Mama Mia !

What a hoot ! TH and ChickPea needed a break several Saturdays ago, so they took theyselves away out to a film. They happened upon ‘Mama Mia’.

Me oh my – wot a larf !!! Larfed her socks off, she did. And cried – yup – cried too. The tears wiz rollin’ they wiz.

There wiz sea, and sunshine – lots n lots a’ sunshine……….. and sand, and friends, and friendship, and love and laughter and fun……. almost like you wiz there yersel’ too………Sheer fun………

And there wiz families, and Fraught, and Frantic and Frenetic. And Forgiveness.

So much wiz unlike ChickPea’s own experience.

And there wiz tears, and there wiz laughter. And there wiz Understanding, and Forgiveness, and Acceptance. And Wrongs Were Righted, and Partners Found, and there wiz fun and Rejoicing and Giving Thanks. And Celebration.

And much wiz like ChickPea’s own experience. And the Whole was So Very Incredible An Experience, that it needed to be repeated, to see if it was true.

So last night, they went again, with some pals. And yes – there wiz the sea, and the sky, and the sunshine, and the love, and the laughter. And this time there wiz words too…….. Now there’s a Thing. Singing. An’ Dancin’.

Glasgow was oot an’ aboot, an’ at its ver’ bestest. Its Finest. Most Memorable. An’ the film wiz Fun. Again. And it wiz good. Very Good.

Led by the Spirit indeed......

ChickPea found another kindred spirit today….. well, ‘re-found’, ‘re-encountered’. (Amazing what you can find when/if you look, eh !) TWO posts on his blog since she’d last sought him – a wealth of words and heaps to consider, loads to want to answer. But a ‘learned reader’ she is not. How on earth to respond to the question, “Should we always respond to the Holy Spirit ?”……….. but even if his blog’s ‘comments’ seemed inadequate a forum for beginning to address this, would the question go away ? Indeed not………it fizzed and frothed in Chickpea's head........

So let’s see what we can find in ChickPea’s kitchen……..what insights can be found amongst the various ingredients, stirrings and splashes from today’s soufflé……..

Steven says, in his blog 'Searching for God', “The Holy Spirit. Should we always respond to the Holy Spirit? What does it feel like in the life of the Christian to first recognise the Spirit and then to respond in submission to it? I think I am familiar with the first issue. I know, I think, what it feels like to feel the Spirit move me. Sometimes, especially when faced with someone else's pain or poverty I feel a desire to do something. I feel not just compassion but a desire to turn the compassion into an action. For example, I was walking to the train station from work. A sad homeless man shuffled along in front of me. He was wearing an old suit and white trainers. His face was cut up. He was carrying a cup of coffee and stopped to pick up what appeared to be a small coin. I wanted to stop and take this man for a proper dinner, to feed him properly and make him feel like a human being. I also wanted to go home, get my own dinner and relax after a bruising day in court. What did I do? Well I ignored the Holy Spirit of course and justified it by saying I did not know if the man was drunk or sober. I know it brings to mind a middle-class slushy teenage sense of Christian ethics but it is perhaps helpful to ask, "What would Jesus do?"

Indeed. What WOULD Jesus do…….? I know what ChickPea has done on oh, so many occasions……. Exactly the same as you, Steven. Now, putting aside the “Jesus” question, which I think diverts us from the real issue here, and to which I think we may already know an accurate answer…….. IS this action given here a ‘non-response’ ? – or is it a response, indeed, of ‘ignoring the Holy Spirit’ ? …… or of ‘declining’…. ‘refusing’…… ?

