Amazed & Confused

Transfixed

There is a man in my German class with eyebrows at least 5cm long. I find myself transfixed wondering if he knows how long and curly they are. There’s one particular hair that stretched out at a right angle, demanding to be noticed. I guess we don’t have the privilege of looking at ourselves side on. I wish I could leave my body for a moment to see if there are any similarly strange phenomena on me. Makes me paranoid. I should probably get back to learning my Hobbies and grammar now… xc

Greetings

Greetings one and all, it is time to break the silence. I am sitting up in my new bed, in my new jammies, waiting for my new husband to finish packing up and come to bed. Being married is so different to what I'd imagined. It's better. The last three weeks have been the best of my life...

The Diva

Last night was a scream. Charlottie to Hottie, Smiler and I were working the bar at the venue for some company party and ended up dancing the night away whilst serving the guests, ruling the karaoke stage and replying "Travel the world telling people about God" to the flirty "So, what do you do when you're not behind this bar" raised eye brow, leery lean cheeky smile included. It's a brilliant reply to take the wind of drunk boys sails xc

Happy Belated Proxy Christmas!

Yesterday was October Proxy Christmas so Crimbo cheer broke out in 15 Caledonian Rd. A nice change from the gloom that's decended since they were served notice to sling their hooks and find another home :( In honour of the beginning of the Proxy Christmas season I've broken out the Mariah Carey Christmas Album! It's a classic! Garaunteed to get you singing along. On a more superficial note I knew I'd lost weight but didn't know how much as I think weighing scales are evil. To my surprise I am now the lightest I've been since my early teens! 10st 4p! I celebrated with a sausage sandwich from the van :)

Many Good things

The last week has been filled with many good things: our bank loan came through to resolve our debts into one neat package, we've sold stuff on E-Bay, cards with little gifts have come through the post, my veil has been found, people are booking their flights to the Wedding, my Hen day is this weekend, had a random email from a publisher who read my blog and asked if I'd considered writing a book, our soon to be bedroom is now furnished and half moved into and the great merging of clothes has begun. I nicked this T-Shirt (right) from Steve last night. It must be seriously tight on him, I've never seen him wear it. I love it, I feel like I have Steve on my T-Shirt... xc

Snuggle Punk

This week has marked the beginning of scarf season, possibly my favourite clothes time of year. I've resurrected my favourite white, woolly scarf to mark the change of season. It feels like a big snuggle, a bit like that slightly frightening cup-a-soup advert...

Driving home...

Please forgive my blog silence; I’m typing this from the back of Charlotte’s car on the way back from dropping Nadine to Stansted airport. The sun has appeared and dissolved the cloud that launched us on our journey and the girls have been munching on bacon sarnies and French vanilla coffee. In this moment the stress of the Round Table and International Leader’s gathering feels like it’s finally come to an end.

Juggling

Today has held three unexpected joys! 1. Things are coming together for the RT/ILG and the fabulous Karen Padget was given the money to come a the 11th hour. 2. I just got an unexpected call about money for a book I helped edit a few years ago! Not masses but nothing to be sniffed at either and... 3. I fit back into my illusive skinny French Connection jeans, winner!

Cosy slippers

I’m sitting up on my new bed, sipping hot tea from my favourite mug, surrounded by talk notes and Bible guides. I feel alive, rested, fed and peaceful. My white fluffy slippers have been resurrected from my winter footwear pile and are making a cosy come back on my slightly chilly feet. I love autumn; I can’t wait for the leaves to turn red.

The Christian Elite

This made me giggle for a full 30 seconds... Click to enlarge...

