Again its past midnight. I got up from bed at 9.30 knowing I could not rest. Tx already asleep behind me and unable to read more than two pages of "War and Peace". I suspect she will still be reading this at Christmas - the first chapter has taken four weeks so far!

It's still raining like mad, and I'm still editing my rather wonderful foxx Timeline. I'm eating crisps, and drining JD listenign to the storm outside.

Not sure what that last posting was about. I am prone to these lapses of sanity every once in a while....

Apart from church this morning, we have ben confined to barracks all day, and all wathced "Cars" for the first time theis afternoon. Unf. Stan got very bored during the middle. I enjoyed the film, but it was rather heavy with lessons and a little moralistic. Cringe-makingly so in places.
Lightning McQueen reminds me far too much of D!!

Churchwardening is becoming quite a revelation. Our administrator is apparently looking for a new job. This is the same guy thathas just resigned as Treasurer. He is really shutting down in a big way now, and I feel sorry for him and the challenges he faces at home cannot be easy to deal with. His imminent departure however leaves us in a right old pickle - surely we can't be expected to do that as well.
No wonder Vic has challenged his attitude recently.
We face a Mission Audit over the sumer, and our 'suspension' of parochial re-ordanistaion comes up for review next may. We are now entitled to only 0.65 of a vicar, or something, so we face quite a struggle to keep the man in post.

This is compounded by our increasing debt to the Diocese in terms of our parish share, which we have just agreed to keep at only 60% for another year.
The spotlight is falling on us, and with an electoral register down to 75% that of 2006, it doesn't look good from the outside Now we have also lost the Treasurer, at a time when Vic himself is looking at the last seven years of his ministry. His next post will therefore be his last, and he wants to spend it with us.

But on the other hand, we have the youngest PCC in the Diocese, and one of the highest proportion of under16s in the south of England. 22 at the last count. We have a plan to re-develop our website, a 7 year Business Plan to present later in the year, and an old building that is part of the city's architectural heritage.
We have a massive percentage of our electoral register attending servicess (thanks to some effective pruning this year) and a rate of covenanted giving that is also much higher than many of our colleagues.

I feel positive tht all these things will work in our favour, but the in-fighting and lack of co-operation at senior levels is quite scary...

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6.15

2. How do you like your steak?
I don't - I'm veggie

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Perfume

4. What are your favourite TV shows?
QI, Bill Oddie things and Postman Pat

5. What did you have for Breakfast?
Crunchy cereal, toast, grapefruit, tea

6. What is your middle name?
John

7. What is your favourite cuisine?
Indian and English puddings

9. What is your favourite chip?
...?

10. What is your favourite CD at the moment?
This week - John Foxx "In Mysterious Ways"

11. What kind of car do you drive?
A blue one

12. What is your favourite sandwich?
Goats cheese and mango chutney with fresh basil leaves
or Peanut Butter and coleslaw

13. What characteristics do you despise?
Dishonesty, vanity, ignorance - the usual...

14. What are your favourite clothes?
Whatever I happen to be wearing

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation?
What...?

16. Favourite brand of clothing?
I cut the labels out. 2nd Hand is a recommended make

17. Where would you want to retire?
No idea

18. Favourite time of day?
Early morning. Late, late night

19. Where were you born?
Northampton

20. What is your favourite sport to watch?
test match cricket

24. Beavers or ducks?
...??

25. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Both - see 18

26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Blog most of it. Keep up!

27. What did you want to be when you were little?
Left alone.

28. What is your best childhood memory?
My nan's caravan in Norfolk, and the pear trees in her garden

29. Piercing?
Cries...or what?
Some of these questions make no sense at all... :-$

30. Ever been to Africa?
No

31. Ever been toilet papering?
Fraid so…

32. Been in a car accident?
No

33. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
Today

34. Favourite restaurant?
No idea

35. Favourite Flower?
Gladioli

36. Favourite ice cream?
new Forest Vanilla

37. Favourite fast food restaurant?
Now I LIKE Macdonalds…

38. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Driv -ING test, surely?

