Island Ahoy!

Well it's Sunday night. I've just got back from spending the weekend in Guernsey. I love going to Guernsey. I've made some really good friends over there and people are very kind and generous. The children's work is really doing well in both the Salvation Army centres over there and the children are brilliant and really friendly.

During the summer a group of the children came over to MaM (ministry and mayhem - a camp for 8-12 yr olds) from L'Islet and then a couple of weeks later I went over there to help with the holiday club at St Peter Port. It was really good to catch up with a lot of those children this time around and great to know that many of those who came to the holiday club at St Peter Port regularly come to the Friday night club now where they play games but also receive some christian teaching.

This morning it was particularly good to see Roy, Rose and Steph. They are such lovely people and I always enjoy seeing them because they are so encouraging and supportive. Thanks you lot for being so lovely!

Now the past few times I've gone to Guernsey I've stayed in Langland! This is otherwise known as the Lang Family: Victoria, Kelvin, Francesca and Felicity. I love spending time with them. They are a beautiful family. There are many people I thank God for placing in my life and this family is definitely one of them. Now I don't thinki Victoria is a particularly soppy person (although I did make her cry yesterday - Result!) so she may be squirming at this next bit but all over the weekend I've really been trying to pin point how I feel about them. I have been so inspired by them as a family. By the love they show each other - it's not an overbearing love, it's a beautiful, secure, fun and disciplined love. Today, it was really lovely; Kelvin came looking for Francesca and I wondered what he was going to say; I was thinking perhaps he was going to ask her to do something but he just wanted to find her to tell her that he loved her! it was a really really lovely moment! Victoria is just fabulous with the girls and her and Kelvin just make me laugh!


As for the girls: Francesca is my mate! Saturday night just sitting with her on the sofa watching Dancing on Ice was cracking and really special and as for Felcitiy! She makes me laugh. She's filled with such love. She's a cheeky monkey and I think is going to cause her parents many sleepless nights. Just spending a few minutes with Felicity and Francesca and you're day is brightened up!


Francesca and Felicity - if you're reading this then imagine I am singing this song to you (to the tune of Beautiful Dreamer!)
Beautiful Flick and Beautiful Fran
They are so beautiful
Flick and Fran
Beautiful Flick and Beautiful Fran
They are so beautiful
Flick and Fran

As I've been thinking more and more about being an officer I think you tend to look around to see what kind of officer you would like to be. Now I know it's about being yourself and allowing God to mould you into the person and officer he wants you to be, but i think one of the ways he does this is to surround you with people who are good influences. I truly believe that amongst many other people including my own parents, God has placed Victoria and Kelvin in my life to be good influences on me for my officership and perhaps family life - if that's what God has planned for me. So thanks God and thanks Langlot! you're fab!

So I'm now sitting at home. I've had a lovely bath and am just relaxing by watching "As Time Goes By" (which will probably not surprise many of you who know me well!) I'm feeling slightly strange (ok, some of you will say there's no change there) and so hoping and praying that Felcity and Francesca have not passed on their colds to me! Bless them - everytime they coughed they seemed to cover their mouths after the cough! I now understand fully how children pass on bugs so easily!

laters!

cx

treadmill dance

Wow! I watched this on ruralarmy's blog (Garry). It's so clever. I think I'd do serious damage to myself if I tried to do this. It reminded me of the time I took my mum to the gym. She only went on machines she could see the big red stop button for. So one thing funnier than me trying this dance out would be my mum having a go! I'm laughing out loud at the very thought!

laters
cx

Fanfare of the Day

If I could, I'd have a fanfare playing as you open this post. You see, Chris Evans on his radio show on Radio 2 has a little slot called the Fanfare of the Day where children phone up and tell the nation something they've done for the first time that day. I used this at the children's camp I organise in the summer. The kids would come and tell me just before supper something they had done for the first time that day and then when we met up after supper, I'd pick 5 of them to come up on the stage, they would tell everyone what they had done, I'd present them with a special medal and then everyone would give them a standing ovation whilst they passed the big blow up trophy to each other with the big Olympic fanfare playing in the background - it was a very cool thing. Anyway, Yesterday I did something for the first time ever and so deserve a fanfare: I fed some chickens!



