tonight.

I have tried to phone Shantha this week but can't find her at home, have emailed to check that I do have the right number. It is some time since i left the company town. We email regularly but it would be nice to have a talk.

Aunt Jo phoned during the week - and Bea. Both have their problems.

We hope to see Bea next week

Sunday 1 November 2009

Fire works


Its 9 a.m. and the bonfire is still smoking in spite of the pounding rain, and a valiant herd of tidiers are out on the green picking up the litter from last night.

The sea is roaring away. Wonderful waves.

Last night Jacks, the Captain and I watched the fireworks. It was warm because of the bonfire. We had chicken curry and apple crumble, courtesy of Cooks - but i did make the small small things to go with it, and a turnip curry - odd, but seasonal. Jacks bought wine and chocolates.

The fireworks were the best ever - and ended, not with a whimper, but a bang, as a marvelous pair of white starbursts lit up the night.

Hopefully the Captain is going to put some photos up here.

And I must post something about Halloween - the great festival of the dead that is held all over the world on, or about, the day of the Deluge of Noah's day. The point being this: should we be commemorating those who God destroyed because of their badness?