“Should we always respond to the Holy Spirit ?”. Can we, indeed, NOT respond in some way, if we have been aware in the first instance ? My own thoughts are that we usually DO respond to things…… maybe not as we would like to, however. We may ignore, or refuse, or only partially respond as we feel called to respond. Sometimes we are just not up to the task, nor ready to seek the strength to enable us to respond in such a way. Maybe it will cost us too much…….. the money, the energy, the time, the love that we just do not feel capable of giving. It may be a cop out, but I consider all of these as parts of ‘the human condition’, part of being a son or daughter of ‘Adam’ and the inheritance of ‘sin’ which comes along with this package, and which is intrinsic to my very cellular composition……

Hence my need for redemption, for being saved from being the ‘less-than-ideal’ me, and transformed, through the Love of God and the example as well as the sacrifice of Christ, into ‘The-Me-That-I-Was-Created-To-Be’……… the Me that will be so much more than I can ever be on my own, and that will be so very MUCH ‘Me’………. Not ‘someone else’ – but Me.

And maybe, just maybe, trying to respond positively to the Holy Spirit in the opportunities that arise along the way will gradually assist and effect the personal growth, that transformation, that Can Be. That the original ‘Redemption’ has made possible. That is always there, awaiting the positive response. That with love – the Love of God – the Love of Others – even my own feeble and faltering Love that allows me to try and respond of a time – Can Achieve the unbelievable.

Well ? Well ?!! Don’t just sit there ! Hide if you must – but what do YOU think ?

PS. Call round to Steven's blog here : http://stevenmcquitty.blogspot.com/

Role Play Update

ChickPea has been upping the stakes tonight, with more job applications.

As she told you before, the ‘Pharmacy Assistant’ did not have her name on it, tho’ she felt she could have worn the hat quite proficiently. She awaits ‘Phlebotomist’ and ‘Home Care Provider’ responses, and/or developments from the employment agency. She might alternatively become a ‘Kennel Person’ at a local vet surgery, or maybe ‘Receptionist’ for a local dental practice.

Alternatively………..

Maelstrom

Round, and round, and round, and round.

What’s this ? Roundabouts again ? - with Gorgeous Golden Gallopers or with motor vehicles ?

Er, no.

Just the repetitive dull skies/grey clouds/rain/dull skies/grey clouds/rain saga…… and the ‘get up/survive/try to sleep/get up/survive’ round……..and the ‘try to be nice/walk the dog/try to be nice/do the washing up/still try to be nice/do more chores/try to be nice/walk the dog again/still try to be nice/do supper/try to be nice/do the washing up/still try to be nice’ edition of Everyday Life For Everyone…...... and, of course, the ‘find advert/believe it’s a job you could do perfectly well/gain application form/apply/make sure application was received/wait…./wait…./wait…../find anuther advert/believe THIS is a job you really could do’ version as well………

Monotonous. Maddening. Mindnumbing. Muddling. Messingwithhead-ing.

(and this is only week 5 so far…....)

Yup. Not enough sunshine. Open the 'Red Bull'....... On with the S.A.D. light....... try to assist a miracle.............

...... Morbid Mabel Strikes Again, and Loopy Looe is out to play……...

"Time for bed" sez Zebedee.......

What ho, Chickpea - how're the chooks ?

How kind of you to ask.

Rain has been the name of the game here – how has it been with you ? We had 24 hours non-stop monsoon. Many had more, I believe. I sympathize. Living on top of a hill, flooding wasn’t very likely for ChickPea and TH – tho’ as the hill is made of clay, the surface water tends to gather readily – leaving the bedraggled chooks somewhat less than convinced of their safety, and looking for an ark…. Before the rains started the hens had started digging to Australia, so to give them continued scope for exploration and in hopes of providing a better surface to live on, bark chippings were put down – over the following week these all got scratched away into a heap, exposing the earth beneath so mining could resume…….consequently the monsoon-chooks were in mud up to their knees and eyeing up the conservatory as a potential re-location……

But today has been great – SUNSHINE ! The puddles have gone, feathers are dry and re-fluffed. The chooks Want Oot.

So after his morning constitutional, Mr Mutt was out on his tether, Eena stayed back to do her essential chore of egg-laying, and Meena was out in the front garden with ChickPea, and they were gardening……… well, ChickPea was weeding, and Meena was digging up slugs within sight and reach, but out of the way. They made a good team.

