Rock Bottom

 

Hello everyone. If it's ok, I thought I would just share the details of the most inconsequential week. I have very little to report so if you want to go and watch Antiques Roadshow on Catch Up, I wouldn't blame you. If you are still here, I hope you are well and that, if you live in the South of England, your garden shed is still intact. Here in Plymouth, Bee, off the weather has been promising us a small Weather Apocaplyse all week and, in the end, it was just a bit windy. For a day. And it rained a bit. I'm aware that it was a lot worse for other people but I didn't ever feel that we were in danger of death or anything. I did ban HOH from sea swimming. He was a bit sulky but I turned on the old emotional blackmail - saying think of the poor lifeguards that would have to come in after you, so he had a day off. I wonder if naming the weather is helping the general demeanour - Storm Ciaran this, Storm Ciaran that. Apologies if you are still bailing out your front room with your Coronation mug. 

Because of the storm, our Open Day at work wasn't that well attended. Well, to tell the truth, it came down to two people from Citizens Advice, a couple of people who wanted a go on a scooter and a lady who came on to the car park to change her leggings because she had them on inside out. She was very put out when we challenged her on it - having been confronted with an unexpected bottom when looking out of the office window.  She shouted "If you don't like it - don't look at it" which is an opinion I suppose. We will probably do it again in the Spring. (The Open Day - not the bottom).

I have been vacillating about having a flu jab for a while. HOH had one about four weeks ago and has had a low-level cold/bad chest ever since. I've never had a flu jab before but, I thought I should make the effort and all that but I've been watching HOH coughing and saying "I'm not going for mine." Anyway - I went on Tuesday, haven't so much as sneezed since then and haven't even got a sore arm. HOH isn't talking to me. I, of course, have decided that, as I have no side effects, it is not going to work. This impression has not been helped by the chemist who gave me the injection saying "The flu jab isn't perfect but it's better than nothing." Thanks.

We are in the throws of trying to put together a letter to our new child from Compassion that we are sponsoring. We have never done this before and it seems to be more difficult than we thought. We have been placed with a young man called Annan from Ghana. Annan is ten and he has already written to us and sent us a drawing of an open-topped car. It is difficult to judge quite where to pitch letters or a small gift in terms of age. Normally, in England, a ten-year-old would probably want a video game or some trainers - possibly a small packet of fags or a cherry and hibiscus flavour vape. But judging by the writing and the drawing, he is a bit younger in outlook than your average British ten-year-old. So we bought him this sticker book, as he has shown an interest in cars and we thought maybe we could use it to describe life in a British town. I hope you don't mind me bringing this up. I know that my left hand isn't supposed to know what my right hand is doing and all that when it comes to charity but, if anyone has any thoughts on this, I would be grateful to hear them. As an aside, I don't know if you have been in a children's bookshop recently but it's a bit odd in there. Books used to be called The Velveteen Rabbit and The Ballet Shoes but I saw a book called "My Bum is So Spooky" (part of a Bum series apparently) and one called The Day My Butt Went Psycho. When did all that happen then? Annan is unlikely to get one of those from me I'm afraid. I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to the bum department.  

Finally, I had a bit of a weak moment in the book-buying department this week, I'm afraid. (See above). I have just finished reading David Mitchell's Unruly which is about the Kings and Queens of England. He's very funny and also, I think a scholar. I found the early parts a bit difficult to follow - the very early kings - some of which may not have existed which I didn't find helpful. That is probably down to my advanced age rather than any deficiency in his writing. Speaking of advanced age, did you see that his wife Victoria has just given birth at 51? 51! I always liked her but she is now maybe the woman I admire most in the whole world. Keep your Greta Thunbergs and your Kate Middletons. (Well no, not your Kate Middletons obviously. I love her very much as you well know.) 51 though. How tired were you at 51? Add a baby into the mix and I can't comprehend it really. Victoria Coren-Mitchell I salute you and wish you every happiness. To return to the book pile - in my defence - not all of it is mine and also, I always have a Christmas mystery (or two in this case). Also, one of them is Christian and, as all Christians know buying Christian books does not count at all in purely monetary terms. (What?) But it is profligate and I am sorry. (I am not sorry). I will be going now. We are off to IKEA tomorrow. We are just going to look at the Christmas decorations so by mid-day tomorrow we will be full of meatballs and trying to work out how to get a mattress into the boot having spent £335 if we are not careful. 

I hope you have a good week. These seem to be the most difficult of times and it is difficult often in our own lives to imagine things getting much better. However, I have been loving Lectio 365 this week where it talked about God taking Abram out to show him the stars to tell this old childless man that his offspring would be the same as these stars. God asked him to imagine a better time and opened his eyes to the possibility of God doing something amazing. And Abram believed him. It's an idea that follows through into Ephesians - letting ourselves imagine the possibilities of God working in us. Despite my frailties that I am painfully aware of most days, it is a comfort to imagine some of the good that could possibly happen. 

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.