Amazed & Confused

All Welcome

The DeLoreans are playing at the Venue in Chichester on the evening of Saturday 19th January. The gig is open to everyone so if you're in the area and fancy a boogie come down and join us. If you're a particular fan of my lovely husband Stephen then you'll be pleased to know that the 19th is also his 30th Birthday! Looking forward to seeing some friendly faces. Have a great new year! xc

Resting :)

Steve and I had a lovely Christmas full of family, friends and great food! We enjoyed singing carols, catching up and hanging out with dozens of family members, old and new (Judah gets cuter by the day) and have been thoroughly spoiled with all the gifts we've been given. We thoroughly don't deserve all this outrageous blessing!

Merry Christmas One and All!

It's Christmas day! I love it. Steve and I drove back to Chichester in the very wee hours of the morning last night and woke in our own home with big grins on our face for Christmas Day. We've had a wonderful weekend seeing family members old and new...

Once in a lifetime

Singing at Shepherd's Bush Empire was definitely a unique experience. Walking onto stage in front of two thousand people was bizarre, so many faces looking up at you. Enough to make your mouth go dry. What a great crowd though. So many people up for a party, instantly smiling, singing and cheering. The moment I sang "Who ya gonna call?" and two thousand people shouted "Ghostbusters!" was my second favourite moment of the whole gig...

We have a Nephew!

At last, after quite a wait and a lot of hard work from his beautiful Mother Judah Tobias Alleway has entered the world. I cannot wait to meet him. By all reports both Mother and Son are happy and healthy so prayers of blessing and rest would be appreciated. I'm afraid I'm a little too tired this morning to blog about last night's performance so this morning's good news is my priority and I shall say adiue! xc

The Big Day

Today is a big day for more than one reason. It's the eve of Mike and Di Harding's move into a new home (they've been moving from one rented place to another for most of the year! It's also the day of the much anticipated Shepherd's Bush gig, the DeLoreans are prepped and ready to go with Christmas jumpers and a killer set (even if I do say so myself ;) The Delirious guys are so lovely we really want to do our best for them. Lastly and most importantly: today is the day that Emma gives birth to our first niece or nephew!

I love Christmas...

...it's a time of year that makes me very happy. I've managed to get all but the last few presents for family and friends and many of them are wrapped in sparkly boots wrapping paper beneath our rather disheveled looking tree. I fear it's the last year for Steve's plastic wonder. Mr Bin man will be enjoying it's lack-luster festive cheer from January...

Deep Breath

So the set's been decided, I have two outfits to choose from (do I go for my classic 50s red number or my new 40s green one?) and we're counting down in days not weeks to the moment I have to sing in tune in front of two thousand people. Help! Nathan sent me this thread from the Delirious website this morning. It made me laugh and cower all at the same time... appreciated the compliment though :) Ultimately regardless of nerves I'm resolved to have fun and give it my all. It's only 40 minutes of my life... eeek! xc

Tip, Tap, Typing away

I've spent a lot of the last few days working on articles for the International 24-7 site. I'm really enjoying flexing my writing muscles and exploring different styles and topics. Here are few things I've been working on: The 24-7 Feast Talks are now online and available for download, a great report from an Italian Prayer Room and The Decline of the Nativity and other Christmas Stories. Brian Heasley also put a fantastic call for long term missionaries and there's a call to pray for China in 2008. Enjoy :) xc

One week 'til Shepherd's Bush!

I can't believe how fast December is going! We're only two weeks from Christmas and one week from The DeLoreans supporting Delirious at Shepherd's Bush. Ooo I've come over all faint! The gig sold out weeks ago and we're starting to work out a killer set. We've got 40 minutes to get everyone in the party mood and about two hours of party tunes to choose from...

The Power of a Hug

Thoughts are colliding in my mind as I write. It began Thursday evening as I perused the day's headlines and read the experiences of one journalist and her visit to the Hugging Saint aka Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma, an Indian spiritual leader who comforts people and spreads selflessness by hugging the masses. Bizarre as her idea may be it has some emotional and physiological merit. It's just a shame people pay and queue to be hugged by her rather than turning to their loved ones and finding solace there...

Making decisions

I've been hesitant about writing this post. For the last few months I've been debating whether or not I want to go and see The Golden Compass released in UK cinemas today. I love fantasy, I love stories that draw you in about battles between good and evil and I like to question myself about the things I read and watch. Some of my decisions may not be popular (I am a Harry Potter lover) but I do try to consider them and there have been things I've chosen not to read or watch because they're not true, noble, right, pure or lovely (Phil 4:8). Though in this day and age I'm not sure many things would fall within that list...

Gutted

There's a fine film of dust over most of the house and when Matt and Will left this evening their faces were as black as coal. Stage one has begun! There is officially no bathroom in this house (I've made my first trips to the local public facility)! They've removed the suite, stripped the walls and pulled down the ceiling. Lots of shrieking and laughing were to be heard but thankfully only one nervous 'Er... Caaarlaaaa' came from the top of the stairs. There's no going back now! xc

On the cusp of change...

In approximately eleven hours the House of Sven will be altered beyond recognition... well our dreaded bathroom will be at least. After over a year of planning and saving we are finally about to embark on the mammoth task of ripping out our skanky, rotting, slightly spooky bathroom, gutting the room, rebuilding it and installing a shiny new suite! Well I say we, what I really mean is I will make tea whilst Matt, Will and Derek do all the work :)...