new camera - double click to enlarge photos

Photos taken with my new camera - Green Fingers Gardening Club this evening - Guest Speaker: Geoff Hodge http://www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.uk/

Richard showing Andrew his holiday photos before club began :)

Trying out the zoom features on Karmen!!  who looked up at me in bewilderment as I hung out of the lounge window (middle floor).

Then to try some close up work - a pansy in the garden.

I do like to remind Nigel, most days, how little I cost him - I don't do clothes shopping, make-up or jewellery BUT I am partial to mobile phones and cameras :))  My new camera cost £109 and is a Samsung WB750 and, most importantly, is handbag size..

The Dentist

But first let me go back to 11pm last evening.  I was leaning out of my lounge window, which is on the middle floor of a town house, calling 'Karmen, Karmen' and then realized that my next door neighbour was out in her garden.  I apologized to her if I was making too much noise and she laughed and said 'I have never known anyone like you who calls their cat every evening and the cat responds' and just at that moment Karmen jumped up on to the fence and then scrambled down our side and made her way through the open patio doors.  Margaret continued to laugh and carried on saying 'I have spent the last four hours trying to get my lot to go to bed and your cat just does as she is told'....

Nigel says I've gone from being the Mad cat woman of Barking (where we lived before) to the Mad cat woman of Dagenham!!!

Now back to the Dentist...

Returned to the Dentist to have two fillings replaced - the top one was no problem just needed one injection to numb the area; however, the lower tooth filling was quite extensive and it was touch and go whether a filling would be adequate or it would need to come out.  For this filling I required three injections before my mouth was numb enough to proceed with all the drilling!!  I do so wish they would invent silent drills!!!  job done, tooth saved (for the time being) one side of face completely numb (is this what botox feels like?) Then came the instructions - only soft food, nothing cold, buy a soft toothbrush and sensodyne toothpaste and be careful when brushing the area, will be in pain/discomfort maybe for a week...

And on that happy note (after paying for this privilege) went to Asda in Barking to do some shopping conscious that half my face had a life of it's own!! and desperately hoping that no-one stopped me for a conversation.  Arrived home, took above photo didn't even attempt to smile,  two paracetamols and slept for two hours.  It is now 7.30pm and I am home alone - Karl has gone to London to perform a gig, Nigel is down the hall painting something and I am feeling fine, so far, just a slight ache..

Nothing cold to drink was the order so a nice cuppa it is :))

Karmen

Up until January of this year I had two cats called Prince and Karmen - I now only have one - Karmen.  Prince disappeared whilst Nigel and I were away on holiday and even thought I have done everything to find Prince - he has not returned home or been seen by anyone. This post; however, is about the changes I have noticed in Karmen and her behaviour.

Prince and Karmen have grown up together with Karmen being a few months older (she will be 4 in September) and so I assumed that traits like her timidness etc were part of her character. Yes, when Prince disappeared she pined and lost weight, which resulted in me taking her to the vets for a check up because she wouldn't eat and was losing a lot of her fur.  The Vet assured me she not underweight and that she was probably missing Prince and just to give her time and if I was still worried then to bring her back again.

When putting her food out I discovered that if I sat with her then she would eat - gradually I started to move further away from her eating area until she no longer required me to be present.  Karmen and Prince both had their own eating bowls but Karmen would wait for Prince to eat first then start on her food and, so, I guess she was still waiting for Prince to eat!!

Prince would be the one who loved visitors coming and enjoyed all the fuss that he received and Karmen would run into another room and hide - now she welcomes guests and allows people to stroke her, although she still does not like being picked up.

Karmen has never gone to Nigel BUT  a few weeks ago she jumped on to the garden bench and sat with him whilst he was enjoying a cuppa.  I went and got her brush and she allowed him to brush her - another first.  Going one stage further last week she climbed on to my lap curled up and went to sleep - another first.

It was Prince who would chase balls, wool, paper in fact anything around the floor and jump all over the furniture and Karmen would watch from the sidelines - not anymore, she has developed a playful nature. Karmen can now be seen and heard running up and down the stairs, jumping around and on the furniture, diving into the dirty washing bin, running around in circles chasing her tail on our bed - it would appear she has become a kitten once again.

This evening, though, she really did stop us in our tracks. Nigel and I were in the lounge watching the TV and Nigel was eating his chicken curry - he placed his plate on the coffee table whilst he sipped his drink - at this point Karmen walked in very casually and pinched a piece of chicken from the plate and devoured it - never in four years as she ever done that!!!  I am beginning to wonder if this cat is really Karmen after all :)) or whether she had some involvement in Prince's disappearance!!

Whatever!!!! she is certainly a lovable character and I am enjoying watching her as she becomes more and more confident and wondering what she will do next :))

In a state of shock

for three reasons...

Firstly, yesterday evening Karmen came and jumped onto my lap, curled up and went to sleep :)  She has never done that before - even as a kitten she was not a 'lap' cat and preferred to sleep in her box with her cuddly toys.  Karl, my son, walked past the lounge and came back for a double-take because he couldn't believe his eyes.  I am not sure what prompted her to do that but I am not complaining..

Secondly, my birthday plants are still alive and going strong!!  I am not 'good' with plants as I tend to forget to water them, put in the wrong places etc etc and within a few days they are either dead or looking extremely sorry for themselves.

