26/02/2008 by Aileen.

I keep thinking about Mass on Sunday. The man in the pew in front of me had lost his wife about three weeks previously. The hymns seemed so poignant, and I wondered it they helped him or just upset him. At the end of Mass he turned to me with tears in his eyes, and said I had a beautiful singing voice. (I used to but it’s on its way out now!) I can’t help wondering if I added to his grief or did I help him. I know it’s good to cry.

The words of the hymn were something like …..

The love I have for you my Lord

Is only a shadow of your love for me

Only a shadow of your love for me

Your deep abiding love.

The, the dreams we have are only a shadow of God’s dreams for us.

I’ll post the whole hymn when I get the words.

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25/02/2008 by Aileen.

Martin and Fiona, Ali, Eric and the boys, came to stay for the weekend. Minus their bikes in the end! But we had a great time. Most of it seemed to revolve around food as we didn’t go out anywhere (except for a pub meal at Humber Bridge Country Park Hotel.) I vaguely suggested

a) seaside

b) farm

c) country house

d) museum

e) park

f) shops

but nothing materialised.

However, in spite of some sore throats and bugs, it was a good laugh.

I should be cleaning the house today, but just cleared the living room and sorted the bedding. Then I finished the cma (computer marked assignment) for the website design course I am doing. I THINK I will get 100% correct, but it’s only worth six marks.

Photography club tonight. We’re just doing close ups in the village hall. Last Monday we went round the old part of Hull in the freezing mist. Must upload some photos.

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19/02/2008 by Aileen.

I went into Keyingham Primary School with several creative writing colleagues yesterday. I chose to read a story to the reception class. I had a football and a marble for ‘visual aids’ but needed a medium sized ball, so a classroom assistant lent me one. After the story I gave it back to the assistant and went off to meet the others A different classoom assistant tried to return it to me so I explained it belonged in the class. Then a little boy came running out with the ball. I explained again. Finally the class teacher came along and handed me the ball. She eventually believed it was not mine. The headteacher said I caused great consternation among the children, who called me ‘the lady with the ball’. But I think they would have said, ‘The lady with the balls’ - she was just being polite.

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16/02/2008 by Aileen.

It’s just gone 10am and I’ve done some fancy housework, been down to local shops, photo’d (and deleted) some rose leaves rimmed with frost.

This weekend’s plans - start sorting the garage, start and finish my OU tma, write a short story for 3yr olds to read in Thorgumbald school on Monday. (A few of us from Cr. Writing rose to the challenge.) If I have time I’ll write one for older children too.

I remembered yesterday, after the good pub lunch luckily, that it was Family Fast Day. We went to a Soup Supper at church in the evening and had a good time.

When we were in Beverley yesterday I inadvertantly drove on to the pedestrian precinct. J had an appt. at a bank, as he’s now treasurer of a counselling group, and we were running late, so I dropped him off and pointed him in the right direction while I went off to find parking.

I had pointed him in the wrong direction, and he is worse than me for never having is mobile on. I couldn’t remember the name of the bank he was going to, so went into 3 asking is anyone had seen someone in a wheelchair, and getting staff to check the diaries. It was third time lucky!

Re driving onto pedestrian precint - last week I drove along Manchester’s tram only section. I must remember I’m a car driver … I’m a car driver.. I’m a car driver…

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15/02/2008 by Aileen.

Brrr! John came home from the dentist yesterday and suggested we go for a cycle. Like a fool I said yes! It was FREEZING! Grrr!

Today we’re off to Beverley for lunch and maybe look round the Minster, as we’ve never been inside. John doesn’t know it yet but I’m bringing my tripod.

Maintaining my 3lbs loss this week is top priority. Tea instead of latte. Boiled spuds instead of chips, salad instead of (whatever delicious roasted veg. is on the menu) Wish I hadn’t had that scampi on Wednesday now!

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14/02/2008 by Aileen.

Had an absolutely fabulous (wrong use of word!) day yesterday. I said to John in the morning I just knew it was going to be good. Up at 6.15 so had over 3 hours to potter round house and cyberspace. Then on to Birding. It was meant to Potteric Carr which I love, but there was a half term fun day for kids so Michael changed the venue to North Cave Wetlands, which is less than 2 miles from where I live.

We saw….

extended views of green woodpecker

colourful viewa of greater spotted woodpecker

close views of snipe

and a host of other things.

In addition, the sun was warm on our faces and the wolds looked magnificent. The air is so clean.

At Slimming World I found I had lost 3lbs so that added to my delight.

As a reward, John and I had scampi and chips on the way home from Tom’s where we were delivering something counselling related!

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12/02/2008 by Aileen.

