Happy Christmas!

The great day will soon be upon us, so  a happy Christmas to you all.

Ours started last Monday when we went to the tiny Norfolk village of Thursford to see the Thursford Spectacular, a three hour show of glitz and glamour, with amazing music, singing and dancing. An experience to remember, made all the better for us because we had lots of friends with us and Ian coped well. He flagged towards the end of the second half so we made a hasty exit, but once we were home again and he'd had the ubiquitous cup of tea, he was fine.

Today we went to see his consultant surgeon at the hospital and were told that Ian has progressed very well since his operation and can now do anything he likes, even play golf. He has to get a bit fitter to contemplate that, but it was the best news for Christmas we could have had.

My only church duty this weekend is to lead the midnight service on Christmas Eve, then I'm off until the new year so am planning to enjoy the break. Becki and Alex are going to cook Christmas dinner (or so they say) while Ian and I take our ease, apparently. I'll believe it when I see it. Then we all go over to Fiona and Stuart on Thursday, for yet another Christmas celebration.

Meanwhile I staggered round Tesco this morning after the hospital visit, for the final Christmas shop. The shopping was fine, but I then stood in the checkout queue for thirty-five minutes, which was less fine. Oh well. Has to be done.

Tomorrow morning we pick up the turkey (yes, a genuine Norfolk bronze) and all the trimmings and vegetables from the local farm shop, then that's it on the shopping front, hopefully for the rest of the year. Feels good writing that - no more shopping in 2011!

So a happy Christmas to you all. Enjoy your families if you have them, and have a wonderful time.

Christmas is definitely coming...

Things are looking up in the Scott household. Ian grows stronger daily, and this week managed to walk to the shop and back without looking grey and half-dead.

The Christmas cards are written and posted, and with my new pink laptop (an early Christmas present to myself – and yes, the colour is important!) I was able to mail merge and thus run off typed address labels, which made life hugely easier.

On a sadder note, it’s our next-door neighbour’s funeral tomorrow. I’m taking it, and am pleased to be doing so since it feels like one last thing I can do for him. He was the best neighbour you could ever hope to have; we would often come up from Pulham on my day off to find the grass had been cut, the bins put out, and on one occasion after a holiday, the patio had been pressure washed and the front step beautifully repaired. We’ll all miss him in this Close.

For us, Christmas starts tomorrow when our youngest daughter returns from Belgium and will be staying until January 4th. On Monday a group of us from the Close and some friends are all going to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular. This is an amazing Christmas show, put on in a tiny village in North Norfolk and attracting thousands from all over the country and beyond. It’s a unique mixture of sacred and secular, and is a truly stupendous sight. As we used to live near Thursford we went every year in the early days, but since moving away hadn’t been for years. Last year we were offered a couple of tickets and loved the show so much that I immediately bought tickets for the Close. The shows are so popular that you need to order tickets in January for the following Christmas in order to get good seats.

I have two carol services coming up in which the choir is involved, then on Christmas Eve am helping out at the midnight service, before an early rise next morning to get the turkey in the oven.

It’s a family occasion. Our son will be coming on Christmas Day, then during the following week we’ll all troop over to older daughter’s to have another Christmas with them (and this after granddaughter’s sixth birthday on Saturday. She’ll be high for weeks.)

All in all, a great time. I love Christmas.

Daily small improvements

Every day I notice small improvements in Ian's condition. The scar (about fifteen inches long, all down his chest and abdomen) has healed well, and every day he does a little more. Yesterday he had his first short walk around the Close where we live. It's only about a hundred yards, but he made it once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Today's achievements are two-fold. This morning he cut his toenails (OK, I did rather screw up my face at the thought of that particular job) but it was such an effort that he had to lie on the bed again afterwards.

Later this morning he decided to walk to the shop and back. The shop is a two-minute walk away in normal times, but for him it was twenty minutes. I was just about to go out and look for him when he staggered through the door looking grey. I think it was a little too ambitious, but at least he made it.

Tonight I'm going out to choir practice. It will be the first time I've left him alone, but I think he'll be fine. Tomorrow I'm going to spend an hour at the church fete (signing books) and on Sunday will drive into Norwich for a slot on Radio Norfolk's Sunday programme. That'll take about an hour, all told.

So we're getting there. Today I resumed some of my writing and am hoping now to write properly - when I've done the Christmas cards. That'll take forever, but I do enjoy Christmas and love receiving cards so really do need to write some.

Sadly, our lovely next door neighbour died last night. He'd had only a short illness, so we're all a bit stunned by his loss. He'll be greatly missed. The family have asked me to take the service, which will be a real privilege.

Life is gradually returning to normal - and how precious it seems.

All will be well

Some of you will know that Ian (Ed) was admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital last Wednesday evening, with suspected leaking of his aortic aneurysm. He was very ill, so it was a blue-light ambulance.

He was taken to A&E, had a scan, and was immediately whisked into theatre for late night surgery. The fear was that the aneurysm had actually burst, which is fatal in 90% of cases. Fortunately, in Ian's case it was on the point of bursting but had not yet done so, and the operation went smoothly.

He was in intensive care for two days, then moved into the surgical ward.

For three days he looked terrible. Full of tubes, on large doses of morphine, and practically comatose. But on the next day there was a marked improvement. Most of the tubes had been removed and he was sitting up and taking notice.

Yesterday he was allowed a cup of tea, and the remaining tubes were removed. By now I could hardly believe it was the same person. He was chatting normally, able to smile and laugh, and had been up and taken a few steps.

Today the change is even more remarkable. He has walked round the ward and up and down stairs, and had food. What's more, they've told him he may be ready for discharge by the weekend.

I can't help but believe that a huge raft of prayer from family and friends has made all the difference. It has certainly supported me through what has been a somewhat hairy time, and I think the constant, steady improvement in Ian's condition - far quicker than expected - has been somehow borne on a wave of prayer. I can't pretend to know how prayer works, but I am so grateful to all those of you who have supported us in this way. Keep up the good work, the results are magnificent.

Oh, and I LOVE the NHS. All those health professionals have been absolutely wonderful. Not only extremely skilful, but very kind and considerate towards worried me as well as Ian. And naturally, it hasn't cost us a penny.

The trouble with mice...

You may remember that I've had trouble with mice before. Pesky little creatures, seemingly with only one desire - to frustrate the life out of me.

Yes, all right, I admit it. I'm to blame for their stubborn refusal to obey, but dropping them several times onto the tiled floor of the conservatory is no reason for them to turn up their toes at the earliest opportunity.

It's true the latest one lasted several months, but any appreciation of that fact swings out of the window when pointing and clicking and scrolling produce nothing but a feathery excuse for movement. When you can't get the mouse to move the cursor, there's nothing for it but to curse.

Since my latest mouse reached that stage today, and all the previous mice - resurrected from various drawers in the study - stood in obstinate solidarity with it, refusing outright to work, there was no choice.

Ed and I hopped into the car, drove to the mouse generating shop and purchased a new one.

So far it's working perfectly. But I haven't yet ventured into the conservatory...

Back to normal, more or less

I'm more or less back to normal now, in that my back has settled down beautifully and I'm mobile again.

Last week Ed and I went to see his consultant, and learned that Ed has to have the major (rather than the minor) operation to repair his aortic aneurysm. They're going to admit him sometime during November (no, we still don't have a date), open up his chest and insert a 'trouser graft', which is a kind of tube shaped like an inverted 'Y'. Now waiting to hear whether the anaesthetist and the kidney guy think Ed is OK for the surgery. Apparently he'll spend 10-14 days in intensive care afterwards. Hopefully all will be over by Christmas, although inevitably that will be a quiet time for us this year.

