Almost Christmas

Another year has whizzed by. I thank God for 2010 which has been an amazing year for our famiy. Highlights include:
Growth of our Saturday morning group
Growing in God, individually and as a family and the church
Charlie's Baptism
Good health
Friendships
Holidays
Graham's job and opportunities
My continuation with PhD
Charlie's gcse results
Harry's music and band
Rosie!
Our 'heaven on earth' bolthole in Interlaken


Psalm 7:17
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.


Psalm 107:1


107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!


Happy Christmas everybody.


Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon [1] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called [2]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Cold snap

The temperature hasn't been much above freezing for the last week. We've had lots of snow which seems to disrupt the transport system in the UK. I had to go to London for two days last week which was an endurance test in itself before I even started to tackle the NVivo 9 training course.

Graham and I are being challenged at the moment by our forgetful children. All three seem to be losing and forgetting things most days. Here are some of the things which have been lost this last week:
Charlie's testimony just before we set out to church!
One of Rosie's brand new school shoes which fell out of her bag on a games field
£10 worth of guitar picks which were left in an envelope
Harry's busking money was left on a cafe table yesterday in Cambridge. Happy ending though as somebody had handed it in and a friend of mine will collect it this week for him
Two school coats- both found
Harry's mobile phone- not found
Games kit left at home twice last week and once today ( Rosie)
Usual stuff like house keys, phones, school books which happen most days anyway!


We are thankful though for what God is doing in our lives at the moment. Charlie's baptism was amazing.. Harry and another person prayed for someone who had injured his arm and God took the swelling away! God has been teaching me about perseverance and remaining faithful to Him despite circumstances.

We've had a great week-end visiting friends on Friday night, rugby for Graham and Charlie on Sat, Romeo and Juliet theatre trip for Harry and friends round for Rosie and a bit of peace and quiet for me. Yesterday after church we went to Cambridge and Harry and two friends played Christmas carols and we met up with some friends.

19th November 2010

My eldest baby is 17 years old today!!! Really can't believe it. We are buying him driving lessons for his birthday. Driving is another hurdle I'll have to overcome as a mother. The challenges of parenting are changing all the time with each child and I pray for wisdom and guidance for both Graham and myself with all our decisions we have to make.

Anyway, Charlie and Harry are off to Norfolk with church for the week-end. It will seem strange not spending the evening with Charlie on his birthday but we will celebrate on Sunday when he gets back. Rosie is going to a friend's for a sleepover on Saturday, so we will be childless for the evening! We are to going to Cambridge for a meal and then are meeting up with friends later on.

Charlie is getting baptised next Sunday! Praise God. Both Graham's mum and dad and my mum are coming to the service, and possibly my brother and family. We are so proud of him making this decision.

12th November 2010

Can't believe that I haven't blogged for a whole month. We've had a break in Interlaken for four days which was a great opportunity to recharge our batteries and spend some time together as a family.

Life continues to be busy but fulfilling. Church is amazing and God is moving in our lives. Charlie is getting baptised in a couple of weeks, a week after after his 17th birthday.

My work continues steadily. I have finished data collection and am swimming in a sea of data.

Our flat will be ours on the 17th December- just got to pay for it! Cut backs in force big time to cope with the second mortgage. Looking forward to going out there during the Christmas holidays. Graham will fly out on the 17th for the handover.

Christmas is just around the corner. Winter too. Very windy here. We had winds up to 70mph last night.

15th October 2010

Half term already. The children break-up today for two weeks which is great. My mum is coming down on Sunday for a couple of days which will be nice as we haven't seen her for sometime.

Feeling challenged in several areas of my life at the moment and also excited about the prospect of a new leader joining the church. God is definitely in control. So pleased to read about the faith of some of the Chilean miners. God was evident throughout the whole process of their release and I just pray that the whole world will see what He has done and that He will get the glory.

Off to Interlaken for 4 days next week which will be a good time for us all to re-charge our batteries and to view the flat.

Thankful Thursday

Can't believe that three quarters of 2010 has passed. Time flies by. Tomorrow will be the first day of my (hopefully) final year as a PhD student.

