Just come home this evening from my first meeting of the "fabric committee" set up at the last PPC, set up to look into the renovation of the church building and its longer term use as a 'performance space' of some kind for the University's music department. Mike, Frank Chris and I have an awful lot to do and the whole project is very exciting, but our course of action will be determined it seems by the response of the Diocese to all the plans we make. For now, and in the immediate short term, we are looking at the most essential repairs needed and how much they will cost in order that we can at least get the building serviceable again, hopefully within six months.
I'm still not convinced that I really have the time for this, coming as it does at the end of (or the beginning of another?) week with evenings taken up by nights out doing one thing or another.
There's a new man at the edge of me, it's crazy. Making new plans for the rest of me
But now I come to write that I can't even remember what they are. That's the price I pay for not blogging more regularly I suppose…
It was Alice's 7th birthday yesterday and we had great fun bowling with ten of her school friends over in Bitterne. Typically bad organisation and service tho by the venue. Many places that offer kid's parties recognise the value of the service as a money spinner, but they offer virtually no support or enthusiasm for the events. This was one of the more expensive ones (over £7 a head) and was unfortunately less organised than almost any other. But the bowling itself was a success and they all loved it, even tho Trx and I were knackered at the end because no other parents volunteered to stay around and help us out.
Alice had a vast array of pink and purple gifts, and seemed most impressed of all with her own 'secret diary' (that she's already started writing in) and the inline skates we bought, which we christened this afternoon in Riverside Park. Flo and Trx got theirs out too and all three went round hand in hand looking inept and clumsy giggling their heads off, while Stan, Elsi and me sat by the river doing the "duck-duck-foo" thing. Absolutely freezing tho after the first frost last night, so we had another fire going when we got back. Seems we won't have any problems with the chimney, so no need to pay out to get it swept again this year.
Friday afternoon's news from Hitchin that my father-in-law has been taken into hospital again following a 'major seizure' has dampened spirits here, but several phonecalls from family members suggest it isn't perhaps as bad as first seemed the case. He has responded well to medication and got out of bed yesterday afternoon, but his recovery will doubtless be slow considering his general ill health anyway. At the moment it is looking very unlikely that he'll be able to continue living at home without a regular care package, and all of a sudden we are back where we were two years ago. Physically he is very strong and that helps with his immediate short term recovery, but he is very confused and is rapidly losing hearing and now vision too. Offered testimony to the congregation at this morning's service about this, which three years ago I would never have even dreamed of, and feel refreshed and encouraged by the prayers we shared with Chris especially this evening.
Church things generally are taking up much time. Cell on Thursday when I finally picked up the Christmas Service times to put on the back of the Bazaar flyer I have been printing. This has been such a chore as I can only do them in batches of 500 and have had to go over to the office two or three times in the last couple of days to change paper and or ink cartridges.
Actually cell on Thursday was very uplifting again, and I was encouraged sufficiently to sit and talk to God late into the night, accompanied by the glorious majesty of Cathedral Oceans 3 again. Bearing in mind comments from RH about how people have generally dismissed this album and not really given it time I have found inspiration in "Fog Structures" and "Oceanic" especially. The music really does open the mind and focus the spirit.
This in turn has lead to my 'completing' the next phase of the Foxx timeline, having now sat and worked thru all the new information at metamatic.com. In all honesty, RH hasn't put up much in terms of releases and gigs that I didn't know all ready and there are more or less equal number of things new to me and details I have that he doesn't. I'm putting it all into a file to take up next Saturday. I've manage to write up a couple of chapters quite extensively too which he's promised to look over. Things really are moving on a pace now and there are several exciting projects moving towards completion before the years out.
What else?
Jo starts with us in the office on Tuesday for two days a week until the New Year. SO much to sort out. While D and I run the "business" very efficiently, I'm less convinced that we run the "office" so well, which we talked about on Friday. He's not so good at this side of things, so it wasn't difficult to agree a plan of action and to define our roles within the company rather more specifically. Already, Jo's appointment is, if nothing else, giving us a good opportunity to focus on things like this and make sure we have systems in place on a day to day level. He's agreed I should take on the position of being her immediate manager as her presence in the office is primarily intended to allow him greater flexibility to be out on the road more and spend less time in the office. Which of course is absolutely fine by me…
And I spoke to the girls today. Which pissed me off. Again. Kink is as frustrating as her sister is inspiring - I just wish I could tell her how annoying this attitude of not be bothered with anything really is. Its perhaps just about the most irritating and cross-making thing anyone can say to me, but I can't bring myself to get sufficiently cross to challenge her about it. The latest is the cancellation of tomorrow's driving test. Why? "I can't be bothered…" It's now TWO YEARS since I bought her the simulator lessons and she's not even having regular lessons anymore. I pray for guidance and strength with this - I haven't a clue whether or not her moving down here will help. That's not true. I'm sure it is the right thing to do, but rather like the church project, I really need some guidance as to how to implement it for the best.

At last I am listening to Throbbing Gristle. Why have I not done this before!!! Soft Cell and the Some Bizarre experience makes so much more sense now. Wonderfully weird and difficult - as any classic album should be. I really am getting things so much into place this year and picking up all this seismic influences at last.