Then the engineer arrived to service the central heating boiler, so play stopped. Meena went back to Bluecastle (the chookhouse and run), and ChickPea went indoors to do the washingup.

When the engineer had finished, gardening resumed with Eena out, Meena spending her afternoon thinking about egg-laying…. (but getting nothing done as she was soooo distracted because she wasn’t allowed out to play again!)

Eena meantime decided to re-invent the gardening game by scratching up the bit that ChickPea had just dug and tidied…. Move her out of the way and she just returned, again……. and again…… and again ! Completely and hentirely focussed….

The BlogBug Is Biting

Great ! ChickPea think she’s evaded capture by the ManFluBug (remember Pride goeth before a fall, ChickPea !) – but the BlogBug seems friendly……. So what’s been happening in this wee corner of the Virtual Universe ?

Headaches and sneezes aside, of course……….

Well, jobseeking continues apace. You know how it goes. You move on from the last knockback, convince yourself you could maybe fit the profile of the next vacancy…… needs a bit of tweaking of the old CV you finally tracked down in a pile in the back bedroom…… (could the sneezing be dust, ChickPea ? – perhaps a…. er…. small possibity ?! )

Remote. (NO, ChickPea – that’s the thing TH uses for the telly……)

Go away……. SORRY – not YOU, dear reader – that Irritating Other that pops up….. Now where were we……..

So you tackle the next Application Form…….. CV handy ….. last application stuff up on the computer (Aha ! – saved a copy – that’s good……)….. cup of coffee and a chocolate biscuit and…… (just get on with it ChickPea). OK. Of course, this one requires minor remodelling of the Persona Profile, re-orientation of ‘Dream Demands’, a little brain adjustment to really believe I Could Be This Person. But hey – Of Course I Could. Might Be Fun. Certainly different. Less money too. Of course. But hey – there’s more to life than filthy lucre…… scribble scribble, scribble oops, scribble scribble…….

Hardly was that one away, and Mr Mutt walked for the morning, and ChickPea had to scamper off to sign on. Got there early. Onto computer-like-Thingy to see what jobs we’ll do tomorrow……..Scaffolding Erector ?...... maybe not… Corner the doorman in good time to try and get my documents into the way they do the queue…..

One or two printouts in her paw when she’s called over……some printed accidentally. So, of course, THOSE are the ones he latches onto, no discussion, and trots off to ‘Make An Introduction Sheet’ for……. How Kind. What do we do with these then ? Does she HAVE to follow these up because They Can Trace Them ? Will this stop the net income of peanuts if she DOESN’T follow up ? It’s all a bit embarrassing…… this one was interesting because it was temporary, in an office (new exploration), for just 2 months……. BUT does say ‘Senior Officer’ …… which seems to suggest they’d want someone Who Knows What They Are Doing – not Someone Just Finding Out…….. Ho Hum.

Got home. Made a few phonecalls. (This is supposed to be 'holiday'). Yes, that one needs experience (of the right type. As We Thought). This one’s closing date is today – but not to worry – they’ll email the Application Form and it can be emailed back again. Oh yes – and they’re REALLY glad ChickPea got in touch, and late arrival of details Will Not Be A Problem……….b****r…… no getoutofjailfreetherethen……

But it’s ALL on computer …… it’ll be easy then……..’Allow 30mins to 1 ½ hrs’……doddle even……..

Now this is A Good One…….. Takes The Biscuit better even than Mr Mutt. Not only do they demand the exact pass marks of the ‘O’ levels I took well over … er… 20(ish) years ago, but they want to know which month did the course start/finish, and what board the exams were with…….. NEVER been asked that one before……. How the f*** do we find that one out, then ? ……and I can’t move on in the electronic form without that detail….. Ha ! ...Got It ! ...put “I’m not sure but will find out if necessary”…….don’t suppose they’ll even notice…….(and all for an 18 hours a week ‘career’ at that…….)

But that was not the best bit. OH NO.