It is a beautiful day today and I'm sat in my usual position, in the conservatory overlooking the garden. The sun is shining and I want to sit outside. But I can't. I have so much work to do and the deadline approaches. I will be working for a lot of the week end too. Apart from work we are going to Cambridge on Saturday to see some friends which I'm looking forward to.

Today I'm thankful that God never leaves me and is by my side in everything that I do. I'm thankful for my church and for the ladies event tonight. I'm thankful for Graham and the children of course and my health and for my many interests. I'm thankful for the apartment opportunity in Interlaken and pray we can use it for God's glory. I'm thankful and appreciative that life is good, very good and it is only by God's grace that it is.

Autumn

I'm sat writing this in the garden. It is lovely and sunny and hearing the birds singing in the trees the weather is almost Spring-like instead of Autumnal. It was the first day of Autumn yesterday and I'm noticing the shorter days already. As I spend so much time in the car from 4pm onwards transporting the children to various activities the darker evenings are very apparent. A new season is definitely here in more ways than one in my life.

Almost finished interviewing my participants and am preparing for 3 months of intensive data analysis which will take me up until the end of December.

Our Saturday morning church group has started back with the possibility of 4 more people joining us. Praise God.

We are almost the owners of a Swiss apartment and Graham flew out there on Monday to sign the contract. We plan to visit Interlaken for a few days during half-term so we can decide what furniture we need before we take ownership of it on the 1st Jan. Interlaken is our piece of heaven on earth and has been for over the last 20 years. We plan on sharing this piece of heaven with family and friends once it is furnished.

The children are busy with their new seasons too. Charlie is enjoying the sixth form and is working so hard. Harry has started his GCSE coursework and continues to songwrite and play his guitar. Rosie is back in the routine of hockey, swimming, lacrosse, badminton, church groups and being full-on with everything she does. There seems to be party after party and friends here there and everywhere. We had to make some decisions during the week about the HPV vaccine which I'd gaily signed the consent form about without putting much thought in it. However, the day before she was due to have it I just kept thinking she was too young at the age of twelve to have it and after researching the incidence and risk factors of cervical cancer and taking into consideration that I would hope Rosie will have regular smear tests and won't be sexually active for a long time yet we decided to postpone it. I sometimes feel that financial health service targets coupled with the invested interest of drug companies pressurise us parents to subject our children's immune systems to drugs that have not been around for long enough to guarantee their safety 100%.

Well, we were in the minority with our thinking as the majority of her year had the immunisation. However there were a few girls who didn't. As it turned out Rosie was unwell with a cold and cough that day and although she didn't have a temperature I wouldn't have felt happy with her having an immunisation that day. She is still unwell but has gone to school.

God and church continue to be my raison d'etre and on Sunday 5 people were baptised and a couple of healings were also witnessed! The Alpha course was launched last night with an Alpha Grill where we ate a bbq followed by a questions and answer session where 4 Christians were 'grilled'. It was an excellent and innovative way to launch the course.

Looking forward to the week-end already and a quiet one is planned after a hectic one last week where we had a dinner party followed by attending Rosie's friend's baptismal lunch after church which was really lovely and such an honour for us to be invited. Family XFactor night on Saturday followed by roast dinner on Sunday are the only things that are planned.

Prayer and fasting

Almost at the end of a week of prayer and fasting. As a church we are doing this in anticipation that God will become closer to us, change us as we seek to get closer to Him. It hasn't been easy and most of the time I've found it difficult to remember to pray, read my bible etc in place of the things I'm fasting from. For example, I haven't been on Facebook at all and I'm not eating junk food. I know I have lost weight which is a good thing and I know that too much Facebook is not good for me, and perhaps God is telling me not to go on it all, as it is just wasting time.

There have been extra praise and worship times at church during the week, including a 6am prayer meeting which Graham went to before work. We will go to the 8am service in the morning. All this is making me think that this is how we should be living our lives at all times.

Looking forward to the week end with the village show on Sunday. Harry and his band are playing which is great. Rosie has a hockey match tomorrow at Graham's old school and Charlie is starting to help out at youth club tonight. But most of all I'm looking forward to a Saturday night in as we haven't one for absolutely ages. Staying in is definitely the new going out for me! Perhaps I'm just getting old.

