With another week of no decent
weather to speak of, my waterproof coat has been getting plenty of use and the
garden hasn’t had a watering can near it for months. Allegedly this is all due to change this week
with sunny days and temperatures in the mid 20’s.................I will believe
it when I see it, although today bodes well with a bright and warm start to the
day. About time too.
The conservatory saga drags on
and on..............two months into the project and all is now done apart from
the flooring. The boss man paid a visit
last week to check on progress and he was limping badly from a recent failed
knee operation. He ended up leaving with
one of the walking sticks my Mum had after her hip operation! Well the hospital won’t take them back so at
least one has been put to good use. No
wonder the costs to hospitals are continually rising if they don’t recycle
walking sticks, crutches and other mobility aids. Apparently it is due to hygiene
reasons......so why not have a large sterilisation tank and pop them all in for
a wash?
I recently attended a Christening
service for the son of some friends. The
service took the form of a very modern approach with plenty happy clappy
religious songs rather than hymns, the vicar was light hearted and made the
service appealing to all ages. The local
congregation was made up of all sorts of people, a chap with tattoos around his
face, various less able-bodied folks, children of various ages, but all had
come together to enjoy a morning of celebration and togetherness (to say
nothing of the buffet afterwards!).
Whilst some older people may feel that the church is deviating away from
tradition, a fun approach is needed in order to keep the pews full and to
attract new church members. It does not
detract from the religious side of proceedings (we were after all there for a
Christening), prayers, readings and a sermon were still part of the
service. The order of service had a note
to encourage children to play with the toys at the rear of the church and for
parents to carry on worshipping even if their offspring were making a
noise. What a difference from other churches
where congregation members are glared at if their child so much as sneezes. This coming weekend I am attending a First
Communion which I anticipate will be a more formal service but I could be
proved wrong.
More and more often I am seeing
people driving around town whilst using their mobile phones. They are often so engrossed in conversation
that they are oblivious to others on the road.
How can it possibly be safe to
drive with your head on your shoulder with a phone wedged in between? Last week on a five minute drive to a local
school I saw seven people using their phones when behind the wheel, two people
smoking, one person phoning and smoking and finally, unbelievably, the star of
the week, a woman brushing her hair (with a hairbrush) as she drove. What planet are these people on? What can be so important that someone needs
to put people’s lives at risk rather than pull over to use the phone?
Smoking whilst in the car with
children is something that riles me. I once
looked after a child who arrived every day stinking of cigarettes as she was
driven here in a car filled with the poisonous smog. She had a hacking smokers cough at 2 years
old and apparently there was nothing wrong with this according to her irresponsible
parent. Upon speaking to the health
visitor at the child’s surgery I was advised that they were unable to do
anything unless she was taken there by her parent on this or any other
matter. The local safeguarding children
authorities were unable to assist too as apparently it was not (at that time) considered
‘neglectful or abusive’. So much for
protecting children and maintaining their health – red tape and bureaucracy working
at their worst.
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