How Does Your Garden Grow?

Bob commented on the lovely red and green foliage and the rich red berries on some of the bushes in the garden, so I went outside with secateurs to cut some for a vase in the lounge.

 

 

 

 

It does look wonderfully festive.

 

 

 

The bark on the silver birch is beautiful

 

 

The hardy fuchsia is in flower too. This was a gift some years ago from our friends George and Ellen. George died this past summer, but the blooms will always remind me of him. He was a tall gentleman, who was particularly fond of singing the old hymns.

I was about to go inside when I noticed something in the middle of the lawn. The grass is rather long at the moment, but there was one solitary flower right in the middle. I have no idea where it came from - we don't have any of these anywhere else on our patch!

We are not good gardeners- so these flowers are a joy and a blessing which we do not really deserve! Real gardeners know that you have to put effort in if it is to continue to blossom.

As Kipling said

"Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made, by saying "Oh how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade" 

But life's rather busy at the minute, so there is less "Hoe, hoe, hoe" and more "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Certainly NOT A Fete-Worse-Than-Death!

Friday was almost non-stop sewing. I sewed some costumes for the youngest children at school who are doing a Christmas Production.

I am not altogether sure where these vehicles fit into the Nativity Story. I mean, had they been aeroplanes, it would have been the Flight Into Egypt [with Pontius the Pilate!]

I think this may be another story altogether

Then I cut out lots of stockings. It was amazing to realise how many different pieces of 'Christmas Fabric' I have in the Great Stash

These were put into pairs, and sewn up with lace trim, then stuffed with small toiletries, to sell at the School Fete.

Then I made some Christmas bunting - some to take to Cornerstones, and some for Liz...

I assembled all my other bits and pieces for the fete and fell into bed  extremely late.

The Fete today went well - but I think there were far fewer people there than last year, and everybody seemed to feel they had done less business on their stalls. But I had some great conversations with children and parents and dished out lots of flyers for the Panto at Church [ Saltmine Theatre Co are coming to do "Treasure Island"]

I embroidered quite a few bibs and facecloths and wondered at the amazing names people give their children!

When I got home, after a rest, I went into the loft to retrieve the Jesse Tree and a few more bits to take to Cornerstones. We've decided not to over-decorate [especially as we don't actually go till Dec 27th, which is after Christmas] but we thought it would be good to put wreaths on the doors and just a few little festive touches.

In the box labelled "Wreaths" I found something I had forgotten about - last January, in IKEA's sale, I got a straw wreath for just 50p

It was worth that for the basket it is in - but I need to decorate it a little. It will have to hang inside, it is in no way weatherproof. I shall leave it out for a few days and wait for inspiration to strike!

But now I must get some sleep!

The Spice Of Life

This is the spice rack Liz picked up for a song at a local Church Fete.

The picture shows the rack after she sanded and repainted it. [Apologies for the poor quality of the photo - it came via various mobile phones to my PC.] I think it looks very smart - and will no doubt get plenty of use in Liz's kitchen. She's asked me to make some labels for the spices and will then send me another picture to post on the blog.

Her chosen spices are these...

cinnamon

lebkuchen

mixed spice

ginger

juniper

nigella seed

paprika

fennel seed

coriander seed

cayenne pepper

curry powder

mustard seed

I must admit that there are quite a few there which I have never used. 

I have been doing lots of sewing today - including another project Liz asked me about. Will post photos later about all that.

What is your favourite spice? I love nutmeg, and have a very old nutmeg grater - I enjoy grating nutmeg into hot drinks, milk puddings and mashed potato. I'm also quite fond of sprinkling smoked paprika into savoury dishes [I keep that in a pretty little tin I got when Liz took me to Budapest back in 2005] Christmas cooking is definitely redolent of cinnamon, and ginger belongs with cold winter nights - but is there a spice for the summer months?

I presume Mr Lawson named his cooking daughter after the flower and not the seeds!

Leaves From the Jesse Tree

 

Last year at church we used some Advent notes by David Coffey which briefly mentioned the "Jesse Tree" -  used by many Christians as an alternative to the more familiar Advent Calendar.

The Jesse Tree is decorated with symbols relating to the coming of the Messiah as foretold in Scripture - from Genesis through to the Gospels.

Above is a picture of one I made earlier! So this year I've prepared a whole month of bible notes entitled "Leaves from the Jesse Tree" round this theme, for members of our congregation. Just a simple thought, and a few verses, for each day of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

If you would like to use this material too, you should be able to download it by clicking the link below

 Leaves From The Jesse Tree

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

Scissors and Soup

Another busy day. Very satisfying teaching at school, then after that, Sewing Club. The girls are working well on their Christmas bits.

They are particularly keen on the 'leaf' stitch on Ann's machine, sewn in a variegated thread,  which you can see here on the bottom of Ellie's purse - and another variant of it below on the hem of Bethany's mat.