ChickPea was due to take TH out on the randan for the evening, about 6.30pm, then Go To Visit A Friend. Starting on it at 4.30pm should have meant it was All Over by then. 6.40pm and still no end in sight. “Should be fine to leave it on till later on, and come back to it” sez TH…… that’s good, because ChickPea can’t see any way of saving it, and as her windup laptop has forgotten how to enter sleep mode, seems feasible………

So. Off they went. Delivered TH. ChickPea off to great evening with Friend. Nice chicken’n’pineapple, boiled rice (chooks’ll love any remaining boiled rice), duck‘n’noodles, veggies (get our ‘five a day’) and prawn crackers…….

Home. 10pm. On With Application. All Seemed Well. Now into ‘Statement in Support of Application’…they insist on more than 500 words, and hope for more than 600 but less than 1000…… WHY did I want to do this ?....... Ah yes…….. Midnight plus fourteen. Go Collect TH. Good evening. Good. Home. Coffee and finish the Startrek episode (a few minutes’ downtime is good for the concentration). Back to ‘statement of…’ All Well.

2.30am, Statement Finished. Polished from several re-workings. Now has right number of words. Excellent. Copy and Paste and move on. Oh. “Too many characters” eh. Why didn’t they mention that, then. OK, whittle down this Excellent Statement…. take out the unnecessary words, re-order/re-word/summarize. ChickPea can do that. Even at this time in the morning she can do that if it’ll get this thing finished and sent. Done. Still too many characters…….. OK. Take out any remaining less important bits……now take out a few more adjectives (Yes – I got my ‘English Grammar’, even if at ordinary level)……… GREAT ! Just under ‘maximum number of characters’. Cut, paste AND MOVE ON….. (Still haven’t got to details of referees….)…… WHAT ? STILL TOO MANY CHARACTERS ! - but there’s not ! She word-counted it……… oh……. maybe they’re counting characters AND spaces……… so we’ll take out the gaps between paragraphs……..No different….. B****r. Over 1000 characters too many. But still over 500 words. That’s good then. Should’ve been in bed hours ago……… more re-working……..some of my best phrases now gone forever. Distillation. Distillation of the distillate. This is frustrating. Now how many ? YES. Cut’n’paste. YES. Done. (4am. Ooops). YES. Nearly done. Click on ‘next’…….

Oh NO !

“Your time allocation has expired. Please return to START.”

This wasn’t a dream.

Holiday Haverings........

What’s a ‘Holiday’ ?……… “Time to rest, relax, recuperate, re-charge, re-create……”

So, here we are. The Hubby has his main holiday of the year. Two weeks away from the office (we’ll overlook the morning he disappeared off for a meeting, and the night out on Friday). So, ChickPea – despite jobseeking continuo – is also (technically) ‘on holiday’. And now we’re nearing the end of the second week…..

And, what ?

Well, if you’re resident in UK you’ll know about the rain…… more rain………even more rain…….. and more rain.

And if you’ve been reading this blog you’ll know TH has spent much of the last two weeks in bed with a flu-like bug which is reluctant to leave, and which has bestowed a ‘post-viral’-like state, just in case TH was beginning to feel any better. This prevented the planned brief trip away last weekend, and guarantees TH a low mood, low morale and misery (luckily, with a small ‘m’ – he does try, very very hard, NOT to be grouchy. Difficult with Man Flu).

I guess this scenario ‘goes with the territory’ of the moment. But it’s a bit disappointing. Certainly Shoots The Muse In The Foot (most successfully !) So ChickPea has been cooking. Again. (Have you tried the Risotto ?). TH is a bit dischuffed she’s spending so much time on her laptop, but ChickPea reckons this is much the same sauce enjoyed by the gander……

(Hope you’re following this amorphous mixture…too much wooden spoon, not enough blender...)

But……. Why does the male of the species use different spectacles when he looks at the female ‘taking time off’ than he uses for himself ? I know he’s ill, but……….