We've had a couple of lovely meals with friends since then. At times like this it's good to spend some time with friends. They are a great support for us.

I'm delighted to say that my latest novel, Vengeance Lies In Wait, is now available from Amazon.co.uk as well as from Amazon.com. Not sure how this has happened, since it was only on Amazon.com and upon emailing to ask when it would appear on Amazon.co.uk, they replied, 'Never.' So I'm puzzled but delighted, and not willing to rock the boat by asking too many questions.

It's already selling quite well, so I'm very happy!

I've taken one or two services recently - I surprise myself by how much I love doing this - and am taking a funeral tomorrow at the Crematorium. That will be a sad occasion as the deceased was deeply loved by all and was only 62 years old. Sounds young to me, these days. At least he managed to pack a good deal into his life, and if you leave it with everyone saying how much they love you, it's perhaps the best possible legacy.

I think the Crematorium will be packed tomorrow, so hope the service goes well. It's always an ordeal for the family, but I hope will give them some comfort. Certainly with lots of people there, the family will be well supported and that always helps.

I'm off to choir in the evening, so that will provide some good relaxation and I shall enjoy it. As I'm not the best singer in the world, those around me may not, but we'll definitely have fun. A good way to start the weekend.

A week away

I was away all last week, acting as a facilitator on the Clergy Leadership Programme.

This is a programme for vicars and rectors who have been in post for some years, to help them assess themselves and their work. We share it with our neighbouring diocese, so there were around twenty participants and seven staff.

It's held at our diocesan retreat house (which has metamorphosed into a conference centre) and is in a lovely, rural part of south Norfolk/north Suffolk. The weather was unseasonably hot and sunny when we arrived and the swimming pool was open, so naturally I had to swim.

Unfortunately the water was unheated, and although I was assured it was 20 degrees, I think this was a Norfolk idea of 20 degrees. My feet nearly dropped off, but that may have been because I had to break the ice when I first got in...

Anyway, once was enough. The rest of the week, I went walking in our free time.

It was a good week and I enjoyed it (especially watching 'Keeping Mum' on Thursday evening) but the bed was pretty dreadful (I could only sleep by wedging myself between the emerging springs) and after lugging all my luggage and computer back to the car on Friday, I've developed a bad back.

When I say 'bad', it actually means I can't move. Oh well. Keep taking the tablets...

Not a good week...

We didn't have too good a week last week, hence no blogging.

Ed is still waiting to hear about his aortic aneurysm repair, so we practically sit on the phone, and race to the door when the post drops on the mat. Hasn't made any difference, though. We still haven't heard a word from the hospital for over a fortnight now. We're pretty sure Ed had the last of his pre-op tests two weeks ago, but we don't know how they're going to approach the repair or when it will be. Somewhat worrying for both of us.

However, he heard today that some wards at the hospital have been closed because of infection, so perhaps it's just as well he's not in there yet. There's always a silver lining.

Ed has given up golf now until next March, when hopefully he'll be feeling much fitter having got through the op OK.

Just to cap it all, I had two teeth out. One was a wisdom tooth which had broken, so there was almost no tooth for the dentist to get hold of. She had such a job to shift it that my lower jaw performed all sorts of ugly gyrations, and hasn't been the same since.

Oh well. the weather is glorious and no doubt all will work out fine in the end. That's what we're hoping, anyway.

Preaching at a different church

We had a busy weekend, with all the immediate family descending on Saturday (it was lovely) to attend the Paston Day put on by our local church.

The Pastons were arguably the one of most important (and wealthiest) families in Norfolk in the middle ages, and a group of people - The Paston Society - keeps their history alive today by re-enacting the times in which they lived. In church, there were all sorts of medieval crafts to try. Our five year old granddaughter had a terrific day making jewellery, paper, felt, a sword, and learning calligraphy - after a fashion! That, plus the teddy bear rides in the churchyard, and great refreshments, made a much enjoyed day out for the whole family.

In the evening I was singing (I belong to the Brundall Singers, a local choir) in a concert at Caister church, a village church about nine miles away, on the coast. The highlight was not our choir, but twin Chinese girl pianists, aged 18. They started playing at the age of six and a half, and by the time they were ten, both had passed grade eight with distinction! After that they both attended the Purcell School for Music. They were superb.

On Sunday, I took the service and preached at Ranworth church. Ranworth is a village on the Norfolk Broads, with a very beautiful medieval church which boasts the best rood screen in the country. It also has a 500 year old illustrated book, made by monks from nearby St. Benet's Abbey. It was lovely to be there and we were made very welcome.

After the service there it was two miles down the road to the next village of South Walsham, where I took part in the service and had the privilege of baptising a small boy. Again, a great experience and we were warmly welcomed.

Youngest daughter Becki had been staying for the weekend, but left in the afternoon for Whitby, where she's giving a lecture on medieval glass and stained glass. She'll be back on Thursday for next weekend, then it's a return to Belgium for her.

Tomorrow I'm talking to our local W.I. about books - and hoping to sell a few!

Yes, a busy time. Retirement is suddenly less restful...

A new publishing company...

It is remarkably easy - and incredibly cheap - to self-publish. There are many routes to this, some of which are described as "joint" publishing and can be somewhat expensive, but I've discovered that it is quite possible for anyone with a little technical know-how to publish their work with no help whatsoever.

Personally, I want to choose a route which is economically viable. If, for instance, joint or self publishing is going to cost me around £1000 (or more), then I need to be sure that I can recoup that outlay by selling my books. Because I'm based in the UK and my publishers so far have been based in the USA, it is very expensive for any of my local contacts to purchase books directly from the publisher's website, because the cost of postage is prohibitive. Local contacts get a much better deal from Amazon UK, where the books are usually discounted immediately they hit the shelves, and postage is either free or minimal. The problem for me is that my royalties from Amazon are around 75p per copy. They are much better from the publisher's website - but nobody orders from there! Therefore I have to sell well over 1000 books to begin to make any profit at all.

If I self-publish using the very easy templates and software provided free by Amazon, either for Kindle (electronic) publishing, or for CreateSpace (print) publishing, there are virtually no costs, so any books sold produce a profit.

A no-brainer, you might think.

Ah yes, but there are other considerations. Quality needs to be excellent, and here bona-fide publishers come into their own. You need a huge marketing set-up, and again, publishers have this. I'm very glad to have used well-known publishers for my first two novels, Heaven Spent and Babes And Sucklings. I have learned so much about the publishing process and the subsequent marketing, and have been delighted with the quality of both books.

But now I want to branch out on my own, hence I have published Vengeance Lies In Wait electronically for Kindle, by myself, and am awaiting the CreateSpace print proof. I've published this under my own imprint of Beasant Books (were you wondering what the B in Janice B. Scott stands for?)

So if you would like to explore the same route but don't quite have the confidence to attempt it yourself, drop me an email. Beasant Books will be delighted to help you - at a very reasonable cost.

Why not give us a try?

The last Bank Holiday

Yes, the long summer holidays are drawing to a close, marked by the last Bank Holiday of the year. Nothing now until Christmas, which I suppose still counts as this year, but it feels like next.

Anyway, traditionally the last summer Bank Holiday in the UK is wet, windy and cold. This year it's merely a little chilly, but with bright patches of sunshine can even be classed as warm at times.

With such clement weather, and with youngest daughter home for a day or two, naturally we decided to go blackberrying. It's what you do on late summer Bank Holidays in the country.

