This week my sister has a significant birthday and I was faced with the dilemma of what to get her. (I won’t let on what I decided on, in case she reads this!) Should it be something useful, or something funny? Should I ask her what she wants, or should I make it a surprise?…

I’ve just returned from a stroll around the village on a sunny afternoon. Part of the route takes me round some fields and across a small footbridge. Until recently it was very wobbly, with rotten boards and a rickety handrail. Suffolk County Council (I think) have replaced the bridge with a sturdy new one. We…

One New Year’s Eve, several years ago, I was up in Sheffield with my husband visiting his family. We decided to walk to the neighbouring village in order to join in the festivities. The walk back involved my husband and his friend trying to outdo each other with ghost stories. We had to walk back…

The Old Testament reading set for today is the introduction to the life of Ruth.  Naomi and her husband are forced to live in Moab because of famine in the land of Judah. They have two sons who marry women native to the country of Moab. Sadly Naomi’s husband dies and around 10 years after…

We are having some external building work done on our house, and as I write this TFTD all the windows have been covered with opaque plastic sheets. This is to prevent the wet plaster dripping onto the glass. Whilst it doesn’t completely cut out the light, unlike the black sheets that were put up earlier…

Many people grumble that January is a depressing month. The Christmas decorations have been packed away, the tree taken down, the Christmas cake has eventually been finished and the days are still dark and cold. In my family, January sees the start of another round of birthdays and the inevitable question, “what do you want…

After the cold and icy conditions in December, which were followed by days and days of rain, a large pothole appeared at the bottom of the hill near where I live. It was not immediately obvious, especially when it was overflowing with rainwater. My husband hit it as we returned home one afternoon. Fortunately no…

I was once told by a friend of mine about someone she knew at college who, when it came to a topic of study that she didn’t like or found difficult, would go outside an sweep leaves. That topic was forever know as “sweeping leaves.” Some of us have other distraction techniques when we want…

The 26th December is traditionally known as Boxing Day. This is the day after Christmas Day and has it’s Christian origins as the day when alms that had been collected in boxes in churches were distributed to the parishioners. It is also St Stephen’s Day and so, as a saint’s day is associated with charitable…

This is the 4th week of Advent when we think of the love that came into the world. We also remember that part that Mary played in that nativity story. The gospel reading set for the 4th Sunday of Advent also tells of  the part played by Joseph. (Matthew 1:18-24) He wasn’t one of the…