01/07/2011 by Aileen.

Nothing to say about it,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/30/mother-in-law-email-viral

but thought the heading might boost my viewings

Well, I’m on the side of the poor daughter-in-law. Yes, she seems like an uncouth and selfish woman, but blimey, what a hostess from hell is the mother-in-law. (Or future MIL - if Heidi has any sense she’ll get out quickly.)

Anyway, John’s birthday today, and he’s feeling much better. I deserted him for my Creative Writing class this morning, and it was up to its usual great quality. Then we had lunch at The Nag’s Head, Preston, and met up with some former members of the class. Tuna jacket for me.

I made a detour to Waitrose on the way homeand bought readymade crab starter, chicken main dish with potato rosti, and Eden Mess for afters. Wolf Blass Cavernet Sauvignon wine as we don’t care that white wine should be drunk with fish/chicken. I’m about to start ‘cooking’ and have had a sherry (just to finish the bottle you understand)

I got a full refund for my ‘new’ iPad so have ordered another one, this time from Apple themselves. It’s not in stock yet, but I’m happy to wait for up to a fortnight. Hope it comes sooner.

Martin is coming to stay overnight on Sunday as he has a meeting in Doncaster. They all skyped earlier and Alexander was waving to us, looking puzzled at how small we were.

Ali and family skyped John earlier, but I was out. Everyone is well. All’s right with the world. Well, it’s not, but our little world is fine.

Thank God.

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02/05/2011 by Aileen.

Bin Laden is dead. This throws up all sorts of questions for me. There is hysterical joy among American students, Obama and Cameron spoke with dignity. But as Cameron pointed out, we will need to be particularly vigilant in the next few weeks. There are bound to be reprisals. And as a Christian, his death throws up questions of what happens when Bin Laden meets his Maker. I don’t believe anyone goes to Hell. Yes, philosophically, there has to be a ‘place’ for those who choose to reject God if we have free will (and we do) And God is present in each one of us. As Jesus says, if we give anyone a cup of water in his name we give it to him. And as an aside, the Gospel story says ‘when did we give you water’ so we won’t even be aware we’ve done it. But the reverse of this is that any time we harm anyone it’s counted as harming God. (Words aren’t adequate here). Anyway, forget this harming of God. It is horrific to harm anyone, let alone the thousands of people Bin Laden harmed. So here’s this man who was responsible for such evil, terror and sorrow. And now he has met his Maker.

Bear with me, but John gets awful pain that no painkiller will touch. The next drug up would be morphine. He often says that he doesn’t care what anyone has done, no one deserves to have pain like that for eternity. I believe him.

So how do I square an all-loving all-forgiving God with a God of justice? You can’t split God up. His love is his forgiveness is is justice. It’s all one. And the justice is more for the victims. Not retribution, but some form of redress. Of putting wrongs right.

The way I try to think of it is, that when Bin Laden meets God he is so overwhelmed (no words adequate again) by God’s love and beauty, that his regret and remorse and loathing of himself must be so great that this is Hell for him. And he can’t go back and change anything, so he will have to ‘live’ with this. So this is Hell, but I just can’t think that someone could be held in this hopeless state forever. Somehow, God’s love and beauty shines through, and overcomes the evil. But I’m so aware of the thousands of victims whose need for justice mustn’t be ignored. I think they might have to wait for their own heaven, and in the meantime live in their own temporal hell if they are still alive on earth.

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14/10/2010 by Aileen.

All 33 miners and the helpers are out alive. Unbelievable. What a great piece of technology was that rescue capsule. An  anti-Christian person on Face Book started a big discussion about why do Christians always take her attacks personally when they’re not. (She had an abusive Christian mother) I don’t normally get drawn in to these ‘debates’ but I have felt very hurt by her. Especially as she quotes from papers with an agenda against Christianity, or Newsarse, which sends up everyone. (probably not atheists though) and in my view are biased. Or they report on one crazy pastor (e.g. Terry Jones and the Burn the Koran campaign) and paint all Christians with this brush.