My heart sank when my father-in-law presented me with the Orchid as my first thought was 'Oh my word how am I going to keep this alive?' But it's nearly nine weeks since my 50th birthday and it is still flowering beautifully :))

The other plant the girls in the school office presented me with - it is a Bromelia Brigada - now the instructions which came with the plant were not in English so I had to phone my mother who informed me that I needed to water the plant from the tip of flower and the water will cascade down through the leaves.  This I have done and it is fascinating to watch.  My mother also informed me that the flower lasts about six weeks - well, well, well, nine weeks later and it still in flower!! So whose a clever girl?  The cupcake stake is there to hold the flower up.

Thirdly, at last a visitor to the bird-table which Nigel made about four months ago.  I had given up all hope of any bird using the table and eating the delights I places upon it and, due to the rain, the table itself started to fall to pieces.  Then the miracle happened yesterday - Nigel placed his unfinished bacon sarnie on it and low and behold our first visitor arrived!!  this morning he was there again (the pigeon not Nigel) so I rushed out and put bird seed on it and as you can see he had a feast.  The photo has been cropped and enlarged about four times!!

(I took this photo outside The Tower Hotel, London a few weeks ago)

I can laugh about being in a state of shock regarding Karmen, my plants and the pigeon but I am acutely aware that there are many people in our world today 'in a state of shock' for a variety of reasons. 

This morning I visited a lady who had been informed that her leukaemia had returned and given a life expectancy of 3-6 months.  It was a pleasure to share a short service with her within her home, just the two of us, and to read the Bible, listen to music and share a time of prayer. I thank the Lord, too, for the many wonderful friends/neighbours she has who are so supportive and caring - just at a time when she needs it.

(Covent Gardens - took this photo about two weeks ago)

Karl went out to join his friends at a pub in Whitechapel, London to watch the football  - Nigel is in the lounge watching it and I'm here there and anywhere where the footie is not being shown!! So I think my next job is to get the bird seed ready for Archie (the pigeon) for tomorrow...

Back to earth with a bump!

Oh I didn't want to get up this morning..my bed was so warm and cosy and the thought of going down two flights of stairs (we live in a town house) to make a cup of tea was not at all appealing :(  But we had a lot of things to achieve today as tomorrow it's back to work/ministry/vocation/calling - take your pick! after our lovely few days away.  We (hubby aka Nigel) had set ourselves the goal of being out of the house by 8.30am so that we could get across London, whilst the roads were quiet, to The Salvation Army's shop (S.P. & S. or Trade - as we know it ) to purchase new uniforms etc.. We successfully achieved our goal and task - on arrival we were the only customers in the shop so were served straight away - result :))

The other enjoyable aspect of the journey is that we travel across Tower Bridge. This photo was take on our way home.

And past The Tower of London.  We were here a few weeks ago for the 'Ceremony of the Keys', which you can read about here.

We only had one slight delay - due to road works - and we stood still for a while outside this beautiful church.  Well it is now a Day Care Centre for children. I wondered if there was any 'church' presence in the building at all - whether one of the conditions had been that a Chaplain was still available and maybe a service or two but there was nothing outside to indicate that the 'church' had any role in the building anymore.  My mind went to a Salvation Song written by Albert Orsborn in 1957 (he later became General of The Salvation Army). Albert was thinking about the number of derelict churches and the thousands of Londoners living in the area ..and he said

"They were an immense challenge to my spirit; what were we doing to reach and save them?  Did we care enough? I thought of the One who 'wept over Jerusalem'.

The Saviour of men came to seek and to save

The souls who were lost to the good;

His Spirit was moved for the world which he loved

With the boundless compassion of God.

And still there are fields where the labourers are few,

And still there are souls without bread,

And still eyes that weep where the darkness is deep,

And still straying sheep to be led

Except I am moved with compassion,

How dwelleth thy Spirit in me?

In word and in deed

Burning love is my need;

I know I can find this in thee.

(This is the 1st verse and chorus)

Karmen has now forgiven me for going away :)) and has stopped following me around the house. This afternoon she napped on the lounge windowsill enjoying the sun on her fur.

When we moved into our new house last October - one of the rules, which we both agreed upon, was to try and keep the house and garden simple and uncluttered! in the hope that it would be easier to keep clean and tidy.  It is actually, I have discovered, more hard work to try and live minimalistic - things still keep creeping into the house..  The main reason being that both of us are out all day and then I am currently also taking an MA in Mission - so when assignments are due in plus the normal day to day activities - then literally the house and the garden go to pot!!! until such times, as now, I have an opportunity to restore 'order' once again :))

Our new garden is not even a quarter of the size of our previous garden but it is enough for us to maintain.  I decided that I just wanted a small flower bed at the back of the garden that would be easy for me to keep an eye on and weed etc. Nigel dug a corner over for me and I have planted - a salix caprea ', a red hibiscus, a choicya 'Brica' (this was given to me) and for the border primroses and pancies.  I have joined a gardening club, which meets once a month and I am enjoying that plus I also help to make the tea/coffee that way I get a chance to speak to people too.

This morning, whilst at Trade, I bought a book called 'Finding God in other Christians' by Lorraine Cavanagh so now that I have written my blog and Karl and Nigel are watching the football - I shall bring a cup of tea up to my office (on the top floor) and enjoy a read...