We collected several freezer bags of blackberries (OK, the bags were small, but who's counting?) a good many scratches from brambles, stings from nettles, close encounters with distinctly unfriendly branches whipping back into our faces, and a thorough soaking from the one short shower which was enough to drench us. So we were happy.

Fortuitously, we met with a friend en route who has a tree laden with so many pears she doesn't know what to do with them, so we collected a back pack of pears too.

Anyone got any recipes for pears and blackberries? Bung it method preferred. Or I could just throw them all in the freezer.

Norfolk summer visitors

Summer tends to be visiting time in Norfolk. We've had two lots of visitors, and have some more arriving on Friday, although that one is only a flying visit involving lunch.

It's lovely to see them all, and we'll settle down soon for another year sans visitors.

We've been a bit unsettled lately because we've recently been told that Ed has to go into hospital soon for major surgery. His aortic aneurysm -- we've been living with that for around five years -- has reached the stage where it needs to be repaired. This involves endless pre-surgery trips to the hospital for various tests, so that the surgical team can decide the best approach.

All somewhat disturbing, but thank goodness for the National Health Service - I can't begin to imagine the cost if we had to pay - and it'll be lovely when it's all over and we can stop worrying about whether the wretched aneurysm is going to burst.

On a happier note, we had an mini Antique Road Show at the church this morning. A local valuer gave his time to value antiques brought by local people. Ed and I confirmed that nothing we have is worth a bean!

It was an excellent morning, and the church had put on a fascinating local history display to entertain people while they waited for their turn.

And the rain didn't start until this evening!

Murphy's Law

It has to be Murphy's Law.

Today our rector, Paul, went on holiday leaving me to take the Sunday services and the Wednesday Communions for the next couple of weeks. He hadn't had a funeral for several weeks, and there were none in the pipeline.

Just before lunch I had a call from the funeral directors. An elderly lady has died, and the family would like the funeral to be next Friday. How's that for Murphy's Law?

Since I retired, I've got out of the way of being constantly on the alert for funerals and juggling my time around them. It took a while today to decide how I could manage to shuffle my engagements without giving them up altogether, but I think I've done it. Now all that remains is to contact the family (they were out when I rang the first time and engaged when I rang the second time, but third time lucky, I hope) visit them to ascertain what they would like at the funeral, sort out an organist, prepare the service, write the oration, and deliver it all.

Tomorrow I'm taking three services, and the Communion service on Wednesday is followed by some guests (who also rang up today) coming unexpectedly for lunch.

And on Monday, which happens to be our wedding anniversary, I'm going to the hospital with Ed to find out whether - or when - they are going to repair his aortic aneurysm.

Don't you just love retirement? It's so restful with nothing to do.

Lunch with the bishop

Well, almost. Actually since there were around 300 of us, all crammed into two huge marquees joined into one in the bishop’s beautiful garden, I didn’t say more than two words to him or his wife.

Never mind, Ed and I had a lovely time, meeting up with old friends and enjoying the lavish buffet provided by the bishop.

The occasion? A Eucharist in the cathedral followed by lunch in the bishop’s garden, for all the retired clergy in the diocese, their spouses (spice?), plus all clergy widows and widowers.

It was sad to meet up with some newly widowed spice, especially as their husbands who died were only around my age (that’s young, honestly), but an excellent service in the cathedral where the preacher (one of us retireds) memorably smashed a clay pot onto the floor of the sanctuary from the ten feet or so height of the pulpit. The point being that we’re all cracked pots, or possibly crackpots.

The marquee was set out with round tables seating eight, and we were fortunate enough to have a lively bunch on our table, so enjoyed lots of fun and laughter over our meal.

In the evening our choir had a concert, so it felt like a very full day, but one which both Ed and I greatly enjoyed.

Sadly it’ll be two years before the next bishop’s-lunch-for-retired-clergy, so hopefully we’ll all meet up in some other way before then, before we’re all the wrong side of the grass!

Royal excitement

We've had an exciting time.

Ed and I motored down to Cranfield University at the Defence Academy, Watchfield (just outside Swindon), to share in our youngest daughter's PhD graduation ceremony.

That was exciting, but even more so, the Princess Royal was awarded an honorary degree at the same ceremony. Afterwards, Becki (and her guests - that's Ed and me and our son, Alex) was one of the students chosen to be presented to Princess Anne (the queen's daughter).

Here's one of the pictures taken by proud parents...

Later, Princess Anne's husband, the drop-dead gorgeous Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence, also came and chatted - and actually shook my hand. I haven't washed since.

Here he is...

They were both such nice people. They must get sick to death of such events, yet showed great interest in everyone and everything, and both with a lovely sense of humour.

A great occasion. We loved it!

I've been waiting...

Is it only after you've retired that you spend so much time waiting around? I find myself waiting for tradesmen - plumbers and electricians and so on - waiting for phone calls - people who promise to call at a specific time but never do - and for the last three days, waiting for the rector to call.

He goes on holiday when the schools break up for the summer (which is on Friday) and I cover for him, taking the services and fielding any calls that crop up. Funerals, and the like.

At church on Sunday he said he'd like to call this week, to sort out exactly what I needed to do in his absence (it would be nice to know) and I told him, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, as I shan't be around on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

It's now three-thirty on Wednesday, and thus far, no visit. Mind you, I did go out for a walk yesterday, while Ed manned the house. Disturbingly, I noticed the swallows gathering on the telephone wires like so many musical notes. Doesn't that signify the end of the summer, when the swallows depart? I hope I'm wrong, since the children aren't yet on holiday.

Well, that's it. I'm off to make a cup of tea. That should bring him...

Slow cooking

It's been a chequered week of alternate days of pouring rain and bright sunshine. Unfortunately one of the pouring rain days was yesterday so I didn't get my weekly golf, but today is glorious sunshine so I've already made the most of it and while Ed was watching The Open (golf) on television, managed a walk - on the path as I reckoned anything off-road might be thick mud after yesterday. It was lovely out there today.

Meanwhile, I've been experimenting with the slow cooker. We've had ours for about nine months, and use it most of the time to cook meat dishes. You can use the cheapest possible cut of meat, sling everything into the slow cooker, switch on and leave it. Come back around five hours later to a delicious, tasty meal with meat so tender it falls off the fork. And it only uses the electricity of a light bulb. Can't be bad.

Last week we went into Norwich with our visitors and browsed in the discount book store, where I spotted (and bought for 99p) a book of slow cooker recipes. It was a revelation. I discovered you can cook all sorts of delicious desserts as well as main courses, so we shot into Tesco and bought a second slow cooker for £10, just for desserts.

Today's effort is a crème brulee, which I love but have never previously attempted. However, even I can manage the bung-it-and-leave-it method, so I have great hopes. One of the really good things is that you can't overcook, so it suits me fine.

I've now found some great slow cooker websites, all offering free recipes which other people have tried and tested. Count me among the fans, I've definitely become a slow cooker devotee.

Must go now - off to sample crème brulee...

We're back again

Actually, we've been back a week, but visitors descended as we arrived home and stayed for this past week. It was lovely seeing them again and we had a good time together.

These visitors were very interesting. They have a caravan, and this last winter they took it to the south of Spain where they stayed until March, missing all our snow and horrendous weather. They regaled us with tales of the life out there - lots of people from all over Europe gather there every winter, and it did sound great fun, as well as having the temperature of our Spring.

They went home - or rather, onto other relatives - after lunch yesterday, but as I had a choir engagement in the evening, it's only today that Ed and I have really begun to relax.

We had a good week in Wales, dry too, although we missed the heatwave they had here in East Anglia.

