It's nice not to hurry...

If you find the writing too small, you can click on the page to get a larger version.

I think the key statement here is, "It's nice not to hurry."

Saying that, it is time now to stop blogging and hurry off to work. Oh the irony of it all.

Hunt & Darton Cafe - Café Art!

We have an Art Café openned 3 or 4 doors from the shop - for just 4 weeks.

The idea of 'Art', I was going to say 'not quite traditional', but then, who can define Art for another perceiver?

The two ladies 'running the scheme' dress in Pineapple print dresses, each wearing a Pineapple Top on their heads. they have a London 2012 grant to open the café, which is touring the UK, hence being in Cambridge just 4 weeks. Their daily balance sheet is 'Artistically' displayed on the large wall chalkboard, when I was in several folk were engaged in Napkin Art. The 'Blurb' says your receipt will be artistic too, but I was not offered one.

One waitress was on a break, or maybe peforming, whilst I was in there - she sat manikin like, legs crossed, in an artistic pose, topped off with her pineapple headgear, in the window - maybe hoping to attract the attention and intrigue of passersby.

Still, it is pretty zaney, I wonder what they will be doing with pictures taken on disposable cameras. Intruige will bring me back, and of course the very friendly chatty atmosphere encouraged. I will, no doubt, report more...

Read more about this artistic enterprise either in Cambridge News or on their Facebook Page

There is life..... outside Cambridge.

Today I was invited to visit friends out in the villages. I spend most of my life in Cambridge, living on an estate, surrounded by neighbours I don't know, 24 hour shopping, pubs within a stones throw distance on at least 3 sides... Traffic and aircraft noises an almost constant, dodging cars on my bicycle, busses, busses, busses everywhere - tourists, students...

So 'tis nice on occasion to escape to paradise. (The grass is always green tother side of the bridge.)

I declined the offer of a lift. There is a certain beauty and satisfaction in getting there on my own. In past years I may have cycled, instead opting for the train and armed with instructions starting with: "Leave the station heading accross the fields."
I just love open space, like nectar to this city dweller.

Accross the field, under a road, along the path, follow through to the church.
A nice wild and damp day, brilliantly fresh - just right for walking. Maybe a 20 minute walk to the house.

The sketch may be a little wild, but

wild countryside can be like that!

My host however, looking out of his window decided really I should have a luxurious ride in a warm and dry car, but because I left accross the fields, not via the carpark, he did not catch up with me till I was just a minute from the house.

What wonderful relaxing space this house turned out to be, amazing hosts and good company. A huge thank you to Brian, Janet, Jenny, David, Movern and Sumaya, great afternoon. Only sorry I could not stay longer to complete the feast.

Oh and Brian, I did appreciate the lift back to the train.

St Geoge's Day 2012

I spent much of this morning clearing out a cupboard and sorting the contents aswell as managing to get laundry on the line - which dried despite a forcast of rain!

After lunch, letter writing, something my readers know I love. As with all my letters, well the personal type - not the ones to the bank you know... I added quick little illustrations here and there.

The heading quite naturally illustrated St George riding out in search of dragons to slay. Happy St George's Day, to those who appreciate such things.

The weather quite often features in my heading,
Todays weather, shall we say, has been quite changeable.
But of course, it is April.

I live in suburbia, but would love someday to live out in the countryside with walks such as this on my doorstep. I do so hate the feel of pavements under my feet, far prefering a bouncy meadowy tread, or leaping rock to rock up a mountainside. Hmmmmmm - time to stop dreaming, and back to planet earth.

Looking accross my lawn last week, I noticed how well my dandelions were doing, thinking maybe not so much appreciated by neighbours. So out I went to spray them. Still looking fit and healthy mid week they got the same treatment. They had not withered by Friday, which was when I noticed I had mixed up the spray bottles! Not WEEDKILLER written on this label, this bottle was for feeding roses, and was quite liked by dandelions too!

Today they look somewhat less healthy as I too corrective action.

Sunrise with a pen...

