belfast 2

We are here safe and sound. Been very busy with family. It is slowly gathering speed and density. People have gathered from around the globe for the wedding. Today the French Loudons arrived so now there is no space left in any house. Mark and I have moved into a B&B. Eva is safe at her Nanny and Grandads though.

I went to see an old friend - Ian Sansom - today. Who I haven't seen for 10 years. We had a great time. It is good to know I have a friend to visit when we come over. I hope we will be invited over again.

So, tomorrow I shall visit aged relatives and try to rest before the big day. Although there is a football match to watch tomorrow night. I just hope it is a good result or the wedding will have a black cloud over it.

Got to go now. Beds are being made and Eva needs to get into one.

belfast

I am off to Belfast in a moment. Will be out of Bristol town for a few days. However, given the excitement of the event (Mark's sister Emma is getting married) I hope to get so blogging in. Just to keep you in the loop. Too poor to buy new clothes so I have a new handbag, sliver crocs and necklace - going to see if I can find some 'reasonably priced' sunglasses from TKMAX then I am set with an outfit.

All packed and ready. Off I go.

adam buxton

...pure genius.

Liz H (who is today's birthday girl) was blogging this afternoon and chanced upon Malcolm Chamberlain's posting of Adam Buxton's Songs of Praise with subtitles. I have subsequently noticed that Paul Roberts has also put this link up. But, it gave Liz H so much pleasure - and she is the birthday girl - so I feel it is only right to put this up as well.




I also enjoyed Adam's Signing for the Deaf (with translation for the dumb) which made me chuckle. What a funny Friday.

rock n roll rev

St Claire of Toxteth has brought Phil the rock n roll rev to my attention. I really can't discern whether his band revisit are any good but they certainly have made an impression in Burnley - if the Lancashire Telegraph are to be believed. They have made a great little video story of the rock n roll rev which you can watch on their video page. If anyone has any further info or has heard the band or their latest single I would love to know what you think...

bleach

I have bleached my hair again. My head is quite sore now and I am a bit heady (the fumes have made me feel a bit odd). It really is very white this time. So, thanks to everyone who got involved in this experiment and to those who offered to help.

I must mention Phil J's blog again. Partly because I haven't had a chance to speak to him after the America's Next Top Model final - and what a final it was. I won't spoil it for those of you who may try to catch up on replay. But it is worth it. Also because he helped me to remember that the Arctic Monkeys video is so great that I have decided to copy PJ and feature it here. See you later elevator...

back to college

Both Eva and I have managed to get sick just before we go back to school/college! I went in to college today for chapel at 8.10am - as it is St George's Day we had communion. It was great to see college mates again - though because is a study day there weren't many people about.

My worship team is leading this week - I am leading on Thurs - so I was involved in helping with the service this morning. If I hadn't I think I would have stayed in bed. But now I am up I am hoping to get some PhD done later. Once I have got rid of my headache.

Can't believe it - been fine most of the holidays now I am ill again. Anyway, I got back int my college room and put the laptop on my desk (Liz has already moved back - books on shelves and files out). Hey ho, try again tomorrow.

arcade fire

I am sure you must have heard the new Arcade Fire album Neon Bible and I hope you got to see the Culture Show special which featured their fantastic version of The Clash's Guns of Brixton. If not then above is a snippet from the culture show - Guns of Brixton is at the end. I have now watched it twice on Virgin replay.

The Clash original is below



Take inspiration from both and live.

charles has a licking problem

This made me laugh out loud this morning - and I wasn't in a laughing mood - until I laughed!

The Song of The Great Capitulation

Long ago when I was a green beginner
I believed I was a special case.
(None of your ordinary run of the mill girls, with my looks and my talent, and my love of the higher things in life!)
And if I picked a hair out of my dinner
I would put the cook right in his place
(All or nothing. Anyhow, never the second best. I am the master of my Fate. I'll take no orders from no one.)

Then a little bird whispered in my ear:
"That's all very well, but wait a year
And you will join the big brass band
And with your trumpet in your hand
You'll march in lockstep with the rest.

