Sunday 20th September - There's a wideness in God's mercy

The two readings in our zoom church this morning were firstly from the book of Jonah, not the whale bit but afterwards, when the people of Ninevah listened to Jonah and repented, and secondly from the New Testament, the parable of the vineyard where the owner paid the same daily rate to all the workers whether they had worked the whole day or just an hour or so.

Jonah was displeased with God, because he thought the people of Ninevah were so wicked that they should have got what was coming to them, and the workers in the vineyard who had put in a whole day's work were displeased because they thought they should have been given more money than the Johnny-come-lately lot.

But, as this hymn says,

'There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea...'

Interestingly the leader of the service commented that she particularly liked the words of the second verse, just as I was thinking over how good the words of the last four lines are...

Which lines, I wonder, mean the most to you? 

Saturday 19th September - quiet day

 Such a contrast to yesterday;

We had tentative plans to go for a walk in the afternoon with friends but it was cold and grey. So we'll try again tomorrow afternoon as the weather looks more promising. We're due for a spell of warm sunny weather,  if you can believe it. An Indian summer...

BB got stuck into another jigsaw, we read our books, I sorted out yesterday's beef stew for freezing, just odds and ends of bits and pieces...

A domestic, stay-at-home day.

Friday 18th Friday - whirligig day...

 The extension team are nearing the end (apart from the big window, still waiting for the sill). They are just finishing off putting the lead on the roof.

Now we have to choose the colour for the external rendering... decisions, decisions...

And the plumber came and moved the down pipe from beside the door to the corner of what will be the kitchen. That neant out loo was unusable for about 4 hours... we had to make a quick dash to the nearby nature reserve, just 5 mins away by car, to sneakily use their their loos. Very conveniently for us they are in the courtyard area just outside the café! Nice and clean too! When we got back barely 20 minutes layer everything was reconnected again. Phew.

....

Having missed a couple of days of ten-minute-journalism it was a bit of an effort to get going again;

I made a pot of tea, got out my art basket 

and set too...

We had fish pie for lunch yesterday and there was a bit leftover. So I had an excellent breakfast of a dollop of fish pie, fried in a pan with an egg and some tomatoes. Coffee, toast and marmalade to follow as well! A real treat.

Wednesday 16th September

By the time we started the car to drive to Winkworth Arboretum to meet the family for lunch, I think we both felt a bit as though we had been buffeted and tossed about with one thing and another. 

The building control inspector arrive as we were leaving,  but we just abandoned him! 

But, what a lovely, lovely time we had! We just walked round the easy flat route at the top of the valley, passing a bench made from reclaimed signposts;

Do zoom in and read the words

And another bench with carved ends

A couple our age had just sat down, but I asked if they would mind me taking a photograph of one end. They didn't need to move, but, all smiles got up for me to take the picture and settled back down. 

There were lots of benches along the path so that you could take advantage of the fantastic views across the valley;

We, BB and I, have been missing seeing into the distance, looking 'over the hills and far away'.

All the time we were catching up on each other's news,  even though it was only a week or so since we were last together. 

More chatting about this and that over lunch (pasties), a quick prowl in the shop (I had a number of cards to buy) and then it was time for me to go home. I think the others might have stayed to explore the rest of the site - we left them deciding what to do.

.....

The hup! installers said the building inspector was quite happy... good news.

And it may be that the missing window is delivered tomorrow... we shall see!

Tuesday 15th September - I am sooo tired

 From the effort....

....of staying calm... but I think I managed it for most of today...

The hup! installers did manage to get all the glass panels into the roof. No word yet on the likely delivery and installation of the remaining window, the huge triangular pane of fire-resistant opaque safety glass that has to come from France... it will be worth it, I say to myself (it had jolly well better be worth it, I mutter to myself!)

Finalising the kitchen and arranging delivery at the showroom this afternoon wasn't as easy as it might have been... but having come home and remeasured everything I think I'm confident we can go ahead on Monday...  and breathe...

I drew the journal while having my coffee this morning, and restored some calm with tea and biscuits when we got back from the kitchen showroom this afternoon. 

And the presents are wrapped to hand over tomorrow...

Now I'm sogging in front of the tv; the plan is to watch Sewing Bee (the final!), Celebrity  Masterchef, and then 'off to Bedfordshire' I'll go!

Saturday/Sunday 12th and 13th September

I was awake at half past four in the morning on Saturday,  which did not please me, but then I noticed the stars in the sky, and, could that possibly be a planet? I found my glasses and opened a curtain and twisted my head up to stare at Orion's belt and other stars until I became too uncomfortable and went back to bed. It's rare to be able to see the stars here, but the streetlight outside the window goes off at about 1am and there was no moon. 

I left the curtain open, although I couldn't see any stars when I was lying down. It was just nice to know they were there.

A thought that has come back to me today, a day of clouds and drizzle. We were very late going to bed because we watched the totally brilliant Last Night of the Proms right to the very end, and I've felt tired and bleh all day. 

We haven't been able to go out as I don't have any full oxygen cylinders left until after the delivery on Monday, so I have to stay home and use the mains powered oxygen supply. Otherwise a change of scene might have helped... but there's always the scenery in tv programmes, especially Paul Murton's gentle meanderings around Scotland. 

That's a good thought though about the sun and moon and stars always being there even when you can't see them. 

Like God, always there, no, I should say he's always here...