I've had a busy week work wise and will have interviewed 6 people by the end of tonight! I now have 19 participants which means I'm running to schedule. If I write about 500 words a day for the next couple of weeks I'll be on target to finish a piece of work before the end of the month.

Our flat in Interlaken looks set to go ahead which is so exciting. We have paid the deposit and have secured the mortgage at a very low rate of interest. Graham flies out next week to meet the notary and a completion date has been set for the 4th Jan. Ikea here I come, but won't be able to rent it out for a while.

Shuttleworth 10

We returned from a camping trip to Shuttleworth yesterday. 2000 people from the Eastern region of New Frontiers churches gathered together to worship God and listen to David Stroud and Steve Tibbert preach about where we are in God's story of time and how to live out our faith courageously. The worship was wonderful with all songs being my favourites! What I have brought away from the week end will be hopefully character building and changing. God met with me in a deep way this week-end and I just so loved spending time in His presence.

The camping experience was one of endurance due to the weather conditions. It was so cold and rainy. However, spending time with my church family made up for it and we managed to have two bring and share teas where about 50 of us congregated in a marquee in the middle of our allocated pitch. The children thought it was wonderful and all said it was the best one they had been to out of the last three years.

Typically that we are back home and the weather is glorious today with bright sunshine and a blue sky. Definitely got that end of summer feel to it though with dew on the grass and a slight chill. Today is Charlie's last day of the summer holidays before he starts sixth form tomorrow. My baby looks so smart in his business suit! We are immensely proud of him achieving mostly a stars in his gcses. It is such an achievement for him and he wouldn't have reached his potential without God and with all his growth group and leader praying for him, as they did for all the boys in the group everyday during the exam period.

Rosie has lacrosse training for two days and then back to school. I need to take Harry to town today to buy him school shoes. I know I have left it a bit late in buying school shoes so hope we find some for him. He also wants to read The Hobbit and I plan on a trip to Waterstones as we can't find our copy.

I have a busy week ahead of me work wise with 3 or 4 interviews lined up plus I need to start thinking about a piece of work I need to send off to my supervisors before the end of September.

The apartment in Switzerland looks set to go ahead. We have paid a deposit and Graham needs to fly out to Interlaken the week after next to sign the contract. Not sure when it will be ours, but hope we can visit it in October half term to decide what furniture it will need. Don't think we will be able to rent it out for awhile but plan on letting family and friends use it.

Anyway must go and start the day

Back in Bloggyland!

So much has happened during my month away from Bloggyland that I don't know where to start. So, in summary, I am thanking God for the following during Summer 2010:

1. Our wonderful two week holiday in Switzerland. It is like returning home each time we go. We have been to the same place for the last 22 years. We are thinking of buying a very small apartment in Interlaken as we know we will continue to visit this beautiful area to walk in the glorious mountains twice or more a year. The first few days were strange without Charlie- I felt bereft at times! He had an amazing time in Rome and did so much during the 5 days he was there. Graham and Harry went to meet him, but his flight was delayed by 51/2 hours so they missed the last train back to Interlaken and had to stay in Basel overnight! Highlights of the first week's holiday included a boat trip on Lake Thun, Trotti-biking down the Niederhorn and walking up Harder Kulm. A family from church were staying on the same campsite for a few days so we had several enjoyable evenings with them, playing games, bbq-ing marshmallows, and eating chocolate fondues. The second week was spent in Grindelwald at Hotel Bodmi, in an apartment at the very top of the hotel. The weather wasn't brilliant, but we still had a good time and did the usual walks, including the 6 hour hike from Kleine Sheidegg to First which was amazing. We swam most days and played several games of tension-filled Monopoly with Rosie reigning as our new family champion. So, Graham is flying out on Saturday to meet the estate agent and view the property. We are praying for wisdom and guidance in making the right decision here as we will have to borrow the money. Hopefully, we'll be able to rent it out during the skiing season and times when we know we won't use it. We would be able to go for week-ends as flights are inexpensive, and we will drive for longer trips.