Greenbelt

Steve’s being a rockstar for Cathy Burton this weekend so I’ve tagged along to greenbelt to soak in the vibe and check out the musical talent. I haven’t been here since it was hosted behind my house on the fields stretching to Castle Ashby. It’s grown an incredible amount since then…

Hide the Marrow

It’s been so long since I’ve blogged I feel almost paralysed by my topic options. Life is very full at the minute, probably too full, but everything is ticking along. Games like ‘Hunt the Marrow’ have kept us amused on wet and windy weekends and there have been moments of joy in the hustle and bustle of Round Table/Wedding preparations…

Dramatic Boredom

How do you motivate yourself when you feel like the office is sucking out your very soul... If I have to write another email I may have to cry... Hmmm, actually, being dramatic makes me feel better. I might huff and puff at the empty desks and four blue/cream walls :) xc

Nip Tuck

I learned something yesterday; you can't sit in the waiting area of a cosmetic surgery clinic and not play guess-the-vanity. As Charlotte and I sat in said Brighton Clinic we desperately tried to keep our faces impassive as our eyes darted around the room...

The Aisle appraoches

Apologies friends for my prolonged blog silence. I'm not entirely sure where the last five days went. I've been a flurry of spring cleaning, de-cluttering and drinking wine with my lovely ladies. The project I've been excited about for about a month has finally landed in my lap. Steve's housemates have sadly departed to their shiny new homes and Steve's is now 'ours', the count down to marriage has begun...

Catapillar Cuisine

I like to try something new each time I travel, something truly indigenous to the nation I'm exploring, but I have to admit, I've dreaded the day I'd come face to face with a cooked bug.  As Pete and I sauntered out of the building today we were invited to peer into someones lunch box and admire this unique South African cuisine... curried catapillars...

10 Years Younger

Whoever said TV rots the brain has obviously never indulged in the likes of 10 Years Younger or You Are What You Eat.  I find those programs truly traumatizing and there's nothing more motivating than a photo of a mashed up liver, or frightening statistics about aging/skin damage/the end of the world as we know it to propel you guiltily toward better habits...

I Want Widgets!

No fair. I want widgets. Apparently I'm .1 of a version too lowly for the hallowed services of the instant weather forcast, radio player, Harry Potter news updater, currency converter, fly through the galaxy with robots and generally have a throughly good time. Hmmmph. Hurry up iBook and break so I can have a brand spanking new one with all the mod cons...

Colour me happy

I just spent the last half hour changing my blog from bland but effective grey, to toothpaste green, then to bright, soothing, slightly guys loo blue.  As always happens when I try to change the look, I couldn't find anything better than this!  Still, I persevere, one day I will find that Holy Grail of colour schemes that will be simultaneously legible and uplifting... Suggestions on a postcard please. xc

The Ludite

Yesterday's trauma is today's blessing.  Sans iBook and cruelly deprived of headphones (my current pair spluttered to a deserved death this morning) I mounted the train to Victoria without any of my usually technological companions...

Losing my religion

I am having a crisis of faith, not in my dear Lord, but in that other shining icon of our times; the bright white apple with the missing bite.  This morning, with the best of intentions, I arrived in the office bright and early to attack my never ending to-do list, a large mug of tea and a bowl of piping hot porridge in my hands.  As I sang along with Dolly and plonked down infront of my iBook my face slackened as I watched my screen snap black...

Back to Bass-ics

I have finally succumbed and decided that world is not complete with out rock star Carla. Due to a signifigant lack of bassists at church I am attempting to learn to play.  Last night Steve taught me E A D G Fm and C, the riff from that chewing gum advert, some white stripes song, summer loving and Light of the world.  My first practice session this morning saw my standing in my nightshirt, tousle haired with the bass slung over my shoulder trying to sing and play at the same time.  I think Susie Quatro can rest easy for many moons to come...

Bargain Bling

My patchwork weekend of relaxation, friends and surprise finds has continued today with breakfast with Mark Topley, visiting from Tanzania and telling me fantastical stories of his new life (Jo I miss you!), stumbling across a lovely secound hand necklace that matches the tiara I want almost perfectly (fingers crossed it cleans up nicely and I may have just bought the cheapest brides necklace ever) and lunch with the lovely Helen Monkton to natter about fundraising, dreams and how God's blessed us.

