What an amazing transformation the british weather makes.
Neighbours not seen from one month to the next in hybernation, resurfacing and busying themselves round about. Mind you, I as usual have enjoyed the cooler season, thoroughly enjoying the current temperature - but knowing that as time goes on sweltering heights will be reached.
I had a HUGE tidy up at home last week, parts of my book collection from the 70's and 80's resurfacing. Was amazing how many titles still remain in the BestSeller list - one even having the same cover. Unfortuately the cove price has gone up from 85p £7:99, just under 1000% increase in value. Of course, not at all, as the measuring stick has lost value over time too.
Online Church is moving on in leaps and bounds, I attended the service last night sitting in the back garden. It went from daylight to an inky black night during the service, eventually after 10 minutes banter in the Sanctuary and the Bar after the service, I was foreced to retreat indoors.
Wow, well thank you for all your comments and suggestions.
I have decided for a week to try using the Celtic Daily Prayer routine (from the Northumbrian Community), the discipline in even just two days has been quite stretching. I dare say, in time - if I continue, I would adapt the prayers to a simpler english.
Their site suggests the Midday Prayer, once memorised, could be done whilst boiling a kettle - must be boiling a huge amount of water! But it is very interesting and having an effect on me, pausing 4 times a day to formally pray.
There seems something romantic and attractive about monastic life - from the outside.
Had I become a monk, which has always been close to my heart, would I infact think the same - or is it in fact hard work?
I suspect the latter, but is it possible, being married, having a family, to take on a monk like existance - but still giving time to work, family and community?
I made the same trip this last weekend as the previous, but this time coninued West beyond the M1 and North up the M6. The occassion - to the wedding of Tim I used to bounce up and down on my lap.
The bride was late, but as she protested, 'It wasn't my fault', and indeed it would appear it wasn't, the chauffeurs had a booking time not of 2, but 3! The wedding was moving, though from the vantage point of a gnome way back in the congregation I could see nothing. Recession was to Star Wars, I paused to wonder who represented Darth Vadar.
We toasted the bride and groom with a very nice Port, which following several red wines, slipped down very nicely.
The beer - and wine, company, location and of course, ease of internet access, were indeed most excelent last weekend. But I suppose what was most valuable was the unpixelated pixelites with whom one was able to have face to face conversations with.
Though I must admit, it was occassionally nescesarry to have the face to face conversation with a laptop apiece so we could still include the unmorphed pixelites who joined from afar online.
It was indeed a most awesome and wonderful occassion.
Hmm, Smudgie, mini Penguins - well. The mini penguins were not so mini anymore, they were a REAL credit to you, and it was indeed a hudge blessing to meet you all again.
Tractor Girl; You are inded right, I am at the annual convention of Keyboard Worshippers nestling away in the Derbyshire countryside. Greetings to you from those that know you - and we are indeed having a FANTASTIC time.
Ian; It is a strange tradition here, I know not why for it is my first time - but when I sang a Christmas tune today, was told it is no longer Christmas.
From St Pixels Meet, with a beer in my hand, to all, a GoodNight.
Never Ever EVER meet up with people from the internet.
(TheShiftyGnome, April 11, 2008, 11:02 pm)
Can someone explain why I am sat her with 45 other people milling around in the house, all from teh internet.
Wow it is great fun.
To my Right, Taize singing - puters at every other corner as you wander round the house, parents chasing lost children - or just giving up and hoping they will reappear later. Christmas dinner has just finnished, some folk are trying to adjust to UK time, and I have just been hugged by a Daffodil!!!
I have been sitting in silence since 4am.
Silence is very noisy -
~ I can hear the fridge rumbling away,
~ the central heating has just kicked in.
~ Behind me youngest Gnomelette's CD Clock is Ticking away.
~ Intermittently the cooling fan in my LapTop whirs into action.
~ There is a high tinkly sound from the modem or router, never quite worked that one out.
~ The walls are creaking as the house heats up.