Hand Written Letters

In this technological age, letter writing by hand is fast disappearing.

I spoke to a 20 year old last week who claims NEVER to have written or received a hand written letter! Emails and Texts all the time, but she thought it must be something rather special to receive a personal letter through the post penned by hand.

When did you last send a letter, not an occasion card - birthday, anniversary etc.?

I love both sending and receiving letters, sadly for every 10 I send I maybe receive one in reply :(

I have used this picture to be the first of hopefully a year long series in the 365 Project.



Multilingual Bus

Sitting on the top deck of the bus tonight was a definite multi-cultural experience. Not a seat to spare and langauges from all 5 continents floating around. I was thinking how amazing it would be if I could hear and understand each conversation!

Made me think of an inverse biblical narative, the Holy Spirit enabling disciples to talk in the tounges of a multilingual crowd, each hearing in their own tounge. And then for Peter to stand and speak, each person able to understand.
Read the story in Acts Chapter 2, a book making up part of the Bible.

Father God, you are awesome. An awesome God indeed.

A Dry Patch at St Wigglesworth

A period of drought has just come to an end in my life.
No, I have not been deprived of showers, endless mugs of coffee, or had to regulate tooth washing resources - which reminds me of a campfire sketch, but that is another story.

I have been spuiritually dry, and I would say as usual, all my own fault.
I am part of a wonderful group, who for narative purposes, I will call 'Square Pegs, Round Holes', part of the Outreach Ministry at St Wibblesworth.

The registar has it most accurately, in my case at least.
Team and Members names minggled into one long list.
There are of course, those who abely lead us, whilst others follow on. Some of the led, occassionally like to lead, whilst others that lead at times find the need to be led.

Week by week we meet, square pegs in round holes - which in all fairness is a good description of absolutely anybody and everybody, even those who have worked hard at shaving of corners and pushing outwards on the long straight lines in an attempt to appear to conform.

It was my turn this week to present the devotional, a short God Slot before dissolving our partnership for another week. Writing that, I think infact the whole meeting is God Slotted; we eat together, we drink together, share stories of our weeks, troubles, woes, joys and random happenings... we do an activity, sometimes we even cry and laugh together - all the time we are doing Community.
(There you are, I got in that good old Key Word, a supporting structure beam of church, Community.)

The email had arrived 4 weeks previous, devotions following a series. Eeek, I screeched, neither accademic nor one to follow norm and protocol.
Eeek I shouted, it would have deafened you had you heard. The following weeks I grumbled and rumbled inside, moaning about not being my thing:
"How could I possibly....?
"What right had they...?
"Grumble, rumble, groan and moan. "

Fortunately it was all in my head, a secret side of me, tucked away bubbling in it's own couldron, where no-one else could see.
God could see!

Along with that, and a spiritual dryness - a self imposed lack of scripture or prayer, and a virtual ignoring of God pacing by my side. Warning lights flashed, ignored - and of course I grumbled, rumbled, groaned and moaned.

The night before, by then I realized I was intercessing at St Wibblesworth main morning service too, I sat down to................. watch a movie!

Between the hours of 1 & 3am, way after the crescent shaped moon had dipped in the west, I knuckled down to scripture and prayer, like openning a floodgate and allowing God's grace to re-enter in...., or had he ever left?

The prayers were writ.
Another disparaging glance at the Wibblesworth Square Peg Round Hole resource, I made it to bed, sleep, this time in a prayerful and praising mood - slumbering most deeply and restfully for 6 hours.

9am is far too late for me to crawl from bed, but by 10:15, bathed, medicated, breakfasted and bandaged I was amazingly early for church. That has not happenned, on the few Sundays I have struggled in, for a while.

Over breakfast I had written in my little book of random Quirks, Thoughts and Quotes, a pondering from @scribblinghappy

"Life is an adventure given by God.

I just smile and document it."

http://www.caitlinmuir.com

En-route to church I stopped peddalling for a few moments to write

"...how important it is to engrave God's Holy Word in our hearts, not by mis-quotes or bit-quotes, or incidental study of the odd verse here and there. Instead by saturating ourselves in scrpture, prayer AND the Holy Spirit."

