Jesus is risen!

He is risen, He returned from the dead and He did it for us!!! Hallelujah!

The house on Blossom Street

My Mum said I must borrow this book as I was sure to like it.  She was right.

The central link to this book is a knitting shop entitled A Good Yarn in a Seattle town.  The four main characters Lydia- a 30 something girl who has spent her life struggling against a returning brain tumour. IThe stress claimed her father and now she wants to live again through the one thing that has kept her going through the hard times: her knitting.
Alix is a punky young girl, abandoned by her parents and fighting for herself yet never believing she's good enough- she has a good heart and a determination to keep clean though.
Carol yearns for a baby, a baby her body keeps rejecting. She's down to her last IVF chance and doesn't know what she will do if she doesn't manage to carry a pregnancy to term. 
Jacqueline is a pricky, snobby society lady, rich and spoilt who can't bear her Southern daughter in law.  Her husband plays away and she just can't help jabbing out at anyone in her way.

They are all drawn to Lydia's shop for reasons linked to their difficulties.  As they learn to knit, they forge friendships and links.

This book had a lot of heart.  I wanted all the characters to be well and right. I wanted it to work out for them.   It is rather chick-lit but it has a lovely innocent quality to it at times (not always).   I like books with happy endings and yes it has one of those. I like the changing relationships and dynamics between characters in the stories.  I like the knitting references (which again serve to make me lament my own Knittus incapabilitus!)

Read it if you want a light read that makes you feel you'd like the world to be a kinder place which works out!

Borrowed this from Ang's blog (hope you don't mind!) which she got from here.

Last year my Good Friday post included the last verse of When I survey the wondrous cross, which I  played on my flute. I find that somehow, the words conveyed with music really help to speak the heart, if that makes sense.

This morning, we were blessed with glorious sun as we walked the march of witness around my town with the cross and visited all the churches in the area (the fellowship of churches) ending in a united service.  Then a beautiful intimate, quiet meditation at 2pm back at the church, at the foot of the cross.
This year, not being able to upload anything (disaster of camera and all recording devices left at school), I wanted to share another song which moves me on Good Friday, At the foot of the cross  by Derek Bond (1991), yet only two videos on Youtube, both not quite suitable.  So I leave you with his lyrics:

At the foot of the cross
I can hardly take it in
That the king of all creation
Was dying for my sin.
Oh the pain and suffering
From the thorns that pierced your head
And the hardness of my sinful heart
That left you there for dead.
And oh what mercy I have found
On the Cross of Calvary
I will never know your loneliness
All on account of me
I will bow my knee before your throne for your love has set me free
I will give my life to you dear Lord, and praise your najesty
And praise your majesty.

It is finished.

Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos

This evening, I learnt about and thought about something  really interesting I'd not realised or thought about before.  It is Maundy Thursday.  I've attended a church service this evening for several years.  I always thought it was just (I say 'just' as in, without the other things I've discovered tonight) about Jesus sharing the last supper with his disciples and setting the example of how he wanted them to remember his sacrifice. 
But today, I've discovered it means so much more than that.

The name (which I didn't know) came from the latin mandatum which means commandment.  The middle English equivalent of that was Maundy.

It comes from the phrase from the gospel: "A new Commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you."

It was the passover and Jesus had shared the Passover with his disciples, the old institution, the lamb sacrificed to rescue Israel from Egypt.  That linked to the original 10 commandments.  And the same night, he instituted the new commandment and the new meal (holy communion)- so it was a combination of the two meals in one evening: the old and the new.  The eve after which he would give up his life, the final sacrifice, the lamb to be slain for the wrongdoing.  Tonight, we arrived at church to find the Passover meal set up on a long table in the chancel.  We shared that passover meal:

Source here:  The lamb, unleavened bread, salt water, bitter herbs (horse radish, chicory, lettuce, horehound), Charoseth (a paste mixture of apples, dates, pomegranates, nuts) and wine.

It was really nice and unusual.

We shared holy communion (passed around between each of us) and then stripped the altar.  All was left bare and sparse.  It never fails to move me.
At the last supper, as well as sharing and instituting the first holy communion, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He said 'Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

The talk, which our music leader gave talked about why Jesus did this.  The fundamental fact was that He said that Peter (and indeed I) cannot be part of him without letting him wash my feet.  It was necessary for Jesus, the author of Creation, he who all authority had been given to,  to wash my feet.  He who did no wrong, to wash my feet: to cleasne me from all  I have done or failed to do.  And I should do likewise, wash the feet of those around me, give lovingly, caringly, being servant-like.

It was lovely and very powerful and left me thoughtful for the rest of the evening

Were you aware of its meaning or were you like me?


xx

Daisy daisy!

I often see bloggers sharing wishlists of things they'd like on blogs. I've done maybe one or two in my almost eight years of blogging but in this case, I daren't buy anything, I have far too much, but it's nice to admire pretty things I love daisies!!! For some reason, I have always loved them, so cheerful! I don't really buy much from New Look but the last time I bought anything, on line from there was a daisy shirt from their 9-15 range and a daisy-top!  So I had a look and I spotted lots of gorgeous daisy beauties!  Would you like any of these?

Mel by Melissa Nude Fresh Flower Pumps

I find the Melissa and Vivienne Westwood Anglomania shoes all a bit bizarre just because they are glam but in beach shoe material but I imagine they are very practical because they'd just dry off in the rain! I love seeing bloggers wearing them but they usually have big heels that I wouldn't be able to walk in!  I think these daisy pumps would be really pretty for when I go camping and want something waterproof to slip on.

Rocket dog daisy pumps
These definitely are the epitomy of funky daisy!  Sadly, I find Rocket dog shoes in size 8, a little too small for me (they use size 41 I believe) so it'd be no good me buying them- shame as I love everything about them


Kelly Brook bikini top
I used to have a bikini similar to this as a teenager that I bought from River-island, it was so funky, I wonder what happened to it! I love the retro look

Kelly Brook skirted bikini bottoms
The matching bottoms are really nice because they are aren't too high cut which I don't like! The skirt is a lovely femine touch!

