We are going to the zoo zoo zoo ......

So today will be another quiet day - I have been up most of the night with a tummy bug, eventually sick at 4.30am - yuck! Thankfully this morning I am ok. Tummy bugs are very worrying for kidney patients as they can attack the little function we have. I did have kidney pain all night but it is also better this morning. So thankful.

 Our day at Woburn was magical. Our plan had been a day at the seaside for Chloe's birthday but we decided it was just too cold. Even at Woburn I had to wear a coat and my gloves. I am still struggling with the cold when we are out - often because i am wearing the wrong clothes - always hopeful for sun!

These photos are not very good as they were taken with my phone - often througha window. But they give you a flavour of what we saw.

 Going in term time was lovely as apart from some school parties it was quiet. There were 2 big school parties - one very well behaved with 6 children to 1 adult all very engaged and listening to their adults. The other with 1 adult to 2 children and the adults all talked to each other and the children were just pulled along behind. There was a lot of screaming and crying from these children! It reminded me how proud I was to take our school children on trips and how well behaved they always were.

 I had so many favourite moments during the day. I will just tell you a few (you can miss this bit if you don't like detail!)

• Young bears being fed by a keeper right in front of our car. The bear caught 2 fish and couldn't carry them both to the grass so he left one which was then taken by a beautiful red kite swooping down. Poor bear was very confused when he returned for his fish.
• 2 lionesses walking straight towards our car and then just passing by close enough for us to touch them (if we had had our window open)

•  Monkeys with tiny babies playing by the side of the car
• Monkeys climbing on top of the car, a passing car laughing and us realising later that the monkey had used the car as a toilet! 
• Birds of prey display - such magnificent birds 
• Penguin feeding
• A mummy penguin sitting on 2 eggs - right by the side of the path
• Marmosets - swinging freely around the park

• Tigers - walking slowly in front of our car closely monitored by the keeper in his landi. 
• Lemurs sitting on the fence right next to us with their beautiful tails
• Babies and even more babies of all sorts
• Beautiful elephants and giraffes at the entrance
• Informative keepers who were so interesting to talk to
• Yummy picnic (and warm blanket)
• Ed's patient driving as Chloe and I said just a few more minutes! And returning for a second drive around because we wanted to see the bears again!

 As you can tell I loved SO much of the day. What a lovely way to spend a birthday. Not sure why it has taken us 24 years to do that! I was glad to see that the animals had a lot of space but we had the joy of seeing them close up. Chloe saw many of these animals in Uganda in the wild but often they were much further away. 

So the rest of the week includes cooking for Sunday - we are hoping to have a go at Cox buns in a tower! Flowers, bible study, womens breakfast, Paul's concert and Chloe's family party. We would like a bit of sunshine for Sunday if possible.

RA

Everything Meets Here

I have decided to tell you about the last 2 days over 2 days! I have had 2 really lovely days and am now exhausted! On Sunday we went to the Royal Academy to see the Summer exhibition, which I love. It is such an amazing mixture of art all collected into one place. One minute you are looking at landsacpes and another, very strange modern art. Some by very famous artists and some by artists who paint at home for pleasure. It is difficult to take it all in and I would love to go back again this year. 

I chose 4 pieces of art that I loved this year and would have liked to take home, interestingly they were all different price brackets. 

Ken Howard 

1. Sarah at Oriel by Ken Howard. I can't find a picture of this on the internet but interestingly I loved a painting by him last year too. He is a member of the RA and paints using lots of light.This is another of his paintings on the right.If I had bought his Sarah painting it would have cost £50,000. 
2. Tour de Force by Lisa Takahashi. A linocut showing cyclists working hard up a hill. It so reminds me of the sky boys as they cycle out in front of the peloton and I love it. This would have cost £215 to buy.
3. Everything Meets Here by Jessie Brennan. This is a pencil drawing with SO much detail, an amazing amount of work. The people are so tiny. You can look at it in detail here http://art.tfl.gov.uk/project/9479/jessie-brennan. This would cost £7,200 

4. 

   Tour De Force

After our visit to the RA we had planned a picnic but it was just too cold. So we had lunch in the RA which was very lovely. We then went over to the V&A to see the Popularity painting which was painted of music hall artists and includes my great grandmother. If you remember she was Bella of the act Bella and Bijou. It was so loevly to ee it in real life. It is a large vibrant painting. I am so glad it is being seen. I really wanted to tell the people that were looking at it that it was of my great grandmother!
Yesterday was Chloe's 24th birthday and we went to Woburn Abby Safari Park. We had a wonderful day - more details tomorrow! 

This week - recovering from the busy weekend and preparing for next weekend! Chloe gets her results on Friday, we have our Womens breakfast at church on Saturday morning and Paul is singing in a big concert  on Saturday evening. Then on Sunday we are having a family party for Chloe. It's all go!!!!

