Postcard from Bali!

Bali is great so far! The weather is great! It's not as hot as I remember (thought it isnt the rainy season, which is humid hell! There's a nice breeze and the shade is fine!)

We've got a lovely place to stay in with nice room, swimming pool, great bathroom and even a fridge and TV in our room. I am used to having a real basic room in Bali (that was still great!) so it is a great surprise just how nice it is! Today, I got up, had a swim, had breakfast, then we got a Bemo (public transport) to the Arts centre and everyone else is watching a performance whilst I went to visit my old Landlord and his family and bring them some Toblerone! It's so nice to see them! And I found that I am still pretty fluent in Indonesian if the people just give me a chance and talk to me in Indonesian and not English! I may go and watch the Bamboo gamelan in a minute with the others!

The Flight was mad! I hardly slept at all, but it was ok! And they brought us Beechdean ice-cream (they sell it in Regent's park- it's made in the village where Music camp is!). The food was lovely and I had some lovely games of scrabble (after frantic searches, I found the travel one at last in one shop in the Duty Free!).

We have rehearsals every day, but they are fairly late so that's great! We're supposed to be watching some performance after the rehearsal this evening, which I am sure will be fine, though I enjoy playing more than watching!

Things seem more expensive this time, though I know that what I pay is still very little and that prices have gone up! And also, even if they overcharge me a bit, they certainly need the money more than I do. It's amazing how some people survive here- they earn so little.

Haven't quite escaped from work yet, as I had to speak to David at the airport, as he didnt know how to apply for an Export License, so that was quite funny. He was most apologetic! It was lovely to speak to him, and both of us were amazed at my knowledge regarding export licenses, in the absence of documents in my view! There's a thing!

Anyway, must dash, will have some lunch in the internet warung, then go and watch the performance!

Sempai ketemu lagi!

Every Duke and Lord and Earl is Here, everyone who should be here is here...

So it's Ladies Day at Ascot Day, so in honour of this I am wearing a big hat. Except, well, I wear big hats most of the time. Oooh, wouldn't it be loverly?!?!! - to go there!

As I mount the stairs after my mission to fill my litre bottles with water from the canteen, I suddenly realise that I will not have free gym membership when I leave here anymore (Free Gym membership AKA- having to walk miles, up and down stairs each day to get anything at work. Have I mentioned before that this place is a labyrinth?). Whilst most people feel agrieved at the lift breaking down, I will miss it's gift of exercise! Isn't it funny what we feel sad about?

Lost last night was interesting and created more questions than answers. Though, Mr Eko quoted the story of when Josiah found the book of Law when he was trying to collect gold to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and realised all the sins the Israelites had committed, whenceafter they reaffirmed the covenant with the LORD, which I only read last week in my lectionary. It would be amazing if today, we who have gone astray from the Lord Jesus could come back to him, and rebuild our relationship with him, rebuild our world...

Please pray for energy, focus and patience for me for my last two days of work. I have an awful lot to do before I go, and I want to make things as easy as possible for my successor. I truly believe only Grace will get me through in time...

If you're bored and want to try something new...

Ever wanted to jam it as a mad rock guitarist? Go Here to experience star status in the safety of your own home. Not your thing? Are you a more plinky-plonky airy-fairy type? Click here to have a play of Harry Partch's own designed instruments! They're fantastic! I like the zithery things! See, everyone can have a go at being a musician!

The Glad game

Have decided to implement mine and Nikki's Pollyanna top 10 style of positive evaluation and thankfulness of our day again, so here are yesterdays.

Kxx

1. Nice company at lunchtime!
2. Nice and sunny!
3. Woke up early and had time for breakfast
4. Had a nice sit and contemplation of the beauty of our garden at 7am having got up early!
5. Sophie has come in (my tabby cat) to visit the past 3 days!
6. Meeting Alex for ice-cream on Wednesday. Ice-cream in any context is fab!
7. Only a little while to go until the mad-last-minute madness ends at work!!
8. Nice dinner- albeit eaten on the go!
9. Mint chocolate chip ice-cream when I got home from Gamelan-mmmmmmmm!
10. Regent’s Park: even just thinking about it’s beauty, peace and vibrant life makes me smile!

Only a matter of time...