 Parisian lace skater skirt
This is far too short for me but I love the ballet-tutu feel to this!!!

Rocket Dog daisy backpack
I need to check the dimensions on this because I really like it, if it were the size that A4 or bigger could fit in!

Rocket Dog Black Jazzin Daisy Lace up Trainers
Hey these are pretty cute! Hurrah for Rocket Dog!

Desert Lily Navy Crochet Trim T-Shirt

Ok, technically no daisies here but it's pretty AND cotton!!!

Forgive the frivolous! I saw and I shared!xxx

Tray bake

You wish.
I wish indeed!



This may be my most spectacularly rubbish upcycle or make EVAH!  But I shall still share it in case it inspires you to show me how to do it better or you think of some scabby unloved tea-tray too!
Old boring, scabby wooden tray in the kitchen has sat unloved and unused for ages.  Was going to visit a charity shop near you but I decided to have a little mess around before I did anything so drastic!

I dug out a daisy shaped paper punch, some acrylic paints and a big stubby paint-brush (and some scrap card) and cut myself a template which I then used to make a line of daisies. It looked bare and boring so I found one of my most disliked/avoided craft devices, the rubber stamp, (despite this fact, I seem to have loads of them, mostly gifts, bumper pack items or bargain bin finds) and proceeded to make it look even worse by adding rows of fern on either side using more acrylics!  Next time, I'll do decoupage instead!

You're wondering about the cake, right?  Surely we all appreciate a gratuitous cake shot (a Cadbury's chocolate cream gateau that was tragically found on the Reduced to Quick Sale counter at Tescos. I had to rescue it in order to help it achieve its destiny of lining one greedy person's many persons' stomachs. It is delicious, incidently.  I still have half to go!



I always end up left up with a bit of acrylic paint left which it seems a shame to chuck as it is expensive so I made a sort of swirly pattern on the back of a cracker box.  I then cut them up to make these two Easter cards (also using some scraps of card hanging around) and some Anita's daffodil stickers to give a lovely Spring look!
Somehow, sitting there watching Ella Enchanted as I did this, I ended up using the corrugated coffee card leftovers to make hearts and made this other masculine Love card!  I suppose it could be a Valentines!

I just got back from attending a Lindy class in London.  Usually, I feel really psyched after these but I really had trouble with the moves tonight- it involved a quick spin using single step footwork (as opposed to a triple step) and I just kept landing awkardly/badly and an immediate contrasting turn in the opposite direction which threw me off each time.  I felt like my partners thought 'what on earth is she doing?'  Plus I sat and watched the Intermediate class after (whilst waiting for CBC) and discovered I could have joined in if I had really wanted to, which is a shame as they learnt a realllllllly cool move called 'Around the World' (like the Yo-yo!).  I paid the extra to do some social dance after but CBC had a horrid day and wasn't in the mood for dancing but at least we went to Wagamamas and I ate far more ramen than is healthy for one person to do!

Hope you are well!x

The link party:

Lakota's Ta Dah Tuesday featuring one fab Angry Birds cake!


Claire Justine's Creative Mondays

Cynthia's In and out of the kitchen linkie.
and the Daring Card Makers Spring challenge for this week!

Be sure to go and visit!

A pause for Lent 2013 #6

It's the last Pause for Lent.

I've struggled about what to post hence why I've left it till now.  I've struggled to write quite a few of these posts.  Maybe it was the poem- it seemed obvious, what more could I say that wouldn't be just words. I just prayed just now and the following literally leapt into my brain at the start:

You can't do it alone

What does that mean in context?

I increasingly find that in this present age, much serves to try and isolate us from each other be it internet shopping, kindles (i.e. no library).  Don't get me wrong, these are great things in themselves and in  a sense promote community (i.e. bloggin!) but the ultimate combination can result in isolation.

Community has never been so important in this current age. We need it, we need to nurture it, value it and work at it.

My home group from church have been talking about serving our community.  What are our community's needs.  There was a little bit of a difference of opinion over it.  I questioned whether people actually know what they need/want.  We are so wrapped up in ourselves that we don't always think about it. Another teacher agreed with me.  She said that some parents don't know what they need, they can't articulate it or fathom it out. Others said that our community wants to feel safe, protected, wants to feel that they can walk out without fear of attack, without worrying. That's something we cannot do alone.  It takes responsibility from all of us. For us to be alert, help others, reassure them.

Community starts from God.  Prayer is never a thing you do alone.  It's always a duet! God is there, even if you struggle to hear his voice or think you haven't/don't hear it at all.  He never answers in the way you think but he does, nonetheless.  He is there to listen if only I could be patient and WAIT to hear his voice instead of wanting instant gratification like all this technology offers and expecting him to pick up and give a simple answer.  He's bigger than that! I can have no concept of what he is really like other than that if he is eternal, his concept of time is a lot different to mine!!  It takes trust and it takes time and it takes belief. Faith is not being given a big obvious piece of undeniable proof, it's being certain of what you believe and being certain of what you hope for without seeing it. 

The church is built on fellowship. It isn't meant to be something you do on your own.  You and God Alongside You and a community.  Yes, the church or community you are in might not be ideal, it might be irritating, you might not want to 'mix' with the people there (Read C.S. Lewis' writings in the Screwtape letters for thoughts on this), I for instance felt highly irritated with the church warden who told me to go and sit with the choir yesterday even though I had missed practice and wanted to sit at the back (as he surely realised I thought at the time but maybe he just wanted to reassure me it was ok to go to the front!), but they are a fellowship, they are brothers and sisters.  Anytime I find myself irritated with anyone (because we are human.  Christians are not robots who don't experience the difficulties.  We make mistakes, we can be mean, we can be unkind but we should try again and hopefully we are trying to put it right!  Don't think because someone Christian was mean to you that therefore it is all nonsense) Yes, there are people that use it wrongly and that is awful.  We all hear the tales of people who have done wrong and they should be held accountable but loving those around us in general life is something to work at.