Then one day, look! The battalions wheel!
The whole thing swings from east to west!
And falling on your knees, you'll squeal:
The Lord God, He knows best!
(But don't give me that!)
And a month or two before that year was over
I had learned to drink their cup of tea.
(Two children round your neck, and the price of bread and what all!)
And the day soon came when I was to discover
They had me just where they wanted me.
(You must get in good with people. If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Don't stick your neck out.)

And that little bird whispered in my ear:
"You didn't even take a year!
And you have joined the big brass band
And with your trumpet in your hand
You marched in lockstep with the rest.

But one day, look! The battalions wheeled!
The whole thing swung from east to west!
And falling on your knees, you squealed:
The Lord God, He knows best!
(But don't give me that!)"
Yes, our hopes are high, our plans colossal!
And we hitch our wagon to a star!
(Where there's a will there's a way. One can't hold a good man down.)
We can move mountains, says St. Paul the great Apostle
And yet: how heavy one cigar!
(We must cut our coat according to our cloth.)

For that little bird whispers in your ear:
"That's all very well but wait a year
And we will join the big brass band
We march in lockstep with the rest.

But one day, look! The battalions wheel!
The whole thing swings from east to west!
And falling on our knees, we squeal:
The Lord God, He knows best!
(But don't give me that!)

Another poem by Brecht. Taken from Mother Courage

Dream Lectio

Dream Lectio is back - having had a break over Easter. Back with a tricky apocalyptic bit from Matthew 24:15-22.

To be honest I am finding it hard to meditate on anything at the moment. The trouble with writing a PhD is that it gets into your head and doesn't leave very much room for anything else. All I can think about is how to explain my pedagogical approach to popular performance (the chapter I am working on at the moment). Yesterday I had a serious purge of this chapter (pulling 6,000 words out and placing them as appendices). Then went on to write a further 3,000. I was shattered by the end of the day (stopped at 10pm) and still didn't feel like I had achieved what I wanted. I am being a bit tough on myself at the moment. Perhaps it is the only way to keep going.

I am sure I will look back on this time and it will be a blur - even if this PhD isn't a success at least I will have known that I really pushed myself to make sense of it. Could do with another holiday though. Hey ho.

family

When I went over to see my Mum we got lots of old family photo albums out. It has been fascinating to trawl through old back and white pictures. Amidst a week of remembering and thinking about family members it is great to have a few of these pictures around. Anyway, here is a great one. Taken on a trip with friends to Torquay

My Dad (Peter King) is on the top row wearing the check shirt, my Grandad Charlie is sitting on the ground on the front row right, next to him. Auntie Kathleen, then Auntie Susan (who is the only family member in this group who is still alive). If you click on the image you can see it larger.

phd

Pink - getting the party started



Today I am really going to press on with my PhD. I have no excuses - Mark is away, Eva is happy with Nanny, I have no shopping to do, the house is clean, after I have written this there is no need to blog, I have caught up with my emails, I had a good night's sleep, the dog in the next garden is NOT barking (for once), the cat is back (he didn't come home last night!), I have done my daily prayers and sorted the bits and bobs. Got to make on phone call to Stuart R to remind him about the armour of God and print off one document for Trinity work but all in all now is the time to get this party started (Sorry Pink - I know that using this lyric in this context offers a trite anti-thesis to your intention but I have to keep optimistic or I will go under).

homework

I have been helping Eva with her homework most of the day. She was asked to do a project on Roman food. So, we had to get on the Internet and download photos and she had to find stuff to copy. Blimey, it has taken all day. I have lost my temper a couple of times because of the speed of the task (very very very slow). I also had to do some maths homework - which was like torture. I am pleased I am writing a PhD. Year three homework is just too hard.