We did see a peregrine falcon up close - it chose the tree just outside our window to reside for a while, a fantastic sight. It's a majestic hawk, which frequents estuaries and cliffs. Wales has plenty of those, and we were overlooking an estuary.

We also came across Dylan Thomas' grave on one of our walks. He and his wife, Caitlin, are buried in the churchyard in Laugharne. Apparently he arrived on a bus one day, fell in love with Laugharne, and never left again. His little writing hut, where all his best poetry was written, was just outside the grounds where we were staying, and our lodge overlooked Milk Wood, the scene of his most famous poem, "Under Milk Wood."

The churchyard was full of large, important-looking, granite and marble graves, but this was the only sign of Dylan Thomas' grave,

and on the other side was his wife, Caitlin.

It was really refreshing to see how unassuming was the greatest poet in the history of Wales. Must be a message in that somewhere.

Now we're back to normal (or what approximates to normal in the Scott household) and tomorrow I'm preaching at a different church, one way outside this deanery, and where I've never been before. They meet in a school, so I have a talk on the parable of the sower (which is set for the day by those on high) complete with slides. I hope they enjoy it - I think I will!

A summer of sport

Not for me, you understand. I might play a few games of golf, but I won't be out there every day hacking at a ball - any ball!

However, you could be forgiven for thinking that the UK is sports mad, especially in summer. At the moment we're thick into Wimbledon, and at the time of writing, we still have three Brits competing. Make the most of it, I have a horrible feeling that as usual, it won't last.

There seems to be a lot of cricket on television too, at least in our household, and of course, our Rory McIlroy romped to victory in the US Open (that's golf, for those who don't know.)

Add to all that the present craziness over the 2012 London Olympics tickets, and it seems to be nothing but sport. Apparently some Olympic events are already sold out, and masses of people have been disappointed, not being able to get hold of any tickets, let alone the ones they wanted.

Ed and I opted long ago to watch these events on television. It may be pedantic of us, but at least we get to see all the events we want at close range.

Of course, the British weather always adds a degree of excitement to any of these summer sporting events. Apart from here in the east, where we've had a dry spring and summer, everywhere else has been suffering torrential downpours. Huge fun as you watch the covers being rushed over the crease (cricket) or over the court (tennis).

Ed and I are off to Wales tomorrow for a week, so I expect we'll see plenty of rain over there. It's right over the other side of the country (so we're leaving at silly o'clock to beat the traffic) and is renowned for being wet.

Oh well. Wales is also very beautiful, so maybe I'll have some photos for you when we return.

Until then - have a good week.

And another sadness...

Yes, Don died on Sunday morning, but again, I'm so glad I got to see him one last time. I'm sure we shall miss his funeral as we're off to Wales on Saturday and it's almost sure to be next week, but Joan's funeral isn't until July 8th, when we shall be back.
On a brighter note, we had some old friends for lunch yesterday and had such a good time, catching up on all the news with the usual laughter and banter.

Today Ed and I rode the bus into Norwich. Our first stop is always The Tea Junction in Castle Mall, where we sit for tea or coffee and I generally purchase some of their excellent coffee, usually Cinnamon And Cappuccino - to die for! It's such a good shop, with really enticing aromas, and the staff are always so nice.

Just had a long chat via Skype with youngest daughter in Belgium. She'll be coming over next month for her graduation ceremony at the Defence Academy near Swindon, so we'll be meeting up again. Meanwhile she's feeling a bit low as the boyfriend can't make it over to Belgium this weekend. Ah, these affairs of the heart. I remember them well - and am so glad I'm well past that stage in life!

We heard older daughter speak at the Autism-Anglia conference in Norwich last week. She was their keynote speaker, and was really good. First time Ed and I had heard her. Even better, she arranged for me to have a table selling Babes And Sucklings, featuring a main character with Asperger Syndrome which causes him a great deal of trouble. Hopefully the sales will begin to get the book out into the Autism community.

Just to complete the family profile, our son came for lunch on Sunday as it was Fathers' Day. We had a lovely time with him and he brought Ed a new golf shirt plus a couple of golf balls. Unfortunately Ed won't be using them any time soon as I seem to have generously passed my heavy cold onto him - just in time for our trip to Wales! I'm sure he'll be better soon, but meanwhile we suffer!

Just started a number of new websites. If anything comes of them, I'll let you know.

Sadnesses

There are many sadnesses involved in the life of a priest, but when I retired I thought that would be the end of them.

Yes, OK, definitely wishful thinking, and perhaps I knew that deep down inside.

On Saturday I was invited back to one of my previous parishes to baptise the great grandson of the the churchwarden there. It was a really happy occasion, but instead of going on to the christening party, Ed and I went back to one of other parishes because I'd been told that another churchwarden was dying.

I so wanted to see Joan before she died, so I called in on Saturday afternoon.

She was deeply unconscious so I don't suppose she knew I was there, but at least I was able to stroke her forehead, murmur a prayer, and give her a farewell kiss.

Joan died this morning.

Also this morning, I had an email telling me that another old friend was in hospital, not expected to survive, and would like me to visit, so I trotted along to the hospital today.

Don is very ill and unable to eat. He has almost no energy, but his mind (at 90) is as sharp as ever, and we were able to have a few words and share a touch and a prayer. I don't know whether I'll ever see Don again.

He and Jenny have a wonderful love story. They met when Jenny was 12 and Don 14. Jenny was playing the piano at the Methodist Sunday School; Don had moved into the area with his parents, and it was love at first sight.

They married when Jenny was 18, and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in April.

Such lovely people - and there is a hole in my heart when people I love die.

Sadnesses, and becoming more frequent as the years roll by. So I must just give thanks for all that has been, and the wonderful people I have known. They are legion.

We're home!

Just back from a great week with our youngest daughter in Belgium. She works at the university in Leuven, so Ed and I hopped over via Eurostar, which was such a good experience. We took a bus from home to Norwich train station (free), a train from Norwich to Liverpool Street in London (vastly reduced with Crumbly passes), Underground from Liverpool Street to King's Cross, walked through to St. Pancras (all the same station, really), then boarded Eurostar for Brussels. Becki met us in Brussels and shepherded us onto a train for Leuven, then it was a walk of maybe a mile and a half to her apartment. We only took backpacks, so it was all very easy. We left home at 9.30am and arrived in her apartment by 5.30pm. The train under the ocean, across part of France and into Brussels, took only two hours.

The weather was blazing hot the whole time, as I believe it was in the UK (our part of it, anyway) and across most of northern Europe.

may daughter insisted I should try a different Belgium beer each day, so there are all these compromising photos of me on Facebook with my face stuck in pint glasses of varying colours. Very good beer, though.

A huge treat was Belgian waffles, covered with strawberries, cream and chocolate - to die for! At Becki's insistence I tried Belgian stew. Doesn't sound very exciting, but the flavour was out of this world. And naturally, when in Belgium you are required to eat chocolate. It's mandatory since they make it - and superb! In case you're thinking it was all food, let me disabuse you. We did walk as well. Becki lives about fifteen minutes walk from the centre of Leuven, and about the same distance from the university, so we did plenty of walking around.

One day we went to Brugges, and here is a photo of the clock tower in Brugges (apparently famous, although I didn't know that):

Here's one of part of the university campus - an ancient water wheel with a beautiful medieval building in the background (can't remember what it's called) and Becki in the foreground:

This is the very elaborate pulpit in Leuven Cathedral, carved from wood and terrifically ornamental. Imagine preaching from here:

And finally, the very elaborate town hall, again medieval:

All in all, a wonderful week for Ed and me.

