Its a Crime !

Have you ever realised how much good food gets thrown away by shops every day, just because of the date on it? When there are so many hungry people around the world, it feels to be a crime. I know that it couldn`t practically be sent out to them, but what about the homeless in this country?
Even a small shop is likely to throw away over £1000 worth a week!!. That is staggering when you stop to think how many stores in the country must be doing the same, and larger ones more than that.
Surely there is no need for dates on potatoes, vegetables and other products that one can assess for oneself if they are good to eat. And surely shops could order more realist quantites rather than bulk buying to try and get extra sales, but end up getting waste.
And to put dates on plants and flowers and then throw them away when they are still full of life, just because the date says so, seems absolutely ridiculous.

Isn`t Nature Wonderful

Sitting listening to my little bird singing today set me thinking -
How did he learn to sing?
What makes him want to sing?
He`s got no parent bird here to teach him
There`s no other bird to copy from or to sing to.
And watching him comb his feathers,
the different types of feathers on one bird,
some soft and down like, others strong and straight,
How did he learn to preen them?
It must be instinct.
The wonder of nature.

It made me think of my favourite bible passage Matthew 6: 25-30

Strange sign?

I`ve just seen a sign in a window in our town that says
"last few days of Sale"....
nothing unusual in that you might think,
but I looked closer to see what the business was,
what they were selling off - It was a Bank!

Did that mean that they were selling off money?
Maybe a £20 for half price?....
Or withdraw 2 x £5 and get a third free!

No, that would be too good to be true,
So, how does a bank have a sale -
I`ve yet to find out!

What`s that sound?

I was in the quiet of a service of Holy Communion this morning,
suddenly there was a trilling bit of music.
Then it stopped. Good.
We were in prayer,
it started again trilling away.
Very intrusive, very distracting.
It stopped.
A minute later it started again.
What was it??
Yes you`ve guess it,
it was coming from a mobile phone.

Was God trying to get though to us that way!
Is that the only way he thinks we`ll listen to him in our busy lives!

Why do I have to work?

Alright - I know the obvious answer is I have to work for money to live.

But, as a single woman having worked continuously for over 35 years I`m beginning to question how unfair things seem to be for single people. Many other women my age, because they`re married don`t have to work, their time is their own. It wasn`t my deliberate choice to remain single its just happened that way.
So why isn`t there some provision made to enable single women if they`ve worked all their life to be able to finish work at 50 if they wish, and so have a bit of a life doing what they want, while they can enjoy it. (it would make more jobs for the unemployed too!) I know its said that people live longer now-a-days, but no one can guarantee that. My Dad died fairly early and had no real retirement, so whose to say I won`t do the same.

Isn`t Time Strange?!

At times an Hour seems like just a Minute,
Yet, a Minute can seem like a Hour.

Time doesn`t vary in its speed,
so why do we perceive it as doing so ?

I came across this the other day -

Time is....
Too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice
But for those who love,
Time is eternity.

11 Months to go!

I wrote the date down this morning, 25th. and the thought came to me that its 11 months to Christmas Day!

That led me to thinking itsonly just one month since Christmas, just 4 weeks have gone by, only 28 days (well, 31 to be exact!) yet it seems much, much longer ago. Is it that we are always looking ahead to things that makes the time seem to go so fast? Is it the pace of life we live at?

Or does time go faster?

Colours of Day

Why do I use different colours of text on my blogs?...
What influences my choice of them each day?

I suppose the answer is that it depends either on how I`m feeling or what seems to me to suit what I`m thinking about.

I wonder why colours can have such an impact on us?
Why do they cause us to feel and react differently to them?
Why do some colours seem to make things appear sinister and frightening, whilst others cheer and relax one? even different shades of the same colour can have different effects - from dark menacing purple, to a pale soothing lilac.

There are so many colours around us each day.
How many of them do we notice?

A Beautiful Coast

What a wonderful part of the country I`m lucky enough to live in.
I`ve just been for a drive along our coast road, to a Staithe when I was able to sit in absolute quiet and peace.

