31/01/2010 by Aileen.

I’ve been really good and not been on the Net too much this week. Here’s a rundown of the week.

Monday. Went to Viewfinders and just mooched around. Took a few photos but my heart wasn’t in it. Will probably delete them.

Tuesday. Can’t remember.

Wednesday. Potteric Carr with Birding friends. Here are a few photos.

Blue Tit

Jay

Reed Bunting

 Robin

 Thursday. Church Cleaning.

Friday. Parish Dinner. Great time. Sitting with Suzannah, Catherine Hall, Mary and her mum, and a really nice family I didn’t recognise, even though our church is only ten pews long!

Saturday. Not much. Can’t remember, and it was only yesterday! Oh yes, I made a harissa paste for a mince dish I was doing. There was lots left over as I didn’t want to overdo it, so some went in to today’s gravy! Some more will go into the chicken burgers I’m going to make tomorrow with the left-overs.

Fiona has less than a fortnight to go. Thursday week is the latest she will be allowed to go. She’s still getting sick. That’s the whole nine months, poor thing. They still haven’t decided on a name, but his middle name will be Niall, after my brother, Martin’s uncle. They both like the name a lot, but didn’t think it went with Urquhart.

Anyway, time to go. I rang Ali but there was no answer. Shocking, all this gadding about.It’s a school day tomorrow too!

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25/01/2010 by Aileen.

Is it really so long since I posted?

Wednesday  13th - had my followup to mammogram. Scan this time. Everything looks fine but I need another followup in three months.

Friday 15th - I rang Stella the previous night to say I might not be there. I was still coughing and hadn’t got into the swing of going out since the snow. However, I woke full of the joys of spring, and had a great time with the others. Such talent. Such a laugh.

16th/17th - Kev and Mag came to stay, as they were dropping Andy off at Uni. We had a good time. On the Saturday afternoon I had a tutorial at Sheffield. Useful, and I put faces to two more names. Sheffield is sooooo hilly!

17th - 22nd - John and I had a Course at St Beuno’s (former Jesuit seminary which puts on courses and retreats) on Myers-Briggs Personality Types, Prayer and Shadow. Sr Ann Morris was excellent.

It’s funny, I explained to people over and over again that I was the one originally interested in MBTI and other psychology stuff, but John got interested and followed it further, so he is now a counsellor. So we went for John’s professional development, but by no means was I a hanger-on. I’ve actually studied MBTI much more than he had. In the end, he got a lot out of it spiritually, which was an unexpected and blessed outcome. I also got loads out of it.

Saturday 23rd. Just remembered the previous night that I was going for a walk with my OU friends. We met at Pocklington, drove to Millington, and walked about 5 miles, ending back in The Gait Inn at Millington for a pub lunch. Scampi and chips. Nom, nom, nom. The uphill bits made so breathless I couldn’t talk, but I recovered quickly on the flat and downhill bits. Two of my companions are struggling with their MAs (for different reasons) and one is not enjoying her literature course.

Sunday 24th Church. Such a friendly bunch of people. Prepared two kids for their First Holy Communion. It’s so lovely teaching them as they’re lively and inquisitive and fun.

Today - back to my usual Monday optimism. Great plans for the week. I have a TMA due in on Friday. Also, Parish Dinner on Friday night. On Wednesday we’re going birding to Potteric Carr - always a special place. I haven’t seen the birding crowd since before Christmas, so it will be nice to get back.

I’ve been on the Wii-Fit for the last three days, and am taking exercise seriously. It’s such fun. (Is that a paradox or a groan comment?)

Last but not least - Fiona is still doing well. Not long now until little Angus is born. (No, he’s not going to be called Angus. That’s what John keeps calling him, and now Ali seems to be saying it. I remember John’s mother kept calling Ali ‘Mary’ for ages. I used to seethe. Luckily Fiona and John have a much better relationship than Betty and I did. The difference  is - Betty thought she would get her own way eventually. Also, I didn’t speak up, whereas Fiona is assertive enough to say if she wasn’t happy with the teasing.

