August Antics

This week I have had the pleasure of having my friend Amy staying. I met her four years ago when I was in Melbourne and she's come to England to spend some time studying. Yesterday we went to Stonehenge and other various little villages in Salisbury with names like Tytherington. We had a picnic by the side of the road, wrapped up good and proper - the rays of the summer sun were just so hardcore that we felt the need to wear more rather than less clothes. Pah. If only. Where is the sun??????????

On Thursday we tired ourselves out thoroughly with a cycle ride to Bath, followed by some punting on the River Avon and a homemade cream tea - I baked some maple syrup scones before we left and took along a pot of clotted cream and some jam. We ate our scones while on the boat to the boating station where we got dropped off to pick up our punting boat.

During Amy's stay I realised that there are a lot of things that I really should know about but don't. For instance, 'what is a minster?' 'What is the difference between an Abbey and a Church?' What are those things that look like chestnuts but are not? What exactly is clotted cream? My general knowledge is somewhat lacking. All in all, we had fun and ate lots.

it's about time

Firstly I'd like to say a MASSIVE congratulations to my immensely clever sister who got her GCSE results today. The legend got all A*'s and A's - I'm so proud!

Secondly, I have been hopeless at blogging lately for a few reasons. Namely, not being in Bristol near a computer, but also, just a lack of words. I need to get some shut-eye so here's just a few photos from the last few weeks...

A cake for a good friend who's sadly now left Bristol

One of the very few sunny skies we've had this 'summer'

One of the three reversible aprons I've made this month

Baby Martha - a joy to look after

The infamous Durdle door which I had the pleasure of visiting with Dave and his sister

...and a weird bucket tree in Lulworth Cove

Blurry blackberries and happily stained fingers from my forraging in the nearby fields yesterday. Who would have thought you could pick blackberries in the city. Also, I've bought a dozen eggs this week from the City farm's chickens - quite exciting and most definitely more reassuringly reared than the eggs you get in the supermarket.
Tomorrow I'm off on another adventure to the New Forest with a few other churches. Am very much looking forward to spending quality time with some wonderful families and friends, and hearing some great teaching...

huffing and puffing

I'm having a little trouble with getting running today. Well, not really just 'a little trouble' that makes it sound like it might actually happen. I've resigned myself to the fact that it's not going to today. I feel like I'm still recovering from Newday - the youth camp I was at last week - so I didn't fancy getting up at 6.30 this morning to run for 100 minutes before church. I figured I could just run this afternoon but then I came home after having a late lunch and fell asleep for two hours. Gosh that is a pretty boring post but I felt like I needed to write it as a record or how my running's going. On the up side, on one of my runs at Newday, I overtook another runner, who I then saw later as we queued for the showers. She asked how my run was and said she'd tried to step in time with me but couldn't keep up and that my legs were pumping like pistons!! Funny description, but I like it.