falling in love every day

One of the things that made me beam this week was someone asking if I'd heard the new hozier song as this lyric reminded them of me :

" I fall in love just a little ol' little bit everyday with someone new"

I had indeed already noted and loved the lyric - its not exactly an aim as such, tho to fall more in love - whether with new folk I encounter or my existing loved ones - is kinda what I'm about.

Off to church now to distribute oatcakes, I mean worship God.

I didn't agree with the preacher the other week. That's fine, I think preachers are there to spark faith, and can do so in just one word of their sermon, I don't have to agree with everything they say. On this occasion he had said we shouldn't chat to others in the pews before the service as we should focus our minds in the purpose of worshipping God. Now I'm sure we all go to church for a whole host of reasons. My main way of worshipping and being church is through connecting with others. I respect those who wish to silently focus themselves before the service starts, but I myself shall continue to check in with folk beforehand.
Today I forgot the oatcakes so had to run home for them. I spent a considerable chunk of the service cooling down :-)

oatcake mission

I did get a lie in - yay!!
But then a non stop circus of paid work and domestic stuff and this and that, all in a rush as I'm soon to set off to stoke. I'm not that keen on the M6 (well actually there's a section further north that I'm very fond of, but I'm not going that way today) so to be off onto it yet again today isn't massively appealing. But I love seeing my Grandma, and I love my friend whose birthday I'm off to celebrate. And the plan is to buy a shed load of staffordshire oatcakes as there have been a few requests ;)

9 packets purchased and that still left hundreds in the shop!

don't worry about a thing

When I woke at daft o clock this morning, it wasn't immediately followed by a pang of panic, fear or despair like it has every other early morning this last week or so, and thus I was able to go back to sleep. Hurrah! I know I'm using the word hurrah a lot at the moment. As you know, I think it is important to celebrate.
Today I'm off on a coach to Nottingham for a long long day. I'm hoping there will be some undemanding times where I can chill on the coach (tho our parts have just changed for one song so maybe will need to practice all the way there??) I'm also expecting uplifting times, that is after all why I sing.
At some point over the weekend I'm hoping to find the chance to add some photos to these blogs, but we'll see :)
We're not even on the motorway yet and I've eaten half my lunch. Now just passing Knutsford services and there's a queue caution but we're still moving.  I wasn't able to go with the choir when they travelled to Birmingham and a delay meant they warmed up and gave an impromptu gig on the hard shoulder... Here's hoping we don't need to do that today!
Not too far now and then I will need to concentrate on rehearsing.  I've even painted my nails a sparkly red B-)

I've never been through a stage door before B-) I am now very tired and suspect I may snooze on the coach,  might be 2 am before we're back in Preston... And home,  just after 2. Hope I can get a lie in!

strong tea bag

So, another day, another challenge. A friend has a poster with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt " A woman is like a tea bag, you can't see how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
To be honest, the only hot water I want to be in right now is a lovely relaxing bubble bath. Sadly this isn't the sort of hot water I'm in, but I've asked for help, and everything eventually will work out, it usually does.
Meanwhile this evening has even more than usual crammed in - dentist for us all, a drumming lesson, and then a presentation evening. Thankfully it looks like the weather is going to play ball to allow us to have chips on the seafront in between as there's no time to come home for any tea in between.

Hurrah, my helper was very wise and concluded I won't have to go to prison! For me I've always found honesty to be the best policy even if it means facing scary consequences - but that's always been better for me than wondering about those scary consequences on my own :) I know it's not everyone's approach but it works for me :D None of us ever have a full picture of what's going on, we only do our best in the moment. My body is objecting to the intensity it has been under these last few days/weeks/months. Normally I'd walk the dog during the drumming lesson but have just taken him out as he can't accompany us to the dentist/presentation eve too. So with the half hour of the drumming lesson, my plan is to sit in a field and look at the clouds for a while. Hurrah again.

this one doesn't have a title yet

Despite a spot of cheese just before bed I can't recall what I dreamed of. I don't think it involved being in large vehicles driven by strangers who couldn't control them so wreaked havoc, so this is progress on the previous two nights.
I suspect today will be busy. My main job is tue, wed, Fri. I was off yesterday and won't be in Friday either as I'll be singing in Nottingham. So it feels a bit like cramming a week's work into one afternoon as I'm running a workshop this morning.
Will try to bring more joy later...

i hear you knocking

I wondered if I was having an Eli moment (if memory serves, God talks to Eli but Eli doesn't realise and thinks it is someone else). I had definitely heard a knock, and the dog had heard a knock, but there was no-one at the front door or anywhere to be seen. I've been praying a lot so wondered if it was some kind of answer (that I didn't understand). I also have been feeling very stressed so wondered if I was hearing things - tho that didn't explain the dog.
Happily it turned out it was a knocking at the back door (no-one ever knocks at the back door, but then again, no-one usually jumps over my back wall to survey it.) As even more happily, it was a surveyor saying they are coming st the end of the week to do a long term reconstruction of the wall.  Fully at their cost. Hurrah.

I'm not going to win any parenting awards this week (good job I don't covet that kind of thing). There were a few tasks for the holiday that is coming to a close. The project is still half complete and can't be finished until it dries out some more. Despite several attempts, no correctly sized school shoes could be found so he'll be going back in his holey ones tomorrow. Hair uncut, voucher unspent. But we did have some awesome times at family camp, and a day out to Clitheroe, and he's had a lot of time to do the relaxing things he likes to do.

And I've realised I have to shift my bottom line. Thankfully no one has had to die in order for me to realise this, but I always used to say that things had gone ok if nobody died. Well, the truth is, fab as I am, I can't stop death. Grateful I've not had to learn this the hard way.

wind problem

things keep getting blown over. i've given up on the swinging bench, and had to spend a considerable time half way down the street retrieving the contents of my paper recycling bin. Bear in mind it contained a lot of ripped up Christian Aid envelopes and you can imagine what an activity that was. There was a piece of cardboard in it too large and without the lid shutting it was easy to blow over. Lesson learned.

I sometimes wonder if the radio is trying to communicate with me. On both the way to and from my boyfriend's flat there was the song "when the going gets tough." The going feels tough at the moment. I'd been holding onto some positive outcomes from recent difficulties, but 3 of the 4 hopefulnesses haven't come to fruition. Which still leaves one of course - I'm ever the optimist. But for now I feel a bit lacking in hope. I'm glad I have a day with my boy - we're off to meet up with my parents for lunch out. Then back to try and complete the homework project. The chicken wire part is complete. The papier mache isn't.

We played Fischy music both there and back. Whenever I hear my kids singing their songs I feel proud that there is at least one part of my parenting that I did well, introducing them to Fischy music. It did me good too :) As did a rather lovely vegetarian pate lunch. Nom nom.