Film - Mission Impossible 4

V fun. Saw it with N. Didn't understand it. N explained it. Saw it again last night during 'babysitting' with yoof. Understood it. All good.

Great set pieces. Tom Cruise still cray-cray-crazy (wanted to find a pic of crazy eyes or ferret face from the film, but surprisingly, none to be found!). Love a bit of action. Plus, new MI guy v fit.

Also, I want her hair:

That is all.

Film - J Edgar

I do love a bit of Leo... I always seem to forget that he's actually a very talented actor, then see him in a film and remember!

The bits of this film I saw, I loved. (I may have slightly fallen asleep and missed... most of it). N assures me the rest of it was as good as the bits I managed to see.

So there you go - a comprehensive review, based on careful analysis of about 15 minutes of film!

I actually do want to see it again. And it inspired our marathon name-learning exercise on Sunday. Everyone's a winner!

long time, no speak

Blimey. Not even the end of January, and I've already failed miserably at my New Year's Resolution: It's been a whole week since I last blogged.

Shoddy.

Anyway, here is some of what I have been up to:

Wednesday and Thursday - Play and Creativity at CCYM

My friends with their beautiful daughter - they're such proud parents and I'm so pleased for them. They've just moved to Cambridge so that A can train for priesthood. It's exciting times ahead.

Friday was riding Splodge (more Muybridge photos), then youth groups. Lunchtimes are now watching and discussing The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe:

In the afternoon, N brought Pip and Pop along, and M came to give a veterinary talk to the young people:

The dogs were very interested in what she had to say!

Saturday, Sunday and Monday were mostly spent with N and S. We rode, ate (bye bye diet), chatted, read:

This is Ollie and N reading Horse and Hound.

We also learned all British Prime Ministers from 1901 onwards (Balfour, Campbell-Banaman, Asquith, Law, Lloyd-George, Baldwin, McDonald, Baldwin, McDonald, Baldwin, Baldwin, Baldwin, Chamberlain, Churchill, Atley, Churchill, Eden, MacMillan, Douglas-Hume, Wilson, Heath, Wilson, Callahan, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron). All US Presidents from Herbert Hoover onwards (Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama).

We also learned all the Kings and Queens of Great Britain. Ever:

William, William, Henry, Stephen, Henry, Richard, John, Henry, Edward, Edward, Edward, Richard, Henry, Henry, Henry, Edward, Edward, Richard, Henry, Henry, Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, James, Charles, Charles, James, William and Mary, Anne, George, George, George, George, William, Victoria, Edward, George, Edward, George, Elizabeth.

Just for funsies!

Then, last night, Mum and Dad and I went to the Regent to see Alfie Boe in concert. I love him. literally. I want to put him in my pocket and make him sing to me all them time. Sadly, no pictures of the lovely man himself, but this is his tour bus:

No stalking (honest), we just happened to follow it from the venue.

So, all in all, a very busy week. Onwards and upwards!

(Or KBO as Churchill apparently said - Keep Buggering On!)

best friends forever

This is me and my best friend at Zumba tonight:

(She will actually kill me dead if she finds out I've posted this, but I'm pretty certain she'll never read it).

I love her.

She's the best kind of friend. One who is always there for you. One who makes you laugh (especially at inappropriate moments). One who makes you cry and calls you out on any crap. One who would literally give you the coat off her back. One who cooks really well. One who listens. One who talks. One who is not afraid to argue. One who loves. One who makes you her bridesmaid (6th September - yay!). One who knows you better than you know yourself.

I'm very lucky to have a number of close friends, who are all of the above, and I hope they know who they are, and just how much they mean to me.

So, today, I'm feeling thankful.

Also, I'm feeling knackered because Zumba was really hard work.

w.w.k.d?

What Would Kate Do?

Today:

- I bet that Kate did not get to school at 8.30 this morning to mentor a really keen teenager.

- I bet that Kate did not then go to an awesome prayer meeting with her two bosses to pray and chat about God. As work.

- I bet Kate did not then get into a car and go to hang out with two of her closest friends, spending all day playing with their animals.

- I bet Kate did not go for a fun hack on the most beautiful, sunny, crisp day and take lots of pictures (see photo).

- I bet Kate did not scoff: 1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 roll (I stopped eating it when I found the mold), most of a packet of Walkers Sensations crisps, a jacket potato with cheese, beans and bacon, 1/3 banana bread cake, a large portion of lasagne, hot chocolate. (Diet's going really well today!)

- I bet Kate has not just had a lovely, hot bath with extra bubbles and a good book.

- I bet Kate is not just curling up to watch Sherlock from last night.

On second thoughts, I'm not that worried about not being a princess.

My life is pretty fun.

it's a dog's life

Today has been a good day. But it so easily could have been rubbish.

