Keeping in touch

1.  Lunch and a fun afternoon with 2 godsons and their parents - we braved the high winds to see them and had a good time playing games with them.  (Their parents will be delighted once they can get them outside to burn off some energy though!)

2.  A brief chat with another godchild and her parents, to say Happy Christmas and catch up a little.  It was good to speak with them

(I'm realising that I've been far too cautious in picking up the phone to call friends and family for a long while now (for some reason I always think it'll be a bad time to call, or the person won't want to hear from me, or I won't have anything interesting to say, or worse I'll say something stupid/annoying/thoughtless...).  I know it's in my mind so I'm making more of an effort not to lose the people who matter to me.  And hopefully now I've put this in writing I'll keep to it!)

3.  Saw "The Hobbit" part 2 at the cinema with a friend - they could easily have trimmed an hour off the film & I wouldn't have noticed, but I'm still happy I went.  I think I preferred the first film though... a bit more of the back story and less of the brooding menace.

Families

We're blessed to be connected to some lovely families, and have spent recent weekends as fun times.

Last weekend we looked after 2 small godsons, and it was such a privilege to be trusted with them. We had a precious time with them. Today they gave us a beautiful bunch of tulips to say thank you.

This weekend we enjoyed having some long-standing friends to visit. It felt good to be able to just relax together without needing to rush anywhere... We enjoyed walking around Buttermere on Saturday (with regular stops for lunch, ice-cream, tea and cake), and I feel privileged to be the consultant for a 9-year old's secret knitting project.

Tomorrow we start our trip to visit Poland when we'll be meeting up with family not seen for some years. Looking on Facebook this evening I can see that my cousins are growing up fast! I'm looking forward to seeing them and exploring the city.

A cold start and warm finish

1. A very frosty start to the day meant the daffodils in the garden looked sad and droopy; by the time I got home the sunshine had perked them up again.

2. Housegroup was at ours tonight. We'd not had time to plan and chose to use the children's version of the study guide. It was good to share the readings and prayers with everyone, even as young as 4.

3. We didn't need to drive home at the end of the day.

Good Friday

1. A Good Friday service with 2 of our godchildren and their parents, followed by crafts in the church hall. We all had a good morning together, and I particularly enjoyed walking and sitting hand-in-hand with my godson.

2. It's still pretty cold but the sun was out today, so I was able to get 2 loads of washing out on the line to dry.

3. The moon has been beautiful recently, and a friend asked on facebook if anyone could get a good photo.  So I had a try...

Celebrating the years, sunshine and the landscape

1. We partied with a friend last night to celebrate starting a new decade... it's good to have friendships which have lasted for so many years.

2. A lazy start to the day... I enjoyed not needing to rush to be anywhere, and the sunshine as we walked to our breakfast.

3. We meandered home on A roads for most of the way. I liked seeing the different landscapes, with thatched roofs, canals and narrowboats, then lakes and fells. The British countryside is special.

What a lovely day!

1. It was a beautiful clear morning as I popped to town for some shopping. I didn't find any tartan clothes for tonight (I had a good back up plan though) but I did buy some ankle boots (30% off :-) ) and some patterned tights.

2. I do like Cockermouth. Lunch in the Coffee Kitchen, then a relaxing haircut with a head massage and enjoyable chat.

3. The Burns Supper. It's been a fantastic evening with lots of fun. I was nervous reading my poem but it went well, and all the other contributions were fab. I felt a bit left out not being able to share in the whisky drinking so was given two wee glasses to take home. What a treat!

Good company

1. Good company: I feel blessed to have good colleagues at work, growing friendships at my exercise class, and a lovely prayer triplet.

2. My weekend plans are coming together, including a Burns Night supper. I've been asked to choose a poem to read, so I'm looking into the Ode to a Mouse.

3. A deer ran across my path as I drove home tonight. It was far enough away to be safe so I enjoyed the unexpected sight.

Weekend highlights

Friday:
- I left work with the feeling of a good job done. It's been a busy week but with a fair bit of progress and without stress.
- Pizza with a friend. We knitted and chatted.

Saturday:
- lots of washing done
- lots of extra clothes sorted to get rid of
- lunch with a friend
- knitting while I watched a film on tv, with a wee dram of Glenkinchie to seal the day (Christmas present from 2 or 3 years ago)

Sunday:
- good company at church
- browsing patterns to destash my yarn mountain
- A came home from a weekend adventure with his brother
- a long chat on the phone with my friend. We compared notes on sorting out our houses.

