Visitin' Leeds

Well, after one birthday celebration on Friday, I had another one on Sunday-in Leeds, as you may have gathered. It's my best friend's birthday, and though he's now another year older, he's still younger than me (never mind, eh!).

The plan was that I went up Sunday and stayed til Tuesday, and any other details would be worked out when I got there. Which is what happened, and seemed to work quite well. Apart from almost missing the coach-I got to the station with literally a couple of minutes to spare, but I got there, and once I was on the coach, it was plain sailing (or rather driving). I got there a little late, which was hardly a surprise, and phoned to find out where to go-which turned out to be a bar quite close to where he lives. A nice place with an interesting range of fruity beers. One of which I liked enough to have a whole half of, which, you know, is quite something, as I don't like beer. Well, to be absolutely clear, I can't stand it. Except, apparently, this one. Which I  can't remember the name of, and am never likely to see again anyway. When I got there, I was immediately despatched to buy a round, and then the presents were presented. I then joined in one of the strangest conversations I can remember for a long time. It was clear that the others had been at the bar for quite a while before I got there, as the topics of conversation ranged from soap to the dog's handwriting to food porn. Suffice it to say that some people have unusual suggestions as to what you can do with mushrooms.
After much laughter and a few more rounds, we left his friends and went to his house where we chatted long enough for me to stop feeling tipsy and start feeling a bit ill. Not drink related, but rather annoyingly, a bit of a head cold type thing. Still I didn't have to get up early the next day, so I rested. He was at work, not being able to get time off, so I gradually drifted awake, actually earlier that I would have done on a normal day off, and went into Leeds city centre. By myself. Which was alright, but for the slight problem I had in that my phone battery was almost dead. So I went around a bit-the German market was pretty good, and ended up in Waterstones. Where I texted him to say to meet me there. Which he did, a couple of hours later. So I was left to amuse myself among a host of books for a while-not the most difficult task in the world I've ever had. And then we went back for tea and chat and cards, and more tea-and doughnuts. And again were up until the early hours of the morning. It was a bit more important that I get up at a reasonable sort of time this time, as I had to catch my coach, so we arranged to meet for lunch. Which was nice. However, as far as catching the coach went, I didn't really need to be worried, as it was delayed by almost an hour, due to problems on the motorway. Which was annoying, and a little concerning, as I had to catch another coach at Brum. We actually ended up being even later getting there than when we had left, which I was puzzled by, as we cut one stop from the route; but, thankfully for those of us who did have to catch it, that coach was also delayed, due to problems on another motorway. And so I got home okay, just a little bit delayed in the end, as I didn't spend much time waiting at Brum. All in all, a great, relaxing few days. Nice. And the few things, which at the time, I thought were going to be real problems, turned out not to be really, after all-just minor inconveniences. And so there was no reason to worry. Maybe next time I'll remember, and not worry-and maybe even the time after that.

Bits And Pieces

Well, this week has been another relatively busy week. Which is good, but it has meant I haven't got round to doing another post. On the occasions I did have time, I was often too tired. But it was a good week, all in all. Started off pretty much as normal, what with a quiet day Sunday and church in the evening-and then the pub, which is always fun, just spending time with friends. I did mention to a friend about meeting up to talk about a creativity course I've been planning for a while, but that never happened, as I didn't find my notes-note to self, must remember to look them up this week. And apart from work, all I did Monday was finish off a letter to a friend.

