The Postie

 

I shop on line - a lot!  I have at least one grocery delivery a month especially when I want frozen food.  I get most of my clothes on-line.  The list could go on for quite a long time.

Most delivery staff are good but both Sainsbury and the Royal Mail are brilliant.  Sainsbury came Saturday and for £1 my groceries were delivered to my kitchen.  Their delivery staff are always cheerful and helpful.  I'm well organised and ready for them and we always have a cheery chat.

The posties from Royal Mail are always lovely too.  They know mine is a dog free house  and there is a seat by my front door which is good as it takes me a while to get to the door.  My recliner chair can be a bit slow getting me to ground level.  I always apologise and they always tell me not to worry.

I had a little giggle on Saturday as when I went to the door the postie was half way down the drive.  Apparently the cat from Number 12 was lurking.  It is known to all the local posties as it attacks them.  I suppose it makes a change from dogs.  

I am most richly blessed.

 

I asked for strength that I might achieve;

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

 

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

 

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

 

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

 

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

 

I got nothing that I asked for,

but everything that I hoped for.

 

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered;

I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

Source: unknown.

Getting the hang of it

Yesterday was chilling mark three.  My third consecutive day without any appointments, any "must-do's"

And I'm getting the hang of it.

I binged on YouTube and iPlayer.

I had a favourite lunch.

I let myself play spider solitaire for longer than I'm actually prepared to admit to.

But that's it (for the moment).  I'm out at (yet another!) birthday party today, leading worship tomorrow, swimming Monday.

It was lovely but I'm glad I now have things I really must do.

Chilling day: take 2

 Wednesday chilling didn't really happen but how about Thursday?

I woke with more pain than usual so that limited my activities, although by mid-morning the pain had largely subsided.  I fancied doing a little cooking so I made soup and froze it, made mayonnaise and coleslaw.  I'd got dwarf beans in my "Waste Not" box earlier in the week so I cooked those and a couple of chicken thighs and made a chicken, carrot and green bean cheesy bake and froze that too.  I find a certain "housewifely" satisfaction when I put meals into the freezer.  I think Mother may have had a similar feeling when she surveyed the fruit she had bottled when I was a child.  

I finished my food prepping around lunch time and celebrated with freshly made soup which was very yummy.  Those boxes of tomato soup are definitely the promise of summer sunshine in mid-winter.

The afternoon was much more leisurely.  I had a snooze.  I knitted.  I did a few puzzles. I had a video call with a friend, and did a WI course in the evening.

I think my legs took out of my control the decision as to whether to chill out.  Thank you, legs.

What happened?

 

A visitor on Tuesday had brought me some flowers so I arranged them.  I have never claimed that flower arranging is one of my talents.  

I had a leisurely time doing puzzles.

Then I had a call from a friend who was very sad so I suggested she put the kettle on and I went to her.  

I had a couple of hours there just listening and came home in need of a snooze.

And somehow I just couldn't relax so I made soup.  A lot of soup.  

I remembered I had two hours of half price electricity so I did the laundry.

Then one friend rang.  And another called.  Then another rang.

So my day of quiet chilling didn't work out quite as planned.  But I am grateful to all my friends.  I felt loved, needed, appreciated. 

And guess what?  There's nothing in my diary today.  I can choose how to spend each and every minute.  😉

Who's a lucky girl, then?!

There's nothing I must do today!  Nothing at all in my diary.  I can choose how to spend each and every minute.

I know I will eat and I know there will be a couple of phone calls but basically no-one else is expecting me to do anything and there's nothing really pressing which I have to do.

So today is a luxury!  I could craft, cook, pamper myself.  I could read, listen to an audiobook, knit.  I could stay at home or go out.

I had a tricky day yesterday helping a reconciliation between two women so I feel rather happy about that.  I've got most of the preparation done to lead worship on Sunday.  I've got a dog sitting stint booked but that's not until next week.

These days don't happen all that often.  How would it make you feel?  Would you want to undertake a project, go visiting, or just be?  Does it ever happen for  you?

Tealby

 I don't often go to Tealby.  Or rather I don't often go to Tealby Church.  The King's Head at Tealby is one of my favourite eateries.  

The King's Head

On Sunday I lead a Holy Communion service there for the first time since January 2020.  It was great fun, especially as we were visited by a scatty cocker spaniel which ran several laps around the church before deciding to settle down in a pew and have a snooze.  The congregation was greatly amused, as was I.  (It had come to check on its humans.)

Tealby Church is rather nice.  It's got associations with the Tennyson family whose vault is under the chancel.  

And the congregation is rather nice too.  As well as welcoming a cocker spaniel they welcomed this stray vicar too and fed her coffee and chocolate bikkies.  I don't know what the spaniel got but I suspect she was happy too.

And so to September

 

I suppose it's autumn now but maybe we can enjoy summer  a little longer.    I've got plans for September.

Swimming is planned for several Mondays.  I don't want to go when there are fewer than three mermaids so we don't often know before Sunday whether we'll be having a splash.  Today the dip is on!

I've got a fiftieth birthday party to go to.  I'm rather looking forward to this one as there will be three of my cousins plus lots of other relatives so a lot of talking will get done.

I'm booked to lead worship on a couple of Sundays.  

I'm hoping to get my Christmas cards made.  I can't remember when I left that job so late in the year.  I've also been collecting the ingredients for puddings.  The list for those gets longer every year.

I'm hoping to do a few craft classes with the WI on line.  (The picture above was from a course last September.)

And that leaves quite a bit of time for deciding to do something on the spur of the moment.