Brookie

On Sunday I met somebody.

Brookie. She is 83. Lives on the Gower at the end of a disintegrating dirt track we got to by riding in the back of a pickup truck. Was wearing a cool hat, her trousers inside out ("it often happens"), and had a cane but was still agile enough to bend down and crawl into the guinea pig enclosure to pick them up and show us. Wherever she went she was surrounded by her four rescue dogs who obeyed her. She yelled at the hens, talked to her goats, ducks, horses, and cats. Showed us into her house and gave us some Pimms in the living room where we listened to some great jazz and talked ("Speak up girl, stop mumbling. I'm deaf as well as daft.") The hour was so vibrant and full of life.

I sat in awe of a real presence. I now have something to aspire to for when I am 83.

Palm Sunday (ish)

Here is an astonishing thing! On Palm Sunday, as we turn toward the cross, we are invited to welcom the King who comes as a humble monarch riding on a donkey. With believing hearts, we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and shout "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Tales from work...

Even my co-worker is now telling me she can't understand why I'm in that job, what with all my qualifications and everything. This is so depressing! It put a real damper on the morning. Somehow it seems very hard to communicate that I quite like being able to pay the rent and the bills... Though I must agree it would be lovelier to do that through a nicer job. Only a few days ago we spent the whole hysterical day with the giggles, dancing around, and Karen threatening to sing... As we explained to a customer: you have to laugh, otherwise you do cry (today almost being a case in point).

My bucket-racketeering empire is one of the few good things about this job of mine. Loads of things come in nice big buckets which used to be chucked before I opened my doors as a half-way house for unwanted buckets. At the moment they carry on to become compost buckets for about five urban households. The compost then gets collected and placed in my friends' allotment - an excellent project for those of us without a garden and hate throwing food away. A few other buckets have been turned into flower pots or storage containers for flour so the mice/rats don't get in.

And customers... I seriously do not understand how they manage to survive as a species... Again, you have to laugh. Not particularly at them but at the whole weird situation. It's surprising how many people will barely acknowledge your existence, so I've made it my mission when I'm behind the counter to make them notice me and recognise that there is a human behind that counter of glass. So far, smiling and looking into their eyes seems to have worked well. It is lovely when someone snaps out of wherever they were to smile back at you.

aargh!

It is 11:30 PM and I am in the university library. This is terrible!! I never did this as an undergraduate... (mostly because the library would close at 10pm, but that's beside the point). I do think this is a shocking state of affairs and not fair! Whinge, moan... Writing/analysisng/thinking about teenagers is rubbing off making me act like one too. I know that technically I'm a young person untill the age of 25, but you know what I mean.

The silly thing about all this work [I'm trying to finish off coursework for the foundation in youth work thing I'm doing] is that it is so soul-numbingly boring that it is making me forget how much I do actually enjoy all the youth work that I do do. I never read that being one of the aims of the course.

Ok. Whinge over. I'm off to bed. Though you'll probably find me in here tomorrow again...

Lent week 5

Here is an astonishing thing! We are called to abandon the parched valley of the dry bones of death and are invited to be restored to life through the breath of God's Spirit. With renewed hearts, we wait in hope for our full redemption.

Horse!

That's a great new game I was introduced to on our long drive down, around, and back from Cornwall. It involves spotting horses, among other things, and collecting points... A nice little red Micra is a very tiny car for five people on such a long journey, even the old classic 'I Spy' got an airing when we were stuck in traffic, but I have to say it was worth it.

And the Eden Project...wow. I was blown away by it, by the sheer amount of plants. Being there is the midst of them exploring all the different colours and shapes was fantastic. The biodomes are so huge. (I wonder how much food could be produced in them:) Only trouble is that I now want to go and visit them all in their natural habitats... It is a fantastic use of an old quarry at any rate. Do you reckon they could do a similar thing with old coal mines?? Well, happy 5th birthday, Eden Project, and may you have many more succesful years to come.

It's hard to decide what was the best bit of the holiday: whether having a bath in the cottage, the amasing sea, spending quality time with my friends, seals and otters... But it has made coming back to work twice as miserable. I didn't touch a cornish pasty whilst there as I'm that sick and tired of seeing them at work!! Possibly having a holiday was the best bit of the holiday, if you know what I mean:) Cornwall is absolutely beautiful and full of so many things to see and do that we are already planning our next trip down!