39. From whom did you get your last email?
Tombstone Dave

40. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
No cards

41. Bedtime?
Is it? Already??

43. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Jo the staff

44. What are you listening to right now?
Folkies singinng in my neighbours garden

45. What is your favourite colour?
Blue

46. How many tattoos do you have?
None

50. Favourite magazine?
Mojo

Phone call from Ris last night (its so good that this is waking up again) but he does call at the most innopportune moments! Six o'clock - right in the middle of dinner.
I hope I managed to not sound too abrupt while holding the phone in one hand and stirring my custard with the other…

Seems he has managed to get an 'exclusive' interview with Robin Guthrie, which he will do sometime during the summer's tour. Should be interesing. Many of us are keen to hear the stuff he's recorded with John. It's been 18 months though already, and I know the Quiet Man isn't keen on revisiting the vocals as he has (on several occasions...) been asked to do.

I'm just waiting for this month's cheque to clear so that I can buy some concert tickets.

Things are slowly picking up. I have my first EVER new coat, and Trx this week has at long, long last been out and bought herself some new trousers. Three pairs too.
Add to that a bagful of tops charity shops locally. She looks fantastic, simply because if nothing else, thats the effect that new stuff has, and its so, so good to see her dressing in new things.
Without wanting to sound patronising, it has been far too long since she treated herself, so to see the effects of a bit of spare cash is really encouraging.

This week's in-car entertainment (for late night shopping, and kids club delivery) is the very wonderful In Mysterious Ways - the most overlooked and least appreciated Foxx album. There's some cracking stuff on there, despite some of the ideas being only half-realised.

Sounds awfully convoluted, put that way.
Challis bearer is more me I think.

Attended a session at the vicarage tonight with two other newly-appointed "extraordinary ministers" and the half dozen people in our congregation already licensed. A group of people that don't meet together very often (if at all?) to be personally thanked by Mr viocar for all they do, and to remind one another of how significant and intimate the role can be.
I'm humbled to be part of this special group of people - it's quite a step forward in my 'ministry'.

More incrediby, the Lord has seen to it that Trx first communion (following her confirmation next month) on the first Sunday in July will coincide with my first 'administration'. Quuite a special moment. I'm not sure at the moment that I am at all sure that's a good idea, but everyone tonight seemed to think it would be a very special moment, and now after some prayer I feel perhaps they are right.
It isn't something I want to rgeret not doing later.

Had a very encouraging phonecall tonight from TH, the leader of our musicians, famously known as "the man who doesn't speak". He's been quite pro-active with the website and sent in numerous ideas and valuable suggestions and has started more recently to make himself heard on the PCC. he wants also to join the Building Committee, and it will be a pleasure to have him on board.
He called me to say a personal thank you for the inspiration I have brought to "many people" and express how he feels "very encouraged" by my appointment as churchwarden.
I am very flattered to be thought of in this way. It's kinda weird. I'm just this guy, y'know…

Talking of the website. I am a little disappointed with the first homepage ideas that have come through from DT. But I think I am expecting too much. Through work, I deal with professional designers and web authors with large budgets and specialised traing. DT is the only person in the congregation who has come forward with any technical knowledge at all, and he is really growing in confidence as a result of this opportunity.
Sadly, he has no eye for layout or design and everything is in Times, all the same size etc, clashing colours and very flat.
Like most small parish church websites.
But nevertheless I am thankful for his skills and his commitment. We are moving rapidly towards a functional, informative and relevant website for the first time.
A great starting point for the Seven year Plan we are starting to work on at Standing Committee. The website pulls all that we are together and gives us a focus for assessment. Should also help in the short term with the imminent Mission Audit.

This soirée is once agin the fourth church related event of the week.
9.30 service Sunday, PCC Monday night, Cell grooup social with Tx yesterday. not to mention reading and writing at home tween times to plan things and get groups of people together.
Tis a fulfilling and inspirational time.

…unfamiliar surroundings.
Wifey's world during the week.
It's a great place to be.

While yesterday was a write-off, today has been much more R and R. I stopped taking the painkillers at lunchtime, just to get a bearing on how my neck really feels.
The twinges have all but gone, and though I can't cope with sudden movements (like as happen when you hold a 9mth old baby!) I have nothing but a dull ache now and most movement has returned to my neck and head.

Walked witht he family up to playgroup this orning in glorious sunshine, left them ther and then came home to a cup of tea in the garden and an uninterrupted hour of music while the bread machine did its thing
Bits and bobs of housework (dusting and the like) then time up here doing some invoicing, tidying up my Foxx database and catching up with church emails and tightening up the website map.
All essential stuff and very rewarding.
All inthe garden this afternoon, though I was not allowed to help palnting out the sweet peas or the new lavender bushes.
Oh dear what a shame, i just had to play with baby.

