24/03/2011 by Aileen.

Hmm. I spoke too soon yesterday. Opened up my computer later on and I couldn’t access any of my files. Kept getting a popup that said my computer was infected and to open up my anti-virus software. But I could only get onto an obviously fake site asking me to pay so much a year for the software. I spent ages trying to get round it. Couldn;t even restore my computer to a  previous point. At last, about 1 in the morning, I found a utube guide to getting rid of it. I couldn’t follow the instructions exactl - it was for Windows XP I think, but by going into Safe Mode I managed to isolate the software and de-activate it, and of course then I was able to delete it. What a palaver. (Screenshot from Utube site below. Just look at the grammatical mistakes and poor English.)

However, being an optimist I kept telling myself it was a good thing I hadn’t started my next TMA  and that I had backed up my computer only a month ago. (A month ago? Disgraceful. Will do it in a minute.

Plans for today. More gardening, and do my Creative Writing homework - write a dramatic monologue on ‘The Debt’ (or any other topic that appeals. Oh, and when I was galivanting yesterday, John arranged for roofers to see about our coping(?) ( segment of ridge on top of roof has broken off. He also saw two clients, and a third one cancelled.

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23/03/2011 by Aileen.

Oh I’ve had such a lovely day. And it isn’t over yet. Really tasty chicken casserole in the oven. But back to today. It’s Wednesday, so it must be Birding. And it was. We went to Potteric Carr, and as the day went on I changed out of my green fleece, out of my purple sweater, and down to my green t-shirt. (Had to whip my sweater off and put the t-shirt on when there was no one around on a lonely path.)

Actually the whole week has been fab. Lots of gardening. (Weather has to be just right for me - not too cold, not too hot, not too windy, not too wet - you get the picture)  I planted some doronicus, (grow wild in Turkey according to lady) hemerocallis, (we have some big orange ones, but these are meant to be small golden ones) and potentilla. All yellow or oragne flowers to go with the orange day lilies. (hemerocallis) There’s a wisteria at the back if it survived the winter, and I think blue will look nice with these. Might get some delphinium as well.

Anyway, back to Birding. Saw two kingfishers nesting, chiffchaff, siskin, lots of the usual suspects. I had a bacon butty in the cafe and stayed on in the afternoon. Had lovely views of little grebe, and some frogs, plus saw one kingfisher again. Lovely walking through the birch woods. I feel a poem coming on.

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19/03/2011 by Aileen.

I’ve got lots of faults, but ingratitude isn’t one of them. I woke up to sunshine this morning after a lovely night’s sleep, and am full of the joys os spring. Literally!

This list writing lark is really working. I only have two things left to do. I still can’t share the children’s liturgy leaders’ emails as I’m waiting for permission from one of them, and I haven’t swept the garden paths, but John and I are going to work in the garden today, so that will get done hopefully.

Kath and Mark (gardeners) gave me the name of someone who grows unusual plants, and  I went to see her at her stall at Howden’s Friday Market last week. When I said I wanted plants for wild life her eyes really lit up. (Kath and Mark are into wild life too. Mark’s trying to persuade me to build an otter holt at the end of the garden, but I’m not as optimistic as he is, and as John said, do we really want otters there. They’d take the birds’ eggs. Anywy, this Enid took my phone number and was meant to be coming round to us during the week, but she hasn’t been in contact. I couldn’t go to Howden Market yesterday as we had our end of term lunch for Creative Writing, and when I went there last week, to make the first contact, the market was nearly over even though I rushed. I suppose she lost my phone number, as she wrote it on a scrap of paper. Anyway, I’m going to Mires Beck nursery today, and will buy some perennials there.

It was Red Nose Day yesterday. I don’t usually watch it,  but saw quite a bit last night. That’s one of the reasons why I feel so grateful that I live when and where I do. I suppose that sounds smug. Tony Ford used to say that the natural outcome of gratitude was generosity, and I do give to various charities (not to Red Nose!) but maybe I should step it up. Trouble is - where do you stop. In fact, that’s one of the things I was saying to my spiritual guide at St Beuno’s. ‘I’m very happy with my life, thank you very much, Lord, and please don’t ask me to do anything more than I am.’ Oops. I wrote about this. My guide said that God loves me so much and is never going to ask anything of me that I couldn’t cope with. (Well, look at what he asked his son, I thought.) Actually, I have thoughts about this. I think God asked his son to become one of us and show the extent of his love. It is people who killed him. Because there is so much wickedness in the world it ganged up against the goodness it saw in Jesus and tried to overcome him, but Jesus’ love is greater, and it could have no power over him in the end. Even that great evil Death. Vanquished.

Oh I am waxing lyrical. Stops my having to think about should I step up my charity donations

Anway, have a good weekend, everyone. Take care.

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14/03/2011 by Aileen.

Woke up full of the joys of spring, overshadowed of course by the catastrophe in Japan. Now another explosion. Surely nuclear power is dangerous. And costly. I know I’m a bear of little brain, but why can’t we harness wave power? The sea is always there. Yes, I know we need to be careful about where we position things, but this seems to be a resource we just haven’t made the most of. And I think windfarms look beautiful, so there!

