Hi everyone - yep, still alive and kicking!

You know that feeling when you've been meaning to do something for what you think has been a few weeks and then you realise it's been months!
Well, that's how its been with this blog.

I've got a very techie friend who set me up a website (more Time 4 Life), twitter accounts (MT4Life & JB) in addition to the FB page I already had and this blog. When I get stuck in and start writing I love it but life just has this funny way of eating up my time and I struggle to keep all the balls in the air, as the saying goes!

He told me I needed to make sure I was blogging at regular intervals (at least once a month), the same with tweeting and my other social media sights. Something to do with the way Google rates you. (Er, not sure I'm doing too well on that one). Sound fairly simple doesn't it?
But the reality is when you're living life to the full, you have a lot less time to tell everyone about it!
So, rather than worry about the months I've missed I've decided to just jump straight back in and pick up from now.

This isn't going to be a long post as I don't want to start by boring any potential new readers (or old ones for that matter). I just thought it might be good to catch up and then I promise to try and be a bit more disciplined and get something on here regularly (well, fairly regularly.........)

Sufficient to say I've been involved in lots of different projects the last few months including preaching, fundraising, putting on a variety show (we expected and audience of about 60 and had over 200 people turn up!), performing and of course lots of crocheting.  The variety show was a fantastic success, with all the performers local to Bedford and we're already gearing up for next year.

I've become an expert at laying on Afternoon tea for up to 150 people and can bake a batch of 100 scones in just over an hour!
I'm currently using my 'down time' to get my stock of hand crocheted poppies up as these sold really well last year and I raised £90 for the British Legion.  I'm hoping to exceed that this year.

I'm still at Bible college (love the classes, still struggling a bit with the discipline of writing assignments), but hey, can't be good at everything, right?
So, as promised, not a lot of words but as they say - a picture is worth a thousand words so here's a few pics to give you flavour of what I've been up to recently.

81 hand crocheted flowers, all different to make up the blanket
for my daughter and son-in-laws 5th wedding anniversary.
A real labour of love for my wonderful family

I cross stitched this cougar years ago but had
never created anything with it. Combined it with  my love of crochet and now have him proudly displayed in the lounge. 

Customised a handbag for a good friend for her birthday.  A girl can never have too  many handbags.......

My daughter, Amy, is currently in South Africa for a week, as a volunteer with the NSPCC.  She's gone complete with tool belt and hard hat to help build a school and having the time of her life. So many wonderful friends have donated and we had a number of fundraising events to help. Below are some pictures from two garden parties held. One was in the beautiful garden of some friends of mine and the other in Norfolk when my Mum and Dad opened their garden to their friends in the village. Between the two events we raised over £800 towards the min target of £2000. A fantastic effort by many wonderful friend's and family. 

Clive Rudd entertaining the guests as they enjoyed their afternoon tea.

  

Three lovely ladies deciding if they can manage just one more cream meringue! 

Beautiful setting in my friends garden.  God blessed us with wonderful weather as well.

Mum and Dad's garden in Norfolk. 
Friends came, enjoyed cream scones and tea and didn't want to go home!



Mum and Dad just about ready for a well earned sit down.
They'd worked really hard for a number of days - not bad for a combined age of 160! (oops....going to be in trouble for this one :-)



Well, I need to get on and do a bit more living, so am going to sign off now. It's my son-in-laws birthday today and I know my company is poor substitute for his wife but as she's away the other side of the world, I'm cooking his dinner tonight, so need to get a few bits.

 

I've lots more pictures and bits to share with you so ,as I said, I promise to keep a better eye on the time and make sure it's not so long before I hit the keyboard again.

 

Blessings to you and your family and those you love.

 

Be back soon

Jules xx 

 

 

 

Getting to grips with the technology....

           I've been having fun this morning working out how to post a blog whilst away from home.  I discovered the place I'm staying at is a 'Hotspot' for Wi-Fi so with a bit of fun and games working out the best deal I've managed to get on line for a short time.  I've been having a great couple of weeks away from the usual routine so have lots to share but for now here is my latest offering.

Isn’t it funny how you can set such strong resolves to do something, whether a one off or an ongoing action you’ve been trying to master for what seems like all your life but somehow never quite get there? I was looking at the history of my blog posts last week and earlier this year I had resolved to post at least 2 blogs a month. (Not New Year resolutions I admit as I gave up on those many moons ago as I was so fed up of not making even until the end of January before coming unstuck!)

When in April I managed four I decided ‘right, two per month is not good enough, I need to be writing at least once a week’. Then, hey presto, before I knew it May had come and gone and guess what – I was back to two!

But you know what. It doesn’t matter. OK, so I didn’t achieve the elusive 4 blog posts in May, but maybe this month I will. Who knows, I may even manage more! That’s what I love about life and the human spirit. We never have to settle for how things are. We all have the power to make choices albeit sometimes limited. But they are our choices nevertheless. We can choose to stop saying ‘It’s always been like this, it always will be like this and there’s nothing I can do about it’ or we can be resolved to change it – whatever it is. But in order to change the big, important, worrying, energy sapping situations in our lives we often have to start with small, manageable changes.