Tuesday was again my day off, and it was quite relaxing this time-I got up late, and just pottered around doing bits and pieces, this and that. A bit of cleaning, a bit of recycling, and attempted to find the notes. I did manage to post the letter, though. And then, in the evening, I went to the theatre. It was the day of 'The Woman In Black', which was definitely not how I was expecting-not least because it appeared to be the play of choice of most of the schools in the locality. Definitely a most watchable play, and amusing, as well as tense in places, despite the over the top screams from some of the teenage girls in the audience. To be honest, that probably made me take it slightly less seriously than I otherwise would. Unfortunately, I can't actually tell you any more, because it would be difficult to describe without giving it away, and it's definitely worth seeing. I recommend it to anyone who likes good theatre-and if you aren't really up for that, then it's almost certainly worth checking out the film. Which meant that Wednesday evening, I relaxed again. I probably should have tried to write a post then, but I was honestly too tired. I fell asleep in the middle of the evening. And then Thursday I was pretty tired, cos I couldn't sleep properly later. And in the evening, it was Hungry For God-our weekly prayer meeting during term time. Also something I would recommend to pretty much anyone. Recently, there has been a lot of God taking charge and really getting us deeper into Him. We had a time of several people sharing what God has been doing in and/or with them. I shared how He has changed me since He first took hold of me all those years ago. And then we prayed and listened to what He wanted to say to us. He told me to stop. I'm not entirely sure what He means by that, so I'm not going to jump the gun. I'll meditate on it for a bit before sharing it-if there's anything clear to share. And then after that, we went to the pub again, and again had a good time chatting with friends. Which is always good.

And then yesterday was a pretty busy day, what with the birthday celebration in the evening. It was a friend's 50th-which to be fair, surprised me. I didn't know I had any friends of that age-apparently I do. So, after getting home, I got ready to go out, before another friend came round. We arrived at the restaurant a little bit late, though we weren't the last to get there. It was just a generally good time-The Everest is a fantastic restaurant for large groups, though I don't go there often. Anyway, there was fine food, fine friends, and good company and conversation. Which was a good way to start the evening. And then we decamped to John's parents house to continue the party. A cake was brought out, though with only 10 candles-no way he's going to convince people he's that age. And presents were unwrapped and the piano was played by one of the guests. John said he was good, but he managed to play 'Bohemian Rhapsody' unaccompanied well enough for (some of) us to sing along. And so I got back lateish, and to bed even later, which again isn't good for my sleep patterns, as I had to be in work today. And when I got back, I fell asleep again, before sorting out going to Leeds tomorrow. More on that later...

'Christianity' - for the masses

A couple of years ago, when I was unemployed, I went to Spring Harvest as a steward for the first time in years-maybe 6 or 7. Which was great fun, and I would definitely recommend it. I've done it every year since, and will do it again. However, this time, it seemed different-I don't know how much because it has changed, and how much because I have. Which is certainly the case.

I have been to New Wine more often than Spring Harvest, and I think of them as being much the same, except in the way they're put together structurally-until this time. I remember a while back flicking through a list of Christian events with descriptions, and it described NW as a worship event, and SH as 'broad church', which puzzled me. In my experience, they were basically the same; but this time, I could see quite a difference in SH. Both have changed over time, they both have become more outward focussed; but SH seems to be interested in more of life than NW-possibly just because it has a physically bigger site, so it can have more seminars. This would mean that could have many seminars that are similar to those at NW, but also more than that. but the main difference is probably in attitude. That year the theme of SH was 'Different Eyes', and one thing I can remember is that there was a presentation about sexuality by a Christian woman in a relationship with a woman-I can't imagine that ever being done at NW.

Anyway, at SH, we were giving out copies of Christianity magazine with a subscription offer-see here for a free sample if you want to know more. And I took one. God wanted me to subscribe to it, so I did. And I have to say I thoroughly enjoy it-which is one reason why I still subscribe 2 years on. In a way, it could be described as 'broad church' in the same way that SH is, in that they have articles on all sorts of things from all sorts of people from many different perspectives. It seems as if the idea is that they want to appeal to as many people as possible in order to introduce them to something new-which definitely works with me. There's stuff to make me think, to make me feel, and just to inform me about stuff that's going on-in Christianity, and 'outside', as it were. I find it very interesting because there's always something unexpected, and it definitely covers things that I know little about. Every time I read it, I am reminded how little I know about what is going on, and how much more there is that I can't even imagine. How much God is doing that I can't even imagine. Which isn't really surprising, as He said He can and would do that. So Him doing it is just backing up what He said. And finding out about it is fantastic. Why don't you have a look at some of the things He is doing?