Struggles aren't meant to be faced alone.  They are meant to be faced with God and with a fellowship of  Those around.

I cannot do it alone.

Or in this concept, more appropriately:
 We cannot do it alone.

xx

What a weekend!

Actually that post title makes it sound like it all went wrong!  It didn't- I just couldn't think of a post title!

I've had an interesting weekend which has been enjoyable!

Friday night:


The Gamelan concert went really well on the whole!  Short ride in a fast machine by John Adams was the main piece I was playing in (hence the music stands- you don't usually use music stands for gamelan as it is learnt by ear and played from memory!  It went fairly well although my hand totally seized up about 2 pages into it and I was worried I wouldn't be able to continue- it was going so fast (140 beats a minute!).

I adore my friend's necklace!  She got it made at Tatty Devine! Isn't it the best!

CBC and I enjoyed a lovely Malaysian meal afterwards- a great Singapore Laksa with even too much for me to finish!


Saturday morning we went swimming which was a good idea as I was in SUCH a grump, I was tired and headachy!  Poor CBC!


Saturday afternoon we visited a lovely French patisserie we hope will make our wedding cake to moon over cake pictures and to eat goats-cheese baguettes and exquisite chocolate mousses (micce??)

In the evening we headed to the coast for a leaving do for a work colleague of CBC's.
Anticipating the cold but wanting to still try and be a little glam (but covered up!) I wore a black velvet skater dress (from local Boutique Kush) with an Edwardian-style high-necked wool jumper underneath with tights and Hush puppies!  It was just right as it was not warm in the venue!




There was lots of delicious food (Katie, there was a house-sized strawberry mille-feuille!!!!! Why oh why I didn't take a photo!) a great band comprising of teachers and we had a nice time analysing the lazer-light patterns on the walls!






Sunday, I am ashamed that I woke up late so I missed the Palm Sunday parade from the clock tower in my 'town?' and had to chase it down the street to church.  SUCH an interesting sermon and approach to the service.  We didn't have communion, because on Palm Sunday Jesus had not instituted Holy Communion and we symbolically ripped pieces of cloth from the cross to represent our ripping apart Jesus with all the ways we have done hurtful, sinful and wrong actions against him which we then bound to the cross to represent being healed- like sheets were ripped up and used to bind and stem wounds in World War 1.




The afternoon has been most jolly spent dancing around the house to Django Reinhardt!!!!

How has your weekend been?

xx



Linking to Claire Justine oxo

52 weeks of happy (possibly 11- haven't got a clue!)

Hey! Lots of happy stuff this week (Stuff, the word that is the bane of the teacher trying to produce articulate children with high levels of oracy!  On the Ire-scale it is closely followed by thingie and thing)


1. Need I say, that Lindy-hop dance (and in fact swing dance in general- the shag and charleston too!) have been the highlight of my week!  Here I am dancing with a lovely old chap who kindly dances with me every time I see him despite him being really good and me being not so!)


2.  Finally wearing my birthday dress- the Cath Kidston train dress I hoped for (with a red petticoat underneath!).  However, then our eyes met across a crowded dance room and we noticed we were wearing the same dress!  We laughed lots and couldn't resist the opportunity for a twin photo!  Also, Char was wearing hers on Saturday too I think!!!!)


3.  Making really nice meals to come home to this week:  Salmon teriyaki with sweet potato mash with peas and sweetcorn on Monday (plus chinese leaf cabbage which I unfortunately consumed before plating!).  Wednesday- chicken fillet with chives and roasted with leeks, roast potatoes,  (and again, sweet corn and chinese leaf cabbage was consumed beforehand as I was in a hurry!).  A shame my camera battery died tonight as I had a smashing Chipolata, onion and tomato bake with boiled potatoes (with butter) and you've guessed it- chinese leaf cabbage (and peas!) with oodles of coriander on top

4.  Coriander!  Oh how I adore it!  It amused me greatly that as soon as I had left the Self-service checkout at Tescos, I greedily ate handfuls of the plant, much to the bemusement of shoppers entering the shop! It's quite fun being weird sometimes! Excuse Mr Aloe Vera who wanted in on the photo action!

5.  Over the top blingie jewellery inspired by Kate Middleton ring (Peacocks and Primark respectively) which prompted loads of 'Diana and Kate' comments.  Oh and finding a hat (handknitted by friend) in my collection that hasn't been shared on this blog (actually there are still a few that haven't!  Despite the fact I've shown about 45 on her)

What has made you happy this week???



Linking up to Claire Justine oxo

Gamelan

So several of you asked what gamelan was:

Well, gamelan is the word to describe the word for orchestra in Indonesia- this orchestra is an ensemble consisting of varied sizes of metallophones, usually cast out of bronze or iron with wooden frames with bamboo resonators within (If you're wondering what a metallophone is, it's what lots of people mistakenly call a 'xylophone' but xylophones are the ones made out of wood.  Don't worry, it's a habit I spend about 5 years trying to get my children out of!); huge hanging gongs of mixed diameters, smaller knobbled gongs which are laid out horizontally in racks looking rather like saucepan lids, double headed drums, a 2 stringed fiddle (played like a cello) and some bamboo flutes.

Here's a google search which will show you what they look like (don't want to have any copyright issues until I can sift through and find some of my own photos!)
So are you with me so far?  Gamelan is the term for an orchestra of mainly percussion instruments (things you hit and shake) with the exception of the bamboo flutes and the two-stringed fiddles.
You find variations on a gamelan all around Indonesia. You find them mostly in Sunda (the Western mountains of Java), the centre of Java, Bali and there are also traditions in Lombok, Sumatra and more.

In Bali alone, there are loads of different types of Gamelan.