As I sat there I became very much aware of the beauty of my surroundings, there in front of me by the waters edge were about a dozen ringed plovers, pecking about, turning stones over in their quest for food and running in their quick fashion, one could hardly see their feet moving, so quickly did they move. Further along another bird, a bit bigger was also wading along the shoreline, diving its beak in the muddy sand for food, on looking closer I think it was a red shank.

It was sunny and bright when I set out, and dull and rainy when I returned but what ever the weather was doing there was beauty. The colour of the sky an indescrible blue just before the rain and the day turning to evening.

On my way back, a pair of white swans on the green growth on the marsh caught my eye, and a flock (is that the right word?) of coots a bit further along were going down a bank into the water.

So much wildlife, in just a small area. How beautiful.
Thank God for his wonderful world that we share.

Who makes a cup of tea?

Sitting drinking my morning cup of tea set me thinking....
How many people does it take to make a cup of tea?
Firstly, there`s the person who plants the tea plants,
the person who picks the leaves,
then those who process it,
transport it,
ship it, unload it,
blend it,
pack it,
transport it,
sell it.
Then, it needs water..
so we need rain,
and the knowledge of scientists
and those who work to purify it,
plumbers to pipe it to us.
But it needs to be hot,
so we need those who make electricity
or who pipe gas into out homes
When we add milk to our tea,
there`s the farmer who breeds the cows,
the person that milks them,
the tanker driver who transports the milk,
the bottling plant staff
and the milkman.
And, if we add sugar too –
well that`s more growers,
harvesters,
transporters,
refiners,
packers, retailers……
And, we need something to pour our tea into, and out of! even more people involved.
And all for a simple cup of tea..
So, how many people does it take to make that cuppa….

Do we ever stop to think and give thanks to God for all those who help us with the things we so take for granted every day?

Best use of a Million pounds??

Two news items following one after the other on the TV tonight, just seemed so inconsistent.
First there was news of the situation caused by the Tsunami, and the help that is needed for the people there and of people in this country raising millions to help. Second came the feature of football clubs paying out millions just to buy a football player for their side!! How can a single person be worth 6 million or more pounds??
Surely those millions could be put to much better use, helping people in desparate need.
Makes one think - what a thoughtless, selfish lot a number of the population of this country are, doesn`t it.

Norfolk Cockles

What have I thought about today?....

I`ve watched a programme about food along the Norfolk coast, watched them digging for cockles - that made me wonder - Who first found that you could dig up cockles, then cook them and eat them?!
Same with all our food, who first found it was edible? and how to cook it??
How many made theirselves ill by trying out things that were poisonous in the process?
We should be grateful to them, for the variety of good food we enjoy today

It`s a thought, isn`t it?!

"Good Morning"

I watched a robin in the garden today, his quick darting movements as he searched for crumbs. The sun caught his red breast and it became such a vivid scarlet for a few seconds. What a difference the sun makes to everything.

It set me thinking, of how we seem to react so different to situations on a dull day to a sunny one. On a sunny morning everyone greets each other cheerfully with a bright "Good Morning", but on a dull day the same people barely pass the time of day. Yet, both are mornings, and each a new day. Why don`t we say Good Morning when its raining, - rain gives us water, so vital to our lives, so that too must be a "Good Morning".

Who am I?!

I`m trying to think what to write for my profile on here.....
I`ve lived on the coast all my 51 years,
in the same house that I came to when I was brought into the world
I went to local schools, left without taking any exams,
worked in the same place for all my working life to date.
Not very interesting, is it.
I`m shy, and find it difficult to talk about myself, perhaps because
there`s not really a lot to say!

This idea if blogging is good,
its helping me to "discover" myself through writing down all these kinds of things, enabling me to start to see why I`m as I am.

Delicate strength?

I saw the first snowdrops of the year Whilst driving past a church yard yesterday. These such delicate looking flowers, so dainty looking, yet what strength they must possess to push their way up through the hard ground, to stand up to all the harsh wind and weather can throw at them. Their dainty thin stems enabling them to bend and give with the wind, yet rooted and held firm in the bulb.