Why is it ok for ChickPea to be houseworking or ‘job-stuff-ing’ when ‘on holiday,’ or (learning to) editing photographs, but not ok to be blogging…… when TH spends hours and hours hisself, editing photos, surfing whoknowswhat, paddling in e-bay, or somesuchlike…….

Sorry, I’m a bit grumpy tonight……… maybe I’m getting Man-Flu too……

Better take Mr Mutt out for his Late Constitutional……. Where’s the brolly ? Nite nite.

Kerumbs !

Today held An Awesome Thrill ! David McMahon, in his truly inspired ‘authorblog’ has awarded the Souffle an accolade. Thank You, David. But Thank You Much More for your blog, putting your own visitors – even couch surfers like me – into such easy contact with so many and such varied blogs (which I for one mightn’t have discovered otherwise…..)

Thank you, too, all you lovely, lovely visitors - and for your kind comments …….. I tried to call back, but haven’t reached you all yet……. sorry……. (I just HAD to hack the lawn down while I could still see over it……… took three attempts as it was……..)

It Takes Time

“It takes time. Aye………..it certainly does.”
“And what’s that, then ?”
“Oh – you know”.

Lots of things. Loads of things, even. Waiting for Christmas……for paint to dry…..…for yeast to rise when you’re making bread…… for a cake to cook…….. time to gather together the ingredients for a risotto…….. or for a soufflé, come to that.

And time for the bereavement process to lumber along……….

ChickPea thought she’d finished blogging the other night. Guess she had, kindof. Had finally published that post that Started Before, But Wouldn’t Finish…….( it just wasn’t cooked – somehow it wasn’t ‘complete’…… but HOW to finish it ? – What else did it need ? ………. so it sat, and festered ……… ok, ok – it MATURED)………..

And then, earlier that night, there came an almighty kick to the buttparts, and ChickPea realized that A Most Significant Post had not yet been written. Time had slipped by. And For Life To Be OK, It Needed To Be Written……… but ….. How On Earth Would It Start ?

I’m sure you’ve been there …… writing a book…..a postcard……. a sermon…… a letter……a blog post….…. The Wish is there, but The Muse hides in a cupboard somewhere……..(presumably a-mused)…..

And suddenly, Light Dawns…. (the chooks start muttering to themselves = the clockwork brain starts to move )…. and Then You Realize It’s Already There….. And Waiting….. Biding Its Time..… Waiting Till The Time Is Right……

And when that time has finally arrived, it can happen that the words just appear on the screen, and it all makes sense somehow – and if it’s not exactly right immediately, you kinda know which re-wording is The One To Keep…..

So ChickPea wuz kinda chuffed that Things Had Fallen Into Place. And, moreover, apparently, into an appropriate – even ‘right’ – place. Peace had been made. Life was ok. TH was in bed with his bug, and some NightNurse (no – not plural….) ….and was hopefully asleep….. At Last…….and hopefully thru till morning this time.

Then ChickPea took Mr Mutt out for his Late Night Constitutional. Whereupon another cupboard door opened, and out crept ‘Bereavemment’ in his best finery. Well, second-best finery. (‘Thankfully’ was right behind him, and distracted him a little, allowing ChickPea space ). Nonetheless, the two of them dogged her footsteps. And the bright bubble aftermath of blogging Was No More…….

To outwit The Descending Cloud, ChickPea Pondered……

Bereavement cannot, after all, be (successfully) outrun, out-manoeuvred or otherwise evaded. If you get a headstart, it will still catch you up. If you are very quick on your feet, you may think you’ve won….. but it still catches you up………eventually. Probably At An Inopportune Moment. If you grab it by the lapels and make it sit down, thinking that at least you know where it is, it will get up and Take You By Surprise when you least expect it…...

No, the only REAL, effective way is to accept it into your life for the time it takes, accept it as a guest, hopefully bringing some good memories but accepting the myriad tears and regrets and sadness………

No, you cannot evade Bereavement……… so allow it in, give it a cup of tea and a piece of cake, sit down with it, if you can, when you can, and accept the visit……

Knowing The Way

ChickPea is pondering…..again. How do folk know which way when travelling life’s paths ?