The most popular type is called Gong Kebyar and it has been around since the 20th century but is an amalgamation of older gamelan traditions.  Its sound is like the bursting open of a flower- shimmering, bright, loud, brilliant, exhilirating!  A tiny portable gamelan set is called the Gamelan angklung and is traditionally played for cremation ceremonies in Bali.

The tuning is different to our Western concept of notes:  we have what's called Equal temperament:  that means basically, that no matter where you go, a C always sounds the same, (ABCDEFG likewise)- the notes are equally spaced apart with the same number of herz between them.  In Bali, every Gamelan has its own unique tuning so if you played a tune in one village, it might sound different in another village.  Notes don't have names like A, B, C.  In Bali, they are referred to as nung, nang, neng, nung etc.  In Java, they are referred to as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (with a dot placed over the note to indicate a higher 1 or a dot under, to indicate a lower 1, etc).  Gong Kebyar uses a 5-note mode (i.e. a set of 5 notes)- so it is often considered 'pentatonic' (which means music that only uses 5 tones. Much oriental traditional music is also pentatonic)

Gamelan is a social thing- it is not meant to be played by one person alone but by the community.  In Bali, every village has its own banjar (local meeting place) where they have a gamelan which will have a collective of local men who play it (for religious ceremonies, auspicious days, weddings etc), children will learn to play and in recent times, women's groups too. Unlike many of our Western instruments which can and are played alone or as a group.  Instrruments are paired so two instruments compliment each other- one is tuned ever so slightly higher than the other so they make a shimmering wah wah sound together due to the slight clash of frequencies. They aren't mean to be played alone.
Its main purpose is to accompany traditional and religious dance- for ceremonies (Bali is Hindu)- births, marriages, cremations, tooth-filing, all manner of purposes!But there is also a strong concert aspect to it- performing in competitions, it's incredibly virtuosic!

Where do I come into this?   At university, I was extraordinarily lucky to have 3 gamelans to be able to learn: One from Bali, one from Sunda (West Java) and central Java.  I really enjoyed it and was asked to join my teacher's performing group outside of Uni. We did a variety of different concerts, all brilliant fun, including taking part in the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations parading to the Palace playing Baleganjur, a parading type of Gamelan.  Consequently, I joined a contemporary Gamelan group at the South Bank centre with which I was lucky to play in some great concerts including the Purcell room
 and in Bremen, taking part in a small improvisation group called Nem who played at the Spitz (RIP).  Finally, I went to study it in-situ at the arts college in Denpasar Bali on a scholarship from the Indonesian Goverment.

Anyway, that's just a leeetle introduction for those of you that asked!  Post any questions in the comments box!

The coat in the window!

Recently I went to gorgeous Wallingford in Oxfordshire for a friend's birthday.  It was a beautiful day and Wallingford is a truly gorgeous place which I'd love to visit for longer than the time it takes for a birthday meal.  As we were leaving the town to make the sojourn home, we pulled up at a red traffic light and naturally, I glanced to my left to find an Oxfam in front of my eyes.  With the most perfect looking vintage coat (or so I thought, rightly so!) in the window.  It was a Sunday, we had to go.  There was no chance I was going to get it (nor did I need it but that's beside the point)

Somehow, I found myself texting my friend curiously mentioning it and wondering if perhaps she might be passing said Oxfam tomorrow.  She laughingly returned a message saying that she would be walking into town and would have a look.  A phone call the next day, to check on size told me that I had a good eye apparently, as it was a mint condition Jaeger vintage coat that the shop ladies hastened to add was a really good quality buy.

Finally, coat and I met this Satuday at my birthday lindy-hop outing, where K came up to celebrate my birthday!  It was just as perfect as I had briefly, for 2 seconds (really, it was only that long- the lights changed) viewed it and fits me perfectly.  Pure wool, it kept me wonderfully warm at church on Sunday morning.


I teamed it with my other designer charity shop vintage recent find- the Aquascutum skirt, an H&M cardigan, Warehouse via Charity-shop blouse with vintage pressed flower brooch, Hush-puppies (totally forgot I had these! Thanks mice for making me sort out under the chest of drawers!) and Primark binocular case bag and I felt achieved quite a pleasing (if unironed!) ensemble for me!



We had the most aaaaaaaaaamazing time on Saturday night, it's literally the first time in years that I have had so many people celebrate my birthday (if ever!) - I had one or two incredible dances, somehow managing to get asked to dance by a couple of experts (who I am sure totally regretted it!), lots of my friends danced and laughed lots!  On Sunday evening, we went for our first private lesson with Simon Selmon, Mr Swing dance UK which was great, he really ironed out some teething difficulties- he's a great teacher, very kind and helpful!  I am so excited and can't wait for our next lesson!  If ever there was an less noble incentive not to do any shopping, it is definitely is saving for dance classes as we can only afford a few!  We've booked up for the Brighton Lindy festival in April which I am totally excited about!  Now got to find somewhere to stay that isn't expensive (eeek!).  Totally excited and psyched by lindy possibilities and the hope/yearning to get better/get somewhere with it!!!



Linking up to Visible Monday with Patti at Not dead yet style and a whole host of other lovelies in gorgeous attire!



Ooh, and here are two lovely shots of Wallingford.  This is the Thames and there are all sorts of lovely quaint shops and wonderful walks (and a castle!)





Linking up to Claire Justine

A pause for Lent 2013 #5

Hello there!  My focus for this post is the two following fasts:

Fast from problems that overwhelm; Feast on prayer that strengthens.


Fast from shadows of sorrow; Feast on the sunlight of serenity

I have had an extraordinarily difficult week emotionally and mentally. Not on the scale of difficulties that others experience but for me, it has been very hard and emotional and I have felt sorrow and anxiety. 