One of the things I constantly am trying to improve is my timekeeping. I was talking to my daughter the other evening as we are having a day out together soon at the Good Food show in Birmingham. I’m really looking forward to it and I know we’re going to have a great day together. As we were talking she suggested it might be an idea if I stayed at her (and my son-in-laws) home the night before. Now that sounds like a good idea doesn’t it? We’ll have an early start so I’ll be there making it easier. But we both knew the main reason was because of my appalling track record when it comes to getting anywhere on time. As she said ’Mother, you’re always late for everything – I’ve never known anyone as bad as you for timekeeping’. Well, I was a bit affronted by that - for a few seconds anyway, until I had to concede she was pretty spot on with her comment. In fairness I’m not always late for everything – I’m quite professional when it comes to meetings, appointments etc. But I am known for not setting out on journey’s when I say I’m leaving and not arriving on time, o even on the right day! So her suggestion to stay at her house the night before was born out of years of frustration at having a Mum she constantly has to ring saying ‘Where are you??’ But she knows it’s never intentional and I always start off with good intentions. Maybe one day I’ll surprise everyone and start turning up on time, it the right place, and on the right day!

I think I’m a nomad at heart who would be much better suited to being an explorer, or adventurer. I hate clock watching, I hate routine, I love heading off in the car and just seeing where I end up and I love solitude as much as being with people. Unfortunately it means I get easily distracted and may get up in the morning with certain intentions but by the end of the day I’ve done things completely differently or am even somewhere completely different to where I originally said I would be.


Which can give my darling daughter cause for concern because she’s never too sure where I’ll end up when let loose from the constraints of Monday to Friday daily routine.........


I’m currently in the second week of a 2 week break from work. I spent a lovely few days with friends last week (more about that in another post) but am currently residing in a lovely flat overlooking Portsmouth harbour thanks to the generosity of some others friends. I adore water in any form but I particularly love the sea. I’ve been sitting on the balcony drinking my tea in the morning overlooking an abundance of yachts lazily shifting as the tide comes and goes, soaking up the warmth of the sun and listening to the seagulls calling to each other as they swoop above me. The clouds put on a ballet the other morning which was breathtaking in it’s beauty and complexity as those higher in the atmosphere held the stage while those smaller and lower down raced across the sharp blue sky so every blink of the eye revealed a new formation.

Windy and Wild!

Then I packed pen, paper and my laptop and pointed the car west, hugging the coast road as much as I could to find my self driving parallel to this wide, windy pebble beached coast line in bright sunshine. My heart felt as if it was soaring up with the seagulls and dancing amongst the clouds.

I know this freedom is only for a few days and this time next week I will be back at my desk, apologising to my boss because I’ve forgotten to print something or book a meeting. But for this moment, this day, this time I can be free, a nomad, a swashbuckling adventurer letting the road and my imagination take me on a journey of discovery.........................wonderful.

After a lot of laughing and checking everyone was OK my daughter asked me when I was planning on coming home. I said maybe Friday, or Saturday, I might even stay until Sunday – just depends on how I feel. I’m due back at work Monday so I assured her I was planning on being back before then.

Now - which one is the biggest.........
and how do I get an invite on board.??

Unless of course I happen to meet a similar minded swashbuckling adventurer who happens to own one of the delightful yachts moored outside my window. Then who knows....................I could find myself sailing off in an entirely different direction all together eh???...............

Many blessings to all

with love as always

Jules x

'Back to life, back to reality.....'

This is so great! As you can see from my last post it's been a while since I visited my blog. Life is starting to take on the old pattern of busy, busy, busy. Trouble is when we're so busy we not only have no time to 'smell the coffee' we don't even get a chance to make it!

I didn't realise until I switched on my laptop, sitting up in bed this morning (one of my favourite places to write) and looked out at the beautiful blue sky, how much I'd missed this. I get terrific satisfaction in waking up gradually, making a cuppa and coming back to bed. In not starting the day in a flurry of activity. I like starting my day slowly, quietly, allowing my body and brain to gradually rise from the depths of sleep and greet the day refreshed, renewed and ready for whatever adventure today is going to bring.

Morning is also the best time (for me anyway) to re-charge my spiritual batteries. Yesterday I got engrossed in 'Gone with the Wind' and thought 'I'll do my bible reading tonight and spend time then talking to God'. Well, needless to say by the time I got to bed (having done 2 hours of my computer course until 9pm) it was a quick prayer and my bible stayed in the bedside drawer! No - morning is definitely the best time for prayer and reading. It also sets me up for the day - like any relationship 2 way communication is vital to a Christian so it's hardly surprising if I spend all my time rushing here, there and everywhere, however worthy the activity, I'm not going to have time to chat to God and I'm certainly not going to hear what he has to say to me!

Talking of 'Gone with the Wind' - it's a fantastic novel. Like most people I've seen the film several times but I always find books so much more satisfying. My imagination puts me right in the heart of the action and I often find myself identifying with aspects of the characters personalities. I have great admiration for authors of such talent and wonder if one day I'll see some of my efforts in print.

When I got the 'writing bug' last year at first I thought 'Yeah, right - I've never written anything of note until now, what makes me think anyone will want to read what I've got to say'. But the desire was so persistent I decided to 'go with the flow'. Then this morning I read about a man who was asked 'Do you play the violin?' he replied 'I don't know, I've never tried!'

That's how I feel about my writing - I don't know if I'm any good at it but until I try I'm just someone who wants to write. At least now if someone asks me 'Do you write?' I can answer 'Yes' - even if the only published work I can lay claim to so far is this blog and the strap line on the back of a CD cover!

Yes - this is one of my great pleasures. Sitting up in my very comfy bed, listening to the gradual swell of traffic past my window as my neighbours start their day. Wondering if the weather will stay sunny and warm or if the weather forecasters have got it right and we're in for yet another wet July day (ahhh - the British summer!). Deciding if I want another cuppa and would it be very decadent to have breakfast in bed as well? Decisions, decisions - think I'll definitely have another cuppa at least...................................