And look out for nuns on bikes as that wins you the game of 'horse' for ever and ever...

Lent Week 4

Here is an astonishing thing! We are called to turn from the unfruitful works of darkness and are invited to see Jesus, the light of the world. With open hearts, we become receptive to what is good and right and true.

Lent Week 3

Here is an astonishing thing! We are called to turn from the dry, barren wilderness where our hearts have become hardened and are invited to quench our thirst at the living stream. With overflowing hearts, we receive the gift of God's love.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Hmm... My contributions this fortnight haven't been very astounding. I've bought chocolate at the Co-op (it's 20% off during fairtrade fortnight!!) and that's about it. I love it when buying chocolate is for a good cause:) It's a far cry, though, from my gung-ho University campaigning days filled with fairtrade chocolate hunts... Well, I'm off to film the fairtrade fashion show this evening so perhaps that kind of makes up for it!

Lent Week 2

Here is an astonishing thing! We are called to turn from the bondage of the law and our own futile efforts and are invited to be born anew. With grateful hearts, we receive the promised blessing of salvation.

Post #2 for today

That previous post is taken from a lenten series, called an astonishing thing!, in the Church I attended in America in 2002. I loved the experience of it and have missed it ever since. We do advent fairly well, but lent seems to get left behind... I don't like surprises very much. I prefer the build up of anticipation, the eagerly waiting for something and enjoying and preparing for it. Easter is such a beautiful and big event that I feel I really do need the 40 days of focus and preparation to enjoy and appreciate it properly. So I plan to keep posting the little reminders here as a focus for myself. (And things like two of my housemates giving up speaking English together for Lent are also helpful reminders:)

Lent Week 1

As Lent begins, we enter the wilderness where we are called to turn from the serpent's deception and are invited to walk in faithul obedience. In th freedom of obedience, we discover an astonishing thing! God's abundant gift of grace through Jesus Christ offers new life to all.

Great news...

I'm off to Iona!! And soooooo excited about it. I can't believe it, I had almost given up hope... I'll be off to Scotland for eight weeks starting on the 13th of September and staying till the 7th of November. I'm going. I am actually going. Amazing!!

Good news on a different front: The Welsh Assembly are giving £2.7m to boost the number of British Sign Language Interpreters adding another 34 people to the (shocking) 12 that currently work in Wales. That is such good news!

OLYMPICS!!!

I've started to watch the Olympics this year, much to my surprise. Sports, me? Though I guess watching some every four years isn't toooo worrying. (And it is about every four years as I've yet to get as excited about the summer equivalent.) There is the added excitement too that Finland has a better chance in actually getting some medals in the Winter Olympics... At the last count it is one silver and two bronze medals! Go Finland!

The main attraction for me is, as always, the figure skating. I love watching it!! To my everlasting joy I found out that Evgeny Plushenko is still involved in the competition and after the short programme is in the lead with a resounding 11 point lead!! He is my hero so it's great to see him do so well. It is a bit odd not to have Alexei Yagudin there, and the competition wasn't quite as nerve-wracking (but that's probably better for my nails:). Watching the few crumbs that BBC sport deign to throw us have reminded me of many happy hours I used to spend watching figure skating, even to the detriment of my mock finals at school if I remember correctly! The beauty and excitment keep me enthralled - now all I need is to find someone with digital tv who's not going to mind me living on their sofa for the next week or so...

Highfalutin book clubs

I had to look that word up in the dictionary!!! And I don't think it can be taken as a compliment either... (however, in the process I did find another great word: sesquipedalian so it wasn't all to waste:) Its hard enough understanding Lesslie Newbigin without being insulted by the Linden newsletter... or trying not to be daunted by the fact I am the only female in a room of six intelligent men and a cute hampster.

Whinging aside, I really enjoyed it. It is a good book that we read, and the motivation of having somewhere to talk about it afterwards was useful. It meant I took more time to understand it and think about it too. Although there was so much in that book I think we could have easily spent more than one evening on it! I do prefer the option of bouncing ideas and thoughts off people as then hopefully my misunderstandings can get cleared and I do generally get new insights from people. That fantastic phrase "plausibility structures" is a real joy! And it is good to know that using one's brain isn't (always) a cardinal sin...