When I first encountered difficulties this week, my first reaction was utter misery and despair, I literally felt overwhelmed by panic and misery.  I didn't do what the above suggest- I instantly gave into the problems without resting on God and trusting in him and praying.  I couldn't pray, I felt like I couldn't, but I should have. I felt the sorrow and didn't choose to rest and try to be peaceful.  And it consequently led to my having an incredibly difficult time, not being able to think, speak, comprehend and hear.  Finally, I was able to and rest peacefully and not be overwhelmed and was consequently able to think and speak rationally..  It's a lesson I must relearn over and over again, and now is the time to be mature and remember that.

Rest first, pray intelligently and then wait in peace

Take time to rest first on God and think then you can pray intelligently and then hopefully wait in peace/serenity.

God bless you all this Sunday!xx

Tis a truth universally acknowledged

That a teacher in possession of a good costume, must be in want of an occasion to wear it!



For comic relief, our school dressed as heroes and people they look up to!  I was at a stumbling block until a chance comment from a year 6 child.
"Miss, can be dress up as an author I admire?"

Child was left unanswered as I suddenly thought of my Elizabeth Bennett/Catherine Morland costumes!
I decided it could also be Jane Austen who I admire!

I wore my Elizabeth dress as opposed to my Catherine dress and substituted my usual white ballet pumps for brown ankle boots. The effect was apparently obvious as my deputy head said I looked like Elizabeth Bennett when her pettticoat is "6 inches coated in mud!"

We had lots of fun at school!
Tonight I am off swing dancing with about 15-16 friends to celebrate my birthday!
Enjoy your weekend!xxx

...but you welcomed me

This is the second part of my account of my first days in Indonesia where I was a stranger.
****

I boarded the Night bus to Bali at around 3pm having sat in a cramped office waiting room for about 3 hours with my year's belongings.  Remember the Knight bus in Harry Potter?  Well, when I was ushered onto the bus, I discovered that my coach/bus driver was a complete pyscho!  In my diary I wrote:

Indonesians are crazy drivers!  They swap onto the wrong side of the road, constantly overtake people, speed manically ALL the time, hoot their horns 10 times a second and, for not very good roads, this was scary! 

Bearing in mind this was supposed to be a 23 hour coach journey (which ended up being about 18 hours), you can imagine how hair-raising it was! If they did that in England, the Police would be after them!
When we made our first stop, at a Ruman Makan (eating house)- where I nervously allighted along with my fellow passangers - I experienced my first sense of welcome.  A young guy (around 20) called Andikan and his student friends introduced themselves to me.  They were all 19-21 and were students originally from Sumatra, studying in Jakarta who were headed towards the Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta, Bali to watch an American band.  They kindly took me under their wing, letting me test my Indonesian on them, helping me with pronunciation and vocabulary, letting me talk Englush when I wanted, translating them and generally being kind about things.  It was so so nice to have friendly faces and it was the first glimpse of welcome in this strange (to me) country.  More empathy came in the form of their acknowledging that they had never taken this coach before and they too were terrified! About five times a minute, we felt that death was imminent!

We travelled through the night, jolted here there and everywhere, blasted with horns.  I attempted to seat in my otherwise comfortable seat, desperate to visit the facilities but not daring to attempt the journey to the back of the coach as I was likely to be buffeted into a stranger by the maniacal lurking driving.

The next morning, rather bedraggled and bereft of sleep, we reached the coast at Surabaya to get the boat across to Bali.  Andikan, his friends and I stood on board deck enjoying the breeze, the glorious young sun and the glistening waters and reached Denpasar at the Terminal Bis.  I suddenly thought, that I had no idea what to do.  Did I go to STSI, the arts college I was going to be studying at? Where on earth would I stay?  I didn't know.  I knew my Balinese gamelan teacher was coming to Bali on holiday in 3 days and would be arriving at the airport near Kuta, but in the meantime, where would I go? Stay in dusty old Denpasar?  Andikan and co said that they were going to Kuta and would I like to go with them where they would help me find a hotel.  They were very kind and they chartered a 5-seater taxi to the hotel they had booked to stay in.  All were apologetic, saying was I sure I didn't want to stay somewhere nicer but despite it apparently only being a '1-star hotel', Hotel Ratna was really lovely!   Andikan spoke to the reception, bartering and got me a room for 175,000 Rp per night (around £13. My rent when I eventually found my place to stay would end up being 300,000Rp per month, just under double that but it was a start).   It was clean, air-conditioned, , big white and wooden with drinking water provided, table, chairs, TV, A TOILET, A REAL TOILET, TOILET ROLL, OH TOILET ROLL, A SHOWER!  My words at the time were: "I am in heaven!"  I suddenly felt like I was in a safe place. (despite the fact the bomb happened there, during my year, a few months later)

I changed into my swimming costume and sarong with a top and met the uys to walk down to Kuta Beach, stopping at the amazing Hard Rock Hotel for the boys to pick up their tickets and arrived for sunset.  It was wonderful!  I do think my love of sunsets stems from that day, seeing for the first time, that beauty and majesty of creation, with fresh eyes!  We had great fun swimming and throwing ourselves at the surf waves before we got ready and went to a lovely restaurant for dinner where I ate my first proper meal I could actually stomach since arriving in Indonesia: Gado-gado and Nasi goreng with a chocolate milkshake for (43,000Rp- £3.  Again, in future, my daily budget would end up being 13,000Rp for food but I had just arrived).

We walked back along a vast array of shops selling a variety of goods and it also felt normal (shopping, Kezzie was home!).  I didn't mention that when I was on my way to Java, I was still recovering from a really nasty cold, so after wandering, I felt really tired and was coughing a lot, still jet-lagged so the boys walked me back to the hotel and then went out again to wander.  As I returned, my phone joyfully registered a confirmation message of timings of my Gamelan teacher arriving and texts back from my sister and Mum.  As I prepared to go to sleep, I wrote the words in my diary.  Hope being happier continues.  Thank you God for my Sumatran friends.  It's funny to read that back now, as  a Christian and see that even then, I was thanking God for that.