I got a new pair of scissors in John Lewis for the Club

We were greatly amused by the instructions on the back of the packaging...

..yes, you do need a pair of scissors to remove the scissors from the pack. Bit of a Catch 22 situation there, I think!

Bob has been equally busy. Among other things, today he was hosting the lunch for the local clergy. So he'd made a tureen of carrot and coriander soup for them. When I got home this evening, there was a bowl of soup and warm bread rolls waiting for me. A lovely treat on a cold autumn evening.

 

The man has been today to measure up for our new windows. It will be lovely to have the faulty ones replaced at last- but I am not at all sure that the first week in December will be a good time to have this done.

I shall just have to keep even busier and move about a lot more so I do not feel the cold. Lots of hot soup to be eaten that week, I think!

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

He's The Reason For The Season!

Church Ads have a new Christmas poster. Here is the poster - and the accompanying article from their website. I do hope it gets lots of people talking!

Christmas starts here. In January churchgoers were dismayed by atheist bus adverts proclaiming that ‘There’s probably no God’.
They will be encouraged to hear that recent research by Theos reveals that 85% of people agree that ‘Christmas should be called Christmas because we are still a Christian country’. But, research also shows that only 12% of adults know the facts of the Christmas story in any detail – the figure dropping to just 7% amongst 18‐24 year olds. So, to keep Christmas focused on Christ, we need to constantly tell the story of his birth in ways which engage positively with the public.
Churches of all denominations are therefore being urged to participate in an advertising campaign: ‘Christmas Starts with Christ’. Posters on bus shelters feature a painting by the renowned artist, Andrew Gadd, depicting the traditional nativity scene in a modern day equivalent of a stable – a bus shelter. Radio commercials cleverly and light‐heartedly set the nativity in the context of a soccer match, a horse race, a police car chase and the Christmas pop chart countdown. The ads have been created by ChurchAds.net, an ecumenical charity comprising senior communications officers from the Anglican, Methodist and Baptist churches; plus the Church Army and Salvation Army, together with Christians from media and advertising organisations.
Church leaders have welcomed the campaign, urging churches to
participate. Nick Baines, Bishop of Croydon says: ‘This year’s atheist bus adverts backfired (for the atheists) by putting God on the public agenda and provoking people to ask if he is there. Well, Christians now have a chance to say a firm and confident ‘yes – and he looks like Jesus! Christmas is his festival.’
Visit www.ChurchAds.net for more information

Monday, 16 November 2009

Bonhoeffer's Words For A Pastor's Wife

Jim Graham reminded us in his blog today that yesterday was the anniversary of the ordination in 1931, of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Back in the early 1980's, Bob wrote his dissertation on DB, and as I typed it up I got to read a lot of stuff written by and about this amazing man. And I mean typed - in those pre-PC days it was all sheets of A4 in the typewriter, tapping away with my right hand, whilst my left arm cradled a new baby. Then Bob would get home, proof-read and edit the pages - and I would re-type the corrected stuff the next day. No cut-n-paste, or 'save changes to...'!

Whilst imprisoned by the Nazis, DB wrote a wedding day sermon for his niece, Renate, who was marrying another Pastor [DBs best friend and subsequent biographer, Eberhard Bethge] These words challenge me as much today as they did 25 years ago when I first read them...

God gives you Christ as the foundation of your marriage. ‘Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God’ (Romans 15:7). In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don’t insist on your rights, don’t blame each other, don’t judge or condemn each other, don’t fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts.

Your home will be a pastor’s home. From it, light and strength will have to go out into many other homes. The pastor undertakes a life of special discipline. The husband must bear alone much that belongs to his ministry, since the ministry is his and must, for the sake of God, be a silent one. So his love for his wife must be all the greater, and he must be all the more concerned to share with her what he may. And as a result the wife will be able to lighten the husband’s burden all the more, stand by his side, give him help. As fallible human beings, how can they live and work in Christ’s community if they do not persevere in constant prayer and forgiveness, if they do not help each other to live as Christians? The right beginning and daily practice are very important indeed.

From the first day of your wedding till the last the rule must be: ‘Welcome one another… for the glory of God’.

That is God’s word for your marriage. Thank Him for it; thank Him for leading you thus far; ask Him to establish your marriage, to confirm it, sanctify it, and preserve it. So your marriage will be ‘for the praise of His glory’

Coughs And Sneezes Spread Diseases

We are being Very Careful at Church about spreading germs. The Meeters and Greeters at the door, and the Deacons serving Communion are taking extra care to use hand sanitizing gel, and there are dispensers of the stuff all over the premises.

It was even mentioned in The Notices before the services started yesterday [so we know it Must Be Important!]

Trouble is, I kept thinking of this WW2 poster...

and then I kept thinking of Tony Hancock...

My afternoon of Supply Teaching was cancelled and I am feeling a little light-headed. Perhaps I am going down with something!