Anyway, someone said I shouldn’t be hurt when Jesus was criticised, as to them it was just like criticising Peter Pan. Well, feelings is feelings. If he can’t understand that, God (!) help his family, friends and colleagues. I got out of the discussion. (Actually, most participants were on the same side, re-inforcing their firmly held beliefs.)

Anyway, I headed this article with ‘Praise the Lord’. And I do praise him. I believe ‘he’ made us. We reflect some of ‘his’creative skills, and have used our intelligence to create the world as we know it today (for better and worse)

We were responsible for the mining disaster in the first place, and this time we were able to put it right. Behind it all is God, looking after us, and ultimately even death is conquered. So to me it’s logical to say ‘Praise the Lord’ whatever happens. That’s what Job did (and I know he’s mythical!) He said, ‘The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’

So there.

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04/06/2010 by Aileen.

It seems wrong to write trivia after the awful events in Whitehaven the other day. But what can I say about it?It’s unbelievable, especially as Derrick Bird was meant to be so ‘normal.’ He doesn’t seem to fit the usual profile of a killer. Well, I suppose we all have our dark sides, and sometimes they are very deeply buried.The more they are unacknowledged the more they can get out of control when they do emerge.

John and I spent a very pleasant day in Whitehaven. Twice I think. Once was with Ali, Eric and  Liam. (Kieran was a tiny bump in Ali’s tummy. It rained like mad, and we have a photo of us getting soaked. We also went on a steam engine. (I think this was Whitehaven!)

The time I do remember well was when John and I were having a few days at The Fat Lamb in Cumbria.

http://www.fatlamb.co.uk/

We went to Whitehaven for the day and I tripped up on the cobbled pier. I was so busy saving my camera that I broke my ankle and ended up in casualty. I had to have a tetanus injection, and the thought of it nearly made me faint. Anyway I survived.

The next day we went to St Bee’s, and there was a group of men driving sports cars on to the promenade. They were from that motoring programme cum magazine (forget the name - the one with The Hamster in) I took a photo of John next to a very snazzy yellow sports car. Not digital, so I won’t scan it in and  publish it.

Lo and behold, when we got back to The Fat Lamb the men were staying there. We watched them as one drove down the country lane while the others followed with the photographer, shooting arty pictures. We bought the magazine when it came out and keep it as a souvenir.

Back to the present. Trudie and Al are coming for the weekend. I already have a casserole on, and it’s only 9.15. Feeling very virtuous. Think we’ll have a barbecue tomorrow, and a roast on Sunday, so that’s the food taken care of. Except for the puds. I don’t do puds. Johyn can do a fresh fruit salad, I’ll buy a gateau, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll stew some rhubarb from the garden. Crumble and Pie are beyond me.

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20/11/2009 by Aileen.

… and all is well. Here at least. Poor Cumbria has really suffered with flooding, with one person dead and many people homeless. I’m just reading Terry Pratchett (Hogfather) and there’s a bit about ‘The Little Match Girl’ who dies in the traditional tale. Some one tells the pseudo Father Christmas that this is as it should be. Here’s the quote. (DEATH is Father Christmas)

‘I THOUGHT IT WAS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY,’ said Death.

‘Ah well, yes, you see, one of the things that makes folks even more jolly is knowing they’re people who ain’t,’ said Albert, in a matter-of -fact voice.

There is a terrible truth here. I feel so fortunate that the flooding hasn’t touched us, that we are both healthy, and have enough money for our needs and wants.  I feel so sorry for those caught in the floods. Don’t know where this is going. Expressing my Catholic guilt I suppose. Better leave it here.

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11/07/2008 by Aileen.

We live in the Howden ad Haltenprice constituency so should have voted yesterday. We intended to cycle round to the village hall to vote, but didn’t get round to it.

I’m not a political creature. My first reaction was good for David Davis for taking a moral stand. I usually think the best of people. Then of course, I heard all about ulterior motives and got confused. Not that I’ve ever voted Conservative in my life. Mind you, it was a foregone conclusion. There were 26 candidates.