The next couple of days with Andikan, Marm and co was lovely.  The uncertainty would continue for they were only there for 2 days before having to return to Java, my Gamelan teacher would want to move onto his village to study, and my money was limited- I couldn't stay in Kuta for long, paying hotel rates- I had saved hard from my part-time job and gigs but it wouldn't last long. BUT, those 5 guys had made me feel welcomed and safe.

I was extraordinarily lucky.  Many people who have taken these night buses have been robbed or had people being a bit slimy towards them.  Andikan and his friends were like angels in disguise- they were kind and welcoming but not too much so, they had just the right balance to make me feel safe and trusting of them.   (I exchanged numbers with Andikan but strangely, when I tried to text some time later, the number didn't register.  I wonder where they are now?)

And I did trust them.  I am usually very discerning of characters of people and am not overly trusting, despite my family having the impression of me being a bit naive.  But out of the 100 hundred scholarship students who went to study there that year, I was one of the few who didn't experience some sort of robbing or illness.  I experienced further welcome and aid in the form of the English students over in Solo, Java which might perhaps some day form another story of post, so the story doesn't end. Many difficulties would ensue during my year but there, for those few days, I felt that perhaps it wouldn't be quite so difficult as it had first felt and perhaps I wouldn't remain a stranger. 



*****

This is the second half of the story I shared during the International World Women's day of prayer on the 6th of March.

Different approach

Hello there!  How was your day?
I had an interesting day.  I had my Key Stage 1 classes today and in both classes, we were learning to play melodies on glockenspiels/metallophones/xylophones:  Andante for children by Bartok in year 2 and a Lullaby in year 1.

The first year 1 class really wind me up, there are so many children in there who just can't/don't listen.  After 20 minutes or so, I find myself getting really annoyed with them because there are constant niggles, constant messing around from different pockets of children! They are little but they are used to the concept of counting in and how to play the instruments.  We got there in the end but how much better it would be if certain children did not need picking out to listen:  We were trying to play G G rest rest. Not hard if you had listened.  But when it gets to the fifth time and child x is STILL playing 4 C's instead of G G, it gets very difficult! When child x finally listens, they can do it first time!
Reflecting in teaching is so important to realise how to improve something next time.  In future, I should get child x to repeat back what I said to play or 'who can tell me what I said?', a staple teacher strategy I know and use regularly but sometimes, when dealing with low level disruption, it's easy to get sucked in. A different approach, a more positive approach in this case- putting it back onto them.

Year 2, playing the Bartok, in the middle section, in the past years, children have struggled to remember and play the tune.  This time, I suddenly saw a new teaching strategy for it- a way to split it up into a way that made sense and suddenly, bingo, the majority could play it! A different approach from me that I hadn't considered before!

The hat in the above picture.  I bought it from ASOS a while back but haven't worn it much as I didn't like the way it looked on my head too straight, whereas most of my big hats are floppy.  Wear it at a jaunty angle and all of a sudden, I like it!  A different approach.

The outfit:  a different approach to this vintage dress I wore in a recent post- different shoes, different cardie, different hat, different tights, necklace  and earrings: a remix: a different approach.

Plus, wearing a coat I love but don't wear loads because it doesn't have a hood and I fear getting wet in the rain if I have walk for any significant distance.  A different approach- bring an umbrella you muppet!

Lent:  a time to reflect and change, try to approach things differently, from a more Christlike perspective:  taking a different approach to things, a better approach, a more constructive approach, a more disciplined approach, a more faithful approach, a more prayerful approach.

These were the thoughts that I thunk!

xx


Linking up to the lovely Claire Justine at Share your style Saturdays

The wanderer above a sea of fog

This is Caspar David Friedrich’s “The Wanderer Above A Sea Of Fog” (1818).   It is the piece inspiring tyle Imitating art with Salazar at 14 shades of grey. 


Oh how gorgeous this painting is!  I can imagine being that man, breathing in the salty, fresh, cold air. Spume flying everywhere, feeling and thinking on the power of God's creation! I'd love to stand in front of the original!


This is Olivia Palermo who is the Inspiration outfit with the lovely Twobirds on Inspiration Monday. Who, I think, is wearing an outfit that could have been inspired by this painting. It's one of those serendipitous Inspiration Monday/Style Imitating Art moments.

No, idea where on earth I am finding a link?  Ok, maybe I am the link!



Ivory-coloured lace dress (Primark)- Ms Palermo has similar- the painting has lots of spray, waves and white:  plus sea water looks very lacy.
Ginger cardigan (MaxC)- Miss Palermo wears a orangy blazer.  The man in the painting has ginger hair.
Turquoise shoes (??): Like Miss Palermo.  The sea has some bluey hues.
Statement necklace (Accessorize): Like Miss Palermo has.  More sea shades Woven ribbon belt in blue shades: Sea inspiration to pull the extraneous turquoise elements together..
Bare legs: Not on your nelly!!!!  Black tights to represent the darker lower half of the painting.
Purple coat (Debenhams):  To represent the man in the middle (Ok, so no Twobirds link here!)

So have I convinced you?????

You can visit the links above to see how everyone else interpreted both inspirations.

****

I  had a lovely concert on Saturday- we played one of my favourite symphonies, Brahms' 4th symphony.  He really writes the most wonderful flute parts:  check out this gorgeous flute solo I had the wonderful privilege of playing (as you can see, this isn't me! He plays for the Berlin Philharmonic!)  It's only a 1minute extract.

The whole symphony is an utter joy to perform!  If you can, have a listen to the rest, it's beautiful!
Our conductor gives me the most gorgeous flute parts to play! In the next concert, I get to play one of the most famous flute solos in all classical repertoire, L'apres midi d'un faun and all sorts of other gorgeous Frenchness!!!  So exciting!
I can never quite believe how fortunate I am to be part of such beauty- a real blessing in my life!


I am also very fortunate becuase today was my termly Performance Management lesson observation and I had a reception class, obsvered by the head of Foundation Stage and happily she abolutely loved the lesson and gave me a Grade 1!!!! Yippeee!!!