Meet Gertrude (the ginger one) and Doris (the dark one). They belong to Tania and Garry. Garry bought them for Tania for a wedding anniversary present. I didn't really think many positive thoughts about chickens but after meeting Gertrude and Doris I feel a little bit different about them now. I fed them some leftover bread and even allowed them to peck the bread from my hand - it felt a bit weird but I felt very proud of myself for doing it! I might get chickens when I have a garden - you get eggs from them as well! Richard had been asked to feed them whilst Garry and Tania were away. We had a chinese on Sunday night and so Richard fed them some of the leftover rice. It was special fried rice which had eggs and bits of chicken in it!!!! That's not right! You can't feed a chicken chicken! It's not entirely right feeding them eggs neither! Poor Doris and Gertrude! I hope they're not mentally and emotionally scarred!

So later on yesterday I went to the shops in Chelmsford. I love shopping in Chelmsford. The shops are cracking and it's such a lovely place. I really miss Chelmsford. As a child of Salvation Army officers you move around a lot and consequently never feel like anywhere is your home. However, Chelmsford was probably the closest I ever got to feeling this and it was a massive wrench to leave it for many many reasons and it will always hold a very special place in my heart. Anyway, one of the many things I miss about it is Deichman Shoes. It's a shoe shop in the High Chelmer shopping centre which sells very reasonably priced shoes. Here it is:


I love it and I've not seen another Deichman shoe shop anywhere so is this the only one? Can anyone tell me where there's another one?

Yesterday was Suz birthday so a group of us went to the old faithful - The Bold Forester for tea last night. Ian had Whitebait for his starter. He had this when we went there for my birthday as well. The first time I tried it I quite liked it until I saw that they still had their eyes in!! How can you eat something with their eyes still in?!?! It tastes like fishfingers really but it's guts and eyes are stll in and it just doesn't feel right eating it. Of course, Ian uses these feelings I have about Whitebait as a source of entertainment for himself and a wind up for myself! I got him back today though by telling him he looked like Beaker from The Muppets - HA! That'll learn him! Anyway, we had a nice evening and I bought Suz a ticket to see The Sound of Music - of course I bought myself one at the same time because it wouldn't be right her going by herself so I'm very excited!

And finally ... there is a nasty bug going around my office. Already 6 people have gone down with it. I am very nervous that I will be next. Now seeing as I have a phobia - or at least a very great fear - of vomit, having this bug would be a disaster! Therefore, today I took the necessary precautions:



You can never be too careful!

well, I think that's about it for the now.

I've still got a good vibe about this year.

laters
cx

So Long, Farewell

Well here I am again sneaking on someone else's wireless! People are so unknowingly kind!! Thank you whoever you are! Richard and I are sitting here both typing on our laptops the latest post to our blogs.

Anyway, I've entitled this So Long! Farewell! because tomorrow Richard and Heidie go back to Zambia. I can't believe how quickly this time has passed. It's been so good to have them here in the country even though they've been all over the place. Suz hit the nail on the head the other day when she said that even though they've been all over the country it's just been so comforting to know they are in the same country!

It's been so good to have them home. They are both so funny and so lovely. I laugh so much with them. This whole Christmas time has been so lovely and again it's made me very thankful to God for such a fab family who are also my closest friends.

Well, at least it won't be long before we see them again. Mum, dad, Suz and I are going back to Zambia again in April for 3 weeks which I'm really looking forward to. It's not far away. Then the next year (2008) they will have finished their 3 years and so they'll be back home again for a wee while until they decide what they're going to do next. I selfishly want them not to stay in Chikankata but I also want them to do what's right with God. I'm so unbelievably proud of them both and all that they have achieved. They have both been on a journey which at times has been so difficult yet they have dealt with things in such a strong and admirable way. I thank God for the way he has been all they've needed. I thank God that he has protected them. I thank God for his faithfulness to them. I thank God that they are in my life and that he has placed them there to be such fabulous influences and to make me laugh!

God bless you Richard and Heidie - you bunch of beauties!

Miss Potter trailer

Linda and I went to see this film last night. It was so lovely! Probably not particularly one for the guys but some might like it. Good on Miss Potter! She was a strong, beautiful and successful lady. Rene Zellweger who plays her is not on first glance the most beautiful person to look at but on second glance she has got real beauty - real natural beauty and watching her in that film I felt a sense of happy, peacefulness.