Get your own countdown at BlingyBlob.com


Completely and utterly nicked from Gill's blog! Isn't it preeeeeeeeeeeety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink"

We're always being warned that we should drink lots of water, as for the numerous health benefits it offers us aside from proving essential for life. The usual norm I believe we are advised of is 2 litres in non-extraneous weather conditions. Thus far today I have drunk about 5litres and am still going (it's hot!). That is maybe rather excessive. However it does several things:

• Suppresses appetite
• Helps wash through any 'infections' through your system
• Is good for your skin
• Is good for headaches

etc etc. None of these are any particular reason that I have for drinking the amount I drink, but I like drinking it and I know that I should drink a certain amount of water, therefore I do. For a start it's free and we have drinkable water from the tap (quite a rarity in many countries! Thank the Lord for that!). However, I've recently encountered a fair number of people who actually say they don't like the taste of water. I can't figure it out! Isn't that the point?! Maybe it's because I was brought up not having fizzy sugary drinks except for a treat, so therefore I drank lots of water. Water just IS! Can anyone offer any pearls of wisdom? Is it like the 'salt' argument that many people who smother their food with salt without even tasting it? If they actually took the chance to try food, their taste-buds would mature and they could actually discern flavours in the end and wouldn't need the salt anymore. For it's the salt they are tasting isn't it? Of course we need some salt in our diets, it's necessary for functions. However, I personally cannot cope with salty food (I used to be like the above, though not excessively. I at least tried the food first) now, as I have slowly weaned it out of my diet.

Any ideas?

Yours sincerely and confused,

K

Spellchecker

My spellchecker makes me laugh! I was checking some minutes today and my loyal computer queried the name 'Gilthorpe'. Fair enough, it's not an average word that might be in a dictionary. But when it offers you 'Oglethorpe' as an alternative (that well known word??!?!), one has to wonder what it's up to!

Other amusements in the past include my name being offered the alternatives: Queerness or Kernel and my dear friend Liz's surname was rejected in favour of Bathrobe. Though nowadays it seems to have tamed and actually considers us real!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen Shoreditch...

(This is quite sad to admit, but I wrote this at the time, for later posting, so I could remember it forever!!)

I'm writing this as I depart from Shoreditch station for the last time (also my first time!). I must say it has been a lovely experience. I had a real sense of excitement as I reached the station. For at that moment I knew that I had the answer to my mystery. Yes, the mystery platform 93/4 is indeed Shoreditch. I alighted the train and wondered what to do now I had got there. Before anything came to mind, I couldn't help but notice the plethora of cameras surrounding me. And not an anorak in sight! As it's good to know where one is, I climbed up the stairs to the quaint (unusually with no ticket machines) country-style ticket hall. More cameras.
Next, I left to have a look (more cameras) in front of the station. Then I took a wander up Brick Lane, which I have to say really deserves its name. It's very pretty and has cobbled streety bits as well.

It was only after the purchase of a Feta, Basil and Tomato baguette from a chic Organic cafe that I realised I had left my infamous lunchbag on the train. Though dismayed at the thought that my lovely bad might never be seen again, I couldn't help but feel a little gleeful that I had a legitimate reason to return to the station so soon. However, as my pace quickened, I couldn't help but recoil with horror as my mind speculated as to how typical it would be if I had imbolised Shoreditch station as a supected bomb site security alert at this historic time. The sight of lots of transport police did nothing to ease my fears as I walked the final yards to the entrance....

Thankfully my fears were unfounded, as I found the Duty Manager to discover that nothing had been reported or noticed (or not, however you want to look at it). Much joking and friendly mockery ensued as High Command wre radioed to alert all drivers. I was given the option to wait 30mins or so to see if it turned up. I accepted this, therefore made my way down to the platform and had a good old nosy at the end of the platform that can be seen fom Liverpool Street trains (as two trains passed, I resisted the urge to wave manically to see if anyone noticed).

Next I made my observation of the various 'trainspotters' that were there; they all seemed a nice bunch. There was some sort of official 'tour' going on (the participants receiving a goody-bag of 'Shoreditch/East London line merchandise (watch out Ebay!) and fancy cameras all over the place. I concluded that the main subjects of photography were:

• The front of every train that arrived on the platform. Even the ones that said 'New Cross Gate' instead of 'Shoreditch'.
• The Shoreditch Underground sign
• Any tiny scrap of literature on the station inc. the word Shoreditch.
• Timetables
• The very smart looking train drivers arriving
• The platform
• The train tracks
• One man seemed to be filming the empty space in front of him. He wasn't panning, just still. I didn't want to disturb his peaceful demeanour to ask what he was filming.

(Here I must confess to taking a phone picture of a train, the sign and the view of the platform and if I ever work out how, I'll post them for posterity)

After a while Mr Underground came to inform me that nothing had been found. Whoever took it is going to be a little disappointed (and maybe a little disgusted?) as it only had in it some very mouldy fruit scraps and banana peel* which I was taking home for the compost bin. Though of course they will receive a natty little lunch bag.

Hmmm, dont know if I can face the humiliation of telling the witty guy at the Lost Property Office that I've lost it again.** And waiting to see if it turns up. And paying another £4 for its redemption!

I decided that at this point I would like to get home and didn't stay for the FINAL train (all sorts of rumours about steam engines!), but I hope those loyal fans enjoy it. I suppose if you take the literal definition of 'Trainspotter' then I guess I am now it!