A Kind Of Busy Day Off

Last week ended up being pretty relaxing, all in all, what with not going out most evenings; and that was great. As I said, it wasn't exactly planned, and certainly didn't start off that way, cos I arranged to meet my mum on my day off. Which meant I had to leave the house earlier than I usually would. I didn't get up any earlier, but normally on a day off, I would get up later. And this time I didn't. But it was worth it.

Obviously, just the fact of spending the day with my mum was good in itself, as I don't get to see her that often-both of us managing to fill our time with all sorts of things. So she asked when my day off was, and we met up in town. On the way I managed to drop some books off at a charity shop-I've been meaning to do that for ages. Our first point of call was Costa in Waterstones, just so we could chat for a bit, catch up before deciding what to actually do. Which was nice. And amusing to see a pigeon come in and wander around because someone decided to stand in the doorway of the balcony are with the door open, chatting. Not so good. And I suppose health and safety people wouldn't have been too impressed by the presence of said pigeon. And then we wandered around Waterstones itself. Which I love doing, cos, you know, I love books. And reading them.

Next we went to the theatre to spend her theatre tokens she got given last year-good thing there's no expiry date. And she booked tickets for us to go to see 'The Woman in Black' in a couple of weeks time-a couple of weeks from then, anyway. Looking forward to that-I've heard only good things about that show. Headed up the High Street, stopping to chat to a friend briefly. Which was nice. And then we went into the arcade to wander around the shops. And found an art gallery. Called White Crescent Art. I didn't know that was there, but it's definitely worth a visit. Go have a look round. And then we went to a shop which was almost an art gallery, in that it sold lots of animal 'sculptures'. All sorts of animals, different sizes, different materials, from slightly bigger than life size insects to ones about as big as me. Those weren't insects, though. Also worth going to. And, you know, if you feel like it, maybe buying something as well. Just to remind yourself of the place. And in between the two was a stall selling 3D pictures of animals. Big cats, sharks, wolves. And meerkats. So, for art or animals, Regent Arcade is the place to go. And then it was time for lunch-somehow that had taken us about 3 hours. After discovering that Swedish cuisine is not really vegetarian friendly, we decided to go to M&S cafe. Which is always good. And after lunch, we did a bit more shopping. A lot more looking around, but only a bit of shopping. Which ended up with mum getting a new pair of glasses, and both of us having hot chocolate from Whittards. Banoffee flavour. And then somehow it was dark. Although it is winter, so it wasn't that late. But home we both went to rest and relax. Which I then carried on doing for the rest of the week. Apart from work, of course- I kind of had to go there.

So, there you go. A very busy day off. But worth it. And we still have 'The Woman in Black' to look forward to.

A Political Post

Well, I've done a few things this week-for instance, my day off was quite busy-but mostly, I've been staying in. Which wasn't really planned, and was very relaxing. So, not having done that much, I thought I'd talk a bit about politics. Because a lot of other people have been talking about that recently, for one reason or another. And, also, because I saw this on a friend's facebook profile, and this pic on another's.