Cards for my Mum

I drive you round the bend, maybe you drive me round the bend (occasionally) but I am grateful for everything you do for me and have done in the past. Thank you for each opportunity and moment you give me! I love you lots and I admire you for many reasons!




Here is the card I made for my Mum!  I am very pleased to say it was inspired by a 5 year old.  I worked in year 1 on Thursday afternoon and they were finishing off their Mother's day cards for one lesson and they had butterfly sequins which they stuck onto bunch of flower collages (very nice!) they had made.  One very artistic little girl had carefully bent the wings of her butterflies like the above! It looked so beautiful!
At the end of the day, after drumming club, as I grabbed by bag to go from year 1, I noticed 9 sequins on the carpet that the cleaner was about to hoover up!  I jumped and grabbed them and scraped the caked-PVA and carpet fluff off them (I figured they were fair game as they were about to be hoover bait which I had just rescued in the nick of time: I checked with one of the cleanes!!)and used them on this card!  I used an aperture card to give a little depth and ran some turquoise card through a paper patterned crimper and added some gems and a little silver gel-pen!  It was super easy!

At church this morning, we had a super long but lovely service- we had a choir of about 25 women from the congregation (I played flute for the worsip songs as usual) - posies to give to our mums, the men serving cakes and hot cross buns after the service and copious amounts of songs.  The vicar's wife gave a great sermon which made me think about mothers.  How easily one's life can be messed up if their mother/father is abusive or does not provide that stable environment. What a difficult and onerous task it is to be a parent- how much impact you can have on a life. I certianly know, if I were ever a parent, I would have to pray each and every day for the guidance to do the right thing, to be the best mother I could be, to protect, nurture and grow my child: I certainly think there's no way  I personally could do it without God's help! Really and truly.

Linking up to Sarah's Super handmade Sunday. (YOU MUST check out the gorgeous needle-felted owls she's posted!!! I am smitten!)



Linking to Clare Justine's Creative Monday


In and out of the kitchen link party with Cynthia

and Tah dah Tuesday with Lakota


Hope you are well!  And thanks for those kind commenters who reassured me about my LSO documentary video in the last post! I just hope the full documentary won't show what a blethering idiot I am!

I heart LSO St Lukes

EEeeeeek, I have somehow found my way onto Youtube!!!



Dreading the actual documentary as I had to do the interview off the cuff and I blabbed, waffled, panicked and have no idea what I actually said- was a bit dazzled by the camera! How on earth I managed to get two spots in the trailer??  That said, I am really looking forward to the LSO's festival to celebrate St Lukes- I have been there alot- for rehearsals, performance, training, watching concerts and even to teach twice!

The LSO (London Symphony Orchestra) have done a lot of really wonderful innovative work and I urge you, if you are in London, to go to an event or concert held there- they do a lot with kids and the LSO has had such a huge impact on my music teaching-literally, all my best lessons are based on their projects!!

The festival is from 21st March to the 1st April and there's loads of different events to come and see. 
I am playing in the gamelan concert on the 22nd March which is worth coming to see!!!
Have a look at the links to find out more!

http://issuu.com/londonsymphony/docs/10th_birthday_leaflet_for_issuu

http://lso.co.uk/lso-st-lukes-10th-birthday-festival

And I promise I will do a post to tell you exactly what gamelan is soon!!!
xx

I was a stranger...

I arrived in Jakarta, jet-lagged and sleep-deprived after almost 24 hours on planes and stop overs.  The stiffling heat hit me.  I gazed, uncertainly at the sea of unfamiliar faces at the arrivals, hounded by cries of, "Hotel," and "Taxi!".  What should I do?  Then a short lady in a suit greeted me- she was the rep, Enny from the Jakarta Education Office.  She led me out into a smoggy exterior and we climbed on a bus.  It dropped us off onto a busy dual carriageway and then she hailed a taxi (she said to only take a Bluebird taxi as they were the safest).   She didn't say much to me.

We arrived at a dingy building called a Wisma Tirta where she left me saying I needed to call a taxi to take me to the Education Office tomorrow and she departed.  I was panicked. The woman at the desk took me to a sparsely-furnished, grotty-looking room with a bed and a blanket and left me.

I let out the breath I seemed to have been holding since I left the plane.  I tried to turn my phone on, desperate to see if my English sim would work here.  There didn't seem to be a signal at first.  I decided that after 24 hours without a shower, that that would be the thing to wash away the day of travel and fear of uncertainty.  In the bathroom, I found squat toilet in the corner and a sink with a tap that didn't work.  That seemed to be it until I noticed a small tap near the floor- I would just have to try and use water from that: even the bathroom made me feel like a stranger: I didn't even know how to use the toilet! (no flush, no toilet roll, just a little scoop.)

Perplexedly, I returned to the room and checked my phone and tried to send a message to my Mum, Step-Mum, Dad and boyfriend, hoping, praying it would send.

I needed some water but you can't drink the tap water in Indonesia.  I wearily crept to the front desk where I tried to use the Indonesian I'd learnt before coming in order to purchase some water but it's very different using language cassettes on your own compared to speaking to a live person.  We couldn't understand each other.  I grew more and more upset and worreid as the 'exchange' continued but finally managed to buy a bottle.  Shaken by this difficult exchange and the feeling of being a foreigner, I returned to my room and gave way to tears of pen-up misery.  Why had I come?  Why, why, why?  What would happen to me?  What was I thinking of, travelling to the other side of the world.  I, who'd never been outside Europe and had never travelled alone, coming out to Indonesia of where I'd live, what I'd do, knowing nobody for a whole year of study in an alien country.  For the first time in a long time, years, I prayed to God to keep me safe and sound, I wrote it in my diary too.  I locked my door and curled up in my sheet sleeping bag from home trying to bear the heat and the 3 mosquitoes who plagued me.   Thank God sleep overcame me.