She's so much fun right now - won't be long at all before she's walking.

School run at 3.30 and then I been playing football in the garden with Stan. That's too much, and everything aches now so I've had to duck out of the swingball.
Such a laugh trying to play that with four players.
You have to be SOOOO quick!!

Baggins is trashing the studio again now - books, papers and her favourite - CDs - all over the floor ina scene of total carnage!

Over the past two days, I have had the pleasure of listening to:

Buzzcocks - Best Of
John Foxx - The Pleasures of Electricity
Ichabod Crane
Grinderman
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 revisited
Kraftwerk - Radio Activity and Trans Europe Express
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Bjork - medulla and Gling Glo

I woke up on Sunday morning with a re-currence of my torticollis (wry neck) problem, which seems to manifest itself every few years and is, so I'm told, a stress response.
It's extremely painful, and for most of the day I have been unable to move my head, or my right arm to any degree.
In was less painful yesterday than it has been today, though this afternoon the anti-inflammatory painkillers have been working wonders.
I need 'recovery targets' when something like hi s happens. This afternoon, I managed to get over to the school to pick the kids up, and this evening in half an hour I am going to the first meeting of the new PCC. I have to present part of the finance report - hopefully I will be allowed to do this sitting down and making sure that evryone is sitting to my left!!
But the excutiating twinges have gone and some relatively free movement has returned.
hence I am able to type. I haven't sat at the computer since it happened because I've not been able to lift my head to see the screen...

By way of a change, and to check out the set up (and to accommodate Mum and dad's visit at 11.00), I attended the 9.30 servcie yesterday. It was pretty dire. Probably only 10 people there, and only two that I haven't met before. I am now going to pose questions about the viability of the service. OK, its a weekl communion, but for so few people?? Why not introduce communion into the 'family' service every week, and perhaps move that forward to 10.00 instead of 11.00 It will be argued that the 9.30 provides a 'quiet' and more meaningful service than the 11.00, but TBH the talk was crap this week - I even felt for the first time that I could have done better - and so people may drop out by not coming to a service with children present. This will affect probably half a dozen people.
Is it really worth it as we struggle to man the servcie and it costs to adminster it.

Something to raise at Standing committee.

Got avery positive response form Ris today re: JWB interview. He is 'very impressed' with what I have put togther so far and has just added a couple of questions of his own to an otherwise accepttable and effective format. So the interview is going off tonight, to JWB, for his repsonse.
My first interview with any kind of celebrity.
Feels good. I do, it seems, know what I am doing.

And I have another lead - seems Ultravox! were once supported by the dead Birds. This is the first incarnation of Holly Johnson, aka frankie Goes to Hollywood.
I love all these little links.
Eric's club in Liverpool would be well worth biographing at some point. Yazoo, and all that.
OMD started life there as well...

Such a beautiful evening.
We held our cell in the garden at the vicargae, overlooking the river and the greenest city in Europe spreading away to the west.
It was hard to see a house, despite being slap in the middle of an urban environment.
The mood of the river was unfathomable this evening, almost sulky as the new moon rose over the tree tops. Saturn one side, Juoier bright to her right.
Cirrus appeared later, and the four lights made magic in an otherwise undisturbed sky.

To my ears, the word of the Lord is carried in birdsong.

All very symbolic too, and I felt deeply touched and inspired. It is as if the moon is rising over our little community now, a thin crescent of hope and inspiration, burning with the vaguest and most subtle confidence. Growing, to rise above us all and shine with God's grace into the uplifting period ahead.

I feel charged with new purpose.
It is almost uncanny that my church and office life are moving in such close parallel at the moment, like a pair of heavy horses, groomed and proud pulling me to plough virgin fields of new experience.
Our website workshop in the office this afternoon was well led by Jo, and we have moved forward a long way.
Thanks also to Mel, who joined us for a meeting today for the first time.
I am growing to like her more, and with that comes a deep respect for her experience, vision and forthright manner. AT first I couldn't see the blessing inthis, but having her on board has shifted the dynamic. She is the perfect antidote for D and his domineering inability to listen or let anyone else speak...
Three has always been a dangerous number, leaving two against one inevitably in most situations.
But now we have more balance, a different perspective, and some great ideas.
Some less good, but I think over the last couple of weeks we have established a forum in the office where we can (at long last) be a little more direct with each other in the knowledge that it is our differences that provide the spark which drives the company.

Sanctimonious, self-righteous rambling?

