Talkin 'Bout A Revolution

Snow!!!

This morning was a happy time after a few interesting days in our house. I woke up to see lots of snow outside. Whooping ensued and I managed to convince sue to get up, get dressed and come outside to build a snowman. We had a mini snowball fight as well, which is (I discovered) just what you need to invigorate yourself at 7.30am!

Anyway, the trains were beleagured so I was glad I'd spent the time at home relaxing etc. It was a good start to a good day.

Everyone should read this...

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

It's one of my 100, but this is definately the book that has captivated me most so far on my quest. I'm about halfway through, but it's one of those books you can't put down once you've started.

Just the right mix of intrigue, description, history (its set in Nazi Germany), and the cunning twist of it being narrated by Death. I love this book!

My Week

Been an interesting one this week. Started out with lots of travelling, Birmingham was good, the trains were on time for once and we got there fine. Spent the evening praying in a hostel, was nice to meet some of our praying friends and we ended up chatting into the night.

Travelling home we had a really cool chat about strategy and stuff, was great to see some of my random dreams taking flesh and working out a bit. So lots of exciting things to plan and process.

Trekking & Plotting

It feels like I spent a lot of time on a train over the weekend. Friday's journey down to Newton Abbot was fantastic, (Especially the very last bit of the journey, where, for a few miles, the line runs right along the sea front. In the pale winter sunlight it really was a beautiful sight.

I got there and spent some lovely time with my half-sister and my 3 lovely nephews. There was a couple of really affirming moments when they, (being all small and unable to understand the complexities of such things;) and knowing me only as "Mummy's friend Vicki", commented on the similarities between myself and my sister. And, tumbling all over me in an (unusual, confounding my sister entirely) decision to play-fight. I was really touched by their intuition and acceptance. It was brilliant to see them and share with them.

Complicated Jesus?

I often think I complicate Jesus too much. I speak of him in phrases other people wouldn't understand, I ask him to do things in nice flowery language, instead of just saying it outright, I project onto him my human logic, arguments and opinions, and then get angry when he doesn't do what I want. It strikes me that actually, it's quite simple.

Long Post Alert

Well, over a week into 2007 and I'm conscious theres lots to update. This is my last quiet day before the first of the mad-dash-around-the-country treks, so will attempt to summarise what has happened so far!

Work - Work has been great over the past week, I've really enjoyed it. Lyndall and I have been creating the SA's Lent prayer resource, which has stretched both of our creativity levels! It's nearly done now, and I'm looking forward to that odd moment when something I saw in my head becomes something physical I'm holding in my hand. Comedy moments ensued as we spent ages trying to think how to word things according to the SA's editorial policy, how to convince people not to anoint people with oil without permission etc etc. I'm finding myself now reading everything as if I am proof reading it, wanting to put in commas and semi-colons on road signs etc. This is a bad thing :-)

Books - I've enjoyed the first push towards my 100, reading some very different stories, set in 3 different geographical locations and time periods. This week I've been wading through 'Riddley Walker' by Russell Hoban. Very good, very different, and challenging, as I'm not able to do my 'skim through at 90mph' thing. I'm noticing effects of all the reading already, seeing potential stories in everything, wondering why and how and who caused things to be in certain places etc, and wanting to write about those things. I'd forgotten how thrilling imagination is. Everyone at church thinks I've gone odd and poetic, but keep coming up to me with recommendations, so...if anyone has any to add to my list - let me know!

Ice Hockey -  We had a mini-outing to watch Sam (one of our youth group) play for Streatham in the under 19's against Bracknell. An interesting journey there, battling up the M4 in the rain, but it was definately worth it. We won 3-1, after a tense and very close match. Shocked myself by getting excited about the game and screaming along with everyone else. I really enjoy watching it. Was also good to do something recreational with the gang from church too - sometimes it feels like a lot of hard work and no time out!

Sabbath-ing - I didn't go to church on sun eve (shock horror!) because I really felt to stay at home. After wandering around for a bit wondering what I was to do, I felt I should bake a cake. Not odd in anyone elses life I imagine, but for me a big thing. Coming from a scottish family my mum and grandma were always really good at baking, but I never learnt, never picked up a rolling pin. So suddenly I found myself sifting flour and the like, and at the same time having a very cool dialogue with God (maybe will blog about that later). It felt like a very redemptive few hours, and it was great just to rest, to relax, and to try something new.

Paint / God Stuff - In another great allegorical moment, I had this sense that God had given me a new paint box! In the picture I had been painting for years with old paints, in a dented tin etc, and everything was running out, the brushes were falling apart etc. I was, as ever, too stubborn to tell anyone that I was running out, and prefered to just 'make do'. And then I opened my front door and found this box, and in it was a new paint set. There were all the colours, pastels, pencils etc I could ever need, and materials I didn't know how to use yet. I knew God was chatting about my fierce independence, my dogged ability to be so focussed on 'getting by', never asking for help or letting anyone know anything. This year is about being a bit more interdependent, sharing with others, being a bit less driven, learning to use the new stuff in the paint box by experiamenting etc. So that was exciting. Am also being hounded by people keep giving me words from Esther... which usually precede new things etc, so that's fun as well.

Trekking - I'm off this weekend to the Beautiful South! Am zooming to Newton Abbot on Friday, which is one of my favourite train journeys in the world. Down through Dawlish and Teignmouth, the line runs right along the sea wall, and its so lovely (except when it floods and they have to close the line!) I'm looking forward to seeing that, but more so my older sister Christine, and her three lovely boys. I haven't seen her for a couple of years, so will be amazing to see them all and see how the boys have grown. Then on Saturday we're doing a prayer day in Bristol, back to Wandsworth for Sunday, and then Birmingham on Monday-Tuesday to do some more work stuff. Will update on all that next week hopefully xx

Dreams, and 2007

I had the most amazing dream last night, and it was so vivid I woke up feeling like I had physically been there. and wishing I could paint what I'd seen.

In it, Me and some friends had been climbing this hill, it was like an old street with really close together houses, overhanging into the cobbled road. Our ankles were hurting and, to be honest I was getting a little tired of the slog. And then, we turned a corner, reached the brow of the hill, and it was breathtaking: