A Few Nice Things

I had something deep and meaningful to share...

I thought of it when I was doing the washing up earlier.


It was some sort of metaphorical thought - terribly profound, that sort of thing.


But I've forgotten it...


Oh well.


Today I went on a walk. On my own. In the fog.

I loved it.


I went to Brixworth Park, which is well equipped with play area, café and reservoir, amongst other attractions. It was chilly, but beautiful - all the slightly clichéd sights, like gently bobbing sailing boats, and misty water-laden spider webs, and the distant hills rising from the mist above a still stretch of water, and tiny water droplets suspended from red berried bushes... Clichéd, perhaps; beautiful, definitely.

It made me feel very peaceful and also a bit happy, and also a bit sad.


But mostly peaceful, which was nice.


Then I watched possibly my new favourite film. It's called (I think) "Nativity", and stars Martin Freeman as a primary school teacher in Coventry. There are some farcical moments (one of the main themes of the film is an ongoing feud between two ex-best-friend teachers in two different schools in the same area, trying to out-do each other with their respective nativities, which inevitably leads to some hilarious mishaps and japes and shenanigans etc etc...), but there are some really lovely moments, and some really real moments too.

I think my favourite scene is just after a 'naughty boy' auditions for Joseph - he really wants to get the part, but gets into a fight with another boy, when the other boy says he'll never be Joseph because he's not good enough, and he'll only let the school down. I won't go into it too much, but the favourite scene bit is when Martin Freeman explains to the boy that if he carries on behaving like a naughty boy, people will treat him like a naughty boy, and he'll be expected to be a naughty boy, instead of the not-naughty boy he could be (and wants to be, really).

Anyway, it was more effective in the film.

But it was so great, and the dedication at the end read something like "to all inspirational teachers", which made me smile probably a bit more than was necessary.


Anyway! This is a long post about not very much, really. Just a few nice things that happened today.

Other nice things include:

- meeting a new(-ish) girl at church this morning
- being reminded of Zephaniah 3:17, and the fact He rejoices over ME with singing
- drinking hot chocolate after my walk
- lunching chez parentals
- driving home in the fog, and noticing how fairyland-ish the lights on the A14 become when it's foggy
- finally getting round to dyeing my faded work trousers black, so they're smart again


And now it's time for me to sleep. My lessons tomorrow are all planned, as they are re-workings of lessons previously taught last week, and I think I even have a child-free lunchbreak tomorrow. Maybe. How exciting!


(I think the bit about the Nativity film was my profound washing-up thought. Not as profound as I remembered it being...)

The Blues

Temptations and Revelations

This weekend I have learnt:

- I am able to resist buying beautiful cashmere jumpers from Cath Kidston. This was made far easier by the £105 price tag.

- Effectively maintaining one's car leads to a better functioning vehicle. Who knew?! (I added oil to my angry-sounding engine, and now it purrs like a satisfied tabby)

- Cambridge still feels familiar and homely, even though I haven't lived there since 2009, and only really lived there for 9 months. Weird. But nice weird.

- "Flight of the Conchords" makes me laugh.

- Singing ridiculously loudly in my car is hugely satisfying.

- Adding a few ground almonds, mixed spices and an extra ounce of butter creates quite a delicious mince pie pastry.

- People are complex and occasionally unfathomable. And that's ok. I don't have to fathom them all the time.



Also: so far, I have bought no items of clothing, jewellery or shoes. Cambridge market had a LOT to tempt me (for example the Banksy balloon girl on a t-shirt, and beautiful ceramic jewellery imprinted with images of dragonflies and/or flowers), but I was not tempted. Well, I was, but I didn't give in to the temptation.


Also (also): someone read out this verse this morning. I needed to hear it, and consequently wrote a song based on it. So, thanks, Someone:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord"
Psalm 27:14

I require your assistance

Dear Lucy, Lottie, Linnet and other friends of mine who stumble across this occasionally (whose names perhaps also begin with 'L' (not yours, Rachel Rose)),


Re. Point 1 in the post below.


I have concocted a plan. It is not really thought through at all, and probably simultaneously a bit pitiful and perhaps a bit difficult. The plan is basically as follows:

"I am not going to buy any more items of superfluous clothing, jewellery or shoes for the remainder of 2011."

(I've slipped the 'superfluous' in there, just in case there's a massive accident with an invaluable item, such as underwear or my Good(-ish) Work Trousers or whatever)


The help I need from you is really simply to be aware that this is my plan, and so to pour scorn on me if I break it, and to whisper little words of encouragement as the year progresses.


(I'm aware there are only 2 months left of 2011, and Not Buying Any More Clothes I Don't Need Anyway is hardly the most noble of gestures a person can make, but still...)


I should probably also decide to give the superfluous (is that even spelt correctly?) clothes I already own away, or to have a 'one in - one out' policy (hey, maybe I will start that... in the new year, of course...), and other nobler things, but this is a start, right?


Anyway. Is that ok? Scorn pouring and whispering all right with you?


Thanks.

Half Term Observations

Things I have observed this week:

1. I have absolutely plenty of clothes, yet I seem to keep buying them, without really knowing why I do it.

2. Petrol gets gradually more expensive the further along the A43/M1 you travel (from Market Harborough to Woburn Sands)

3. The nurse who didn't give me antibiotics for my clogged up sinuses was doing her job, and doing it well, despite my irritation at her apparent disregard for my achey face.

4. Paintballing makes people really tired.

5. Profusely eating lots of cake and drinking copious teas and coffees causes an expansion of waistline.

6. Changing the clocks back makes me want to hibernate.

Beauty Sleep

"U.G.L.Y. You ain't got no alibi, you ugly (hey hey) you ugly!"


This song has been floating round my head for a while now. Probably something to do with the fact I am having to sleep with a strip of plastic across my nose, and antiseptic cream on my face while my bunged up face refuses to de-bung and continues to get sore-er in the process. Yeugh.

I've been on the brink of feeling sorry for myself the last couple of days (I nearly cried when Jamie Oliver made a "pie to propose over" this eve) but I've had so many moments of loveliness that I've managed not to.

For example:
- the red-orange leaves on the trees at the moment are completely beautiful
- my nephews and nieces and their eagerness for reading and chess playing, and their willingness to let me hug them
- Marvel comic pyjama bottoms
- folk singers and past teachers who remembered me
- my (ex-)housemate's washing powder on their spare duvet

Lots more besides. Absolutely no ugly thoughts allowed. (or is that 'no ugly thoughts aloud'?)

Anyway, I'm off to catch me an extra hour's beauty sleep. Yes!

Back to Life

So last weekend, two of my most wonderful friends came to stay for the weekend. We meandered round sunny hills and dales, ate (a lot of) cake, drank (obscene amounts of) tea and generally mooched.

Before they arrived, I had, without really realising it, been feeling generally quite cross and unsettled. No real reason why, as far as I can remember, but I was only really aware of it once it had subsided - one of those "you don't know what you've got til it's gone" moments (apparently, it works both ways).

When the weekend was over, I realised how relaxed I felt and how much I had missed them.

This week is half term, and I have so far mostly spent it flitting between Northampton and Market Harborough. Today was a Most Marvellous day, with two of my most excellent friends, and a friend of a friend I am slowly getting to know. We spent it walking through woods, strolling through tree tops, eating (a rather restrained amount of) cake and drinking (a respectable amount of) tea/coffee. It was a day of sunshine and jumpers and photos and non-pretentiousness.


I have missed you!


I'm realising that being on the same wavelength is mightily important.

Mutual understanding and shared enjoyment make life so much more enjoyable.



"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" John 10:10