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.