I also have a cold and Mark has gone a way to Wales then onto Liverpool. So, I am feeling a bit lonely and sickly. I think I might have an early night. I am taking Eva to my Mums for a few days so that I can get on with the aforementioned PhD. So, today was the last day of the holiday. Eva and I went out to lunch to celebrate then returned for more homework.

nuns

Phil Jackson reminded me to watch The Sound of Music on Monday - by featuring this trailer on his blog. As the master says...'pure genius'



I have also been enjoying other musicals - we have listened to Show Boat on vinyl and Carly Simon chose her favourite songs for Elaine Paige's Sunday Show on Radio 2 - which was a real treat. I have to say Elaine can be a bit irritating. But it warms your heart to have this many musicals in 90mins. Carly Simon was a welcome break - and she chose some great toons. I have had to listen to the playback because I was running about in Hardwicke. I am listening to it as I write.

Today has been a day of cleaning and sorting. I have been to the dump, I had to go to the post office to get a parcel that needed £1.52 to pay on it - I won't say who failed to put stamps on their Easter parcel - you know who you are. My hands are sore from cleaning and I came out in a nasty rash from carrying fir tree branches to the dump. I tell you it is tricky being me sometimes.

I had to miss the last episode of Life on Mars last night because Mark was taking Susie, Gus and Hannah to the airport. We are going to watch it together tonight. It has been hard to maintain media blackout on this as it has been all over the place today. I have managed it though so please don't give it away until after 10pm tonight.

dutch gothic rock

We are having a nice time with Susie, Gus and Hannah. Today we have been into town - got CD's and window shopped. We had lunch at the Clifton Sausage which was nice enough but the chips were a bit hard and soggy - which is a shame because the service was great. hey ho.

Ian Evans is in town. He is touring with Dutch Gothic Rock band Within Temptation. Eva and I went down to the Academy to see Ian this afternoon and there were a lot of Goths outside. Eva found them a bit unnerving. To be honest I could quite happily be a Goth - I prefer a more punk look but there is something about their complete lack of vanity that appeals to me. I am not sure about the music though. Sometimes I like the camp drama of Goth music - but it is also just a bit pretentious.

If you take a look a this particular band they seem a little unapproachable - I think I might find their company a bit tiring after a while. perhaps they wear sweat pants and slob about at weekends. Who knows? Anyway, I might go along tonight to find out what all the fuss is about.

happy easter

I know it is a bit late. But, I have been a bit busy this week. Still am.
back safe and sound but ready for a holiday. It was great to come home to a house full of friends and a fridge of beer and wine. I am so tired that I can't be bothered to clean up or shift stuff so the house is a tip and there is nothing I can do about it. I intend to sleep for 10 hours tonight even if this means going to bed at 9pm.

Anyway, better late than never...Happy Easter.

day off

I came home late last night for a day off the mission. It is very odd being back and knowing that there is still so much to do in Hardwicke. We are having a rewarding time. I hope we are being a blessing to the community. I have certainly learnt a lot and have eaten a lot. Everyone is spoiling us and we are having some fantastic food. It is very tiring though. I am shattered already and we still have three more days to go.

I have had a lovely day off- I stayed in bed for too long which meant I had to do chores (making beds and cooking) very quickly before getting Eva from school at 1.30pm. Then we went to John Lewis at Cribs because I had to get a duvet. So exciting isn't it? We have 10 people staying this weekend and I won't be here for most of it so I am trying to get everything sorted before I go back to Hardwicke.
The visitor plans are:
Joe and Harriet are coming over for tea and staying tonight
Andrea and Barry are coming down from Liverpool late tonight and are staying until Sunday
Elise is coming down from Liverpool and staying for as long as she likes
Clare from Christ Church, Liverpool and her Family (3 children) are staying over Saturday night on their way to Cornwall
Liz, Alan and Stanley are coming down from North Wales for the day Saturday
Mark's sister Susie, Gus and Hannah are coming from Belfast Sunday night till Tues

- Just realised that this is more than 10 people! I might need more food and duvets. Hey ho.

I am not here most of the time so Mark is in charge. That'll be fun. I have a Good Friday craft workshop tomorrow then I am back Friday night and can be here Saturday morning. Then back for Sunday night.

Anyway, I am off to make some beds. Please keep praying for the mission. Ta. xxx