When I woke, it was light, the next day.  I turned on my phone to have received a mesage from my step-mum and boyfriend- It made me cry once more.
Somehow, with difficulty, I managed to get the still unfriendly front desk to call me a Bluebird taxi.  Fumbling with unfamiliar money, I paid and went into the government building where I had my passport copied. The lady explained that I'd have to catch a night bus to reach Bali which would take 24 hours.  She took me to buy some fruit and took some money to pay for my bus to Bali.  Not knowing what to do or where to go, I returned in a taxi to my accommodation where I tried best to read.

The government lady told me that R, the other English student (who was studying in Java rather than Bali) would be arriving that evening. With hope in my heart, I sat on that humid veranda, reading a book with a heart pounding in anticipation, sitting there being bitten by mosquitoes.  Finally, in the evening, Enny arrived with the English guy. As he came over to say Hello, to my mortification, I burst into tears.  Poor guy, he was jet-lagged and there I was!  He talked for a little while, he was really kind, and then went to his room to sleep.

The next morning, Enny arrived to give me my bus ticket and to take me to the bus station where I had to wait for 3 hours.  It was busy and confusing and I sat there worrying, wishing, oh wishing, that I was back home!  Here, more than anywhere in my life, I felt a complete stranger.  All was alien, unfamiliar, loud, noisy, confusing and I felt wretched.  What would happen to me?


*      *     *      *     *     *     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

You may be wondering what this is all about.

It was Women's world day of prayer on Friday, and the theme was I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I attended a wonderful service, hosted by one of the local Baptist churches.  The service was devised by Christian women in France and women in churches across the whole world would be sharing in this same service.  We didn't have a guest speaker to give a talk like the service planned so they had the idea that instead, we would use the time to turn to the people on either side of us and share a time when we were made to feel like a stranger and a time we felt welcomed.  We each had a ribbon in the French flag colours which we tied together once we'd talked and then we'd end up with a church all connected up by beautiful ribbons so we weren't strangers any more.  It was a beautiful idea and really made me think of this time in my life that I hadn't thought about in a while.

It's getting late and it has taken me a time to write this so I will share how I felt welcomed, maybe tomorrow or very soon.

When have you felt a stranger?

52 weeks of happy (9?)

Hello amigos!  How are you?  Happy and spring-like I do hope! 
1. I am feeling very positive, it really does feel, at for the last two days, like it's really becoming Spring! Sun in the sky, clear skies, I couldn't believe that I was able to wear a dress today with just leggings and a coat over the top and felt comfortable, not cold in the slightest- that's something definite to feel happy about!
When I came out into the garden to take these photos, I couldn't resist the temptation to jump about!  CBC thinks I am totally silly when I take photos of me jumping but part of me loves the challenge of trying to catch a jump on the timer and seeing how high I can go! It's a childish challenge game really!  I did try to do a jete though, for another shot and that hurt without warm-up, so better not to be too exuberant!!!
(Wearing my Orla Keilly Peter-pan collar dress- tres comfy with Primark leggings and sand-beret and turquoise Toms!)
The day was good- I ended up watching the woodwind quintet from the music service twice with my two classes as they came in to give a recital to the KS1 and KS2 classes I took!  The morning was spent with Year 3 who created their own lovely arrangements of 'Jelly on the plate' in 4-part harmony on the recorders! It really was nice!



Clockwise from top left:
2.  Buying fresh eggs from my double-bass playing friend at orchestra last night- she lives on a small-holding now and sells all manner of fresh and organic products- these eggs were HUGE!!!!
3. On Saturday, we went out in town and considering I was at a Gamelan rehearsal all day and I had gone to CBC's in a cricket jumper, sheepskin boots and red chinos (the turquoise cardie was from the previous night), this was not suitable. Thus, I just had to nip into Primarni on my way home to find something to wear in a hurry- I ended up with this pretty lace dress, black tights and nude ballet pumps and CBC thought it was a good idea, didn't tell me off! That made me happy! I've kind of liked the idea of a lace-dress in a light colour for a long while now! That also made me happy!
4.  Gorgeous birthday present from my deputy-head at school- she's missed her vocation as a personal shopper- how perfect is this White rabbit from Alice in Wonderland necklace?!?!
5.  More gamelan rehearsals to look forward to, and I can practice at home- I should really sweep the dust off my Pemade!!!!
6.  During the break, we wandered down Whitecross street and saw these hoardings covering up building work!  What a good idea, painting cute animals on them to make it look pretty rather then derelict!  They made me happy!
7. During the night out in town- a quite pub in which I could actually hear what was being said rather than lip-reading and smiling and nodding whilst not having a clue! They had bar billiards in this particular one! I'd not heard of that until Heston made an edible version of it!


What's making you happy??

Getting to the heart of the matter

Hello dearies!  Just a quick post to show you something I made!  I was putting away my craft supplies when I saw some scraps of felt and decided to make a little brooch- I've been really enjoying brooches recently- that's definitely a blogging thang!  I wasn't really bothered about them before, regarding them as the territory of the over 60's but definitely seen the light in terms of appreciating and trying things- there are some fun quirky ones around!!!!


As you can see, my sewing and cutting skills are appalling- really, I've always been bad with scissor, particularly with material- I also didn't think to use thread that blended in!  Still, Joe-public will only see the front-half which isn't so bad really!  But it's not a CARD, so that is all good!!!!

Linking with:

 Lakota at Tah Dah Tuesday who is doing nice things with horrid things (i.e. turning rancid bananas into into pancakes-genius!)

Claire Justine at Creative Mondays and yay, she featured my cards from last week in her post!

Sarah's super hand-made Sunday

and In and out of the kitchen link up party  with Cynthia


How nice was the sun today!?!!?!! An unexpected bonus was my having to take Year 3 at school today who had netball in the afternoon so I got to stand out in it for an hour, even if that involved trying to duck flying balls whilst offering constructive advice on passes!!!