~ Then there is the noise inside my head, always noisy - never stops.
Where can I go to find silence?
After Elijah had looked for God in the storm, the fire, the wind - he found God in the stillness and silence.
Have kicked off this year with 2 weeks holiday, a few lie ins and a day trip or two. Feelling almost really relaxed now, though I keep on finding things to do!!!
A constantly changing range of ale means in just over a month my 'NotSoLocal' had had 133 different casks of ale on Tap, an excelent venue to meet old friend, to sample the beverages ½ Pint at a time - even share the gospel with passing strangers. A wonderful evening, all too swiftly 'Time' was called, and having missed the last bus home, I strolled home through the murky foggy streets.
Falling asleep now, so may reconsider this entry tomorrow.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Bookstall at church tomorrow, I am trying an experiment, brought more 'Gift Items' than books seeing as it's leading up to Christmas. Wonder if they will sell.
I used to be dead against the Christian Gift market, but I have seen so many folked blessed through seeing and asking about them my mind is changed.
Cheesiest gift atm , hmmmmm *thinks hard* - ah, the Guitar Pletrum with 'Pick Jesus' witten on one side.
Still, rather nifty, eh!
Make sure you get one for your Worship Leader.
A night out... Decorating finnished... Snoozing is recommended... & I need an appointments secre
(TheShiftyGnome, December 4, 2007, 10:28 pm)
YoungestGnomlette & her fiance decided to go out tonight. They got as far as 'CarInTheDrive', and maybe deciding to save the planet, they have sat in 'CarInTheDrive' for an hour.
Most commendable I thought, untill I saw Pizza being delivered to the car by yet another engine based mode of transport.
The new bathroom, installed last week, had it's final lick of paint added today. Mrs Gnome is some what miffed, I boringly asked for the same colour as before. Still - it all looks very fresh and NEW. I will enjoy my bath tomorrow morning.
I had to arrive 1st to open up for Cluster tonight, in my usuall way I over catered on time to get there, openned up and then sat high up on a shelf by the window and snoozed till folk arrived. I recommend a snooze before evening activities, get you quite relaxed.
Now, must send some e:Mails to undo the three things I have double booked this week!
The updates did not follow yesterday.
Workman was vey quiet, beavered away solidly through the day.
He's back again this morning - putting in new floor tiles and finnishing up.
There is an electrician drilling a chunk out the outside wall. He can't stay to do the job as he's booked up solid for a while, at least the hole won't ruin decoration later on, but do you think we might get a bit cold???
Must get myself organised, make sure I get things that need doing on my day off done - or I will be annoyed with myself tomorrow at work.
As part of the rolling programme from thecouncil, we are having a new bathroom installed.
I woke my daughter at dawn warning her the workmen would be arriving soon. Making her own choice to 'sleep in' she snuggled down.
So the bath is being attacked with a sledge hammer right next door to her room. And what will she say when she finds no water turned on for morning ablutions.
This is where just half an hour previous I had been washing at the sink!
I do not expect, when having folk to stay, to receive a present. Sometimes however a present does arrive just as they are leaving.
I must say a huge thankyou to our friends who gave us two rose bushes some 20 years ago. The pleasure it has given us over the years has been great, and we always remember the family when we are admiring the blooms. This picture taken just a few minutes ago shows a rose coloured orange and pink - yet all the other roses on this bush are white.
The one where the master gives his money to three servants to look after while he went away for a while.
To the first servant who invested the money wisely and made it grow lots, the master on his return gave this servant much.
To the second servant, who invested the money too and made it grow a bit, the master gave to him too.
But the third servant buried the money frightened of what might happen - the master took back the orriginal investment and gave the servant NOTHING.
Remembering that, I am pleased to announce my Compost Bin is now sited and stuffed to the gills with lawn mowings and mouldering leaves.
ps, was prayin last night and I got thinking about the compost bin. Not sure the group I was with thought all my marbles were intact when I started comparing the decision we were trying to make with Composting.