Anyway, I have a new way of getting organised. A way I used in the 70s come to think of it. It’s just writing a list on a sheet of paper, and highlighting the item when it’s done. I tried this last week, but made the mistake of writing things down that would happen anyway, like driving Fr Neville to hospital. But I found I did all the other things, except for one, and that’s because I am waiting for information on it. So this week - great plans. A lot of them are church based, but that’s just coincidence. Next week it could be other stuff, maybe gardening, or sorting out stuff in my office. Here’s this week’s list

• Link all Chrn’s Liturgy people by email group
• Design and print application forms for First Holy Communion
• Design and prepare instructions for correct way to iron altar linen
• Fine tune and print off Stations of the Cross
• Prepare chrn’s liturgy
• Prepare FHC session 3
• Do Creative Writing homework
• Sweep garden paths

Right, some of this I would do anyway in the course of the week, but seeing it written down will hopefully stop me from leaving it until the last minute.

Another thing to do. My TMA is due in on Thursday. I’ve done the work and made lots of notes, but have never left it so late. It looks a straightforward one, so hopefully it will just flow. Marks so far - 80%   90%   95%   90% Can’t believe it. I just love this course and my tutor.

Anyway, today. It’s sunny, and a female blackbird is outside finishing off the seed I put out for the ducks yesterday. Our three cats were looking longingly from behind the French windows. Housework this morning, Hopefully I’ll sweep the paths as it’s such a lovely day. TMA this afternoon, then Viewfinders this evening. We’re doing portraits by candlelight.

Family news - Fiona had her twenty week scan last Tuesday, on her birthday. The baby is in the top percentile for size, and they couldn’t see if it was a girl or a boy, but as nothing showed they are guessing a girl. So a buxom Irish lass then. Can’t wait. Fiona is still being sick, and all three of them have had horrible viral throat and chest infections.

All of us are descending (ascending) on Ali and family for Easter. Or Easter Sunday to Easter Wednesday as Liam and Kieran are otherwise engaged before this, and Ali and Eric are out on Holy Saturday. Should be a good break. I’m bringing up the boys’ Christmas presents from Kevin and Mag!

Our lovely Rachel (Niall’s daughter - see main website) is getting married in July. We met Ian at Alexander’s christening, and he’s super. It’s funny, at the christening Rachel wasn’t drinking, and some of us were wondering if she was pregnant. All sorts of questions about who’s driving etc. did not elicit any information from her, but the following week she had her first scan and told us all she was pregnant. She now has a little boy, brother for Kieya who is about 12. They sent us a most organised and thoughtful package with the wedding invitation in.

• Beautiful homemade invitation
• Details of two nearby hotels
• Card for us to fill in with dietary requirements
• An RSVP card for us to fill in
• Maps to the church and reception venue
• Stamped addressed envelope
• Little poem saying they had everything so pressie could be Thomas Cook vouchers for a family holiday

Rachel takes after her mother, Sue, who is really artistic.

Well I’ve spent far too long on the computer, but at least I haven’t been idly surfing.

Weyhay! There are three greylag geese on the pond. Hope they nest on our land.

Bye all. Be good.

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13/03/2011 by Aileen.

Well, we had an absolutely unbelievably wonderful time on our silent retreat at St Beuno’s. It is honestly too personal for me to talk about, but I feel a changed person, and John has changed in his beliefs too. Wonderful memories.

One of the little things that changed for me is that I have decided to spend less time on t’internet. I haven’t been posting as I have been wondering what to give up and what to keep. I’m keeping this blog as it’s a sort of diary for me, and I like reading back occasionally. Also, I just like recording my life. Paradoxically I have started another anonymous Blogger blog. My first one is religious based, and has turned out to be mostly thoughts (rather than feelings) My new one is linked, and I am recording my dreams on it, and trying to interpret them from a Christian point of view. But I’ve cut out a lot of aimless surfing. When I get up, sometimes around 6am, I used to turn on the news, open up the laptop and have breakfastall at the same time. I am trying to listen to the news single-mindedly now, and just having a quick glance at Facebook and other sites later.

Another thing that isn’t too personal is that I said to my spiritual guide that  I was very happy with my life, thank you very much, and I didn’t want anything to change. At the same time I sometimes wonder if I shouldn’t be doing something a bit more active in the church. Anyway, Fr Neville is still recuperating from his two operations, and the visiting priest challenged the parish to sort out Stations of the Cross for ourselves. So I offered to do Friday evenings during Lent. I have done one so far. Made it up myself, as I wanted to do something really relevant to our lives, and not the old Victorian stuff we are used to. About 8 people turned up, which is wonderful as people would have been to the Ash Wednesday service on the Wednesday, and there was a funeral for someone well known to the parish on the Friday morning. And our parish is tiny. 40 newsletters printed each week. The church is only 10 pews deep and we only have one Mass a week. Just to blow my own trumpet a bit - Douglas asked for a copy of the Stations as he said it was the most devotional one he had ever heard. Also, I was amazed that the woman who had buried her husband turned up, and thanked me after. She said it had ‘just finished her day’!!! (She meant it in a good way)

I drove Fr Neville to hospital on Thursday for his post op. checkup and he had good news. No followup radiotherapy or chemo. He read the gospel at Mass this morning, and was walking a bit quicker than he was on Thursday. Hopefully he’s really on the mend now.

Good birding session this week when we had really close-up and prolonged views of a goldcrest, and saw a peregrine falcon, and a flock of bullfinches. Good creative writing sessions too. Everything good. Full stop

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