Bliss

The grin that split my face this morning as I stretched and slid into consciousness has meerly widened throughout the last few hours. I had 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night. Only one odd dream in which I got really upset that Dan Brown couldn't accept the divinity of Jesus, the rest were inoccuous and instantly forgotten when I woke. The house is peaceful, clean and everyone's home as it's good Friday and none of us are going home or to Spring Harvest... The joys of the quiet life...

So Dark the Con of Man

Today's blog title has little to do with The Da Vinci code (it's source) and more my frustration at today's rediculous expidition to Homebase to act like a grown up and buy a Bathroom! The aforementioned suit is an incredibly kind gift from Steve's parents for our Wedding and Steve and I spent yesterday morning whipping round retailers finding our ideal suite for the best price possible...

Food, totum poles and races over sand...

I'm on a train to London as I type this and the view from my window is a strange collision of Spring and Winter. The dilectable blue sky and the smile tickling sun are falling on the green fields (daffs and lambs are out in abundance) but there's also a peppering of snow over the ground from the bizzarre cold spell last night. It's a welcome view; is it me or did our winter seem a lot longer this year?

Imogen Deep

Astounded is the best description of my response to the unique singer songstress who propelled herself high into my 'most admired' list last night. Steve and I finally enjoyed the fruition of his Birthday present (two tickets to see Imogen Heap at the Brighton Komedia) and for once an artist trully exceeded my expectation.

Snapshots

This weekend has been littered with wonder-filled moments inspired by spring. I've felt lighter, happier, warmer and more patient with the arrival of the sunshine. Here are just a few snapshots of the enchantment it's brought...

Snuggled up trying to get warm...

Today Charlotte and Ruthy are mostly laughing at me wearing everything but my long coat to stay warm in the office. For some reason they're boiling hot, stripped down to t-shirts and I'm freezing cold, wrapped in my wooly jumper, hat and scarf. Probably just my cold having fun with my temperature guage...

We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

Yesterday was full of silling dancing, funny photos and bizarre singing attractions! Charlotte, Matt, Steve and I had taken the day off work and ran away to Drusilla's Zoo to make faces at the monkeys, laugh at the Gibbons and stick our heads up a Giraffe's backside...

I've met my Nemesis!

It's a fearsome thing to meet your match, as you stand toe to toe with your nemesis and reach down into the depths of who you are, deciding how far you will go to defeat her! "Who", you may ask, "deserves such a title." Well she was blonde, pug faced and about five foot high, yes my Nemesis is 10, but don't judge me till you hear the truth...

A Whirlwind of a Week!

Apologies one and all for my appalling discipline in blogging. If it’s any reassurance I have been neglecting all Internet activities for the past week and am now facing an inbox gauntlet of Biblical proportions. “Why?” I hear you cry; well this week has been what you might call eventful…

Greatings from Narnia

From where I’m sitting, Charlotte is changing into her Jammies to my right, my feet are tucked under two duvets (!!) in front of me and behind the wall I’m leaning against is the perfect Norwegian night view; tall triangular houses, a luminescent moon and two feet of luscious snow!

Raisans are evil!

I knew the Bible was the living breathing word of God but I had no idea how accurate it was in identifying evil in our everyday life! Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." I've always hated dried fruit!

Vamping it up

Sometimes, when faced with a barage of deep films, all I want to see is the 'so-bad-it's-good' film that everyone secretly wishes they could admit they're interested in. Films of this ilk would include Con Air (dreadful film but I absolutely love it!), The Fast and The Furious (similar sentiment) and last night's offering Underworld Evolution...

LOST is found and other keyboard stories

In the last 24 hours I have rediscovered the wonder that is 'Shuffle'. Mostly motivated by lazyness I've been listening to my iPod on shuffle and discovering the reems and reems of musical goodness that I'd forgotten was on there...

The force is strong with me

CENSORED! Ew - note to self look more closely at pics

I have been rejected by the nerd community! But never by Star Wars...