2. All the children have been with 7,000 other 12-18 year olds at Newday for the last 5 days. It is the first time ever that Graham and I have been without all the children for a period of time. It has been so strange and I have missed them so much. They return today at 1pm and I can't wait to see them. Both Rosie and Harry took friends from school and we have been praying that God will have met with them in a life-changing and tangible way. So, during this time away from my taxi-driving job, I have a relatively clean house, I have blitzed the boys' rooms and have taken 4 bin bags of clothes to charity, I have worked on my project, Graham and I have been out for a couple of nice meals. On Saturday evening we drove to Cambridge and went to Browns and had such a nice meal. We were going to go away walking in the Dales for the week-end which leads me on to the next point.

3. A lesson learned from God about trusting Him, and not avoiding his promptings, which thankfully we didn't. We kept putting off booking our week-end away and in the end I just ran out of time as we were too busy organising Charlie's trip with his friend and our own holiday. On holiday we had a text message from Graham's mum to say that she had a date for her hip replacement op which was last week-end. So we knew that was the reason why we hadn't booked anywhere. We have been able to take Beryl to the hospital, visit everyday and take Graham's dad to see her and look after him too. He is 86, walks unsteadily with a stick and we have been able to discourage him from driving so far. I will set off after I've written this to bring her home. The operation has been successful and she is recovering well. I feel I am really living my project at the moment and will have to see how they get on during the next few weeks as it will be difficult for me to drive over every day when we are back at school and the routine of a new term. They live 30 minutes away, and I'm just praying that Beryl will be ready to go home when I get to the hospital so I will be back in time to collect the children!

3. I am so thankful for changes, the new season which is ahead of us, a new term for the children, a new stage in Charlie's life with sixth form. I had supervision yesterday and in order for me to complete this PhD in three years, I am going to have major deadlines each month and will be extremely busy during the next year. Less coffee and lunch time with friends I think. But with God's help, I will do it. We did talk about me having some time off ( suspension) if Graham's parents need more help, so we will see.

4. I am thankful that we have a new baby nephew and cousin for the children in the family. Baby Henry was born 2 days ago to my sister-in-law and brother and is doing well.

Summertime

Counting down the days now until our holidays. So looking forward to it! Feeling quite excited as we've decided to drive across Europe through the night which we haven't done since before the children were born.

Feeling apprehensive about Charlie having five days in Rome with a friend and his family and then flying on his own to Basle where we will meet him. I'm just praying that God will protect him. I know this is a sign of things to come the older he gets and it won't be too long before he flies the nest.

I have three interviews to do this week as well as fitting in a busking trip to Cambridge with Harry and his band.

Rosie went to Dorset with a friend this weekend and I drove to meet her in Newbury yesterday. I was so pleased to see her. She had a great time and had been swimming in the sea and out on a pedalo.

My car has been repaired after it rolled down the drive and crashed into the wall as I hadn't put the handbrake on properly! We walked to the garage in Kempston to collect it on Saturday morning. The walk was lovely through the village and along the river. In the afternoon we met some of our home group at the river festival. We found a lovely 'afternoon tea' tent and stayed there for the afternoon drinking tea and eating scones away from the hustle and bustle of the festival- think I'm getting old but there were thousands of people there and we couldn't move and had to queue to cross the bridges!

Holidays

I've had such a busy week work wise, but have achieved a lot and am now thinking about our holiday in a couple of weeks, whoop, whoop!

I presented a poster at the BSG last week and presented a paper at the International Carers Conference at the week end. I was so nervous beforehand, but God took my fear away! Lots of people were praying for me and I could sense that God was with me throughout the weekend.

So, my second year as PhD student is almost over and I am ready for a holiday before I start my final year. The children have broken up from school. As I write this I'm looking out onto our garden with four children asleep in two tents. Both Harry and Rosie had friends over yesterday and they decided to camp out. Tonight Harry has his first gig with his band Sel Zout at a local nightclub. It is a school competition. Charlie is half-way through his work experience which he is enjoying.

I have two people coming to house/Lily sit when we're away which is great. I really didn't want to put her in a cattery for two weeks.

So, life is very good. I have so much to thank God for, including the much needed holiday where we can re-charge our batteries and have some quality family time together.

Hot hot hot!

