J and J are giving me a hard time today due to a chicken carcass in the fridge and a bag of beef jerky - a present from my weekend visitor - in the cupboard. They're usually not too bad as far as mooching goes, but I suppose the combination of smells is enough to try the patience of any self-respecting spaniel.

Thanks to the insistence of my rector, as a condition of being allowed to be part of the Lay Worship Group, I'm very taken up with reading theology at the moment - nothing too dry and academic, but some very accessible (for the novice) books by Marcus J Borg and John Dominic Crossan. I wish I'd read this stuff years ago! It would have saved me a great deal of worry that I was not really a 'proper' Christian because I couldn't take on board so much of the stuff I thought I was supposed to believe. If only I'd known that the image of God I thought I'd come to myself is actually in line with modern theological thought. Is that cool or what? What's more, I'm finding out lots about the historical Jesus, which has always fascinated me, but I've just not been aimed at the right sources before.

Our adventurous friend, Jetta has begun a blog. She's preparing for yet another daring trip, this time to Nepal and she hopes to blog from there. Um - do they have broadband in the Himalayas? Anyway, anything she writes is sure to be worth reading, I promise, and the pictures of her adorable granddaughter, Amy, are gorgeous.

Sounds like a good offer

Jonny and Jess have been glued to Crufts this week and are delighted that a hairy wee dog that rejoices in the name of Fabulous Willy is the overall winner of Best in Show. With a name like that, how could the wee fella lose?
Teehee!

Hi again folks!

I'm almost embarrassed to write anything here, since I'm sure most people think I've dropped off the planet. I'm going to try to be better at updating, I promise.

Thr trouble with being a retired person is that you end up taking on more than you ever did when you worked full time, but it's all in bits and pieces here and there. People think my life is idyllic and peaceful, which it is, mostly, but in order to maintain that idyll, I have to keep on top of everything, which hasn't exactly been happening lately.

BUT nine months after her house fire, yesterday my M-I-L finally moved into her new little cottage. I've spent the last few weeks chasing workmen, hanging curtains and trying to fathom out what M-I-L *really* wants - example conversation while making up her new bed:

Me (admiring lovely new duvet cover and sheets): Doesn't it look pretty? All you need now is a nice valance round the bottom to cover the base.

M-I-L: Oh I'm not going to bother with one of those. It's fine the way it is.

Me:Are you sure? It would finish it off.

M-I-LYes, quite sure - they're too much bother. It's a pity I didn't get a mattress cover though. I think I should.

Me: I'll get you one in town later and we can put it on before you go to bed.

Later, when I return from town with a mattress cover.

M-I-L: That's not what I wanted.

Me: Yes it is, you asked for a mattress cover.

M-I-LNo I didn't. I wanted one of those valance trims to cover the base. A nice white one to match the duvet.

Argh!!!

One of my friends has a personality test on her blog and since I've been spending time re-learning about the Myers-Briggs tests and enneagrams etc in the course of my study, I gave it a try. Despite a very few questions, it actually got my type right and apparently it's rare too (although not as rare as yours, N. I think all the types can be classed as rare since there are sixteen to choose from!
This is me:

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?