*that had been festering in a mug at work (many drops make an ocean and all that though, in this case, many peelings make a stench)

** my bag that is, not my my marbles; I think he already thinks I've lost these. If anyone finds them, they're a pretty shade of blue and I'd appreciate their safe return ;-)

Blogs are like buses. Not one for ages, and then six come at once!

Train spotting:
I think I am going to commit a real ‘social Faux-pas’ today! I am going to do some train-spotting. Namely, that today is the last day ever that Shoreditch station will be in use EVER! It’s being closed to make room for the East London line extension into Hackney (Hackney at last will have a tube!!!! No more faffing on the North London line!). The line will instead go from Whitechapel to the new Shoreditch High Street and beyond, going via Dalston etc. Shoreditch will become yet another of the famous London Ghost stations. Now, I’ve never been to Shoreditch station before but have been intending to for some years. The reason is, that it is my personal Platform 9 ¾. For years, when departing on the mainline train from Liverpool Street outwards I would very occasionally see a mysterious platform curving to the right, as I came a few hundred metres out of platform 18. It wasn’t there everytime, but I would look out for it. It really looked like an olde worlde station and nobody who I asked could tell me what this platform was. Then one-day when telling someone about it, they put forward the hypothesis that it might be Shoreditch station. I was a little disbelieving at first, as this seemed far too ordinary an explanation for my mysterious platform, but then another person suggested the same at a later date. I have always meant to check this out, but have never got around to it. Now today is my only chance. Therefore I am going to embrace this final opportunity to test my hypothesis.


RSI from Texting
I couldn’t help but notice the headline of a Metro article on the paper left on the seat as I departed the tube: “Text Girl of 8 gets RSI”. Isn’t that terrible!! She must be doing some serious texting to get repetitive strain injury. It’s funny the way it crops up in relation to technology: I often hear of people getting it from repetitive Mouse-use (also applies to playing Bassoons and piano but I don’t know enough about that to bore anyone with my opinion). I have to say, I had a really embarrassing RSI once. One summer I was working at a hotel which was around 45mins walk from my temporary house in Dalston, and because of the terrible transport choice in Hackney (see above), plus the fact I finished at midnight, (therefore that which was available had probably stopped) there was no direct way for me to get there without a great amount of faffing, so I elected to seek other means. It was the time when Microscooters were all the rage, and someone I knew had bought theirs in Hackney, and since I can’t ride a bike (balance issues), I thought I’d like to get one. So I did, and so happily raced down roads to and from work. Except, I wasn’t very good at it, the paths were very bumpy, there were lots of turns along my route, and I had a problem that I could only do it with my right foot, and because my balance isn’t the greatest (see above bike problem) therefore I had to do a lot more of the foot work than others might. And the result of this after about 3 weeks was that I had really painful RSI on my right ankle, to the point that scootering was impossible, walking was quite difficult, so I had to give up the micro-scooter, and once the ankle started to get a bit less painful (luckily I went on holiday for 2 weeks) I walked the route instead.

Getting up early
I have really terrible trouble getting up. And I mean I am terrible! My long-suffering mother who has to call out, my alarm-clock which has to wait an additional 20mins for me to get up (I set it early, so as I am not late). But it’s really funny, that anytime I really have to be up early for something at work, and I make a little plea towards God that he will help me to get up, I seem to wake up ten minutes before my alarm is due to go off. Like this morning for example. I woke up at 6.35am. And what a lovely leisurely experience it was. I went and took my mug of hot water into the garden and sat and drank it in the ‘secret garden’ (My Mum’s name for the place where the bench is in our garden) with a purring cat beside me. And I had time to make a pleasant salad, plus eat wheetabix and muffins for my breakfast! And then I walked to the station (not ran) and arrived 45minutes early to work. Enough time to complete my tasks! Praise be the Lord!