This weather is amazing! It has been wall-to-wall sunshine for almost a week now. It was my birthday on Sunday and I felt really blessed by my family and friends. We were going to go out but stayed in and chilled in the garden. Both Graham and I felt a bit out of sorts during the week end so took the time to re-charge our batteries.

Busy couple of weeks ahead with a poster presentation a week today and a paper one a week on Sunday. I'm trying to work but it's too hot to concentrate.

Rosie's party

Rosie had a great party. God answered two specific prayers that evening-one that the rain would keep away and it did and that our electricity would come back on in time for the party. We had been without electricity during the afternoon, but thankfully I had made the brownie cake in the morning. We invited our neighbours to the party who came with their cute two-year old son who was a hit with 20 12 year old girls!

Church on Sunday was amazing! We saw the father heart of God manifested amongst us in such a way that people were crying, there were tears of joy and people were just overwhelmed by His love for us. Graham whispered to me when we were singing 'Here is love, vast as the ocean 'that this old hymn reminded him of our old church in Cambridge as we used to sing it a lot. The same memory came flooding back to me and I found it hard not to cry as I remembered old times and also the meaning of this powerful old hymn. I can't escape the fact that my heart yearns to be back in Cambridge. I'm not just looking back at the past but can see a future for us there. God did speak to me last October during a women's conference about moving back one day. But it is all His timing and not mine.

Was fortunate to have had four lunches out last week with friends! It was great to catch up with old friends and a new friend, a lady who has recently moved to the area and has joined our church. We had such a good conversation about how we should not live in the past or future but thank God for each day and that He gives us everything we need just for the day. There are so many references in the bible to this and just thinking of 'This is the day that the Lord has made, be glad and rejoice in it' is one. It is so important to live in the present and to deal with things in our past so they don't become our present.

Still recruiting participants for my study, and I have about half now. I have had a couple of good networking meetings at local day care centres which I'm hoping will lead to carers showing an interest in the project.

It is our 19th Wedding Anniversary today and my birthday on Sunday so we have a lot to celebrate. We are going out for a nice meal over the week-end.

Charlie has his last exam today. It has been great having him home everyday during the last few weeks. He is now off school until September.

June 13th 2010

Haven't written for a while- so much has been happening. Exams, Rosie away with school, birthdays. Graham's mum had a birthday last Thursday and Rosie will be 12 years old tomorrow. My baby is growing up too quickly. She is having the party of the year next Saturday. Harry's band will be playing and 20 girls will be wearing pretty summer dresses and enjoying a chocolate fountain and mocktails- hopefully if the weather is good.

I'm so busy with my work and have got a couple of conference presentations coming up, one a poster and one a paper. Not looking forward to the paper one and will only be able to do it with God's help.

Half-Term

Thankfully the weather has improved since the above photos were taken two days ago. Summer is here again The children are off school this week and we are spending it at home. Both boys are revising and Rosie is meeting up with friends. We did enjoy a family trip to the seaside on Monday despite the cold weather. Tonight we're going out with another family for a Chinese buffet which should be nice.

Work is going ok. I now have 7 participants and am very busy interviewing, transcribing the interviews and analysing the data. I am so enjoying it though.

Lake District

I've had a great few days. Last Friday I went to a health spa with 4 friends for the day and the following day, with four other friends I went to the Lake District for a climb. We set off at 5.45am and arrived at Glenriddin at 10.30am. We started the climb/walk up Helvellyn which is the third highest peak in the Lakes at 10.45am and arrived at the summit at 3pm after an arduous walk. The weather was brilliant and the views absolutely stunning. The climb over the top of Striding Edge was exhilarating. At the bottom we drove to Cockermouth, about forty minutes away where my friend's parents have a cottage. We all showered and then walked to the town centre to a pub for a lovely meal. We walked back and were all tucked up in bed by 11pm! We were shattered. The next day some of us struggled to walk, but nevertheless we were up at 8am and after breakfast we drove to Buttermere and walked around the lake. After the walk we had lunch and set off home. Graham and the children were pleased to see me.