“Good morning chookies. What matters to you in Life ?”
“Who ? Us ? You’ll ask us what matters ? Well, there’s a thing…… oooh – there’s another one ! And if we scratch here….. and there…… we’ll find more things…… some of them good, and tasty, some not….. some lost, some well hidden……. And of course we’ll tell you all about it – everyone will hear about what we think……..”
“Ah. So you’d have been out front, outside, last Sunday, fluffing your feathers and strutting about, finding something to nag at………. And maybe missing the Fundamental Truth…… but With The Best Intention….. I'm not so sure you’re Episcopal hens after all…..””

“What about yourself, Mistress Mog – what helps you in life – you’re not a map reader – what tells you The Way ?”
“Ah, well. I’ve seen Things Change. The ups and the downs. My first move is – if it’s sunny, sit still in the sunshine. Rest. Enjoy. Stretch. Wash and brush up. If it looks right, and interesting, explore it. (Carefully). If it tastes right, eat up and be given nourishment.”
“I see. And if not…. ?”
“Ah. They say ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ – so I’ve been kinda careful. For nineteen years. If In Doubt – Sleep. Has been ok for me so far. Worked for DJ. Worked Out Right for him eventually.”
“I see you’ve found a deep truth there, Ms Mog.”

“And you, Mr Mutt ?”
“Me ? You noticed me ? Wow ! Well – I say that if the walk is going along a fine path, good view, interesting smells, I’ll go too. Head up, tail up, bright eyes, great smile. If I don’t like the look of it, I’ll dig my feet in, drag behind and question the whole package. Should certainly be able to eat it – or give it a try, anyway. A certain decorum is appropriate…….if it’s LOUD and noisy, I’ll likely vamoose – and go another route. Offskie…… Most important of all – it’s got to smell right.”

“Not so different from the last posting, eh.”

Uh huh. There’s maybe a grain or two of good seed here, amongst the weeds and rubbish. The Big Man Himself, all those years ago, would have fondled these beasts. And I’m sure Mr Mutt wouldn’t have bitten Him……..

Reality Shows

What’s this ? Is ChickPea a closet ‘Big Brother’ fan ? Or is she trying to ‘Look Good Naked’ ?

Ha ! – NO !!!!!!

She considers such so-called ‘Reality Shows’ something of a poser. These facile TV programmes seem to show the viewer everything except ‘reality’ – ok, it may be happening ‘now’, maybe even in ‘real time’ - but is so unbelievably contrived that ‘REAL’ is hardly an appropriate description………Unreal maybe…..

No. ChickPea has Something Else in mind. She’s thinking that ‘reality’ shows in so very many ways ….. not just the hard things we all meet in our lives (usually when we’d rather not….), but the kind words, thoughtful gestures, affirming embrace that so unexpectedly manifest……. all of which demonstrate something ‘Real’ about the interaction, the friendship…… something honest……… something true…… something Loving…….. and Lovely.

And, somehow, ‘Real’ will always get through, come to light, be seen…….. ‘show’.

And that, is good. Even five days later, despite all the fog of intervening Life, that is very, VERY good.

And THAT is what we met last Sunday when +Gene visited S Mary’s to both Celebrate The Mystery of Christ (and Christianity) and to preach The Word (and this latter so very firmly based upon the words of the day’s readings of the lectionary).

Both the Eucharist and the sermon were so, SO ‘Real’.

If anyone there had previously doubted the true Reality of the man – let alone of the bishop – meeting +Gene that day, hearing him speaking from the depths of his faith, experience and insight, seeing his pastoral care and concern for several beloved who spoke with him ….. any Such a person, like Thomas touching the nail prints, would have Seen, And Believed……..

And, astonishingly, this particular incident of Reality certainly seems to me to transcend the limitations of recording. (Unlike ‘Big Bro’).