The swan...

Ed played golf today while I stayed at home and minded the house (aaahhh) so he was under strict instructions to find out about the swan.

Apparently all the eggs have hatched, although I'm not sure how they know that since no one has seen the cygnets. The cob is still hugely aggressive, and the thinking is that the swan has hidden the cygnets in the reed bed until they are big enough to venture forth, while the cob fiercely deters all comers.

Meanwhile, the oyster catcher (it's a bird with a long, slender red beak and red legs, normally only found on the sea shore) still has three chicks, or three little bundles of fluff on long, spindly legs.

Yes, life on the golf course is fairly humming.

We've just had solar panels fitted onto our roof - for free. A local green energy company has a brokered a deal with the government and the National Grid, to put in solar panels on south-facing roofs, and maintain it, free of charge. We get free electricity from the sun, and the company gets paid by the Grid for any we don't use, the whole scheme being underwritten by the government.

We're delighted, and keep nipping through to peek at the meter to say how much we're getting for free. Apparently it should reduce our electricity costs by around 45% - can't be bad!

Tomorrow we're off to Belgium via Eurostar, for a week. See you in June, 'bye for now!

The swan saga...

...continues. The swan on the golf course, that is.

A couple of weeks ago she was suddenly off the nest, and I was unable to see any sign of the six eggs. Then she was back on the nest, and when I played last week, she was sitting as she had for what seems like many weeks.

A friend suggested she had covered her eggs when she left the nest for a short period. That made me feel better.

Today, not only was the nest deserted, but there was no sign of the swan. I had a good look in the nest and could see several broken egg shells, but whether they're broken because they have hatched, or whether they have been snatched by a predator, I have no idea.

Apparently the cob has been extremely aggressive lately, threatening anyone who ventured within five or six feet (and it's difficult to avoid that distance when you're playing golf, especially with some of the wayward shots), so he may have been protecting young cygnets, or the swan may have herded them off somewhere for safety. No one has any idea what has happened.

On a brighter note, we had an oyster catcher and its young brood on the course today. Very unusual - they're generally only seen on the seashore, so that was great.

Ed and I are away next week so I shan't catch up with the saga of the swan for a couple of weeks.

Watch this space!

So our world is still (more or less) intact

Delighted to actually wake up today.

Far from ending, the world appears to be more or less intact, although we have ferocious winds buffeting our plants. Nothing like a tornado or hurricane, though, and our plants generally manage to survive the rigours of the English weather.

I wonder where we'd all be if the world really had ended. In heaven? Hell? Some unknown place of darkness? Existing only in thought or emotion? Who knows?

I have something of a pet theory that what continues after death is love, so the more we learn to love in this life, the more likely we are to find ourselves living and loving beyond this life. Perhaps Jesus was seen on earth after his death because his love was so strong that it was manifest physically. And perhaps people sometimes see their loved ones after death because their love for each other was so strong.

But as I say, it's only a theory. What's your theory of life after death?

Further nature notes

No, not that sort of nature. Sorry to disappoint you. This is the furry, feathery kind.

I played golf on Monday, and was both surprised and upset to see that the swan had left her nest - for the first time in weeks - and was languidly sitting by the side of the pond. Upon closer inspection, there were no eggs in the empty nest, but no cygnets either.

My golfing partner and I wondered what had happened. A fox? An otter? (Do otters eat eggs?) Or had she just abandoned them, after weeks of patient sitting?

We had no answers, but Ed was more encouraging when I got home.

"Perhaps someone has incubated them. There may be a simple reason..."

When he played yesterday, I asked him about the swan.

"Perfectly all right," he said. "She was sitting on the nest just as usual."

So now I'm really confused. Is she sitting on an empty nest for comfort? Did I fail to spot the eggs on Monday? Or is there a bunch of tiny cygnets which were hidden under her wings on Monday?

Can't wait to play tomorrow, just to solve the mystery!

Nature - yellow in beak and claw

You see life on our golf course, but not always the most uplifting of scenarios.

The swan is still on her nest, protected by the small wire fence erected by the greenkeepers when she first started sitting some weeks ago.

On another pond, the mother moor-hen has managed to raise a brood of six chicks, little black furry bundles skittering about everywhere on tiny spindly legs. I tried to snatch a photo with my phone, but she hurried them all into the pond at amazing speed as I surreptitiously approached, and all of them disappeared.

Further round, on the pond by the seventeenth green, is a duck with three or four fluffy yellow ducklings. At least, there were three or four ducklings. Just as I was about to putt on the seventeenth, there was the most raucous cacophony. I missed the putt (but can't blame the noise. I just missed it), and turned to see a large black crow swoop down on the ducklings as mother tried to shoo her brood into the pond.

In a micro moment the crow had grabbed a duckling in its large claws, made off with it, and could soon be seen pecking at it. The mother duck was distraught, and to be honest, all those of us who witnessed it were quite upset, too.

But there's no room for maudlin sentimentality in nature. In another couple of moments, all was quiet again. The mother duck and her ducklings were serenely enjoying the pond, the crow finished its meal and flew away, and only us humans were left feeling somewhat bereft.

There's a sermon in that somewhere, if only I could find it!

Mobile phones - how do you survive them?

As I was spending roughly £10.00 per month on my pay-as-you-go mobile phone, and both my daughters had posh smart phones which made me envious, I decided to upgrade to pay monthly.

Vodafone (I'm limited to Vodafone on account of there being no other signal is this remote area of the British Isles) had a good offer of a free Blackberry for £15.00 per month.

Sounded too good to miss, so I went into the Vodafone shop in Norwich to speak to a real person. Chris was a very nice young man who patiently answered all my questions and offered me the first two months free.

Excellent.

It's a lovely little phone, and downloads all my emails too (whether I want it to or not.)

I've been trying to get onto the Vodafone website ever since, to check up on whether I'm within my monthly allowance. Today - for the first time - I actually managed to get on and see my account.

To my horror I discover I'm somehow a business - how did that happen? My bill this month was £15.38 - what was the extra .38 for? And they've added on a hefty £7.00 for business insurance.

To add insult to injury, a call I made from Norwich to home (and we live in Norwich) was charged, even though I was nowhere near my limit of 100 minutes. An 0800 call was charged too - also within the 100 minutes.

Can anyone explain any of this to me? I have emailed Vodafone, but without much confidence that I'll get my queries answered.

So my final question is, how do you survive mobile phones?

More gorgeous weather

More gorgeous weather, although there's been a cold wind for the last few days, but too nice to stay indoors.

I so wanted to share my recently discovered bluebell wood with you, that I ventured out again yesterday to take some more photos with my phone - and thanks to LustorLove , have managed to transfer them to my computer.

There was just one problem. Yet again, I got hopelessly lost, discovering (the hard way) more boggy land, plenty of brambles and nettles, and some less-than-attractive barbed wire. I climbed over that, risking a fate worse than death to both clothes and person, and managed to find myself on a track I actually recognised.

it turned a half-hour walk into a two-and-a-half-hour trek, but hey! I got home - eventually - only a little the worse for wear.

Collapsed into and armchair, quaffed the restorative mug of tea (essential for us Brits), turned on the television, and soon recovered. Well, soon dropped off, to be honest, but who's counting?

Anyway, here are some of those photos, starting with the most fantastic rhododendron in someone's garden. I took a quick pic from the road.

The royal wedding

It's nearly 10.00 o'clock on the 29th April - St. Catherine's day (unfortunately she died a horrible death tied to a wheel, hence the Catherine wheel firework) - and I'm about to start hunkering down in front of the telly for the great royal wedding.