I don't know - why not celebrate being alive and acknowledge how good life can be??
God knows, enough peopel rant about how crap everything else is.

I love my life, and don't feel a need to apologise for that tonight.

I stole this from another blog because I remember having seen it before at Steak and Chees ea while back. This still remains one of the few websites that's actually funny.
The net is becoming as banal as TV lately.

Funny for me personally because Mrs Wiliamson even looks like Kink's mum, as well as worrying about the same kind of sh*t.

Life's what you make of it. Get out there and make something of it.
She probably has bin bags in the lounge, and newspaper over the windows

My turn tonight , at long last.
Playing with 9month old Baggins in the bath I realised this is only the thrid or fourth time I have done. That's OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
She grows so fast.
learning tonight that she can't hold the water in her fist, and looking very puzzled.
Even more confused because of course she CAN hold the bubble, which kind of stick to her hand. Watching as some slowly ran down her arm and she followed it with her eyes was hilarious!!

She's been on her feet for about a week, but not really standing. She kind of hauls herself up by clinging on to trousers, duvets, settees, cats etc and then just squeals with delight until her legs fold up and she plonks down on her bottom!
So she could potentially be the arliest to walk - which Flo still holds by doing it actually ON he first birthday. how can that possibly be ten years ago.

She's in the middle of SATS of course, and seems comfortable enough with them.
I feel there must be another way that OFSTED can assess a school's performance without testing the kids - they take it all too personally.
Science and maths are her strength, but she struggles with spellings.

At the moment though I'd have to say its Elsi that wins hands down in the favourite Child of the Moment chart.
You shouldn't have favourites? Oh come on, get real. We all do, and it changes every day...

Geologica work at last finished. A nice littl ehome job, the money from which should pull us even further round the corner.
Planning ahead for 2008 in the office looks amazing!! can I realistically look forward to doubling my salary next April. If so, we will have spare money for the first time.
Scary thought.
At last then we will be able to set up a realistic giving programme. I am the only member of the PC Cwho doesn't tithe at all, let alone generously.
I like to thiink I give in other ways, but it will be good to have sufficient 'extra' to sort soemthng out.

Planning at work is becoming a Big Deal.
We have no internal structure to speak of, no aims, objectives and no marketing strategy. All stuff for J and I to focus on over the summer.
tensions are falling now - we've all had a chance to meet and talk. seems to fall to me to initiate 'meetings' with each person separately and then encourage those with differences of opinion to talk too each other.
Like I need that role as well!!!!

Grr

Sally scared me today. or rather, I scared myself.
She drifts across the corner of my world on a Wednesday afternoon, and I find myself looking forward to that half hour more and more.
She waits now, in the foyer, and we walk into the swimming lessons together, and then I wait after changing and we walk about together.
She's going to be one of those

Invisible, invisible
Women, women

that Foxx sings of. I came THAT close to touching her today, in the cafe, So so near the edge of that precipice.
What's that all about? Her shoulder, my head.
She smells good.
Already now I'm thinking about next week. Haven't yet arranged the coffee while she's in town, working just opposite my offic etwice a week. That is an inevitable development.

Insecurity is a curious thing.

But then of course, you bring these thoughts to Him, and by return an answer comes.
It is never quite what you expect.
Little Stan has a piece of paper in his hand suggesting that he is ready to move up to Improvers. Whch runs at a different time on a different day of the week.

There's somethng in that.

And what album provides the in-car entertainment this week?
John Foxx - "In Mysterious Ways"

There's something in that.

Haven't played a lot else lately.
Tonight I have Bjork's Gling Glo album on, and I'll folow this with another burst of george best.
That's not so good for bedtime mind you.
Erm... shall I give Aerial a blast??

I feel encouraged.
Tonight's evening session to discuss content for the new church website went well enough. I don't think my nervous bumbling was too distracting, and we came away with a good framework to work with.
The post-it idea was inspired. Thanks Paul! Everyone in the room (OK, only seven people) sat and listened for half an hour while I established with a Q and A session why the church feels it even needs a website, then defined the relationships between Appearance, Content, Navigation and Relevance. We then had fifteen minutes or so writing content ideas onto post-its which I invited everyone to stick up on the flipchart.
Then we sat down again and grouped these into the five (or was it six??) main headings that will form the basic navigation headers:

Church
(services, witness, Alpha etc - scripture passages, prayers, mission statement)

Buildings
(history, foundation, organ, personal anecdotes)

People
(Kid's page, wardens, personal testimonials, musicians)

Community
(events, hall hire, HELP projects)

Mission
(outreach, projects we support, parish links)

It's really coming together and feels SO good inspiring people.