I slept really badly last night (horrid headache that kept making me wake up and had me sobbing in the small hours because I couldn't relieve it).

I could have been tired and cranky (or worse, still had the headache today). But I'm fine.
I could have been really cross and refused to do the youth group this morning because nobody had bothered to tell me that they were coming, so I didn't prepare, only to have them show up. But we were cheerful about it, 3 new young people came, and we're looking forward to next week.
I could have sulked in a corner over a catch up lunch with old friends,  because I was really anxious about going, and found it very hard work.  But I got on with it and had fun.
I could have panicked when the service I led tonight went horribly wrong and my boss broke my computer. But I didn't, fixed the computer, and we all had a lovely time, with several people telling me after how much they got out of it.

My photo today is of the dogs belonging to my good friends. Pip and Poppy are gorgeous, friendly, gentle, fun dogs... But the best thing about them is how much joy they have in life. Everything is an adventure. The glass is always half full. They are up for any challenge and all experiences. They are so exuberant, and their joy affects everyone around them.

It really is a dog's life: and it's ours for the taking. 

(Maybe Kate has rivals for the position of My Role Model. Bet she's worried) 

Film - War Horse

Meh.

the science of sabbathing

One of the first things we were taught at uni, was the true meaning of sabbathing (spending quality time with God). We discussed silence, solitude, rest... How easy it is to forget all these things within our busy lives (I nearly called this blog 'stop the world, i want to get off').

Apologies for my absence yesterday. It was a wee bit busy. I rode Splodge in the morning, ran a youth club at lunchtime, had my supervision over lunch, ran another youth club in the afternoon, then went to supper at my line manager's house with a group of friends in the evening. It was a manic, fun, stressful, joyous, busy, rewarding kind of a day. And for the first time in ages, I was aware of God beside me the whole time. I think what I was given on Thursday was hope, and connection. I feel like I've bounced off the edge of the circle and I'm finally hurtling back to the centre.

Today, I sabbathed. And I slept. All day. Again, have failed miserably at taking photos, so this one is another cheat.

I think bed might be my favourite thing ever. It gives us both physical and mental rest. It's a constant in all our lives. Today, I rested, regrouped and I'm feeling ready to face the world again.

And I haven't felt like this in a very long time.

the circle of life

No, not THAT circle. Not about birth and life and death. I'm not going all Disney and going to start singing The Lion King.

I'm talking about the important circle.

The circle in which we sit in God's presence. The circle in which we know Him, and feel His love, and Grace and Mercy. The circle in which we are protected. The circle in which we love and worship and develop our relationship with Him. The circle which we sometimes feel we might fall out of. The circle which we'd have to push pretty hard for God to allow us to fall out of. The circle which God wants us to be in, no matter how detached from Him we may feel. The circle which forms the basis for our lives, our purpose and our struggle. The circle which is at the core of our faith.

That circle.

Our second day on Social Policy laid bare the theology of CYM (Neo-Liberalism), and tied up many ends and unanswered questions on our course.

The bit that struck me most was when R spoke of how we all struggle, but that God's promise is actually within that struggle. His promise that He will show us His face. It is not our job to be perfect. I am not perfect. I should make my peace with that, and stay within the circle as an imperfect human.  God is in my struggle with me. His promise is in my struggle with me. He will protect me. He created me as I am. I am not, nor ever will be, perfect.

When he said that, I felt as though he (R) had punched me, so strong was my physical and psychological reaction. Finally, somebody has said something which is a handle for me to hold on to. We had a great talk later, to try to unpack that a bit (I can't believe I've just used the term 'unpack'. Sorry),  and R said he thinks I am a person of great integrity. He said that before I had told him what my struggle was with. Of course, I brushed it off, but still. Our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. Put another way, our weaknesses are our strengths gone too far. It's certainly a thinker. He's going to come up with some books I can read which may help. I love R.

My photo today is not one I took. I tried, but I'm just not artistic enough.

 Satsumas. I love 'em. I ate about 9 today (how many is too many?). Full of vitamin C, low in calories, good for me and my skin.

And they're circular in shape.

the big society. or is it?

We're in Cambridge today and tomorrow, having lectures on Social Policy. I'll be honest, I've really struggled today and am worried about tomorrow. At the start, we were asked what we thought of the big society. I said I thought it was a good theory, but in practice, a cop-out on the side of the government.

I love the ideology, and think that as a Christian, it's a project I can really get behind. However, the paradoxes created in actuality seem to make it all unworkable. We ended up having a 'spirited debate' about how it might play out - tax incentives to rich people to put more money into charity and the society (like America), making sure there is proper, accessible support for those in need, and stamping down on freeloaders.