Not that I'll see any more than any of you, being about 200 miles away from the action, but you have to have a peek at that dress and all the pageantry, don't you? Plus, John Rutter has composed some new music for the occasion and I love his stuff, so the service should be interesting.

We have a public holiday here in the UK, and since there's a Bank Holiday on Monday, it means another long weekend for folk. My son has been on holiday since Good Friday, as have many people over here, so it's just about the longest holiday in living memory.

Kate is already popular and William has always been popular. The royals are much more human than they have been in the past; Charles was actually allowed to go to school and university like normal people, and William and Harry followed in his footsteps.

I'm a royalist - I think we get great value out of our royal family. The queen is still working at the age of 84, and Prince Phillip at 89 - not many folk do that.

Well, the service starts at 11.00am, and the media is interviewing people camped out on the streets of London, some dressed in wedding dresses, and almost all wearing union jacks - and very excited.

Guests arriving now - must go - glued to television! Bye for now.

Amazing weather for a Bank holiday

We've had amazing weather for the entire Bank holiday weekend, a rare occurrence. The good weather, that is. Not the Bank holiday. They happen several times each year.

Ed and I had the whole family over yesterday, which was lovely but exhausting.

Today, youngest daughter and son went to the cinema together, so I took off on a long and leisurely walk. I found a new route all across country, which was great, except that I disappeared over the ankles in mud at one point. The ground looked firm - and there's been no rain for ages - but the field had been irrigated. Presumably all the water collected at the bottom of the field where the footpath crossed, but I failed to spot it. I was wearing walking sandals and my new, pristine ladies' chinos. They are still new, but no longer pristine.

I found myself in the most gorgeous bluebell wood, absolutely filled with bluebells as far as the eye could see. Took a picture on my phone camera but can't show you as I have no means of taking the photos off the phone.

Walked around four or five miles with very little of that on the road, so the route was a good find.

Except for the mud. Hopefully it will have walked off a square or two of chocolate...

Summertime

I can hear you humming it as you look at the title of today's blog!

Wonderful, sunny weather here in the UK. I played golf today (as badly as usual, but never mind. The company was great and the weather was perfect) and the temperature was 24 degrees. That would be hot even in June. I played wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, and still felt hot.

Of course, by June I'll be complaining because it's freezing cold, but just at the moment England is a place of great beauty. On the golf course the trees are all bedecked in bridal splendour (it looks like that, anyway), the swans are nesting, the grass is green and there's plenty of run on the ball, which means that players like me can actually hit it a reasonable distance. The birds are singing and we shall soon have families of baby ducklings, baby goslings and baby cygnets.

Tomorrow youngest daughter and boyfriend are coming over from Belgium and staying for nearly a week, and son, and eldest daughter and family will be coming on Sunday. Hopefully they'll all arrive in time for church and our granddaughter will enjoy the Easter egg hunt afterwards.

At the moment life is quite wonderful. There! Now it's down in writing - to refer back to on those occasions when life isn't quite so good.

What's more, we have hot cross buns tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Easter wherever you are.

Theories of the resurrection

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week, and tomorrow is my final Lent group meeting.

They've been fun. We've compared the different gospel accounts of the main events of Holy Week - the procession into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the last supper,and the crucifixion. Tomorrow we're going to look at the different gospel accounts of the resurrection, and also "resurrection theories."

Did you know there are eight main theories, some of which were current in the first century, and some of which have grown since?

All very interesting stuff, so I'm expecting a lively time tomorrow!

A new rodent

I am the proud owner of a brand new rodent. What a difference this little friend is already making to my harassed online life. I should add that I've tied a knot in his tail - which was much too long - in order to prevent this one leaping from my computer onto the tiled floor in our conservatory, where I sit with my feet up and my laptop on - well, my lap.

No more hovering over words but refusing to actually settle on them. No more hesitating before responding to my clicks. No more skipping over six pages when I only wanted to move one paragraph.

So you see - my life has been transformed.

Missed golf yesterday in order to give a book talk at Scole Mothers' Union meeting. They treated me royally with an excellent lunch such as only ladies of the church know how to prepare, and they bought several of my books afterwards, even after I read them an extract about an MU meeting. I did emphasise that it was nothing like their meetings... Thank you, ladies for your hospitality and the fun we had together.

It occurs to me that if you wanted to be very kind to me , you might consider ordering my books from your local library, especially if you live far away from me. Our local library has a very modest ordering fee of just 55 pence per book. So for a dollar or so you get to read my books (yes, they're an excellent read, honestly!) and you do me a big favour at the same time, by getting the books into circulation in your area.

Heaven Spent

Babes and Sucklings

And if you've written a book, I'll do the same for you.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend and look forward to that Easter break.

Internet deprivation

There I was, in the middle of downloading a very large update for Ubuntu, when everything suddenly stopped and one of those irritating messages appeared:

This might be because you've typed the wrong URL, or it could be because your server is down, or maybe because ...

You know the type of thing. Being a patient sort of person (occasionally) I sighed deeply and went off to do something more interesting, like a bit of gardening or - horror of horrors - housework.

Ed tried on his computer - nothing, nada, nix. So we waited, trying again at half hour intervals, but still nothing.

By the evening, the air was a little bluer. Amazing how vulnerable you can feel without access to emails and even Facebook and silly things like that.

We tried again first thing next morning, but still no joy. Getting seriously annoyed by now. Towards the end of the afternoon I couldn’t stand it any longer, and rang Talktalk.

"Oh," said a delightful woman with a strong foreign accent, "you owe us £26.00 from March, so we cut you off."

"What? I pay by direct debit! Always have done - and I've been with you for years."

"It's because we've taken over from Tiscali. You'll be all right next month because we've set up the direct debit again, but you have to pay this bill separately."

Why? Isn't the whole point of direct debit that they take out what they need? I didn't point this out to her, but I did mention (well, that's a polite way of putting it) that it would have been nice if they'd bothered to tell me I needed to pay this one bill up front.

Still, not to worry. I paid immediately by credit card.

Then she said, "It should be on again in 48 hours."

"What? 48 hours? But I've just paid! How can it possibly take that long, especially when it wasn’t my fault in the first place." (My voice is rising at this stage.)

"You can try it earlier if you like."

Thank you very much!

So that's why I haven't been around much this week. Don't you just love telecom companies?

Mouse problems

I've been having mouse problems. Not quite the rodent type, but irritating nonetheless.

It all started when the touch pad on my laptop turned up its toes (so to speak) a year or so ago.

"Too difficult and expensive to repair," said the kind computer guru. "Attach a mouse - much easier, and MUCH cheaper!"

So I did. Bought a mouse for about a fiver and plugged it in. Worked perfectly straight out of the box, and we were happy together.

Well, happy until the day I dropped it onto the tiled floor in our conservatory. I recovered it in fear and trembling, uttering soothing noises as I cradled it in my hands, and bless the little soul, it worked again perfectly.

That was the first time I dropped it. Now we're up to the nth time, and my little friend has gone on tremulous strike.

It still works, just. But it trembles and hovers and is generally badly behaved. I've stuck it for several weeks, but today the moment came when I knew I'd have to splash out another fiver.

I found the selfsame mouse on Amazon (for under a fiver, actually, and free postage. How about that?) but would you believe it - I'd no sooner finished the transaction than my errant mouse started working perfectly.

Perhaps because I dropped it yet again...

Fantastic neighbours

We have fantastic neighbours. When we were away in Portugal recently, our neighbours not only looked after the house for us, but pressure washed the patio. Looked brilliant when we returned. Even better, they cut the front lawn for us.