Charlie has now officially left the senior school and is on exam leave. It seems very strange, but he is busy working and really wants to do well. Harry and Rosie are looking forward to half-term which is only the week after next. I can't believe how fast time goes. The weather has really picked up and it is lovely and hot. The birds are singing and all the trees and shrubs are in flower. I so love this time of year. The horse chestnut trees on Manton Lane are resplendent with their white 'candlesticks'.

Supervision tomorrow where we'll discuss the 8,000 word draft methodology chapter. Thankfully it is my first draft. I have been extremely busy with my work and have managed to recruit five participants for the study. So I am trying to focus myself so I can transcribe interviews, which is really dull.

Looking forward to growth group and church this week. I so missed Sunday.

Wednesday 5th May

Another month goes by. I've had a great week so far, despite a day spent in bed with a virus temperature buggy thingy. Thought it was hayfever symptoms at first. Feeling better now though and trying to get fit for my walk up Helvelyn via Striding Edge next week-end.

The Bank Holiday week-end was good. We didn't do much apart from a barbeque one day and another we went to see Graham's parents. Charlie has his first proper gcse tomorrow so we need to tread softly around him for the next few weeks. Harry got a distinction in his grade five guitar exam and is very pleased with himself. Rosie is also getting ready for exams.

Just about to start my 10,000 word draft methodology chapter and I will be very happy once I have finished it as I'm so busy with recruiting participants at the moment. I went to an Age Concern meeting this morning which was a good networking event.

Sunday 25th April 2010

Church today was completely amazing; as Acts 1-8 was preached on I felt so stirred by God's word I literally felt my heartbeat quicken. Richard spoke prophetically and what moved me the most was when we prayed for people whose origin wasn't the UK. About a third of the congregation walked to the front and we prayed that God would bless them. Bedford is a multi-cultural town and many nations are represented within our church. Praise God!

The week-end has been restful with glorious weather. We even managed to get the barbecue out. We felt encouraged by the addition of a wonderful family at home group on Saturday and spent the rest of the day chilling in the garden after painting the garden furniture in an attempt to rejuvenate it as it is falling apart a bit.

Harry had his grade 5 guitar exam first thing this morning. Hopefully he did ok and at least it's out of the way. Charlie is preparing for the start of his gcses with a Spanish oral exam on Friday. He also had his last rugby game of the season this morning and scored two tries- his only ones this season. He was really made up about it. Rosie had a friend over yesterday and met up with some more friends today. She has been complaining of a sore ankle for a few days now. It doesn't look swollen but I may have to get it checked out this coming week. Graham has had a very busy week driving to a different town every day. Thankfully next week won't be as bad.

I had supervision last week which was really productive. Despite the criticism ( constructive ) about my interview technique it was a really good two hour session about the thesis. My supervisors all gave me great help and advice and will really try and help me finish by the end of the third year. So, that is 18 months to go which means I really need to start writing! I have a whole chapter to produce by next month ( 10,000 ) words, a conference abstract to write, a Website piece to write, a poster to produce for a presentation and continue with the fieldwork and literature. So, less facebook, less Internet browsing, less coffee and lunchtime chats with friends ( well, a little less) and more focus required. But with God's help I will do it.

France, mum's 80th and end of holidays

We have had a lovely break in France. We went to Center Parcs in the Loire valley with some friends and had a relaxing time. Charlie also brought a friend with us and the 7 children got on really well together. The journey home was not so good, probably due to the airport closure as a result of the volcano eruption in Iceland causing a cloud of volcanic ash above most of Europe. The sheer volume of traffic was horrendous throughout northern France. We eventually arrived home at 2.30am and then had to be up bright and early for a three hour journey to Stalybridge, where my brother lives. He had organised a party for my mum's 80th. The weather was superb and the journey and views across the peak district and moors was stunning. It was good to see everybody and catch up with all their family news, some good, and some not so good. But that is life.

Have just taken Harry to church for band practice before the service. Graham has taken Charlie to Aylesbury for hopefully his last rugby match of the season. Looking forward to worshipping God this morning and listening to His word.

The children are back at school on Tuesday. It has been a good break for all of us, even though I have managed to do a lot of work during the last three weeks.

Holidays

The children have broken up from school and I'm particularly looking forward to a break from sitting in traffic for long periods several times a day. I have got lots of work to do but I have got a few days holiday to look forward to in a couple of weeks.