Oh well. I decided at St Beuno’s that I’m spending too long on the Net, so I am cutting this time down drastically. I’ll post photos of the Welsh countryside and others later. Maybe tomorrow as I have Viewfinders tonight. We’re photographing ‘liquid.’

Bye all. Have a good week.

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12/01/2010 by Aileen.

Oh I was so lazy. Didn’t go to Viewfinders as I had a heavy cold and the ice outside was treacherous. Birding was cancelled, and I don’t think Creative Writing was on, but I wouldn’t have gone anyway. I went out several times with my camera, and took loads of photos. The snow is so pretty, although it causes havoc to us and to wildlife. I’ll put photos on Flickr, and a couple here.

Fiona is doing well. She had a scan yesterday and the placenta has dropped a bit so she may be able to have a natural birth. It depends what her consultant says on Thursday. She won’t be allowed to go beyond 11th Feb so she hasn’t too long to go now. The little ‘un has a head of hair!

John’s got the dentist today - an extraction - and I’ve come out in sympathy with a toothache.

Viewfinders was enjoyable last night. We looked at our ‘old’ photos and saw how we had improved. (I think!)

our garden one morning

the obligatory robin

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04/01/2010 by Aileen.

Today seems like the proper start. The first full week of 2010. Yesterday was spent lazily. I have a stinking cold. First one since moving to Yorkshre over six years ago. To give Yorkshire its due I picked it up at Christmas in Scotland. Anyway, the car was so iced up yesterday I got to church really late.John and I played Scrabble in the afternoon. He won. He went on to playon the Wii.

Oh this is so boring. I might give it up.

Anyway, today I’m spending the morning on the house, afternoon on studying (Script due in on Friday) and evening at Viewfinders if I am well enough to go and the iced isn’t too bad.

Also, great plans to meditate, exercise, sort garage, clear some photo magazines,  go for walk in snow with camera, etc. All in a day.

Bye all. Have a great New Year.

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01/01/2010 by Aileen.

Don’t feel like writing, but I just had to do that binary header!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL.

Lazy few days since coming home. It’s been really icy. I tried to go to the shops on Monday, but the canal side was treacherous, so we made do with what we had in. I intended walking to the Doctors for my tablets - 2 miles away - but as I had spares in I left it.

Tuesday, tried again. Different shoes. I got as far as next door, but was sliding all over the place, so gave up.

Wednesday. Took car as I felt safer in that, and did a shop.

Thursday. (New Year’s Eve) We heard Fiona is doing well. She looked and sounded very perky on Skype. 36 weeks pregnant now. She won’t be allowed to go over 40 weeks cos of her age. Martin Junior’s head is in place, but he’s not ’settled’ yet. Don’t know what they’re going to call him. John keeps calling him Angus!!!

Up in Scotland, Kieran broke a snooker cue so had to sit on the naughty step. Ali said for two hours, but I doubt very much if she or Kieran could sustain that.

Today, I overslept, due to a lovely meal and wine, and would have been very late for Mass, but remembered there was an 11am one in Goole, ten miles away. I really wanted to start the New Year well by going to Mass, so I’m glad I made the effort.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day (it’s gone 5 pm now) has been just lazing about. I made a top in Photoshop for Second Life. Will post a piccy when I get round to it.) Think I’ll read a photo magazine so I can  get rid of it. It is a bank holiday after all.

No New Year’s resolution to talk of. Basically I’d like to lose weight by exercising, not dieting. John and I bought a Wii between us for Christmas, but John got it and it’s the Sport one, not the Fit one. Think we buy the Fit component separately.

I did a bit of the Sport programme and have a fitness age of 61. I’m 65 but that’s digraceful. Must have a go soon, and improve on it.

I like to have a sort of motto/mission statement each year, and think this year it will be ‘Just Love.’ This will mean two things.

a)Just simply get on with doing the loving thing

b) the loving thing has to be ‘just’ - connotations of the Third World etc.

I think a long version would be the quote

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. …

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