Just one tiny snag. Last year, we dug up the front flower border edging the lawn, planted some daffodil bulbs, and sowed grass seed over them. As we went on holiday at the end of February, some of the daffodils had emerged through the grass, but others had only just begun to venture forth.

When we returned, there were tiny, headless stalks tremulously growing through the lawn.

Oh well. You win some, you lose some. It was lovely to have the grass cut.

Ah, but the story hasn't finished yet. This week, I noticed that the tips of some of the headless stalks looked as if they had a blob of yellow on them. Upon closer inspection, there were tiny flowers blossoming straight from the damaged stalks!

I am amazed. How's that for resurrection? I think we've managed to grow an entirely new sort of miniature daffodil, which we'll call an Arnold...

It is finished!

Yes, they may have been the last words of Jesus on the cross, but they also apply to my third novel. Finished writing this afternoon! It feels like a great relief, except that now I have the really hard work of editing and proof reading.

I proof read from the back forwards. It’s quite a good tip, as you don’t skip over those tiny words that you often miss when you read through. At least, that’s the theory. Actually, I think you just have to go over it again and again, until you’re completely satisfied (does that ever happen with an author?)

Anyway, rejoice with me, all you who venture here – and thank you, all those of you who have commented on my blog. I’m now off to read yours…

Going well

The course is going well, and I have relaxed! Having been out of full-time ministry for over a year, I was feeling quite anxious about whether I was up to this task of facilitating a small group, but they're all really nice people and very responsive, so they make it easy for me.

The weather yesterday was superb, warm and sunny, so I decided to go for a walk in the afternoon, when we have two hours free. I carefully checked the large map on the wall in Reception and mentally noted what looked like a good footpath which would provide a circular route across country and back here.

Oops! I should have remembered that I am severely directionally-challenged! I found said footpath, walked for miles - probably about four - found I was on a road in another parish and had no idea which way to turn.

So I decided to knock on the door of the next house I saw (there weren't many.) Eventually I came upon a farmhouse, knocked and banged (no bell - this is Norfolk!) to no avail. I peered through the windows and saw a Zimmer frame, wheelchair and crutches, at which point I gave up and started to walk away.

But there is a God after all, for at that moment a small car turned into the farmhouse drive. I told the driver I was hopelessly lost, and asked for directions, which he gave me.

"Down here, straight across the crossroads to the Bungay roundabout. Then turn right, walk back to Ditchingham..."

I thanked him and set off again, somewhat worried by now as I had half an hour to get back.

A few steps down the road and I heard another car behind me (hadn't seen any all afternoon. This is bow-and-arrow country) I stood to one side, but the driver stopped. It was the same young man, in a different car.

"Where did you say you were going?"

"The conference centre at Ditchingham. It's where the convent is."

"Hmm. It's a long way. Do you want to jump in?"

I was in that car like a flash of blue lightning. The driver worked in Norwich for a large garage, and had been returning a car to its owner at the farmhouse.

He dropped me in the village after a four mile drive, I walked the mile back to the centre and arrived on the dot of four o'clock, just as the lecture was about to start.

How's that for evidence that God really is at work in our little worlds?

A different world

Today Ed and I walked to church in weak Spring sunshine, listening to the song of the birds (they're getting very frisky now) and looking at all the Spring flowers, which are now coming out in some profusion. Lovely to see all the changes each time we walk.

Tomorrow I move into a different world, a clergy world. The Clergy Leadership Programme is designed for clergy who are perhaps in the midpoint of their ministry, and is an opportunity for them to reflect on where they are now and where they hope to go in the future.

Much of the work will be in small groups, and I shall be responsible for a group of four clergy, hopefully facilitating their thoughts and discussions.

I hope it will be fun (can't be doing with too much seriousness, never could) but I know it will be a rarefied atmosphere. Can't be anything else, with a group of around 25 clergy all together for a week.

I expect to find it both interesting and stimulating, but I know I'm going to miss home, and shall be longing to see Ed again by next Friday.

I'm told there's WiFi broadband throughout the conference centre (that's a first, for the Church of England) so I'm hoping to be able blog at least once.

I'll keep you posted!

It takes a while to settle...

Isn't it funny how long it takes to settle down after a break away? Or is it just me?

Mind you, the weather has been horrible - grey, damp and depressing - since we returned. What a contrast to Portugal, where even though it was overcast at times, it was still warm!

Our friend put his photos online today - I want to go back to the azure skies and sea, golden sands and sunshine.

Instead, today I played the worst game of golf ever. I was cold and damp (the weather) and couldn't hit a thing. Ended up with an horrendous score, and couldn't wait to get back to the bar and some warmth.

Never mind. No golf next week as I shall be away again, Monday to Friday, this time on official business for the diocese. They're pulling me out of retirement to be one of the group facilitators on the Clergy Leadership Programme, a residential course for a week now, and another week in October.

Not really sure I want to go, but I expect I'll enjoy it when I get there.

And then it'll take me another week to settle down again...

Back home

So we arrived back in the UK yesterday around lunchtime, and yes, it was pouring with rain, which continued for the two hour journey home! To be fair, they hadn't had any rain for the fortnight we were away.

We had quite good weather in Portugal. Shirtsleeves and shorts the first week, then overnight thunderstorms (very spectacular for those sufficiently awake to observe them) followed by cloudy but dry weather last week.

We had a great time and the four of us (we went with friends) managed to get along together for the entire fortnight.

So here are some pictures of typical Algarve:

One in case you thought you were fat:

And one of Ed on his birthday!

A dilemma

Ed and I have something of a dilemma, a relatively pleasant one.

We're due to leave for Portugal at 3.00am tomorrow morning, so the dilemma is - do we go to bed for a very short time or stay up in our recliners?

Normally, I fall asleep in front of the television no problem, but will I do so tonight? It would be nice to snatch a couple of hours sleep before setting off for the airport (a two hour drive away.)

As I said, a pleasant dilemma!

Have a good weekend, and I'll be back in a fortnight.

I can't believe...

I can't believe it's a week since I last blogged! It shows either how busy life has been, or how lazy I am. I suspect the latter.

Youngest daughter rushed over from Belgium on Friday, appearing on the doorstep with three friends during the evening. Her furniture has been in store over here, and this was the weekend to collect it. The three of them crashed at ours for the night, then set off early next morning to pick up a van they'd hired, fill it with furniture, then drive it over to Belgium via the ferry from Dover.

Somehow it all worked out OK, don't ask me how!

Meanwhile, Ed and I restored our home from looking like a bomb site, and started on lunch for the rest of the family; eldest daughter, husband and small granddaughter, and our son, all of whom arrived for coffee and the rest of the day.

After they went home, Ed and I slept!

Youngest daughter hasn't been well since she got back, but went to see the doctor in Belgium and was impressed. She now has medication to sort her out, so I hope it does the trick. Can't help worrying with her being so far away, but thank goodness for Skype!

On Sunday we're off to Portugal for a fortnight, and are delighted to see that it's already hot over there, with good weather forecast for next week at least. Can't wait!

Went to a church coffee morning today and really enjoyed it. Went for the first time last year, and the contrast - for me - was marked. This year, I knew lots of people and lots of people knew me, and it felt like I was where I belonged. Important thing, this belonging, isn't it? Makes life go round. Or something.

How the internet began

My son sent me this, and I thought of you!

A revelation with an Incredibly Big Message (IBM):

Well, you might have thought that you knew how the Internet started, but here's the TRUE story ....

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.

Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband: "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her - as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said: "How, dear?"