Out three times this week with Church stuff.
The first tonight was with my co-warden and our departing treasurer to discuss the best way forward.
It's going to be quite a challenege,not least ebcause neithe rof us has ever even seen a Sage based account before, let alone use done!!
One of the first things to be doen is to get a new computer in the office, to seperate the work of treasurer from that of Administrator. the problem is compounded by these two people being one and the sam euntil a few weeks ago!!

Tonight though, ahving finished my prep for the website workshop tomorrow (I think) I am back with a vengeance into my Foxx Project.
Ris finally rang me on Sunday and we talked for an hour about all things, not least my email correspondence with JWB, the musician credited with 'additional' synths on metamatic, but actually responsible for playing most of the tunes!!
I contacted him a while ago with a couple of questions, and the thing has snowballed. he's very approachable and keen to do an interview, sio I've persuaded Ris to send me copies of his exchnage with JWB from 2003. Paste into this bits and pieces from his postings at the Forum, and a wicked piece of writing about the making of metamatic that someone 'released' ten years ago and you have the core of soemthing quite interesting.

I have also turned up a contact who has stuff that is even rarer than rare - not even Ris knows of the existence of a cassette recording of John's pitch for the Superman 2 soundtrack from c1982!! How awesome would that be to hear.
There are also a couple of dusty 7" tape reels of metamatic in a cupboard at JWB's place apparenlty.

Gigs a plenty this September - two showws at Lummnaire, one at ICa and of course the Bestival.
I'm so pleased things are picking up again with this, I was rather losing my grip on it a little.

Annual new-PCC briefing session in the morning.
All bar one attended. Excellent turnout.
Four new members, and myself elevated to a new position. All of which does seem to be having a very positive impact on Mr Vicar. We do face a lot of challenges this year, not least financially, but there is definitely a tide of enthusiasm sweeping over him of late. He is straight-talking and pulling no punches with what he would like us to do, but his delivery of these messages is now full of hope and optimism.
There is talk of setting up a seven-year plan for the first time, particularly in time for the "Mission Audit" that we are set to face next summer. That in itself will give us a great opportunity to put things in order. Of course the attention to the website is one small part in that. At least by doing somethng about it we are giving the impression of a vibrant, living church that has a message and thougth about how best to bear witness.

And then in the evening the highlight of my year - the annual spectularly groovy and wonderful Eurovision Song Contest.
As usual, the UK entry was cringe-makingly bad. Lots of the songs used quite highly charged sensual, even sexual imagery but ours missed the point totally and was just crass and rude. The music wasn't dreadful, but the deliverym the message and the image was just rubbish. We take ourselves far too seriously. Scooch we just a bunch of talentless chavs trying to be funny. And when someone knows they are not funny, they swear a lot to look clever. No surprise we got next to 'null pointes'.
I didn't exactly pick the winner (I never have) but the winning song from Serbia was among the six I picked out as being the best. Top of the shop for me were the Ukrainian and Latvian entries - fabulous fun.
I love Finland, and the show itself just gets better and better. The juxtaposition of dark, goth-rock and variety worked superbly. And for the contest to be won by such an overtly lesbian anthem summed it all up perfectly.
Eurovision rocks!

I do LOVE my job.
OK, so I will be working by candlelight again for another couple of hours, but its not as if this particualr project isn't easy money – and fun!
Tonight, as part of the series of maps I'm working on for geologica, I am plotting caves and karst onto a map of central Europe. Which means locating them and typing in the most ridiculous names:-
Ochtinska Aragonitova Jaskyna

I've learned that "cave" is 'hohle' in Austria, 'Barlang' in Hungarian, 'Jeskyne' in Czech, 'Jaskinia' in Polish, 'spilja' in Croatian, 'Pecina' in Serbian etc...

And this afternoon I was adding cycle routes from Beaulieu to Lyndhurst onto a new Forest map, having tried unsuccessfully to get a map from the City Council showing the route of the new Clipper bus service.
That was after I worked a bit more into the master spreadsheet that is helping me monitor which media is where among the 150 poster sites at the city Cruise Terminals.

Monday i have been asked to meet with the Standing Committee at church to start pickin gover the remains of the church accounts.