There was

Freedom 4 Choice,, whose candidate said (if I got to represent Yorkshire folk) I would be the happiest bloke in the world, and had at least two apostrophes misplaced.

Miss Great Britain Party. Enough said.

Christian Party, whose headline read ‘26 Candidtates’ (sic)

Tom Darwood, a carpenter from Essex (not Nazareth) and claims he could be future king and is to become the ‘true’ Archbishop of Canterbury and ‘true’ Pope.

David Icke (enough said)

Monster Raving Loony Party (enough said)

Someone who stated he didn’t actually want to be elected. (!)

and several others.

England really is an interesting place to live in!

Maybe I should have voted for DD after all.

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10/05/2008 by Aileen.

I can’t believe the wickedness of the Burmese junta. Trouble is - should we donate money? Where is it going to end up? I know that there is still loads of funds donated for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that haven’t been used yet, and I would have thought speed was of the essence then as well as now. Prayer is the only thing now. And no - I don’t think prayer is a magic wand to get God to act. Prayer changes us - not God.

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08/05/2008 by Aileen.

I feel uncomfortable writing an inconsequential blog when there is such devastation in Burma. I can’t imagine the sheer numbers of people dead or homeless and in danger of disease.

I remember years ago my mother said something similar (about how can we be happy when there is unhappiness all around us) My glib answer then was - just because John uses a wheelchair we don’t all have to go round in wheelchairs.

I suppose that’s why I have a Pollyanna attitude to life. I am so grateful that I live in affluence, in a lovely part of the country, have a great family, good health …… so many things to be grateful for.

And I must do what I can for those less fortunate than me. Only I don’t do all I could. Am I supposed to become a Mother Teresa? I’d hate that, although I can understand her happiness.

BTW New photos on my website under May. The sad saga of the Sooty and her family.

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11/04/2008 by Aileen.

Well, the Easter break is offically over with the start of my Creative Writing class this morning. I haven’t done my ‘homework’ so things haven’t changed in the last 50 years! I’ll hsve to grab an old poem, as we are supposed to be handing something in anonymously and we have to guess who wrote it.

On the news just now, there is an item about a family who were followed around for three weeks (not sure by whom) to make sure they actually did live in the catchment area for a certain school. I’ve always said I don’t mind cctv cameras etc. etc. but this is definitely scary. It’s the targeting of a specific family and its being covert that I don’t like. (And neither did they!!!)

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06/04/2008 by Aileen.

We’ve just watched Kelly Holmes carrying the Olympic torch surrounded by security and police! I am so glad the protest about Tibet was violence free. It was a great opportunity to draw attention to the plight of Tibetans, and the protesters made their point.

I grew up with romantic notions of the O. Games, learning that in Ancient Greece all wars and differences were put aside for the duration of the games. (Not sure how true this was, but it seemed very commendable. Seems either impossible or daft now.) Anyway, now I see the games as an opportunity to make political points, and sports and politics do mix. It would have been wonderful if, when Kelly had lit the fire, she had pulled off her sports vest and revealed a Free Tibet vest underneath. No such luck.
I have always had a soft spot for Tibet. In good old St Vincents Junior School we had to choose a country to study. People were getting into groups choosing Spain ande France etc. so I pored over a map and chose the smallest most insignificant blob of a country I could find. I chose Tibet. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that at the other side of the class Eleanor, ‘my best friend whom I hated’, had chosen Tibet too. Her memories are different to mine, but I distinctly remember that gut churning dismay and spite when I realised she had chosen the same as me.

22.00hours

Oops! There was violence!  Anyway, I wanted to revise what I said. This isn’t about politics, it’s about basic human rights.(As someone on the tv said this evening)

One thing I find strange is people’s inconsistency. Pro-lifers, who presumably think life is sacred, will injure pro-abortion doctors.

Oh well! ‘There’s nowt as queer as folk!’

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