A rural Saturday

A busyish Saturday:
- We drove to Carlisle, picking up a parcel from the sorting office on the way to the building society for a mortgage review.  It's interesting to think we've been in our home for 10 years now.
- We had lunch in our favourite cafe in the Carlisle Market Hall.  We've been going there for years now and have got to know the owners a bit - it's great to have somewhere so welcoming and to be able to relax with friends.
- Next, up to Gretna for a quick trip to return some items to the outlet village.  We managed not to be tempted by all the bargains this time...
- Back down south again, with a quick stop in Cockermouth to book a haircut in a couple of weeks' time.  Another example where I love feeling part of a community - she knows who I am, what my name is and I enjoy having a chat during my appointment.
- On to Whitehaven to get the weekly shop

...and back home again by 5pm!  We must have covered about 100 miles just getting basic jobs done, but that's how it is in these rural parts ;-)

A slightly more sociable Sunday

1.  I enjoyed playing in our usual band again this morning - much easier to predict what other people would do and to be able to fit in.  Although I did start to play the wrong song at the end of the meeting... in my defence, we hadn't practised it and the titles were very similar!
2.  We went for lunch at a coffee shop in town after church and a lady from church came in towards the end.  We stayed while she had her lunch, and all enjoyed the chance to catch up after far too long.

3.  An unexpected phone call from a friend who's far away.  It was good to be able to say Happy New Year and start thinking about when we might be able to meet up.

(I also got some very exciting news from another friend, but it's a secret so I can't tell anyone yet!)

Taking the time

1. It always gives me a lift when I'm walking about at work and someone smiles or waves at me. They don't have to.

2. I'm grateful it's a short week. After 2 days at work I was glad of a nap to get ready for a long evening.

3. The Hobbit (part 1!) was very good. Although it's much longer than it needed to be, it still feels in keeping with Tolkien's world. By extending it to 3 parts there's time to linger on the history and background, and even some of the songs I could never get to grips with in the book.

How to end the year well

- a slow get up this morning
- tea and a short walk at Whitehaven harbour with friends
- successful shopping (I now have a knee-length black coat to wear to Saturday's wedding)
- New Year's Eve party - with delicious food and good company
- a wee dram at home with the remains of a bottle we were given in 2002 as a wedding present

And the news that our friends' baby boy has arrived at last - 10 days late and on big brother's 2nd birthday!

Breakfast, rainy, ready to play

1. Breakfast with our friends (croissants and coffee) followed by games before we set off home. It was good to see them, even though they're so busy this week.

2. The drive home was in some quite heavy rain, but we got back safely. I'm happy to be in my own bed again.

3. Getting ready to play with my new camera. I've left it to charge overnight so that I can experiment tomorrow afternoon.

A different Sunday

Church:
- We've got 2 tickets for the Ladies' Tea. I'm not sure what it'll be like, but I'm sure it will be fun to try something different next Saturday.
- A reminder of some of the ways God speaks to us, and the importance of doing what He says. We won't always understand why but we can know He has a plan.
- I was struck again at the way the Bible can live when I read it. Sometimes I just wonder if we've made it all up but then I come across a passage that I've certainly read before but it feels new and so relevant.
- Our triplet may be going to expand to 4. I hope C decides to join us, and I'm looking forward to it if she does.

Afternoon entertainment:
- We watched our god-daughter's dance show with her family. Little brother found it hard to sit still (ok... impossible) but we enjoyed seeing her. She looked to be having lots of fun on the stage.
- The family haven't been well this week so they left after her last dance. We were going to join them but...
- I'd bought a couple of raffle tickets on the way in and we won the top prize! We picked it up at the end and it's quite a hamper.

Afterwards:
- A quick visit to the shops for present ideas
- Christmas card writing... There are still a few to do but it's a good start.

Which all means I've only knitted 2 rows of Mary's scarf today. There are 80 rows plus grafting still to do, but it's probably a good thing to have given my hands and arms a rest.

A December weekend

Last night was A's work Christmas meal so we didn't get home until quite late. I had a strange drive home (we'd travelled separately) where I got sandwiched between 2 cars driving oddly. I ended up taking a small detour to avoid them, and arrived home safely.

I had a lovely long lie this morning (I didn't wake up until almost 10:30) before we went through to Keswick for some Christmas shopping. I knitted in the car and added about 30 rows to the 3rd crocodile scarf.