Still continuing with the weight battle and it is slowly coming off. If I could maintain my focus for more than two or three days a week I would lose more than 1.5 pounds a week.

Enjoying the book of Proverbs at the moment. What wise truths God has given us to put into practice.

Week-end

Spring is well and truly here and whilst it has taken a long time to get here I am so appreciative of the changing seasons that God has given us and am enjoying so much the lighter, warmer days, the birdsong and the flowers. There are daffodils everywhere. My poinsettia plant which I bought at Christmas finally died so I have replaced it with a large vase of daffodils on the window bottom.

The children broke up from school yesterday and have three weeks holiday, which is great. The week has gone well and I had supervision on Wednesday which was ok. I'm conscious of the amount of work I have to do and also the groundwork I need to cover in order to recruit further participants. I will need to go to Luton to visit carers groups next week sometime and revisit my contacts here so not to lose the momentum.

A quiet week-end is planned. Charlie has his last rugby match tomorrow. Graham has sold his car and we are getting a company one next week. We have bought a little mini-convertible which will be fun to drive for me, as I'm so used to driving a bus! We pick it up today.

Remembering dad

It would have been my Dad's 89th birthday on Saturday. I had been thinking about him during the week and my ancestors. This prompted me to look at the family tree again which I had previously traced to 1798. My maiden name is pretty uncommon so it was relatively easy to do. Anyway, I found a Website from my ancestors' area in Lancashire. On this Website somebody had posted a family tree of a man with the same surname dating back to 1580. Imagine my surprise when I saw my grandparents names on it! I contacted the Website and they are interested in my old photos from both World wars as they contain people from that area. So I scanned 23 photos of my dad and his family plus war photos and emailed them to the Website. The Website is amazing and I was moved and delighted to see photographs that someone had placed on there of about 15 gravestones with details about my ancestors. Not only that but they are in a Baptist Chapel graveyard. My Christian heritage. My grandad was a lovely humble Methodist who worshipped at a Wesleyan Chapel so it is news that ancestors from 100 years before were Baptists.

We went to the leaving party of one of our church leaders on Saturday. Whilst we are really excited about his future we will really miss him, his teaching and preaches. He preached for the last time yesterday and what an amazing sermon it was too. He preached on Joseph and how God has been working for our good before we are born, is working for our good whilst we are alive and also in the future.

Yesterday afternoon was glorious so we went for a long walk across the golf course. Spring has definitely sprung.

The children break up from school on Friday which I'm looking forward to. Worked hard today transcribing interviews and writing field notes and memos.

Monday 15th March 2010

Another lovely bright sunny day. It's amazing as people seem so much more cheerful when the sun is shining. Weight loss of 1lb which is ok- was expecting more but the curry on Saturday night and chocolate yesterday probably didn't help. Well it was Mother's Day after all.

I did a 30 min programme on the jogging machine today which felt easier. Looking forward to the week ahead.

Spring signs

We have had such a cold winter for England. I have spent the last two months feeling chilled. At last I can see that Spring is almost here. I'm sat in my conservatory overlooking the garden and I can see budding flowers and growing daffodils. Despite living on the edge of a large town, albeit in a village, God's wonderful creation is everywhere. Think we have a birds nest in the Laurel tree as there are a lot of birds toing and froing, or they might just be escaping the cat who is on the prowl. A squirrel is scurrying up the willow tree and the sound of birdsong is lovely. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. It's going to be a lovely day.

The week has gone well. I have worked hard this week and conducted my first interview which went well. I've installed NVivo and after I've transcribed the interview I will be ready to go. I have a second participant lined up for next week and I'm really hoping that I manage to recruit participants weekly for the next further 13 weeks, because after a second interview that will take me up to July/August time. I really aim to complete after 3 years.