And Dot replied: "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price.
And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success.

Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighbouring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew.

It was called Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew To The People (HTTP)

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secrete himself inside Abraham's drum and began to siphon off some of Abraham's business.

But he was soon discovered, arrested and prosecuted - for insider trading.

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horse fly take to camel dung.

They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land.

And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say: "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others."
And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known. He said: "We need a name that reflects what we are."

And Dot replied: "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators."

"YAHOO," said Abraham.

And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside.

It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE)

And that is how it all began, honest.

What have I done?

What have I done this week? I wish I could remember! The week has flown past and I have nothing to show for it - apart from fifteen pounds of marmalade. I did do that, completed it this morning.

What else? A couple of rounds of golf (one and a half, actually. Yesterday's round was so slow, my partner and I gave in at the halfway stage and repaired for coffee. Much more fun.)

Oh, and I've started a small discussion group in the parish. Just a few of us wanting to explore the big issues of life, like forgiveness (should everyone be forgiven? Even those who have committed appalling atrocities?) And is there life after death and if so, what is it like? Next week we're going to look at the position of women in the world and what influence the Bible has had on that. The group is quite lively, and I'm really enjoying it. It may metamorphose into a Lent group sometime in March.

What else have I done? A bit of retail therapy ready for our holiday in Portugal at the end of February, and a hair-do.

Another good week!

Hairspray!

Ed and I had a theatre outing this week. Months ago in a moment of madness, I booked tickets for "Hairspray", a musical which had apparently had rave reviews, but as the time drew nearer, I grew increasingly anxious.

I had this horrible feeling that it would be very loud and something like a modern rock opera (I loved "Jesus Christ Superstar", but was about sixteen at the time) which wouldn't suit either of us. So it was with some trepidation and not much anticipation that we set out for the Theatre Royal in Norwich.

We were entirely captivated from the first moment. "Hairspray" was terrific. Set in Baltimore in 1962 (yes, I remember 1962. It was my era) it told the story of a plump girl who wanted to become a celebrity, but underneath that was the important and divisive issue of segregation. It was full of fun and colour, and the singing and dancing were magnificent.

We had an unexpectedly brilliant afternoon, and were both so glad we went.

Just to complete the week, yesterday we went to a friend's birthday lunch - one of those big birthdays you either have to celebrate or mourn. This was a celebration - about twenty-five of us in a local eating pub. Good food, good fun, good company.

All in all, a good week!

A great website for writers

All you wannabe-writers out there - I've just discovered a great website.

You can enter your book for free in an annual contest to win an award - gold, silver, bronze or honourable mention - in a huge number of categories, and use the resulting comments in your own publicity.

Every entrant receives a complete book review and all finalists receive feedback notes.

If you don't fancy the contest, you can have your book reviewed for free, and again, use the comments in any of your own publicity.

But perhaps best, for $95 they will submit your book to over 1000 agents and publishers, one of whom (surely!) will want to read your masterpiece and hopefully publish it.

If you're interested, click here.

Back into the wide, blue yonder...

Well, the wide, grey yonder, actually. But yes, back on the golf course today. It started to snow just as I put my clubs in the car which I feared might be a sign telling me not to be such a fool, but did I listen? Of course not!

Ed and I don't have the special wheels now required for winter golf, so I was carrying just a few clubs in my bag which was slung across my back, and opted for nine holes rather than the full eighteen. Wasn't sure I could cope with eighteen, not having golfed since November and not having carried since last year, but the snow held off and I managed OK. Really enjoyed it - although I must remember a woolly hat next time...

Tomorrow I'm off to Norwich to drop in some copies of 'Babes and Sucklings' to Jarrolds, the local big bookshop. I'm thrilled that they are prepared to have a couple of books on their shelves.

Ed has to stay behind because a man is coming to repair our conservatory. It'll be nice to have it waterproof again. For the last few months we've had buckets on the floor whenever it rains, so it will be great to be back to what passes for normal in the Scott household.

Meanwhile, back to the last few chapters of my next novel. Nearing the end now, but it's such an important part of any novel, so I want to get it right.

You make sure you have a good evening, wherever you are.

My mother's diaries

My mother was a great diarist. She religiously wrote in her diary every day from around 1968, when my parents moved to Norfolk, until 2005, when she died. There are many volumes, all of which my niece (mother's American granddaughter) liberated on Mother's death. I was glad they weren't just thrown away, but goodness knows what my niece has done with them. I imagine they're in a spare drawer (or ten!)

Mind you, I don't think any of the volumes are in line for the Pullitzer prize. Most entries were one-liners; such riveting comments as, "Went shopping today. Bought a piece of mutton for dinner. The price has gone up by 1/2d." Or, "Won the raffle at WI (Women's Institute) today." Or even, "It's been raining all day. Couldn't get the washing out."

I suppose, in due course, they might provide a brief comment on social history, but at the moment it has to be admitted that they are exceedingly boring.

All of this makes me wonder about blogging. Would my mother have been a blogger, if she had ever learned how to use a computer? If so, would she have written more (there being more space than in a conventional diary) and would it have been more interesting? And is blogging the best way to record social history? And finally, what will happen to all these billions of blogs....?

What do you think?

Spring in Cornwall

We had such a good time in Cornwall, with most of the extended family able to be there, but I fear it might be the last of such occasions. Now the grandchildren are all growing up, they are spreading out in all directions and it will soon be impossible to gather them all together, even if they should wish to come. Sadly, the next occasion will probably be a family funeral. Even sadder if it's ours!

Still, this was great. I was amazed to see daffodils out in bloom, since ours haven't even found the courage to peep above the ground yet.

I said to the receptionist, "I'm amazed by your daffodils."

She said, "Yes, they are late, aren't they? It was the snow before Christmas. It's put them back a month." She went on to explain that they usually harvest their daffodils before Christmas, which amazed me even more since we expect ours for Easter. If we're lucky.

Just shows that while it may be spring in Cornwall, it's definitely still winter in Norfolk!

Violated!

I had a message from Facebook this morning, telling me that they'd noticed unusual activity on my account - it had been accessed from Dallas. They advised me to change my password, which I have done immediately. Remembering all these passwords is well nigh impossible, so naturally I do what everyone is advised not to do - I store them in a file on my computer.

Then I had an email from a friend telling me that the link I had sent him didn't work. Needless to say, I hadn't sent any link. When I logged onto Facebook, I discovered that the same email (offering an Ipad or something to the first 50 people to respond) had been sent to all my Facebook contacts. Hence my feeling of being violated.

I do hope nobody has downloaded a virus by clicking on "my" link. I wish these spotty, teenage hackers could find something better to do with their time.

On a brighter note, Ed and I are off for a family get- together this weekend, again in Cornwall. We're going the slow route - taking two days to travel each way - but meeting up with the family down there.

Sadly, eldest daughter and family can't join us as they had a shunt (from behind) and their car is a write-off. Fortunately no one was injured, at least, not seriously, although they're all somewhat shaken up.

Still, the rest will be there, including son, and youngest daughter from Belgium, so we should have a good time together.

Until next week, fellow Bloggers!

I think I've sussed it - with help!

I think I'm close to sussing it at last - my new blog. Yes, I do have to pay for it (and it isn't hosted by Blogit so there's no cashback, worse luck) but I do get the services of my own personal blog coach.

So far I've drawn on his services quite a lot - since I really don't know what I'm doing - but he replies relatively quickly and soon sorts out my messes.

I'd be interested in your opinion, so here it is: My new blog

Do take a look - I'll even add a post or two in due course!