Growing... and blubbing!

1. Played bass at church again, this time in a different band to usual.  One song was much more funky than I'm used to and I struggled a bit during the practice ("Let's do this bit with just drum and bass") but when it finally clicked what the chords actually were it felt good.  I missed the transition to the bridge section though - I was too busy trying to read the notes to see the signal from the leader.

2.  The sermon was about spiritual gifts, and particularly prophecy.  I liked the practical approach he took, which included asking a couple of people to explain the words they'd brought earlier in the meeting.  I found myself nodding to a lot of it.

3.  Saw Les Miserables at the cinema with a friend.  I think it was better than the stage version (certainly the 2nd time I saw it) and I liked that they incorporated a few details from the book which weren't in the stage musical.  It was very emotional though - as expected.  I kept myself together most of the way through, but the final 5 minutes were impossible!

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!

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.

A weekend of contrasts

Friday:

• No work today... but the funeral of a relative who died shortly before his 90th birthday.  A sad occasion, but comforting to hear of a long life lived with God and to know that he's with his Maker now.  No more sin, sickness, suffering, sadness... (Rev 21:4)
• We sang "There is a redeemer" as the final hymn.  The 3rd verse was particularly touching:

When I stand in glory,

I will see His face

and there I'll serve my King forever

in that holy place

• I had the house to myself for the rest of the day/weekend, so I took the opportunity to do some baking.  I've borrowed a friend's recipe book (Mary Berry's Simple Cakes) and made a lemon drizzle tray bake and some chocolate brownies.  Both were wonderfully easy.
• I also treated myself to a new electric hand mixer - what an improvement on the 20-year-old (at least!) mixer I'd been using until now.
• Finally, I joined a couple of friends for a nice girly evening
• enjoying some of the cake I'd made
• watching Nanny McPhee - I enjoyed it lots, and couldn't help admiring the crochet and patchwork beadspreads on the children's beds!

Saturday:

A trip to Carlisle with a friend

• we had browsed and had lunch at Orton Grange, which has something of an eclectic mix of lovely gifts, fairtrade clothes, patchworking materials, a hairdresser and a beauty shop!
• I was also pleased to see they stock Bolesławiec pottery - a distinctive style with childhood memories for me.
• The sun shone, so we made the most of it and enjoyed driving with the car hood down.
• Looking around craft shops in the town... and Fun2Do have started to offer classes in new techniques.  Much too tempting!

Sunday:

• Playing in the band at church
• I'm starting to experiment a little with how I play... still very basic stuff, but I used the octaves to give a bit of interest.  Playing the tonic, but at different positions on the guitar neck.  It's a way of getting to know the instrument a little better, so that I can move on a bit more as I gain confidence and my fingers get stronger.
• An encouraging meeting, with many people standing up to share how they'd grown with God during the hard times, and seen His faithfulness throughout (sometimes with hindsight!)
• A relaxing afternoon, but still getting a few things done.
• I've worked out (with help from a Ravelry forum) how to block the knitted moebius cowls I've made myself.  I pinned them onto (and round) the ironing board and held the iron over to give some steam; a few minutes to cool, and then move it round a bit further and start again.  They feel a bit softer and more luxurious now :o)
• A second go at a Tangy Onion Chutney - I'm a bit happier with how it's turned out this time.  I used a small amount of balsamic to replace some of the red wine vinegar, and have now got some grenadine syrup.  The first attempt got better over time, so I'm very optimistic for this one.  I'm looking forward to trying it with grilled goat's cheese on toast - yum!

Girly weekend

Andrew was away visiting his brother, so I've enjoyed a girly weekend:

Friday:
- a yummy meal with my prayer triplet.  I headed home fairly early to try to get a good night's sleep, but it was lovely to catch up with them both at last.

Saturday:
- I played my bass guitar for a short worship time at the ladies' quiet day for church.  I wasn't sure how well it would work just having me on bass and Becca on acoustic, but actually it sounded pretty good!  I feel self-conscious that I can only do very basic playing but it was enough.  I definitely need to make time for practising more though...
- The sun shone, and Camerton Hall was the perfect venue.  We were able to explore the grounds and sit outside during our quiet times.  Lunch was delicious too!
- I left after lunch to go birthday present shopping and found just what I needed.
- I've had Andrew's car this weekend and enjoyed the chance to drive around with the hood down all day.  Lovely summer weather!
- Once back home I relaxed with sitcoms and a rom-com (The Proposal - virtually a remake of While you were sleeping and fun to watch).
- I added almost 2" to the Clapotis scarf

Sunday:
- Unusual not to be at church around 9am; 10:30 was quite a treat!
- Caroline invited me back to their new house for lunch.  They've found a great house: it needs work but knowing what they've done before it's going to be stunning.
- I enjoyed simply relaxing with a friend and catching up.
- When Andrew & Gary got back we headed out to see the Scarecrow festival at Dean.  There were some fab scarecrows to be seen and it just amazes me how much effort and imagination has gone into the creations.
- and finally we caught up on the highlights from today's F1 race - I'm so pleased that Williams have finally won a race!

A very lovely weekend

Andrew had planned a weekend away for us, as our annual spring weekend away.  As often happens, he didn't tell me where we'd be going and it was lovely...

- On Saturday morning we drove to Bowness-on-Windermere (with a short stop for a ball of yarn in Cockermouth, when we bumped into Emily and Becca about to go looking at wedding dresses). 
- We caught the boat cruise to Lakeside, then a minibus to the transport museum.  We didn't look at the cars this time (except through the window) but had our sandwiches beside the weir, followed by tea and yummy brownie in the cafe.
- The return boat trip was quite a bit colder, but this time we could hear the commentary better and enjoyed looking at all the posh houses on the lakeside.
- We checked into the hotel (Hotel Belsfield, just above the landing area) which had stunning views across the water and over the town.  Our room was towards the back, but still with nice surroundings and a bottle of wine waiting for us.
- We didn't stop to drink that though... Andrew had booked tickets for the cinema to see "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".  We were the only online booking, so they were waiting for us!  It was a lovely old-fashioned cinema, complete with an intermission after the adverts and trailers.  I really enjoyed the film too - full of life, colour and very much a feel-good movie.
- Tapas at Bodega's near the lake.  I love this style of eating - a delicious Rioja with chorizo, chicken, mediterranean veg, Spanish omelette, salad and plenty of bread.  It's not so often that we can have a meal out together when neither of us is driving, and I do enjoy being able to relax over good food.

- On Sunday morning we enjoyed a cooked breakfast at a window table overlooking the grounds & lake, then I repacked my overstuffed suitcase to make it slightly easier for going away this week.
- The sun was shining!
- Finally... shopping in Bowness, lunch in the car while we waited for my colleagues, then I was off to Sweden again.

I've very much enjoyed a night away, when we could properly relax together.  I feel so blessed to live in this part of the world.

Sub-zero tourism in Brussels

From Saturday...

The snow had turned to slush and a temperature of -10C meant it wasn't going to disappear quickly. When the sun shone it was surprisingly warm though.

Today we wrapped up warm and:
- visited the Museum of the City of Brussels. It was fascinating to see maps, pictures and models showing how the city had been transformed over the centuries.
- had lunch at EXKi, a sort of fast food chain but specialising in healthier foods... we had lovely warm soup with bread. Later we had coffee in another branch.
- explored the little and grander streets. Andrew popped in to C&A to see an old familiar brand.
- visited the comic strip museum, which was about so much more than simply Tintin. It's also in a beautiful Art Nouveau building.
- after walking some more we popped back to the hotel and I was surprised to find the rugby was still on. We lost.