So many times it makes me smile when I think how aptly I named this blog.
Honestly, the things we do for life…

Seems on Sunday i forgot to check that one of the doors to our meeting room was closed properly before I locke dup.
An external door no less, leading onto the passage down the side of the building.
I checked both the internal doors to this room and locked them, but didn't think the outer door would be open.
Even if it was, surely you would expect the alarm not to set.
but NEVER ASSUME. When will I learn this!!!
That door isn't even on the alarm circuit, so setting the bells won't pick it up.
It's one of our fire doors - in fact the only sourc eof air in that room. I realsied today it has no other opening windows??
And this is somewhere we hire out???

Also neglected to actually alarm the Old Church itself, so I guess I messed up.

This evening I have been asked to be a signatory on the accounts, and on cheques. There have so far only ever been two, and one has just stepped down as treasurer. We are going ot have at least four I think

Now I'm not a great fan of any kind of free, post-anyhting you like anywhere kind of website, comprising as they generally do what I call the 'toilet wall' of the interweb, but my opinion is shifting now to a point where I can at least see some value in myspace and youtube and all that malarky.
Myspace, while I still hold that it is NOT the kind of place for credible, established artists with respectable careers behind them to table their wares, is much more significant in introducing and exposing new and unsigned bands to a bigger audience. I've found loads of great music on there.
Now my attention has been drawn to youtube for similar reason. more and more people are putting up actually quite good footage of gigs etc online, when otherwise of course no-one else would be able to see them. This blatantly ignores all copyrights and other issues, but for some artists (like John foxx) where there is no record industry red tape to get in the way, You Tube is beginning a goldmine for rare live material.
And copyright is the bane of creativity after all…

My point is here, fort those who have endured my rant so far.
I have software (SnapX) of which there must be loads all over the places, which allows the very simple downloading of such videos to this humble computer, and then with a quick bit of editing we have files for the archive. Over the past few days, Ive found about 20, all individual songs filmed on the tour last summer or even , like the above, in Europe earlier this year.
Some of them have already disappeared from the net.
from these, I have extracted the sound files and behold, they fit almost perfectly on a CD and have become an album called "Rarities Six" which doesn't exist anywhere in the world except my studio.
So why does no one else at the forum do this, and why are peope so excited at the idea that I might circulate what i have to all and sundry??
I think not.
In reply to two eamils already I have linked to the software i used (which is freley available for download).
I might be interested in trading with a select few, but primarily this is material for the Archive, and to be honest virtually no-one these days has anything I haven't got.

Come on guys, get off your bottoms and FIND stuff. It's all out there. Are people inherently lazy…?
Discuss.
No, don't. I was kidding.
The other thing that stuns me is that some of the peoplle posting the stuff don't know theeir basic facts.
A bit like the cushions anedote I posted some weeks ago.
There is one film of John and Louis performing Shifting City from last summer, titled "London".
First off, they played at least two dates in London on the first two, and two later in the year.
Secondly, have you actually WATCHED the video? There's clearly a couple of seconds that show the logo and name of the "Steel Stage" which is at the Leadmill in Sheffield!
What does it take to read things thru first and title things properly.

Grrr…

Having said that, sincere thanks to anyone who posts this stuff - for fans, collectors, biographers and archivists like me, the stuff is invaluable.

Today's FSC has certainly given me a taste of things to come.
Despite being poorly attended (less than 50…) the service in the old church building gave me endless things to do.
First off, I had to step in and do the ushering for communion in the abscence of elected person.
Then dash into the kitchen next door to make the tea and coffee, where i discovered no-one was helping out this month's chef. So had to rope in a couple of volunteers to set-up and serve.
Then people wanted to chat with me about the website, the drainpipes… not to mention the writers group. Which I am going ot have to sacrifice.
Main job was counting up the money from the collection, which really shouldn't be the Big deal our ex-treasurer has made it into. Is it really necessary to enter the amount donated of EACH COIN into the totally overblown spread sheet?? That's three x 50pence, seven x one pound, four x 2pence etc...
We can sort this, but it will take some time to find out what sort of mess we are in at the moment.
Then I had to join in with the washing up of course, supervise the tidying away of all the toys and stay to the bitter end (gone 2pm) to lock the place up.
Even now, I'm not convinced I have alarmed the old building itself?

None of this I have done grudgingly, I'm just rather surprised how involved I am all of a sudden.
Either my predeccessor was much cooler than me and did all these things so effortlessly that no-one noticed, or they just didn't quite get done...