See For Yourself at http://thecathedral.org.uk (on 'Home Page' select 'Spirituality' and 'Preaching') or through the haze from the incense of http://thurible.net

The Dark Knight

Good film. Joker certainly deserved his Oscar. But very dark. Very violent. Quite gratuitous. Much be a '12' rating purely on technicality. Parents need to be aware.

"Socks.......... JUST what I always wanted......."

By the time you get to read this, TH will have Reached His Annual Auspicious Day. This year, ChickPea had Time To Prepare. Before the Partnership Blessing on Saturday, she dashed off into town to get TH a present. And what…. ?

Well, of course, there IS only one possible answer. What does the Man Who Has Everything always need ?

EXACTLY. Socks. So that’s what she got.

Now, for some obscure reason, TH does not much like getting socks. Through the years, ChickPea has given him cheap socks, good socks, silly socks, fancy socks, warm socks, Cool sox, Very Silly socks and Unbelievably Expensive socks – and his response is usually much the same……

So……..

She got him a book as well (about a puppy – aaaaaaaahhhhhh...)

TH never seems to read the books ChickPea buys for him. But he loves reading books……… (other books)……… So – she got him a book as well.

Happy Birthday, TH !

(Now…… how long d’you suppose it took before TH looked inside the front cover of the book, read the wee ‘post-it’ note, turned this over as directed to read the back of the ‘post-it’ note, and discovered there was another parcel hidden in the top cupboard downstairs……….. ?
(a) less than 0.03 seconds; (b) 0.03 seconds; (c) more than 3 minutes (plus prompting…..)

So - Now, at last, Him’n’Her can both play the Wii that TH bought (them) for ChickPea’s Unofficial Birthday a few months back ! ! )

Whistle, and the surplices come running........

There was a partnership blessing today, so the choir were being prised out of their Summer Cupboard, dust and mothballs shaken off, ready to wheel out for the occasion – the cassocks stood to attention, and when ChickPea whistled, the surplices all came running…….. then the singers arrived 10 minutes later…….

And all went well, all was well (apart from the organ sypher during the prayers), and the sun shone on the Happy Couple. Long may Happiness embrace them.

Tonight, TH is away singing in Strathallan.

While TH Cat is Away, Mouse Will Out To Play – yes – don’t tell ! - ChickPea’s having a fling !

Well…. several flings………. with Wally Washingmachine, Herbie Hanger, and Ivor Iron for starters, with C.Rumple and C.Rease muscling in on the action too… (oh dear - she’s evidently got to that age……)

Meantime, Mr Mutt yawns, looks bored and waits patiently for his late night stroll…….

bah.........humbug.........

ChickPea hoped yesterday that today this'd be deleted…. this is what the keyboard came up with yesterday…..

“ Ah Well…….. I guess it was very likely……very likely indeed. Or very unlikely – if you see what I mean…..

“That is, it was very very likely that ChickPea would NOT get the first job for which she got an interview, or very very UNlikely that she would get it……….

“Sorry, it’s 8.30pm at the end of what feels like a very long day……… and it’s dull, overcast and raining steadily……. The interview this morning seemed to go ok, the Interviewers were kind, job description (new role, post expected to evolve to accommodate department requirements) exciting and challenging in all the right ways, the workplace lovely, All Other Staff Encountered were great……. ChickPea thought she would fit in very well indeed, and was very hopeful……….they said they’ll be able to let us know tomorrow……..

“But…….the likelihood is high that No.1 Successful Candidate will actually have heard this afternoon, sleep on it and confirm in the morning ……. hence just the three others to hear tomorrow……..

“So all feels a bit doom and gloom here this evening. I think ChickPea is doing her usual thing of Expecting The Worst, so When The Worst Happens it’s only what she expected…. Ah Well…. I suppose it’s one way……..”

And today ? …….. nuthin’……… jus’ the rain, more rain…….. and more rain……..

Tomorrow we shall sing and celebrate the first Same-Sex Celebration at S M’s, and Sunday we have Bishop Gene along. Good-oh ! If Life Can Be Fair it’ll be sunny !