I am reminded of a friend encouraging me into this pool, 'Come on in, the water is loverly.'
Not untill now - I have swum there many times - do I understand what God and maybe they meant by that comment.

Another jotted down note as the service began,

When I turn to scripture and prayer, I get so excited and feel God's presence.
'Why is it I so easily turn away only idly thinking of things of the Spirit, God and Jesus, and get despondant?'

The message of the service like an arrow, straight to the point. God's Grace, Forgiveness, Strength, Courage; for me it is enough. Smack between the eyes, bullseye! Whack! POW!
What of the grumble, rumble, moan and groan.

After lunch I dug out that crumpled sheet of words which had opennly laughed at and ridiculled me for 4 weeks. This time, with poetic beauty and guidance from the Holy Spirit, yes God really did send us his Helper, words penned both on paper and in my mind; pretty soon these were shared, chatted about, thrown around and provided a fitting end to our 'St Wibblesworth Square Pegs, Round Holes' gathering - which hopefully will be chewed over this coming week.

Letter Writing - Page 3

PC Wallpaper

I designed this to set as my wallpaper.

So often I leave my aplliances charging via USB, wander off - then someone else comes along, switches to their sign-on, and oh dea - i:Tunes Conflicts.

Maybe this will work - for a while...

Candles & Prayer

I have often enjoy the presence of candles in prayer, along the tunnels of time people have so often associated one with another.

What is it that gives the unique association in our minds between the two?

If people ask me why I use candles when I pray I tell them it is because I enjoy candles (in fact, I enjoy a roaring camprire too, or the gentle embers later on...)

We popped into Chester Cathedral this week and enjoyed the electronic guided tour which was very interesting, but I also found it detracted from strolling round the Cathedral together.

As in many churches there was a place set aside for you to light candles representing prayers in your heart. Alongside was this contemplative note...

From the Psalms...

Trying my hand at some basic calligraphy.

Looked a bit plain, so I added colour.

Punting Cambridge's Cam

This kind of trip I found very relaxing
- a great way to spend an hours fellowship...
and my friend swiftly learnt to punt.

Corpus Clock 10pm

Passing Corpus Christi College just before 10pm, ideal time to video the clock in action.

Who can name the 5 Cambridge Colleges named after Jesus?

Neglecte & Deeds

I seem to have neglected this for some time, like so many things we start with enthusiasm - then they take a meandering walk to the back of our minds, and fall into some convenient hole.

Faith can be like that so often, unless we ask God to keep his Holy Spirit living in our hearts, keep feeding from the scriptures, worshipping and praying - even when we feel grumpy and off - our faith can slip down into a crevice hidden from sight.

At cluster tonight we were talking about christian deeds in our lives, and started to trot out the lists of stuff we can do. But unless the deed comes from our heart, and not the fact we discussed and decided it was good to do, we won't hit the mark with God.

Jeremiah & the Bullet Proof Vest...

This mornings Explore took me into the depths of Jeremiah.
1:5
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,
Before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah was an ordinary bloke, yet God knew him before he was concieved, and had set J apart for his ministry for God.
Likewise, God knew us way before our parents thunk us up.

And then, Jeremiah 1:17 - 19,
as they mentioned in the study notes - "God is better than a bullet proof vest."
"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be teriffied by them, or I will terrify you before them....."
"They will fight against you, but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.

Recently I did a reading from Daniel Chapter 2. What struck me was Daniels spontanious praise when God revealed King Nebukahneza's dream.
Walking home from a meeting recently the lady I was with was struck by the sheer beauty of a Full Moon. Stopped in her tracks, spontaniously praising God.

I include myself saying we take our surroundings far too much for granted - forgetting to praise God for what he has done for us.

The Advent Brick Story

Advent is fast approaching,

a site I return to again and again to for inspiration is The Brick Testament.

Congratulations to The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith on this work. Click on the picture to see the full story.