Popularity Painting

Grace and more grace

In bible study we are continuing in Galatians and being immersed in GRACE. The underserved favour of God. But oh how I am struggling to get my head around all this. I understand that Jesus took my punishment and because of that I am going to spend eternity with God. That is grace. I deserve to die but instead I get to live in heaven with the King of Kings. Wow! It is not at all about what I do – nothing I do can earn this gift. Ok I get that. But what we read yesterday is that God now clothes us with Christ. Where ever I go he is there – I take him into every situation and circumstance of my life. When God looks at me he sees a son – adopted into his family.  Fully accepted and fully loved. How this should change me and my reactions to life. But so often it doesn’t. So often the pull and business of the world means I react to situations and circumstances as if I face them alone and as if it is all about me. But I am a new creation – changed forever and therefore my reactions should reflect that. It goes back to my desire when I was first ill – to know God  in the depths. He is saying – of course you get to know me – I am with you always – I am clothing you – changing you to be more and more like me. Little step by little step. Grace is an initial act of love but it is an ongoing action too - grace and more grace. Wow that is a lot to take in on a Saturday morning!

Today – visit to Josh and Debs new flat and a party for my friend C all in the sunshine – lovely.

12 years ago –early in the morning we said goodbye to our Mum. It was in that moment I learnt that heaven is just a breath away. Since then so much has happened – to all her 4 children. At her funeral someone called us a good work. I think we still are – she and dad would be proud of us I think. And of all their grandchildren. How much I would love 5 minutes – or maybe half an hour with them to tell them all our news and to hear theirs.

3 chicks

My chicks together

Today I had lunch with my three chicks - wonderful! It reminded me so much of shopping with them when they were small but now - so much easier. No arguing,  moaning or groaning just delightful shopping followed by pizza for lunch. We chatted and laughed for the whole of the lunchtime. What a joy they are  - I am so grateful for each one of them. We have been through so much as a family and yet we are all here and loving life despite some very difficult situations. I am very proud of them and so glad that they are such friends too.

Josh and Debs have done an amazing job of unpacking and their flat is all sorted. Josh has finished his first project and is setting up his graphic design company. I am looking forward to seeing the flat on Saturday.

More Chelsea and this week

 This week feels like a holiday week. Chloe is home - making and Ben is home saving the world ( gaming). It is sunny and we are eating outside every day - lovely. I am catching up with friends I haven't seen for a while. The rest of the week - we have some shopping to do, some flowers to care for, some planting to finish, some bible study to prepare for, a flat to visit, a party to go to, a Royal Academy to visit, and a picnic to eat. Lovely business!

 The photos are selected ones of Kit's from Chelsea - showing the planting. More to come! I have also included her photos of the sculptures in the arthritis garden which I loved.

Living beyond Arthritis

Coming to terms with the diagnosis

Pain of arthritis

Craft Day 2

Table set for craft day

 Our craft day went really well - we had such fun and we talked and created all day. It was so lovely to spend the time together. We managed to finish 3 of the 4 projects we had planned. The canvas took the longest but was such fun to do. Each one is so different from the others and reflects the colour preferences of the person making it. Thankfully we had enough choices of fabrics, ribbons and buttons - although we could always have more!

Equipment for craft day

 Josh and Debs arrived at about 8pm last night for a meal having successfully moved into their new flat in Reading. I am looking forward to going to see them there once they are settled in. Today they will be putting together furniture and unpacking boxes and making their new home .

It feels so wonderful to have them near again and to be able to share their lives. It's great they chose to come back here.

Button glasses

Ribbon baskets

Yet more ribbons

Shoe cupboard turned material cupboard!

Finished button jars

Kit, Chloe, Heidi, Katie and Joy - making

Finished canvases

Slightly out of focus handbag charms

Talia joined us for the end of the making and made a card with Chloe and Katie

Craft day dawns !

So today - craft day. We are all set up and it looks so lovely. Chloe really enjoyed putting everything out and displaying it. So we have baskets of ribbons and wine glasses full of buttons. The shoe rack has been washed and now displays material - colour coded! Each place is set with the basics for 4 crafts - a handbag charm, a jam-jar pin cushion, a canvas and a covered notepad. (photos later) We have lunch all organised - coranation chicken, jacket potatoes and salad followed by banana splits. Lovely! Paul is escaping to London and Ben is off to help Josh and Debs move. Not sure what Papageno will make of it - he is already very confused by all this 'stuff' in his room.

Josh and Debs will be pleased to be settled in their new home this evening. Packing is never fun and they have done it twice in less than a year. At least they aren't trying to drive through London in a removal van during the Olympics this time! Also glad its dry for them!

Enjoy the sunshine!