Which made me think a bit-and smirk. But mainly think. I definitely have opinions, as anyone who knows me well would agree, and am not afraid to share them. But I don't often do more than that. However, recently, I did. I signed a petition online a while ago, asking Dominic Mohan to take the bare boobs from The Sun. I don't often read any daily paper, but this is still something I feel to be important-so I signed the petition. And, as is often the case, didn't think much more of it, though I did read the emails they sent to keep me updated with the campaign. And recently, they asked us to support them by not shopping at certain shops for a week. They had selected several of The Sun's biggest advertisers, and  asked us not to shop there for one week, and to consider telling them why. Then they would contact them to ask them to consider stopping advertising with The Sun until Page 3 has been removed.
I had a slight advantage in doing it, in that I didn't read the message until Tuesday, so effectively 2 days of the week had already gone by-thankfully, I hadn't shopped at any of the shops that week. And when I looked at the list, there were only really 2 of the shops that I generally shopped at. However, the problem was that those were my main grocery shops, and both are within a few yards of my house. I actually live above one of them. So, the problem was not just remembering to get groceries from somewhere else; but also remembering not to just pop in when I felt like something on the offchance. Which I knew would be difficult, and I didn't know if I would manage it; but I knew that I could, if I tried. So I did. It made me think about what I bought, and to a certain extent why; and I definitely ended up buying less. And I only went to a takeaway once that I remember. So, I was reminded once again that I can do more than I often think I can-mainly if I actually think, rather than just going through life. And I wonder how much I (we) don't do simply because we don't think; and, more importantly, what we could do if/when we do think.

So, there you go-a political post that's not about politics-or at least not about voting. And to finish, I'll give you links to two other issues I feel strongly about:- marriage and peace. You may not feel strongly about either issue, and if not, you don't have to look; but I do, so I'm doing something. Only a little something, maybe, but doing something is better than doing nothing. At the very least, it keeps it in my mind.                                                                              

Fireworks, No Bonfires

I know it's been a slightly longer time than usual since I last posted. Either this week was particularly busy, or I didn't have much to write about. Or both, I don't really know.

So, here are a few thoughts about Bonfire Night (or Fireworks Night, as you can see from the title, no bonfires were in evidence); which I've actually been thinking about for a while now. Mainly because there were a few kids locally who were out asking for a 'penny for the guy', and they started doing it about two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I live above a shop, and they had decided to position themselves in front of the shop. Quite a smart move on their part, as loads of people passed them over that time, but it meant that almost every time I went in or out I had to go past them. They did ask me a couple of times, but I refused-I didn't want to have to do the same thing every day for two weeks. Though I was sort of impresssed by their tenacity-it got pretty cold at times, and I can't really see that it would have been worth it. But it made me think about the origins of the whole thing. I mean, obviously, it represents Guy Fawkes, but what is the point of the giving-what are people giving money for? Something I've never really thought about before.

So, what did you to celebrate/commemorate this weekend? To be honest, it's not something I've ever really thought about much. I don't dislike it, but I've never really been one much for big gatherings, and this has always seemed more like an excuse than a reason. It may have been different when it first started, but how many people now actually know what was going on, why Guy Fawkes tried to do what he did. And would they be for it or against it? But this year, I did go out to celebrate-with my home group. We met for hot dogs, and then the plan was that we go to the Racecourse to see their display. That turned out to be a bit iffy, because of the weather (yes, no,yes, no, YES), but it cleared up enough in the end that we could go. We didn't go in, partly because we left later than we originally intended, and partly because we just wanted to watch the fireworks and then go back; which we could do quite well enough from outside. Actually, from where we ended up standing, we probably got a better view than if we had been inside, as there were some fireworks that were quite close to where we were. They may not have been from the Racecourse (though I can't imagine who else nearby would bother), but we more or less ended up with two displays-or that's what it felt like, anyway. Which was brilliant. On the way back, I saw some Poles, and I did wonder what they thought of it all-if they had any idea what it was all about. But then, probably the same could be said of almost anyone. Why do we still celebrate this? And then we went back for tea and biscuits (how very English that sounds), and a bit of chat. And very nice it was too.

I was also thinking about the difference between us and the States in this-they don't have Guy Fawkes Night, so Halloween is a much bigger event. It's never really going to get that big over here, I think, simply because we move from one to the other-celebrating the one after October would kind of get in the way of the other. But the other thing it made me think about is why it is that everyone knows about All Hallows Eve, but not All Hallows Day. Or All Saints Day in modern English. Which is November 1st. And the day after that is All Souls Day. Which is hardly celebrated-or even known-even in churches. Why is that, do you think?