Inception

I've mentioned blackcurrants a few times ... this morning I spent three hours over the allotment. I did some weeding then picked some more blackcurrants. Here is today's crop - they're now very ripe, plump little globes of goodness packed with vitamin C - and this bowlful represents about two thirds of one plant's harvest.

After a busy day it was nice to be whisked away to Woking to see Inception. I found it gripping - it didn't have many relaxing moments! Amazing cinematography and special effects - absolutely incredible! Very clever stuff, with an intriguing theme and storyline. I liked how the cast handled it. They seemed natural together and likeable, helping to draw you into the film. The friend who took me recognised a building in the film and on the way home we detoured to see it. That was pretty neat, too.

Salad Days and Home-Made Wine

At work it seems we're a health-conscious bunch - in the morning the fridge is crammed with everybody's salad lunches. Here's a photo of mine. Colourful, n'est pas?



This year has seen a huge crop of blackcurrants from the allotment. I've made plenty of jam and jelly and after chatting with the lady who runs the gardening group at work, I decided to venture into a little home wine-making. My mother was quite successful with home wine-making, as I recall, but this is my first batch ever*. It's releasing an interesting yeasty aroma at the moment in the first stage of fermentation.
*PS Having written this, I remembered I have made wine before - there were grape vines at my previous home and a number of years ago in another life I tried making wine from the grapes. One batch was drinkable if a little too acidic and I don't think the other batch worked for some reason.

"Go ahead, inconvenience me"

What is it that prompts us to do something different spontaneously? I have my own theory. Recently I read a blog post by Mark Landreth-Smith. (Follow the link if you'd like to read it yourself). Called 'The 15 Revolution' after a book by Paul Scanlon, Mark's post informed me the book has a motto: "Go ahead, inconvenience me".

Normally when I drive home, I come up College Ride. Today on impulse I used the A30 route. As I was approaching the traffic lights at Caesar’s Camp Road, I noticed on the opposite pavement a cyclist sitting down with the bike lying nearby. It was obvious at first glance the cyclist had come off, with large dark stains all down one side. This much I took in as I sped by. I wanted to get home quick because I needed to use the bathroom (having ignored the inner prompting to use the loo at work before I came away). Then Mark's blog post came to mind – the motto from the book, “Go ahead, inconvenience me”. As a result, I turned around and went back, pulling up alongside the cyclist. I’d thought it was a teenage boy, in fact it was a Slovakian lady in her 50’s cycling home from work. It was clear she had had a nasty fall and was badly bruised and shaken up. Together we managed to load the bike in the back of the car (it’s what estate cars are for) and set off for Blackwater where she was able to direct me to her home. She was very grateful (and I was very grateful to be able to use her bathroom before I came home). Seems the book’s influence is wider than its readership, thanks to the power of the internet!

Norfolk Lavender

I had the idea that lavender is an important crop in Norfolk so this weekend I went to see it. I'll confess I was the teeniest bit disappointed not to see huge fields of glorious colour, but it was a lovely weekend nonetheless, and the seals at Blakeney Point were one of the highlights. I've written about the weekend at length elsewhere, with photos. Email me if you would like the link. You'll find my email address on my profile page.

Girl on a Motorcycle: Then and Now

Vicky my biker-chick daughter has now acquired a Yamaha Diversion. As you can see, motorbikes have been 'in her blood' since an early age.

"When I grow up ..."

"It's NOT pink!"

Summer School

I've been attending some of the Guildford Diocesan Summer School sessions:

1. Who do you think you are? (Based on Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Disciplines)
2. Explore your faith
3. Storytelling and Truth: From Milton to Philip Pullman
4. Murals of St Martin's Church, Blackheath

Session 3 was led by Dr Anthony Cane, Chancellor of Chichester Cathedral, and he offered us some very interesting thoughts and ideas along with a wealth of quotes from C S Lewis, Philip Pullman, John Milton and JR Tolkien. Are storytellers 'sub-creators', sharing the creative attribute of God? We heard a definition of a parable: 'Truth jumps through the window while the mind is opening the door'.
Today's session began with a visit to St Martin's Church, Blackheath (the smallest village in Surrey). After hearing an abridged history of the village, we turned our attention to the murals decorating the inside of the church. These were painted in the summers of 1894 and 1895 by Anna Lea Merritt, most famous for her portrait, "Love Locked Out".

The writing above the tomb (in the picture below) is Hebrew for Joseph's Place




Helpfully, the signpost proclaims: This Way, That Way, Somewhere Else. What more could you need to know!