I read a book over Christmas called "Captivating - understanding the mysteries a woman's soul". In it the authors talk about how when you see a beautiful scene or view it makes you feel calm, relaxed and peaceful. However, when you're out and about in the centre of a busy town or city - it's noisy and chaotic and sometimes quite threatening. The author goes on to say that a woman who is content with her beauty - the beauty that God sees in her - her natural beauty - is like the beautiful scene: she makes those around her feel calm, relaxed and content. But the woman not content and searching for beauty makes those people around her feel hassled, uneasy and perhaps even threatened.

This really challenged me. I think most people have self-esteem issues. Some more than others and I know that I do. I've been really praying and thinking about this recently because I want to face this year and my future confident in who I am and in who God made me. So reading this gave me an incentive to be confident in the beauty that God sees in me and has created in me. I don't want people around me to feel hassled, uneasy or threatened. I want them to feel relaxed, calm and refreshed because only that way will I have any chance of being any good to God and building his Kingdom. Plus actually in my daily pursuit of continued happiness, I think this way will make me more happy.

I've got a good vibe about this year ...

laters
cx

Happy 2007!!!

I'm really quite excited about this year. Firstly, because I like the look of the numbers 2007. I love the number 7! Anyway, I've got a good vibe about 2007. It started off as I mean to go on - laughing a lot!

We were all at Mum and dad's for new year and Suz and Liz joined us. We ordered the most mahoosive chinese which was lovely. Then we played a few games of Uno and Taboo and then we "jumped" into the new year at Heidie's instigation and sang Auld Lang Syne. Then we went out the back to watch the fireworks "display" in the back garden. I type "display" in inverted commas because I'm using that word very loosely to discribe these fireworks. They certainly were no where near as impressive as the ones in London but caused alot of gasps! Mainly gasps of fear as a couple of them headed towards us instead of the sky! I've never moved so quickly! We all bunched into poor Liz - I'm not quite sure why because we were no more protected! Anyway, you know that way when you laugh so much you can't breath or actually make a noise? That was me on seeing the freak fireworks. Richard got them for half price at Lidls. That figures - Richard you were done!

New Year's day and we all went for a walk around Dawlish whilst mum and dad got the lunch ready. It was truly beautiful there.


When we got down to the beach we all separated for 5-10 minutes and just had some time on our own which was really significant for me. On that beautiful day, in that beautiful place, I just took some time to just thank God for being beautiful in my life and praying for the year to come.

I think poor liz got quite a shock when she experienced The Bradbury family plus Suz! I think it might have been a bit like going into the twilight zone for her! Anyway, here we all are. I took the photo on my phone using the timer - I love doing that!


So we did a bit of shopping in the first few days of the new year and got some good bargains. It's a good job sometimes that Heidie and i don't live in the same country because we're beginning to have very similar wardrobes! For christmas we both got the same top and then we bought the same shoes a well. I found a dvd of Miss Congeniality which I was wanting to see because someone once likened me to the character which Sandra Bullock plays - sadly I don't think this person meant the likeness in her beauty but I think it's more that no matter how much I try to look beautiful and glamorous - I'm still a bit of a tom boy / casual bird or was it more of a cinderella thing?!?

So last weekend, I travelled to Sunbury Court to take part in the assessment conference. This conference is for people who believe that God is calling them to Officership which is a full time minister in TSA. At the conference you have 6 different interviews (academic, pastoral, vocational, one from a member of the pastoral care council (another name for an elder), a sorting the practicalilties out one and one with the Candidates Secretary). We have an assigment to complete and a book report. There is a group work session and a group discussion session. Everyone was very nervous to start with but after we got the first night over and done with things became a bit more calm. I realised after my first couple of interviews that the assessors weren't there to trick you or catch you out which was a relief because I reckon I would have been caught out straight away. I have this fear that one day I will be exposed as a fraud - I wonder what Freud would have had to say about that.

Anyway, there were 12 of us all there going through the process but plenty of people also going throught it with us from a distance.. I was so assured in the knowledge of so many people saying that they would be praying for me. It is a good job that I don't believe in good and bad luck though because if the fact that my uniform skirt was so tight I could hardly get it on was an indication then that was not a good sign! Anyway, I did get through it all and I got through it very succesfully - praise God and thanks for the prayers everyone!

So now I'm back to normal having had a nice break and some good news to start my year off positively. I've got a good vibe about this year ....

laters
cx