It brought me back to a conversation I had a few days ago about Stuart: A Life Backwards. And how the system doesn't always work, and how we actually fail many people in need.

 I know it's a hard read. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. But every time I read the book, or watch the tv adaptation, it reminds me how important it is that we face the hard realities in our society. I'm so glad that I got to give the book away last year with World Book Night. Because if we don't acknowledge the difficult stuff, we're screwed. We might already be screwed (is this the end of the supremacy of Western Civilisation, like the Roman Empire before us?), but for now, we still have a fighting chance. Let's face up to it, buy into the ideology, and use it as an opportunity to get the Church back to where it should be - the centre of our community.

On another side, we wandered into town at lunchtime to check out the sales. On the way, we took this photo in homage to Stuart:

This is me and my PFBF outside King's College. Five of us are now sitting in her lounge eating supper and making our way through a big bottle of vodka. Best medicine for the depressing lecture we had today. And for everybody laughing at me when I walked into the lecture this morning. Apparently I looked like a movie star with sunglasses and a hair flick (I had no idea. I'm such an idiot). Then A tramped in after me, like skanky normality. Loves it!

run, fatboy, run

Yesterday my mother told me that it was the Duchess of Cambridge's 30th birthday. 'See' she said, 'she's even older than you are'.

Yes. But she's a princess. Normal rules don't apply.

Humph.

But actually, it got me thinking. I like the Duchess (not that I know her personally, of course). I like that she's young, active, dresses well. I like her hair. She seems full of energy and promise for the future (hoping this isn't slightly weird here). In fact, she seems to be a pretty good role model. So, from this day forward, I will be drawing on Kate (as I like to call her) for inspiration. In all matters of hair, beauty and dress, she will be my personal role model. I will hold her high as a beacon of youth (even aged 30), deportment, grace, energy and hope. And (just as good) she has shown us all that we can marry our prince.

Disney must be proud.

So.... what does this mean for little old me? Well, I already decided that I don't want to be the only fatty in the wedding party at my best friend's wedding this September, so the diet started before Christmas (1st 1lb lost so far). To help this process, to do it healthily, and to ensure it lasts, I need to also do more exercise. Eat less, and move around more. The basics, surely?

Yesterday, I rode. Today I went for a brisk walk (far too unfit to actually run, but we all have to start somewhere). My photo today is boring, but a very useful tool - www.mapmyrun.com

 
And lastly, but by no means least. My muse. Thank you Ma'am.

Wish me luck...

Films - The Artist

A heart-breaking, charming, delightful, gorgeous gorgeous film. Watch it. Seriously. I defy anybody to not fall totally in love. Gorgeous.

all work and no play

So, I've been instructed to make sure I do fun things and take time to relax each day. Today, I think I did a pretty good job!

The day started with a trip to Linton to see my dissertation tutor. I was expecting a telling off, but it actually went really well. She had some useful tips to improve of my literature review and ethical clearance form, so lots of notes taken, and that's my homework for the next week.

I came home via N's, and we played with the puppies, then went for a hack.  Here is my picture of the day - me riding Roogie:

 Hilariously, he got a bit over-excited doing this (lots of squealing and cantering sideways), and this was the only photo where I looked vaguely in control.

S has been doing lots of artwork. He asked me whether I thought he'd be able to sell any, and without thinking I replied that people by all sorts of weird s**t. Luckily he saw the funny side! In all seriousness, this is his first attempt, and I think it's pretty impressive...

because of the times...

So it turns out Kings of Leon might be wise in unexpected and slightly surreal ways.

For years I've ignore friends who blogged, and justified it by telling people how rubbish I am at keeping a diary.

However, there are an awful lot of good things happening this year (ignoring the big 3-0. And I'm planning to ignore it for as long as possible), so I really don't want to forget anything.

Apparently, blogs are the new diary, so K - this one's for you!

Here are some photos of what I have been up to so far this year...

 2nd January - me in bathroom mirror. Wearing hat. I hate having my photo taken, so figured I ought to practice for this challenge.

 3rd January - the crib set still up at church. It occurred to me that after Christmas is done, we take down the decorations, and look forward to Easter. But in actuality, for Mary and Joseph, the challenge was just beginning. they now had to raise, protect, feed and nourish this tiny baby. Awesome.

 4th January - me at work. I love my job. I really do.

 5th January. And this is one of the reasons why. A legitimate meeting in a coffee shop. Fabulous.

 6th January - my other resolution is to ride more. This was my view from my friend's horse, Splodge. We were both a bit stiff today, and the weather was beautiful, so we went for a peaceful toddle around the fields.

 7th January - most of my day off spent doing my literature review for dissertation. Ugh.

8th January - my good friend's beautiful son. Am slowly getting over my irrational fear of babies. Isn't he gorgeous?