Can't wait for the next one!

Being back, and all that

It's been a fortnight since my last post - one can definately tell I'm back in Swansea!! It's great though, and this past week has been so much fun meeting up with people and getting started with all things that belong to a Maria's Swansea life. (Apart from the work, of course, and being yelled at for not making thirty sandwiches per hour. However, I'm not going there...I'm grateful for being able to pay the rent.) Drumming, children and young people, buying a rat, being told I "speak ironic English with an accent"... And that beautiful word: etc.

And it is a new year too. Something is definately different, the air is thick with new plans. Mainly other people's, but I'm open to suggestions... Last summer I admitted to myself that I was up against a wall faithwise, and while I like that wall for it's familiarity and am slightly worried what is on the other side, I've also decided I can't stay there. Since then amasing things have happened. Interesting people have been put in my way, helpful books, new ideas and thoughts, and a whole exciting drive to make this faith mine in all areas of life. The recent death of somebody I know has also prompted a lot of reflection. Not in particularly morbid way, but I think I'd quite like to know what I am doing and why. "In Christ there is hope, peace and joy". That's what I'm aiming for. (And life is too short not to believe in fairies as I've often said...:) Besides, spring is coming! What is there not to be excited about!

Niinpä

Aikaa on laskettu jo 2006 vuotta, mutta uudellekin vuodelle jäi lukuisia kysymyksiä, joihin ei ole saatu uskottovaa vastausta:
Mitä Luoja teki maailman luomista edeltävällä viikolla?
Mikä oli ensin: kana, muna, broileri vai kukko?
Miksi hevosella on isompi pää kuin ihmisellä?
Mistä otettiin se sekunti, joka lisättiin atomikelloihin vuodenvaihteessa? Onko ylimääräisiä sekunteja vielä paljonkin varastossa? Jos evoluutioteoria pitää paikkansa, mikä on ihmistä seuraava kehitysaste ja milloin se toteutuu?
Minne joutuvat kaikki laihdutettaessa häviävät läskit? Montako on paljon? Missä on kunne? Milloin on konsanaan? Kuka on Agnes?
Mistä tiedetään, että ihovoide vähentää ryppyjä 17,1 prosenttia? Minkä nimisiä ovat taulutelevision 16,7 miljoonaa väriä? Sininen, punainen, keltainen, violetti, oranssi...entäs sitten?
Jos tänään on nollakeli ja huomenna kaksi kertaa kylmempää, paljonko mittari silloin näyttää? Miksei hissi mene kahdeksanteen kerrokseen, vaikka painaa nelosta kahdesti? Jos ajaa autolla ajovalot päällä valon nopeutta, näkeekö mitään eteensä?
Kuka keksi kysymysmerkin ja miksi?

Kiitos Jukka Ukkola!!!

On writing/the arts. I thought it made sense.

Riches I hold in light esteem
And Love I laugh to scorn
And lust of Fame was but a dream
That vanished with the morn-

And if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is-"Leave the heart that now I bear
And give me liberty."

Emily Brontë

mincepies vs piparkakku...

(Piparkakku is the ubiquitous Christmas biscuit here in Finland.) My first impressions of being back amongst the snow have been dominated by noticing the small, inconsequential differences between the counries. perhaps I'm so used to the big differences that they pass me by unmarked? However, it's the little things like the locks on toilet doors, or that in the UK bottles of Beck's get decorated with art (Tracy Emin, isn't it?) whereas here it's the cartons of milk that get the artwork...
Personally, there are huge changes. Here I'm indulging in lie-ins, reading a couple of books a day, and being fed! What a difference to Swansea! I suppose it's the fate of those who move around to be forever comparing places against each other. Not necessarily to rank the places, but even just to remind oneself where you are and who you are in this particular place...
Well, I'm enjoying the change of being here for now!

Testing the waters...

Well, here it is. My first attempt at blogging and whatever that may entail. Having made the epic journey to Finland and now having some time on my hands (hooray!), ventures into the unknown seem to be the order of the day.

Happy winter solstice for tomorrow everyone! The sun set at 14:45 yesterday so I'm glad we're at the turning point and can look forward to more light...