Thank you to all you folk for replying with such good advice enabling me to maximise my composting abilities. You will, of course, all be expecting photographs of that lovely brown perfectly formed nutritious compost which I will be able to sprinkle around my flower beds.......
I opened up my email this morning and seeing one entry was a WiBlogComment I snuck a look, made me roar with laughter, and deserves your attention too. (7th entry)
This e:Mail dropped into my inbox today
"I just thought you'd like to know it's your fault that a significant
proportion of the students at (NameDeleted) have been trying to lick their
elbows."
As there are folk at this establishment who may well visit this site, I would like to know.
Are you a Bible Student who has been attempting to lick your elbows.?
What proof do you have it's my fault?
Can you send me a photo?
Any photo received of course will NOT be treated in confidence, and may well be posted here.
I shared a bench with a Chinese lass who had her nose buried in English Study books. I could hear her reading out loud practicing the vaguries of English.
It must be difficult learning a new culture and speech not learnt as a child.
I was immersed in English from birth, it has always come naturally to me. Not perfect "Queen's Eglish" I hasten to add, I am no scholar. But Ihave no difficulty swapping thoughts with folk around me.
How important to imerse ourselves in the scriptures and a personal relationship with God. Our faith will not grow if we only take the occassional 'SnapShot' of what it's all about. In immersing ourselves in God, our faith will become natural.
Delighted when I was able to have today off, really got a lot of stuff done in the morning.
Hit a barrier over lunch, things just seemd too confusing, like flushing the loo before using it - and then at Cluster this evening just couldn't concentrate. Listened to a short passage from James, no sooner than each word was spoken than I could not remember it - and trying to look as if I understood someones question when I had no idea what they just said!!!
But Cluster was still good, think this RelationalCommunity is beginning to work... except we are droppin' the relational bit! Bah, Humbug.
Seems strange, now taht I am sat infront of a puter words seem to be coming to life again. Comfort in security of my cyberworld!
I was brought up on westerns, Alias Smith and Jones, The Virginian, High Chaperal etc etc.
So it was really good to go and see 3:10 to Yuma last night.
Why don't they produce many good westerns nowadays?
3rd Gnomlette is flexing her options and starting to reach out into the world of full time paid employment.
Having waited quite sometime for a suitable job to pop along, a bit like busses, they appear two at a time.
So tomorrow (all rather quickly!!!) she is off for her first full day.
She has decided not to relinquich her Saturday job un till she is 'sure', me thinks after a full weeks work that will change due to exhaustion.
Summer dissappeared - and then reappeared, i think it must have just been hiding behind a cloud. It does mean however that I have to continue cutting back the grass and gardenning. With that in mind I recently bought a Home Compost Bin. I am NOT green fingered, Gardenning to me means keeping the grass down, occassionally attacking the borders - and leaving the odd patch here and there to grow rampantly (and if I might say quite picturesquly).
As I said however, I am not a Gardener, and I now realise Composting does not mean just chucking all the waste into the tub! There's mixing Greens & Browns, I'm not quite sure what the Browns are! There's adding the right food waste, making sure enough air is in the mixture - and occassionally mixing around. Oooh, & I need to get a metal grid on which to site the tub. We will see if composting works in my garden.
Wow, just seen a cool rainbow, hehe, not out the window - but on acctv which I have playing in the bottom lefthand corner of my screen. I was hoping there would be a feature film on, but first of all it's Joel & Victoria Osteen, and the feature plays at 11:30 here, 20:30 DownUnder. Suppose that gives me time to go do some chores.
ps, the feature film wasn't - it was a documentary
The Shifty Gnome 
0
Permalink
There seems something romantic and attractive about monastic life - from the outside. 
As part of the rolling programme from thecouncil, we are having a new bathroom installed.
I do not expect, when having folk to stay, to receive a present. Sometimes however a present does arrive just as they are leaving.