Goodbye, June

June, the month of strawberries and cream.  Flaming June.  June roses.  I've managed the strawberries and cream, June definitely flamed and I treated myself to a bunch of roses just because.  

In my mind Wimbledon starts in June but it has only just snuck in as it starts today.  Not that I watch it but it is a familiar background to summer.  

For me, June has been a month of ups and downs.  I don't really do hot, but retirement means I can sit next to a fan and read so the heat doesn't bother me.  I made and froze a huge batch of sandwiches so on very idle-making days I can be truly idle.  They also come in very handy when I have "painful days" which also happened in June.  

The month started with a few days in Worcestershire visiting my nephew and having a bit of a holiday.  I've had various meals out with friends and even a couple of occasions when I've cooked and entertained here.  I went on a tour of a factory where beehives are made, had a spa day and did some doggy day care.

I also completed my application for Permission To Officiate.  Unless I am very naughty I will always be a priest, but I'm not allowed to take services without my Bishop's permission.  The permission has to be renewed every five years.  There's such a shortage of clergy around here that I will be very surprised if he says no.  

What to wear?

Today's quick answer to that question is "as little as possible"!  However, I was taking a service and trotting into church near starkers wasn't an option!

So I took all my usual gear with me but when I got there I asked the churchwardens if they would mind if I just topped off my ordinary clothes with my stole.  Bless their hearts, they thought that was a great idea.  

Alb and girdle

The "usual gear" in this case would also have included an alb and a girdle.  The white robe shown here is an alb.  It is a symbol of baptism, of being cleansed and dedicated to Christ. 

Then the girdle.  I have to confess that its primary importance for me is to stop me tripping over the bottom of my alb!  Albs are rather voluminous.  And that is also linked to its liturgical significance which is being ready to serve and I first wore a girdle when I was a deacon, ie a servant.  

Stole as worn by a deacon

And finally the stole.  This is the symbol of authority given at ordination.  Deacons wear the stole over their left shoulder and fasten it at their right hip .  When the deacon is ordained priest s/he wears the stole around the neck as shown.  

Stole worn by a priest

The colour of the stole is dictated by the theme of the day.  White stoles denote  joy, light, glory, and resurrection and are worn for the really important days like Christmas and Easter.  Purple is for penitence and is worn for the preparation times of Lent and Advent.  Red is for blood and fire and is worn at Pentecost and for remembering Christian martyrs.  And green is for growth, and ongoing spiritual renewal and is worn for most of the year.

Today we were remembering the life of St Peter who was a martyr, so I wore my red stole.  

And I reminded the congregation that of the three events normally remembered in my liturgical gear (baptism, ordination as a deacon and ordination as a priest) baptism is by far the most important and neither of the other two could take place had I not been baptised.   

Look what arrived today!

About eighteen months ago I read a post on somebody's blog about Conqueror Challenges.  The challenges allow you to walk around wherever you like but compare your step count to making the same effort on a rather more interesting route.

So I decided to have a go.  I signed up for a five hundred mile virtual walk around the north coast of Scotland.  It has taken me nearly eighteen months of plodding around the house, garden and anywhere I happen to be, to do it.  En route I have had small rewards in the shape of e mail postcards of sites of interest along the way.

And now I have finished the route and I got my medal!  To be honest it will just get tucked into a drawer.

I think I chose the wrong challenge for me.  Five hundred miles over eighteen months was too far to keep my interest.  I shall wait a while before (if!) I buy another challenge.  And it will be well short of five hundred miles!

A picture which has brought me joy.

 I haven't mentioned Jack much recently but this picture has brought me great joy.

He's ringing the bell at the cancer unit to celebrate coming to the end of his radiotherapy treatment.  

And he's coming to sort my garden next week.  Bacon butties and savoury ducks planned.

What's in a name?

 My sister hated her name!  Officially she was Gillian but she preferred Gill.  Anyone who met her after she was about eighteen knew her as Gill but in the family she was always Gillian.  I don't think I've met many Gillians who are younger than me (although I've heard of some) and I think of it as a name of the 1940's.  

I can't imagine having any name other than the one I've got.  Mary.  I don't know any Marys younger than me, or rather I don't know any younger women who use the name Mary.  I baptised several girls who had Mary as a middle name, often because that was Granny's name.

I came across a fascinating site recently where a researcher had asked people what characteristics they associated with various names.  Here's the word cloud for the expectations of a Mary.

