For a friend of ours who has found that a way has been opened for him to continue with his vocation in the CofE after a nasty glitch last year, thanks to a particular bishop.
I want to thank God for protecting me this past year for so many things.
For my mental health being stable despite lockdown, the increased workload supporting my health students, and having long covid.
That I have been able to manage my long covid and begin to re-teach my nervous system to respond more appropriately to stimuli.
That I have have completed and passed the first half of my doctorate despite the above (there have been times in the last year when I felt I should give it up due to the stress and exhaustion).
For my supportive family, friends and co-workers through all of this.
And for you lovely people on the Ship for listening to my wittering about the above.
I have been almost completely pain-free for several hours, and it feels very odd. My pain doctor has prescribed a low dose of a form of opioid that manages to bypass the liver for a brief but shining moment (insert technobabble here) and as a result, it actually works on me instead of being instantly disposed of by my ferociously fast drug metabolism.
I don't know what to do with myself.
Seriously. I keep doing things (sitting down, getting out of bed, picking up a box, etc.) and then pausing as the usual pain doesn't come.
WTF?
And muscles I didn't know I had are slowly, unbelievably, starting to unclench themselves because the pain they were guarding against is gone.
My husband is laughing at me.
This is of course temporary, and I can feel the distant approach of the pain again, as this first dose wears off--and we're just at the beginning of calibrating the thing--but ...
After many difficulties, not least moving home at the “wrong” time, my son the Giraffe has had his first Covid jag. Thanks to God for walk in vaccination centres.
P & T to God for the safe birth of their second son (Ruben) on 29th June, to Marjolein van Hoef and her husband Gert.
(Gert is one of the finest concert organists in The Netherlands, and has a massive following on YouTube. He and Marjolein are Christians, and he often includes hymns or improvisations thereon in his online recitals).
Thanks to the neighbour who was leaving the supermarket at the same time I was yesterday and offered me a ride home. I didn't have heavy things to carry, but they were awkward and I was tired and a bit grumpy.
Also, after 3 days I found the glasses that I need for close up work, so I can finish my latest needlework project. I do have some hobby glasses, but they don't allow for my particular needs and I get a headache if I use them for too long.
Sometimes it's the small, everyday things that make life so much better.
Glad you found the glasses - just the time of year that sitting inside with something like a bit of needlework is both a very tempting activity and also very sensible.
Gratitude for prayers here during the last very difficult weeks. For now, the unrest in South Africa has calmed down (or been suppressed) and highways are open again, people are sending donations of food to KwaZulu-Natal communities and there's a great deal of voluntary cleaning up. Vaccinations resuming.
So glad to hear this. It faded out of our news bulletins and you never know if that is because things are getting better or the story is just more of the same.
In my stupendous stupidity, I left some sausages I wanted to cook on the glass-ceramics hob, in a pan with water, for slow heating. So far, so good. However, I normally do the first few minutes on a higher setting so that the water heats up faster and only then turn it down. Tonight, I had the strange idea to go out for two hours, all the while having totally forgotten I hadn't turned off the hob, for reasons unbeknownst to me (except sheer stupidity!). So when I got home, there was a strong smell of smoke as I approached the main door... I immediately knew what had happened! Luckily though, I had closed the kitchen door and left the window open when I went out, so it wasn't that bad... especially as the hob has a built-in safety shut-off, which thank God was activated after a while!
No damage done, except for rather carbonated sausages in a pan without any water. And the thoroughly ensmoked kitchen.
Giving thanks for protection and mercy in moments of utter daftness.
Today I saw the most perfect circular (cup-shaped) bird's nest. It had fallen from a date palm but I am pretty sure it was unoccupied being as it's high summer now, It was all made of the same plant (twigs, flowers, leaves) and so prettily finished
P&T that my niece-in-law has been safely delivered of a baby boy - little brother of the Adorable Archie. They've named him after his late grandfather, and if he's even a hundredth as nice as his namesake, he'll be a lovely human being.
Double posting to give thanks for being able to spend the afternoon with my brother and sister-in-law who I hadn’t seen since several months pre-Covid.
YaY! I finally managed to get two Government forms together in the same place. Now I will take them to the Council office where the helpful woman will assist me in filling them in if I need help. Last year was the first time I had to fill in the form and I panicked, this time at least I have experience.
Well, that was unexpected....
I had a puncture a couple of days ago, and took my tyre to be repaired. I was told they would contact me by phone to let me know when I could pick it up. Two days later, no phone call, so I called in. They'd overlooked it, and forgotten it - could I come back in a couple of hours.
So I did, and they mended my tyre & refitted it without charging me, as an acknowledgment they'd forgotten about it. Which was a gesture I really appreciated, and I wanted to share that it had happened. Thank you N******l Tyre.
Comments
For my mental health being stable despite lockdown, the increased workload supporting my health students, and having long covid.
That I have been able to manage my long covid and begin to re-teach my nervous system to respond more appropriately to stimuli.
That I have have completed and passed the first half of my doctorate despite the above (there have been times in the last year when I felt I should give it up due to the stress and exhaustion).
For my supportive family, friends and co-workers through all of this.
And for you lovely people on the Ship for listening to my wittering about the above.
Long may the situation continue
I don't know what to do with myself.
Seriously. I keep doing things (sitting down, getting out of bed, picking up a box, etc.) and then pausing as the usual pain doesn't come.
WTF?
And muscles I didn't know I had are slowly, unbelievably, starting to unclench themselves because the pain they were guarding against is gone.
My husband is laughing at me.
This is of course temporary, and I can feel the distant approach of the pain again, as this first dose wears off--and we're just at the beginning of calibrating the thing--but ...
I may clean the house tomorrow.
(Gert is one of the finest concert organists in The Netherlands, and has a massive following on YouTube. He and Marjolein are Christians, and he often includes hymns or improvisations thereon in his online recitals).
Also, after 3 days I found the glasses that I need for close up work, so I can finish my latest needlework project. I do have some hobby glasses, but they don't allow for my particular needs and I get a headache if I use them for too long.
Sometimes it's the small, everyday things that make life so much better.
In my stupendous stupidity, I left some sausages I wanted to cook on the glass-ceramics hob, in a pan with water, for slow heating. So far, so good. However, I normally do the first few minutes on a higher setting so that the water heats up faster and only then turn it down. Tonight, I had the strange idea to go out for two hours, all the while having totally forgotten I hadn't turned off the hob, for reasons unbeknownst to me (except sheer stupidity!). So when I got home, there was a strong smell of smoke as I approached the main door... I immediately knew what had happened! Luckily though, I had closed the kitchen door and left the window open when I went out, so it wasn't that bad... especially as the hob has a built-in safety shut-off, which thank God was activated after a while!
No damage done, except for rather carbonated sausages in a pan without any water. And the thoroughly ensmoked kitchen.
Giving thanks for protection and mercy in moments of utter daftness.
(I'm also relieved to know I am not the only one who has done such a daft thing - the boiled eggs were incinerated).
I had a puncture a couple of days ago, and took my tyre to be repaired. I was told they would contact me by phone to let me know when I could pick it up. Two days later, no phone call, so I called in. They'd overlooked it, and forgotten it - could I come back in a couple of hours.
So I did, and they mended my tyre & refitted it without charging me, as an acknowledgment they'd forgotten about it. Which was a gesture I really appreciated, and I wanted to share that it had happened. Thank you N******l Tyre.