We had good news about Charlie's GCSE module results. Don't know how he managed to do so well really, considering the amount of work he did. I just hope he doesn't become complacent. However, he is delighted and it is lovely to see him so encouraged by his results. We are continuing to pray about his A level choice, and that he makes the right decision. He has no idea what he wants to do, which is absolutely fine. There is so much pressure on young people today and I just want him to take one step at a time, seeking God in every major decision he makes about his future. The other two are fine. Harry is playing in the band all day today for Let's Go Kids an event for children from 4 to 10. Rosie is playing in a lacrosse tournament and Charlie has a DT gcse session followed by a home football match. So it looks like I will be on my own for some time today. Graham is away at a university reunion and rugby match in Scotland this week-end. Bad planning as we booked the trip last year, not realising it is Mother's Day tomorrow! So, I will be without Graham tomorrow for the first time ever on this day. Never mind. We have a special Mothering Sunday service tomorrow which will be good. I have sent my mum some flowers and will take Graham's mum some flowers today.

I'm going out tonight with a group of friends for a friend's birthday which should be good fun.

Anyway must go and get ready for our home group, which will be a bit thin on the ground today. But it says in the bible that 'If two or more people are gathered in His name, Jesus is with us' which is good enough for me.

Forgiveness

The sermon yesterday was about forgiveness. It sounds easy. God forgives us therefore we must forgive others. How hard that can be to put into practice? We say, 'I've forgiven that person, but I haven't forgotten.' That is not true forgiveness. The service was conducted in such a sensitive manner with an opportunity for people to make things right before God and other people before we took communion.

After church we went for a long walk around the village and golf course. it was a beautiful day but extremely cold. Today I went to the gym for the first time in ages, and feel so much better for doing so.

I am preparing myself for my first interview with my first participant on Wednesday. I'm so excited about it and am determined to do it well. I do need more though participants pretty quickly and am still contacting carers' groups and mothers' websites in an attempt to recruit some.

My diet is back on track and whilst I haven't lost any weight, I also haven't gained any- one way of looking at it, I suppose.

I've just come back from cheering Rosie on at her cross country match. She did very well and came about 50th out of 200 girls.

Harry's birthday

Harry celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday. We bought him a laptop which he needs for school work and also it will stop him from using mine! We all went out to Frankie and Benny's in the evening and the lights were dimmed and the whole restaurant sung 'Happy Birthday' to him when the waitress brought his dessert. He is going to have his party in a couple of weeks which will involve 6 or 7 noisy boys, a band and no sleep.

Graham is off to a men's conference on Saturday with a large group of guys from church which he is looking forward to.

The weather remains cold but sunny and bright. Off to a coffee morning with friends shortly and then a birthday lunch with a friend. Seem to be socialising a lot this week, but have been working hard too. Attended a visual methods seminar yesterday which was very interesting and am recruiting participants. Still haven't got my first one yet but I am so close to a couple. I just don't want to pressurise people.

Signs of Spring

I thought the first day of Spring was the 21st March. However I heard on the radio today that it is officially March 1st. The weather has been beautiful today, very warm and sunny. There are signs of daffodils and tulips in the garden as they start to grow.

We've had a good week-end. Yesterday's service was amazing. It was a special service to recognise our lead elder in his new role of leading the church. We are so very privileged to be part of our church.

Back from holiday

We had an amazing week in Wengen and it was good to spend time with my brother and his boys. The children loved skiing which has really improved this year after 3days of lessons. They even went down a black run. Harry ( middle name danger ) was fearless and sledged down some of the ski runs. I did worry when he was on some of the runs and during a snowstorm he went ahead of us and managed to get lost. His phone was out of charge so we couldn't contact him. We learnt some lessons that day.

The snow followed us back through Europe and as I write this it is snowing heavily. Yesterday was spent recovering from the 15 hour drive home. We got home at 2am. I washed and mended school uniform for the boys including blazers and trousers and Rosie's sweater had a hole around the neck. The children went back to school today but I am waiting for a phone call from the school to say it is closed due to the snow!

Must be more disciplined when on holiday as I have let my bible readings slip by one week. I will catch up over this coming week, but I am easily distracted when not in my usual routine. I must endeavour to make more of an effort next time we are away.

Looking forward to the coming week. I plan to follow-up the children's centre letters with a visit or phone call and have a two day training course on NVivo which help me with my data analysis. We are going to a quiz on Friday to fund raise for Charlie's World Challenge trip and both Rosie and Harry have parties. Our home group resumes on Saturday morning after a break for half-term which should be good.