The picture of me on the newsheet is less than flattering, but I can live with that.

Today was a Bad Hair Day.
About 10 o'clock, an hour before the service, I decided to tidy myself up and whizz the clippers over my head, to about a 2mm. Easy job - fifteen minutes.
Until the flippin' clippers ceased halfway thru and then fell apart in my hands when I tried to clean them up!!
So I had tufts and long bits, and spaces…
In a panic, I decided all I could go was get the razor out. No trouble normally, and quite fun, but my hair was much too long and it took ages.
In the end, I ahd to ruch out the door with a million cuts and scrathecs, and blood spots all over my too-white head! People noticed, but most of course were too kind to say anything. Got plenty of offers of spare clippers tho!

And then at four pm, just as I am down at the tip with Stan disposing of the shattered remains of my last Mac (hard disc duly smashed with Big Nail!) Biscuit turns up at the house with her boyfriend on a surprise weeknd visit.
She is the wrong end of the week to stay for dinner, but we've invited them round tomorrow night instead.
Happy chicken - so comfortable with her new found independence. Unforunately, her sister is p*ed off with me because I haven't rung since she moved into the new flat.
not enough times, I admit, and I'm annoyed that I forgot this evening.
Still working on the Geologica project - tonight locating most of the major Caves and Karst in Asia.

Ho hum.

But while doing so, my musical entertainment was provided by a totally new band called Progfoxx who have posted an awesome version of Underpass.
There are so few covers of John's work - its about time someone put together a tribute album…
On that subject, still a little disappointed and beginning to worry about the lack of communication from Ris. He hasn't called back since last Sunday, and that is unusual when he said he would.

Hmmm - the lowest number of hits for a year.
It matters not, but I'm curious as to what goes on. People come and people go.

Tonight I feel a little shell-shocked.
I rather think its like a 'small' football team must feel when, having won promotion to the premiership, they find themselves being hammered 6-0 on their first game of the season away at Old Trafford.
Or somewhere. Football is the one with the ROUND ball, isn't it? No bats involved??

Churchwardenship means operating in quuite a different league. Boxing above your weight and all those other clichés. I've really just sat tonight and listened to some weighty issues that we face with specific people and roles within our church - not tleast the fact that we now operate without a treasurer.
But Mr Vicar and my co-warden did seem a little scared of dealing with that situation, afraid maybe of 'upsetting' the existing treasurer who stepped down at the AGM.
While at the same time acknowledging that he hasn't done any 'treasuring' since Christmas when he announced his intention to quit. Not surprisingly stepping back after nine years, but really letting us down by not fulfilling his responsibility.
We will survive, and our prayers rgo out for him to resolve the personal issues he now faces and to draw closer to God without the burden of his commitments.
It will be a better arrangement for all of us six months hence.

Fascinating to sit around a table with a bottle of wine and see Mr Vicar able to let his guard down and openly discuss his fears, stresses and acute discomforts in many situations. He's just a bloke, after all, a human being with the same challenges as the rest of us. Thankyou, Lord, for letting me see this.
I felt warmly welcomed, trusted with sensitive information, encouraged and strengthened.
Swaering-in or whatever its called is on June 7th, but its straight in with a number of duties and ideas from now.
Alonside the website, one of the first things we have agreed to do is put up an 'identity board' or something. Photos of PCC members at least. I'll get his in place when we meet up Saturday week.

My first Vestry meeting is postponed until Wednesday, and moved to here so that Tx can do the Guide run.
Picked up the keys on Sunday - there are so many! We use probably six of the twenty or so in the bunch. Some of these are great rusty iron ones that open long-redundant side gates etc., and they long very Gothic. Lovely stuff.
I've always thought random keys would sell quite well on eBay - someone must collect them.

The garden is one of the first two projects I want to take in hand, and I began this morning for a few minutes before LC's pre-school by picking up aload of fallen sticks. It's rather disappointing that the recent visit by a TP Officer suggested the trees don't need to be pollarded for another 5 or 6 years. Fallen twigs and sticks are becoming a real problem and preventing the grass being cut regularly etc.

The other most pressing job is a new website, and that is well under way. Dill is working on the techy stuff and trying to put my designs and ideas into some sensible order.
I have a webamp prepared and plan o runa workshop to discuss content the week after next.

Our verse for 07/08:
Go on growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

I feel inspired with this new role.