Two Years….

Vintage oven closeup by Jakub Kapusnak is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Thursday, 23 March 2023

After two long years of empty promises from our regular professional oven clean company, the vicarage oven finally got a good clean a fortnight ago. I had actually given up on them and had asked our cleaner to have a look to see if it was something she was comfortable doing for an additional fee. She said yes but I regretted asking her after seeing her handle the oven (she was trying to pull out the knobs!!!!) and hearing how she had planned to clean it – with a Brillo pad! Thankfully, she never got round to cleaning it as she had to be on light duty for several weeks owing to a health condition. By the way, I continue to be very happy with her usual cleaning duties.

Anyway, just out of the blue, I got a text from the oven clean company asking if I would still like a clean and so I jumped at the opportunity.

I am delighted that the oven is looking brand new but continue to be frustrated that most things from getting a GP appointment to speaking to an actual human person for any form of problem solving continues to be nigh impossible or like this oven clean takes years instead of weeks to get resolved.

What To Write?

Wednesday, 22nd March 2023

This week I am struggling to come up with contents for the blog. Most weeks I have too much material while on a week like this I find myself scrapping the empty barrel!

By the way I received a letter from the posh dentist. They did say that they will write detailing all the work that was required to my teeth. In that letter, it was mentioned that I was overcharged! For some reason I felt “vindicated”. I still haven’t decided if I want to be their patient as I feel very uneasy whenever I think about them.

Here’s hoping that I will have something to write about tomorrow!

Stop Blethering*

Tuesday, 21st March 202

*blethering is a Scottish word used to describe talking in a long winded way without make too much sense.

Since the purchase of a Teasmade, Sunday mornings have become a tiny bit better. I find that I am also no longer grumpy. As soon as the Mhinisteir jumps into the shower, I go down to the kitchen to organise breakfast. I try and listen to Sunday worship on Radio 4 as I am doing that.

I rarely enjoy Sunday worship because there is just too much of blethering like Match of the Day. I don’t watch Match of the Day but I remember getting so irritated by the incessant chatter by the presenters during the World Cup last year!

The only reason why I have Sunday worship on is so that I will know how I am doing timewise. If I have come out of the shower and if the worship is still on, then I am doing very well😁.

There is also too much “blethering” in some church services. I think it is about time that these churches rediscovered the word “succint“

Mothering Sunday

Monday, 20th March 2023

Here in the United Kingdom, it was Mothering Sunday yesterday. These days Mothering Sunday gets confused with Mother’s Day that is commonly celebrated in America.

Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent and it is a day honouring mother churches where one was baptised. Traditionally, one visits the church that they were baptised in on this day.

As usual, the Church of England has confused itself and so on Mothering Sunday, we end up worshipping mothers instead of God! I know of some people who refrain from going to church on Mothering Sunday for precisely this reason!

The Lone Red Grape

Friday, 17th March 2023

On Wednesday after our evening meal, I casually opened our fridge door to do a mental note on what needed replenishing when I came across a single M&S red grape inside the supermarket’s plastic container. A single grape! There are only the two of us who live in the vicarage and so I knew that it wasn’t me.

The Mhinisteir who was sitting in the dining room immediately confessed but what he said next left me speechless. He said “actually we need to bin it as it is rotting!!!!” It’s baffling as to why the single grape couldn’t take the three steps from the fridge to our lovely cream coloured Brabantia bin.

Anyway, I hope this particular vicarage tale brought a wee smile to your face and hope you will have a good weekend!

News Junkie

Thursday, 16th March 2023

I am a news junkie! I love reading the newspapers. We are very privileged to have our daily newspaper delivered to our doorstep. We almost lost that privilege when the previous delivery company stopped their services but we have miraculously found another one whom we have also recommended to some of our older neighbours who are mostly house bound.

Lately, I have been feeling a little starved of international news. The BBC World Service is good but I wasn’t satisfied. A few weeks ago, I discovered that I can get access to PressReader through my local library membership! I did struggle to get registered but once I had created my account, it was a doddle! I have since been reading the South China Morning Post, Japan Times among many other international newspapers. The PressReader can never replace reading a physical paper as I love to feel the paper and smell the ink (yes, I do love the smell of ink!) but it is a very inexpensive way to get access to literature.

By the way, you too can get access to PressReader if you have a library account.

Not Quite Easter Yet

A budding easter by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Wednesday, 15th March 2023

Last week, on our way to the dentist, I came across a humungous banner outside a very modern church building in the city which read “EASTER SUNDAY” I found it to be really strange as we are still in the season of Lent. When I mentioned this to the Mhinisteir, he replied saying “They are following the supermarkets!” How sad when we Christians start getting our inspirations from the supermarkets.

Unusual Request

Tuesday, 14th March 2023

I love writing for my blog so am always on the look out for something interesting to write. I find that I get ideas in the middle of the night but by the time I get up in the morning, the ideas have melted away. I do have a pen and paper on my bedside table but getting up to jotter down my thoughts would mean that I will not be able to get back to sleep.

Anyway, as I was thinking about what to write today, I got reminded of a story that the Mhinisteir told me not very long ago. A parishioner who was in his late 80s had come to speak to him after a Sunday service. This parishioner had a specific request. During the course of that particular week, this individual was going above the speed limit on a certain road and he thinks that he was caught by the speed camera. His request was for the Mhinisteir to pray that he WILL NOT get a speeding ticket for his misdemenour!!!!

I don’t know how you will interpret his request but I burst out laughing!

Rude Britannia?

Photo by Allen Beilschmidt sr. on Pexels.com

Monday, 13th March 2023

I am always a passenger when in the car which gives me plenty of opportunities to be “observant”. One thing I have noticed which happens frequently is how other motorists refuse to give way to an oncoming ambulance.

I was shocked the first time I witnessed it. It happened again last week when we were out travelling to the dentist. A bampot was trying to out race the ambulance that was trying to overtake him!

What A Day!

Photo by Wyxina Tresse on Pexels.com

Friday, 10th March 2023

It was a very eventful day yesterday for all the wrong reasons. The fear of seeing the dentist went out of the window when we received the very sad news of the death of one the Mhinisteir’s clergy colleague. I was too shocked to worry about my dental appointment.

The dentist was a long long way away and so the poor Mhinisteir had to drive in the heavy rain. At least it didn’t snow.

The dentist I saw was the one that the Mhinisteir sees and unfortunately both our experiences were very different. The Mhinisteir always speaks very highly of this individual. I didn’t feel comfortable from the start. They looked at me like I was a money tree! I hasten to add that it is a posh dentist. There was just something not right. I was quoted around the region of £160 for the appointment but when we went to pay the fee had doubled and so we came out £320 poorer. This was just for a general nose around and x-rays!

The highlight of the day was that the Mhinisteir and I made an impromptu decision to lunch at Wagamama before driving back to the vicarage.