30th March 2011

Another month which has whizzed by. It has been a challenging last few days:

Leaking bathroom- if we stood in the kitchen we could shower due to the leak from the bathroom above which is coming through the light sockets! So I managed to find a great handyman via a friend who has re-grouted and re-tiled most of the bathroom. He has also re-sealed and whitened the grout in our bathroom.

Broken laptop- I knocked my cup-a-soup over my laptop on Monday! It immediately stopped working. Thankfully I had just backed up my work. I have also managed to install NVivo on Harry's laptop and have copied my project onto that. So I can still work whilst a friend is going to try and retrieve the data from my old laptop. A lesson learnt.

Crisis with my mother- My mum's mental health is deteriorating and she allowed some dodgy guys to do some work on her roof. However, when they were demanding £600 from her a lady who was driving by recognised the roofers ( who had done the same to her ) and she dialled 999. The police arrived within minutes and did a great job. Apparently these guys were well known to them. My poor mum is obviously very shaken up about this. So I drove an almost 400 mile round trip on Sunday to go and see her. We had a nice day and I took her to my dad's tree and then we went out for something to eat. She is so confused though and can't remember much at all. It is a worry and she won't move in with us.

Working on a second draft chapter this week and just about to have a brief interlude to meet a friend who is coming over from Cambridge. I'm planning on taking her to the John Bunyan museum and then out for lunch.

Looking forward to a night in tonight. Monday we had book group and last night was Alpha which was excellent.

Everything/Love Came Down

Spring is here

What a fab sunny day it has been. Recovering from a chest infection so haven't done much work at all this week. I'm feeling much better now that the antibiotics have kicked in so back to it tomorrow. The cold virus thing that both Graham and I had over a month ago unfortunately got the better of me despite prayer, echinacea, acai powder and vit c and zinc supplements every day! However, I'm sure I would have been a lot worse without the above as I feel ok really.

We had a busy week last week and ate out several times. Alpha is being held at an Indian restaurant which is great. I am accompanying someone who I used to work with who started coming to church a few weeks ago. It was a friend's birthday so the four of us enjoyed a lovely steak meal at Box End. Friday night we had friend's round and Saturday night we out to friends' dinner. Sunday, after church was spent watching Harry and band busk.

On Saturday several of us visited the Charles Rennie Mackintosh museum in Northampton which was a real treat. The museum is a reconstructed house which he had designed during the 1st World War. Mackintosh started the Art Nouveau Arts and Crafts movement which is evident throughout the house he designed for his friends.It was fascinating to see how each room had been designed and I was very surprised to see how the decor would not look out of place today.

Decision time in our house as Rosie needs to decide by Friday which school to go to. She may join her brothers or opt to stay with her friends and go to the newly-merged school from September. She has got friends at the other school. We continue to pray for wisdom in this.

Can't stop singing the Tim Hughes song Everything at the moment which is a constant reminder that God is in the everything of my life. Whether it is writing my thesis, doing the washing, spending time together as a family, eating and sleeping, He is there with me. I briefly sat outside today and for the first time this year I felt warm sun on my face. I am so thankful for the seasons.

Indoors but wanting to be outdoors!

I have been sat at the table working all day today. I haven't even been to the gym and came straight home after the school run, did a spot of tidying up and then started work. However I wish my writing had progressed as quickly as the day has! I've written a chapter plan and the introduction but that is all and it is 2.30pm and the children will be back home in less than two hours. So I thought I would have a quick break ( another one) and write a few words on here in the attempt to inspire my writing skills.

It has been a beautiful day all day. I'm looking out onto my garden and watching the birds who are watching the cat! There isn't a cloud in the sky and I so long to be outside walking across the fields and getting some fresh air. Never mind.

We've had a relatively quiet weekend although spent most of it ferrying the children to various parties and sleepovers. It was Harry's birthday on Thursday and we enjoyed a Chinese take away. He went to a party on Saturday. Charlie went to two parties on Saturday. I didn't sleep much as I was anxious about his whereabouts as he was staying at a friend's overnight and hadn't texted to say he arrived there after the second party. I know he is 17 and hopefully knows the boundaries where alcohol is involved and I know I should trust God but I woke up at 4am and didn't get back to sleep until 5.30am and most of the time praying for him! At church yesterday a friend whose son was with him at the same two parties said she also awoke at 4am feeling anxious and prayed. Anyway they both arrived at church, looking very tired nevertheless, but they were there.

Well my short break is over. Back to work

Spring is around the corner

Despite the cold weather we are having at the moment Spring is around the corner. The mornings are most definitely lighter as are the evenings and shrubs and flowers are growing and budding in the garden.

We had a good break although Graham and I were both ill with coughs an colds. We just couldn't rest as we had to be up early to sledge and ski every day. We walked miles every day. I'm sure the mountain air benefited us though.

The flat is looking more homely now with the addition of another sofa and a coffee table. The views from the lounge of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau are magnificent and we feel really blessed to not only have a place to stay but one with an amazing outlook. It is beyond my wildest dreams that we would ever have a home in the Bernese Oberland after spending the last twenty odd years in a tent on a campsite!

Back home and back to another chapter deadline for next Friday. If I can write 1000 words a day until then I will manage it, although I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself at the moment. Charlie has been on exam leave for the last two days as he has has mock AS levels so I am trying to motivate him to do some revision. It is Harry's birthday on Thursday and we'll go out for a family meal in the evening. He has a party to go to at the week-end and his recording studio session is at the end of the month where the band are going to cut their first disc! Rosie is busy planning her week-end as usual with friends and a sleepover will be involved no doubt.

Looking forward to my Freedom in Christ course tonight.