Is that the kind of strength we have, when we are rooted in the love of God. Enabling us to be able to be moved by things about us, yet held firm by Him.

Impacts from Upbringing

Thinking about the loneliness I noted the other day, I guess I`ve found some of the Why`s....
.... I`m a shy person, I don`t find it easy to make conversation with people, wish I did - its easy to think afterwards I should have said this or that, by then its too late.

I was brought up to be "seen and not heard" and I suppose thats whats inhibited me from feeling able to participate in friendships and relationships. I was taught `you don`t ask people questions` type thing, so I`m afraid to say things like "how`s your family?" "how was your holiday?, what did you do, what did you see...." and all that type of thing, that shows interest and care about another, and makes friends.

I guess I must have been rebuffed when I was younger and tried it -
I can remember round a dinner table once with all relations (adult) and they were all laughing at something, I joined in laughing although I didn`t really know what they were laughing about, and an Uncle turned on me and said "what are you laughing for" in the tone that said it`s nothing to do with you. That I think has made me afraid ever since to try and join in things for fear of being put down, of not belonging.

Its not that I`m not interested in other people, but I am afraid of being thought intrusive.
But I don`t know the answer to how to break the shyness and reserve I have,
and I wish I did.

Childhood learning

It`s just come to me today at work, the "discovery" if you like to call it that, of just how much of the playing we did as children, was actually to teach us something! Like those little puzzles with 8 squares and 9 spaces where you have to move them round to make the whole picture up - moving things around to work to get them in a logical order in limited space, seems so similiar it must have been learnt from that.
If only we`d known it at the time how useful all those games and puzzles were going to be to our adult life, we could have took it in more! And might have solved more of today`s puzzles!!

Got a phone?

Writing yesterday about the sounds of mobile phones got me thinking!, I know, its a risky thing to do - to think - but there it is, I did!

Where have good manners gone? Why do people when shopping insist on talking on their mobile phone while expecting the cashiers to serve them? What happened to please and thank you?, Oh no, not now-a-days, it`s I`m too busy chatting on the phone, just put my hand out for my goods, give and take my credit card, and I`m off still talking, without saying a word to the person who just served me. And its not just the youngsters, all ages do it.

Communication and mobile phones are of course good, BUT how did we manage years ago when all phones were connected to wires and unmoveable?! We didn`t need to do 2 things at once, we had time for people we were actually seeing and meeting. We had manners.

Mobile phones - progress ??? I wonder at what cost? (and I don`t mean in £`s)

Ivy.

Bird Song

My little bird starting singing today
but I wasn`t there to hear him.
Still, perhaps I`ll hear him tomorrow.

Hearing - one of our precious senses,
makes one think what we would miss everyday
without it - the sound of the hoover
the washing machine
kettles whistling
checkout tills beeping
doorbells ringing
mobile phone tones
people talking
dogs barking, cats mewing,
bees buzzing

My little bird sang today,
Is spring not far away?

What to write!

Why do I always think of things to write when I`m not sitting at my computer,
yet as soon as I sit in front of it my mind goes blank!!
Perhaps I`ll do better tomorrow.

There seem so many Why`s in life.....,
Why did the Asian disaster happen?
Why do people only seem to work together when tragedy strikes?
Why can`t the world have peace the whole time?
Why did I fall over tonight?!
Why am I lonely?
Why, why, why, my life seems to be filled with Why

New Year Ponderings

If you read this Blog..... Happy New Year to You

I`m very moved by the way people are being so generous in
giving money and aid to help those affected by the earthquake.
Collecting boxes are being filled not with the usual small coins,
but with large notes. Parcels of clothes, food and necessities being
prepared and transported. All to help people they do not know but
just read about or see on their televisions.

THERE IS so much good in the world, yet, so often it seems hidden,
but at times of real need, its there. God`s love really does show
through, even in the darkest days.