Does it match your expectations?  I'm happy to be thought of as dependable and happy rather than confrontational and grumpy.

If you fancy checking out your own name, here's a link.  The list is rather limited but you could look for family and friends.  

The Terrorist and the BBN

 

Holly.  Hungry and Hopeful.  

I've written about my canine friend Holly before.  She's a border terrorist who lets me into her life when Gilly, her regular staff is going something away from home.  She used to have an older sister called Hiccup, but Hiccup, alas is no more.  

She has a "cousin" though, a Havanese Cross, who runs the life of Gilly's daughter.  S is away at the moment.   I refer to this dog as The Bouncy Black Number because that's what Scout is.  Completely black and incredibly bouncy.  And just as loveable as Holly.  

Hasn't Scout got a wonderful tail!

Christmas in June

 Why wait to have Christmas in July?  Let's have Christmas in June!

Last Christmas my friend E and I decided to have a special day out rather than give each other Christmas presents.  We both have more than enough "stuff" so it seemed like a good idea.

One of the great things about it is that we gave each other the gift of anticipation.  For six months we have talked about our day, thought about it and come up with great ideas.  

We decided to go to Eden Hall, a day spa in Nottinghamshire.  It's many years since I went although E went a few years ago with one of her daughters.  It's about an hour's drive from home.  We decided that a little pampering wouldn't come amiss.  

Neither of us would have spent £119 on the other's Christmas present but this seemed worthwhile.  £119 was the basic cost of the day but I also treated myself to a massage and we each had drinks.  

Will we have a treat as our Christmas presents to each other next year?  Absolutely!

Trying to get off the naughty list

 Back in March I said I would report on my Christmas projects on the twenty fifth of each month.  April came and went.  May came and went.  I reported nothing.  

But I wasn't idle - honest!  I decorated some candles by sponge dabbing them with paint and then using (home made) stencils to create a design.  (The mottled effect looks better in reality than in the photograph!)

And I used paper napkins and PVA glue to decorate some shells which I then edged with a gold nail polish rim.  All these are now in my Christmas present drawer.

"She hasn't got a family"

 

My nephew on one of his vintage Minneapolis-Moline tractors

I've just had a few days in Worcestershire visiting my nephew.  I decided that it would be too risky for me to stay with him as his house has a lot of stairs and, sadly, my legs continue to deteriorate.  Instead I booked into a hotel and just spent Saturday and Sunday with him.  Saturday he cooked a lovely barbecue and Sunday I took him out to lunch.

Carrie and I over sixty years ago

Today is my cousin Carrie's birthday.  She lives about half a mile from me and two or three times a year I need to phone her for urgent help.  Last month I took her, her brother and another cousin out for lunch as all three of them have birthdays in May or June. 

My Father (centre) with his parents and siblings

Several of my cousins are generous with their help and support.  I'm really grateful for each one of them.  I've heard people say of me "She has no family" but that simply isn't true.  Originally I had twenty nine cousins (my father was one of eight siblings, my mother one of four) of which sixteen remain and I had one sister who left one son (my nephew).

My Mother (left) with one of her brothers and her sister

I value my family.  I work hard to stay in contact and good terms with them.  I send them all Christmas cards although several never respond.  I have no brothers, sisters or children but, when the chips are down, I have family I can rely on.

Thank you, each one of you.

May is out!

I remember my parents and grandparents saying, "Cast not a clout till May is out" and being totally confused as "clout" usually meant a thump or slap!  Here it means an article of clothing, often a vest and the saying was a reminder that even after May begins, cold weather can still return.  "May" can also be the hawthorn tree, which flowers in late April or early May. When the hawthorn blossoms are "out," it signals the end of spring's cold spells, making it safe to leave winter clothes behind.  Either way, May is definitely out!

On the whole, it's been quite a good month.  I had a few days dog sitting, but not as much as I had hoped as my legs suddenly became very painful.  (Things are improving again.)

I've been out for meals with quite a few friends.  I'm going to have to try and do this a little less often as I like to consider meals out to be a treat.  I need to think of a way of doing this less often and maybe inviting friends to eat at my house.  

Jack has been three times and my garden is definitely showing the fruits of his labours.  I'll show you some photos soon.  

And I ended the month having a few days visiting my nephew.  When I have visited previously I have stayed with him, but I decided this time to stay in a nearby hotel which has facilities for disabled people but spend the days with him.  That solution worked well.