I love those random lunchtime quizzes that bring such joy and amusement! Which Star Wars character are you? xc http://www.liquidgeneration.com/content/a55hat.aspx?cid=1415

Tummy Ache

Yesterday I got a good old fashioned tummy bug. Nausea, sickness, tummy pains and spent a boring/enjoyably lazy evening in bed watching the X Files season one. I can't believe I was 12 when it first came out. I remember it so clearly, it used to terrify and thrill me all at once. By the time Steve came round to entertain his sick fiance I was actually beginning to get really scared of the poltergist episode. He gve me a nice excuse to stop watching without looking like a woos xc

I love lunch!

There is nothing more enjoyable or condusive to work place harmony than long, luxurious, lazy, late lunches. Generally in a pub in Chi and with some vague excuse for a celebration. These 24-7 lunches are growing in the frequency (nearly every week now) and I can't say I'm complaining...

What to do?

A truly unusual thing happened this afternoon. Smiles, Bex and I, all back from our Christmas travels, found ourselves sitting in our living room with nothing to do. We've spent most of the last year wishing for a holiday and now we're on one our minds are blank...

Tis the season!

I have had the most lovely, relaxing and romantic week before Christmas. I was smugly organised in my present purchasing this year (apart from one annoying order loosing hiccup with Amazon) so I have had none of the frantic rushing through the Christmas crowds for that illusive Dad present...

Whirlwind weekend

This has definitely been one of the most diverse and roller-coaster-esque weeks of my life! As I've dashed from Southampton to Chichester to Guildford to Luton to Venice to Luton to Grendon to Reading.... (*phew*) I have had so much to share and no time infront of a putor to share it!

Christmas Shopping

"Thank you for ordering with http://www.play.com." Don't you just love it. Three clicks and you've spent money, no opening your wallet, no typing in card details, no tiresome wandering round shops trying to find the right CD or DVD; it's all there at the touch of a button...

Stephen is a poo poo head and made me change this title

Why do we do it to ourselves? Why are all the healthy things painful or tasteless? Charlotte and I have decided that exercise needs to be part of our daily working rhythm alongside prayer, blogging, bible reading and managing emails, so this week I have mostly been gasping for breath…

The Long Way Round

Picture this… Charlotte and I tootling along in faithful but slightly dilapidated car, punctually on our way to the 24-7 UK Network Day. We have coffee, time to chat, warm coats, bibles to catch up on Transit reading and a whole boot full of merchandise to deliver. Nothing could stand in our way. Nothing that is, except our own insuppressible ability to create drama…

Merry Proxy Christmas!

Today is Proxy Christmas (November 25th) and the official start to the Christmas season in Chichester! I am sooo excited. It's as if Christmas has crawled inside my imagination and reinvented the magic, wonder and love in a matter of 24 hours...

Matt & Dave woo the ladies...

I'm currently squatting on the floor of a global prayer room in Reading Boiler Room whiling away my lunch break with the other Transiteers. I thought I might introduce you too them with a lovely video I took on Charlotte's phone. Sadly I took it the wrong way up so click the link below (you need quicktime to view it), tilt your head to the left and ladies, control yourself! xc Download dave_matt_woo_the_ladies.3gp

Kiss Chase

It's amazing what vigour you regain from a weeks holiday. I've jigged my way through today, giggling like a school girl and bopping around to the imaginary soudtrack in my head. Not the best day to dare me to do anything as the lovely Tom from the 24-7 office found out to his great embarrassment!

Highland Fling!

What a week! Fun, frollicks and flinging myself round mountains galore! Stephen, Benjamin and I had a truly wonderful week in the Scotish Highlands. Many lazy mornings, good meals and unfortunate gassy incidents. For my favourite memories and some rather amusing videos keep reading...

At the foot of Ben Nevis...

I am officially on holiday!  I'm typing this after a hearty dinner, sitting in a log cabin at the foot of Ben Nevis in the Scotish Highlands.  The sound of the rain on the windows is a foreshadowing of the ninety mile an hour winds forecasted for tonight.  Our little hotel is so iscolated that the only sound I could hear last night was the wind in the trees...