We visited Aunty Beryl in hospital. She's still very frail, but her breathing seemed better and there's still some spark in her. It was good to share some jokes together.

A phone call with a friend, sharing ideas for Christmas presents and planning when we'll all meet up.  It was nice to chat without her young sons taking our attention instead.  Now I need to think of a quick meal for next Sunday's lunch :-)

A fun weekend with friends

Saturday

We looked after our two godsons for the day (along with their other godparent and her little girl) so their parents could repaint their living room.

• We visited the Gincase: we were almost the first to arrive and definitely the last to leave
• The play barn kept us occupied for hours... and the adults had almost as much fun as the children, with slides and a ballpool to "supervise"
• We came indoors just before the rain threw down
• The guinea pigs were hiding under their hutch, but if we stayed very quiet they came out to explore
• The piglets were very hungry
• Harvey the pony was happy to have his nose stroked
• and the chocolate cake in the cafe was delicious!

Sunday

We had some friends over for lunch after church.

• Bangers and mash with onion & mustard gravy, roast parsnips, broccoli, carrots and peas.  Yum!
• South African milk pudding
• Followed by a game of Qwirkle as we demolished a box of chocolates. (I won, despite pointing out the best moves for the youngest player... but the crucial tiles landed in my turn - I couldn't have planned it!)

Some happenings from the last week

Monday:
jet-lagged!

Tuesday:
a takeaway and board game with good friends - a fun girls' night

Wednesday:
forgot what evening it was, and was surprised when two children rang the doorbell.  Thankfully I'd thought ahead and had some wee chocolate treats ready to offer...

Thursday:
housegroup at our house.  I was feeling so tired beforehand, but picked up when everyone arrived and was lifted by our evening together.

Friday:
our friends arrived for the weekend, after a long drive south.  The house began to fill with fun and laughter.

Saturday:
We explored the Keswick Pencil Museum, bought some (more) yarn and visited Whinlatter for afternoon tea and a play in the adventure playground once the rain/sleet/hail had stopped.  We returned home to the welcoming smell of a slow-cooked beef stew, baked a lemon drizzle cake and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday:
tired!  not from visitors so much as too little sleep though...  It's been lovely to see them and get to know the children a bit better.  We're already planning our next meet-up.
I've cast on my next moebius scarf while watching the F1- this time for Grandma's Christmas present.  I found some soft sock-yarn last Saturday in just her colours, so I hope she'll like it.

Encouraging: in work, at schools, good friend

1. I've finally put together my part of the presentation to our top bosses tomorrow. When I left for home the pc was behaving... so I'm sure it'll still be working in the morning!

2. Encouraging to read the reports from our schools workers before the support group meeting tomorrow evening.

3. A lovely chat with a good friend to finish the day (who might even read this now that she knows I'm blogging again ;-) )

Sunday, sunshine and satisfaction

Up early today to be at church for 9am to do the projector...  It went well, I didn't make any obvious mistakes, and I managed a fast song-switch (which needed a wee bit dexterity to time correctly).  Also encouraging was that I chatted with a couple of people I don't normally see, and had helpful conversations with closer friends.

Lunch later with another friend, followed by a cyclepath walk in the sunshine to try to find a view of the sea.  We were within a few hundred yards of the coast, but the shore hills got in the way... Eventually we had a lovely view across the Solway to Scotland, including the wind farm in the middle but I think there's a certain elegance to the tall turbines...

I've finally untangled a skein of yarn for Mum...  I'd tried to help her wind it into a ball before the summer, but it was just getting into a real mess so I said I'd take it home and bring it back next time we were up north.  Well, that didn't work out, but I wrapped it round the arms of a wooden chair this afternoon and, with lots of patience, I've untangled it into a hand-wound ball.  I might try to transfer it to a ballwinder if I feel brave tomorrow evening.  A satisfying end to at least 3 hours' work!

A good day...

- I've set myself the challenge of making sure I finish work on time this week. So I powered through my To Do list, ticked off a few bits and bobs, and clocked out at 5pm. I enjoyed feeling organised today.

- The sun is still shining - what a boost!

- I made it to Pilates after missing the last 2 weeks. I managed to do more than I expected and can see definite progress in what I can achieve since the start of this year. Maybe the time off was a good thing...

- My prayer triplet were all able to meet together as well; it seems ages since all 3 were around at once so it was good to catch up.

- and I drove home in almost daylight. I love the long evenings when it's still light at 10pm.