Curtain hooks!
Ok, I have encountered some random tasks in my current job. I am frequently sent on errands for things urgently required in the workshop. But that's the way I like it. A bit of variation from the every-day admin. Well today’s mission was curtain hooks! The instrument store was hot and so we wanted to hang a large pink velvet curtain on the metal mesh shutters in a mid to prevent the store heating up. Now my very kind Boss asked me if I could go and purchase some curtain hooks. As I have a) never seen one b) never hung curtains c) not a nuts and bolts expert, I was a little perplexed and asked him what I should ask. He replied “just ask for metal curtain hooks, they’ll know what you mean”. So Journey no.1, I made my way to the hardware store. I asked as I was instructed. I was then asked “Open or closed?”. I replied “Pardon”. I then decided that probably open seemed to describe what was required. I was wrong. Upon my return my boss was puzzled as to what they were, then proceeded to draw an S shape in the air, and said that this was the shape of the type I needed. He gave me a little plastic model. I went to the shop, they found me something to fulfil my drawn in the air description. Again, I was wrong. My illustrious Boss had never seen any of the article I had brought him, and anyway they were too big to go through the mesh. He then told me to go to the posh curtain shop which was around a 15 min walk away, as they’d know what I needed. Ever so slightly less merrily than before, I made my way to curtain shop. The helpful assistant in the pink shirt directed me to a large selection of curtain hooks of various times. I stared at them like a girl trying to understand the off-side rule. He then asked me the type of curtain I had and what the fitting on the curtain for hooks was. Blank look. He told me I couldn’t bring them back if I had opened them and they were the wrong type. I decided to call my Boss, as I was not wanting to make a fourth visit, and thought I’d make the shop assistant talk to him. The line was engaged. We both irately waited for the engaged tone to be gone on the subsequent attempts. After five minutes, harassed looking assistant went to help someone else and I lurked amongst the voile ringing my phone again and again. After 15mins of embarrassment with suspicious looks at my loitering (I am not a shoplifter, Mr man in the very nice blue shirt!), I managed to get through to someone in an office on the same corridor, who kindly went to ask one of the restorers in my office if they could finish their phone call (trust me to phone when wood Xray analysis was being discussed over the phone!) and get my boss to call me. I then waited for the call back. 3 minutes later I called. My boss was in a meeting and couldn’t be disturbed, so with J looking at the curtains on my behalf and talking to the shop assistant on the phone, I hazarded a guess and purchased some hooks. I got them back. As the box was opened, it turned out, these were yet another alien type of curtain hook and not what was wanted(I confess at letting out a rather miserable sigh), but luckily J had the great brainwave of bending them (I confess a treachorous thought at this time along the lines of 'We could have done that with paper clips!'), and somehow the curtain was hung.

More secret Passages!
As my weeks count down, to Point Zero (i.e. leaving work!!!), the wish to find a real real secret passage has been playing upon my mind. I took my replacement for this job for a tour around the building to meet some of the people she will have contact with. As we visited the Printer (lovely lovely man!) and they were talking, I couldn’t help but notice that a door to the outside world was open, but ran into a small passageway. Excitedly I leapt through the doorway, looked from left to right, and spied a small low doorway in the wall, I entered the space and found myself in a little space, with another passageway leading from it. Unfortunately, it didn’t really lead anywhere but should the place ever be invaded by terrorists, then there’s a cool place to hide, and an exit to the outside world. I asked the Printer about it and he said it was apparently the Coal hole. I have to say it was very exciting though!!!

That Friday Feeling
My computer suffers from that Friday feeling. It sort of slows down, freezes and is generally stubborn every Friday. For no reason. IT don’t know why, nobody else’s does it but mine has a Technostrop and has done for the last couple of months. Strangely today, not a peep! Nope, it loaded itself up serenely and quietly without any undue fuss and has been as good as gold for the rest of the day. Now, if I wasn’t an optimistic person, I might think it was working itself up for an almighty strop, whilst lulling me into a false sense of security, but I suspect maybe it has suddenly realised that I am about to leave it forever, and is trying to woo me into staying by behaving! Wahey!

Right, I’ll get my anorak on and make my way to Shoreditch!

MY
OFFICE
IS
A
FURNACE
!!!!!!!!!


AHRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 ways in which God blessed me yesterday

1. Waking up late, there was no way I could make it in time for the last train which would not make me late for work, so I journeyed to the station, resigning myself that I would be two minutes too late for it. As I got there- it too was 2 minutes late!
2. I wanted to go to CU at lunchtime, but also had to go to the Artshop, so I thought that I would go to the Artshop and then join then 5minutes late. I couldn't find a sign about where the meeting was, and as I made my way back to work, I resigned myself that I probably couldnt find it in time, but felt disappointed, but was somehow drawn by a desire to go to the park, and decided that I would sit near the entrance far back under the furthest tree. Would you believe it, as I came to my selected tree, there under it were the CU members who in the absence of a room, had decided to have the meeting in the park (I later found out, on the room in which they were supposed to have it was opposite my office, and they'd put a sign on it!). Mike led a good study looking at the Law and the Passover, Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles- we were struck by the amazing symmetry of God's workings. 3000 were killed when Moses came down after receiving the law (they had been worshipping the golden calf), the first Pentecost, and then the first Pentecost after Jesus was risen, 3000 came to faith!
3. I wanted to go home on time last night, but in the end, stayed finishing work till 6.30 and doing some music transcription till around 8. And He allowed me the opportunity to absolutely be (I hope and think) in the right place at the right time for something.

Oh and thinking of things to be glad for:
I got some lovely free alphabet stamps courtesy of Do Crafts which I look forward to using, my lunch was really yummy, we've had enough Summer school applications, though I haven't always had the opportunity to go, CU members are lovely and I will miss them very much, and I watched Lost!!!