Just had another chat with Fiona. Skype is great. Martin was chatting to me on it last night. He had drinks with the English Rugby team yesterday and has a signed t-shirt of them all.

All the family, Martin and Fiona, Ali, Eric, Liam and Kieran, are coming next weekend. We’re hoping to all go out cycling if the Scottish lot can fit 4 bikes onto the bike rack/roof rack. Might be pushing it a bit I suppose.

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12/02/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve been clearing up the veg patch the last couple of days. Just a few of the squares (oblongs actually) as I followed

www.squarefootgardening.com

last year. I found a few onions on Sunday and several enormous carrots yesterday. They’re not good enough for salads by any means, but pressure cooker, here I come. Quite good as I’m out on Tuesday evenings, so John normally prepares one of his delicious salad sandwiches or heats up one of his delicious soups.

The Manchester OU gathering was good fun. It was goood seeing paintings and having some idea of composition/genre etc. Only five us in the end, but a great five. I didn’t stay for the evening meal as it was getting later and later and I hadn’t booked in to a hotel. Saul was a real gentleman and walked me to my car, which was very central but down a dark alley. I wasn’t worried for me but for my camera equipment!

In the car park the machine gave me my change but not my ticket, and I had trouble meeting up with the attendant despite phoning. In the end Saul lifted up the barrier and I just drove out. First criminal act of the day.

Then I drove Saul back to the pub where the others were. It was only a straight road along, but of course one way systems get in the way, and I found I was accidentally on purpose driving along a tram only bit of road. Second criminal act of the day. I dropped Saul off and continued on my way. Try as I might I could not get out of the tram road, and had a great tour of the central of Manchester. Not a copper in sight/on site thank goodness, and eventually I escaped Manchester.

Today, I intend to do another little bit of gardening, and press on with chapter 3 of web design book. What an exciting life I lead!

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08/02/2008 by Aileen.

Arrived home just as J’s client was leaving. Then I began trawling through OU forum messages and there was one in my personal post box from a really lovely bloke (I’ve met him for tutorials and coffee so I know) who was going to take a back seat for a while as he is going through a depressed period with panic attacks. Feel very sad for him. Hope he bounces back soon.
Then Martin rang to say he had just installed Skype and asked us to. He talked John through setting it up and we had a chat. God fun seeing him and Fiona while we chatted. When Ali and Eric have John’s old Apple they can get involved too.

So then of course I had to install it. Searched through my friends and only one I could find on Skype was Janet. Our kids grew up together. Her husband Alan skyped me back when I added him to my contact list and we had a chat. It’s nearly 10.30 now and I’ve done no studying and house is a complete mess.

And I’m off to Manchester for the day tomorrow to meet 4 other OU colleagues. Unfortunately the one who I mentioned above doesn’t feel he can make it. I feel quite gutted about his news. He has two autistic children and was recently made redundant so he has a lot on his plate. Really hope he gets better very very quickly.

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08/02/2008 by Aileen.

Well, busy for a retired young lady. Nothing like when I taught full-time.

Anyway, I had trouble printing my creative writing effort so had to grab my laptop and run. Left it too late to meditate. Great morning as usual.

Then to Hessle for Mass and Lenten Lunch. Sat next to a dear 83 year old woman who wouldn’t stop talking. I had to stop giving her my full attention as my soup was gettingc old. Well, priorities please! To cap it all I am a bit deaf and she spoke very quietly. I heard every few words, and they were like ‘doctor’ stroke, injection, hospital, injection, pump, stroke, doctor.’ I felt really queasy as I haaaate hospital stuff. I intended leaving at 1.30 for hair appt in Hull, but made my getaway at 1.20. Just as well as I only just made my 2pm appt.

Then, grabbed photo magazine at WH Smiths and made for Sheila’s to pick her up for church cleaning at 4pm (at my own parish in Howden.) Stopped in layby on way as I was 10 minutes early and turned mobile on. Two messages from John - both in morning. In the first one I thought something terrible had happened to him or one of the kids as his voice was so - can’t think of the word. It turned out his computer had frozen, then lost everything, and he was blaming me. (To print my creative writing I had e-mailed it to myself, then opened it up on his puter so I could print it off. Wasn’t worth putting air conditioning on in sunlounge to do it all on my puter/printer) Second message - he was a happy bunny again. Puter was working.

At church I took some photos as it looked so lovely. Flowers from Maureen Hall’s funeral. White garlands everywhere. Maureen and John own a big Garden Centre in Howden and the family is very involved in the church. I didn’t know Maureen well, but she seemed lovely. Once when I told her that John didn’t have a problem with Jesus, it was the church, she said, ‘Tell him the church is just made up of people.’

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