I've just checked out the weather forecast for Normandy and it looks as though this weekend will be sunny!  Alleluia! Not sure that I can cope with any more rain and dullness, I need some sunshine.    

We are going down there with 2 friends this time, for the long bank holiday weekend. So, the guys are looking forward to finding somewhere on the rocks to climb at the coast, they've packed the rope and climbing shoes as well as the body boards and wet suits. Let's hope the weather holds out. I'm looking forward to some lovely fresh fruit and veg from the market, some fine vino and cheese and plenty of reading time!

We had a good time visiting Kelly at camp, it was lovely to see everyone, friends of the past and young people that used to be in our tents when we were leaders who are now leaders in their own right! Scary, or what! Kelly was doing a good job of looking after the girls in her tent, all nine years old and sweet and innocent, just lovely fun bubbly girls all excited and silly. Just how I remember Kelly and Amy being once! Now at 18 years old - they aren't quite so sweet or innocent! Kelly was having a fantastic birthday, she had loads of cards and presies from everyone there and we took several up with us.

We've almost finished decorating Amy's room and I'm looking forward to putting everything back in place and hanging the curtains and sorting out the new linen etc. Then I need to tidy and clean Kelly's room and make that all nice for her return. I guess when she goes off to Uni, we can decorate her room too. It's never ending!!!

Looking forward to the weekend. We have friends coming round for dinner tonight who we haven't seen for ages. Planning on having baked asparagus with parma ham and parmesan to start with, pork fillet stuffed with apricot and pistachio nuts, roast potatoes and veg for the main course and bread and butter pudding for dessert. Never done bread and butter pudding before, so gonna give it a go, hopefully it'll be scrummy! 

Tomorrow morning I'm going to start painting Amy's bedroom and in the afternoon we are off up to Suffolk to visit Kelly at camp to wish her a happy birthday. Amy is off out with her friends for her birthday and so we are taking her out for lunch on Sunday. Looking forward to church too on Sunday. So, we are all set for a nice weekend, good food, good company and good fellowship and teaching. Not sure what the weather is going to do though, but we can't organise that, so whatever will be will be!  

Last night I went late night shopping to get some bits for the girls birthdays and also some bits for taking to France next week. I then met up with two of my old work colleagues, that I hadn't seen for about a year. We had a very nice meal in town and caught up with all the goings on here, there and everywhere, kind of thing. When I got home John had 5 friends round and they were watching the film Nacho Libre with Jack Black. He is such a cool actor, I have never heard so much laughing - it really thrilled me to hear such loud guffaws and real intense belly laughs from these 6 grown men. It was quite a sound to behold! We loved it when we saw it in the cinema, but I reckon these guys laughed louder than the cinema audience!

Well today was D-Day!

So back to school at 10am I went, where I duly retrieved the certificates and paperwork. She, in the meantime had taken herself off site and found somewhere where the signal was strong and called me just as I was opening her envelope. I then had the great joy of telling her that she had passed and that she had been succesful in getting into her first choice of uni. Floods of tears all round!     I had previously checked the UCAS site to see what the status of her application was, so it was no suprise to me to see that she had passed, as it congratulated her on getting into UEA, but she was so shocked and overjoyed, she didn't think she was going to do it. She really thought she'd be taking a whole year out and going on a longer gap year to Uganda and working the latter part of the year before going off to uni next September. But now, she can go and do 3 months in Uganda and then start uni in February, she really has done very well and we are very proud of her and pleased it's all worked out.  We can't really say she's going on a gap year anymore, as there probably isn't such a thing as a three month gap year! Oh well!   

I met John from the station last night after he finished his shift and we went for a curry. Very nice it was too, although we always order too much and end up feeling so full. We went home and watched 'Calendar Girls' with Julie Walters and Helen Mirren. I think Julie Walters is great, and enjoyed it much more than I did 'Driving Lessons' which I watched last week with Cheryl. They must just have so much fun and a real laugh together filming some of these films. I think she was excellent in Mamma Mia and all those amazing ladies must have had a real scream whilst shooting it over there in the Greek Islands.

We've got a busy couple of days ahead, we had a skip delivered this morning so that we can clear out the garage, it's been needing it for a year or two now and at last we may just get round to it. We needed an incentive, so I ordered the skip yesterday! John's off on Wednesday and Thursday so he has 2 days to conquer the clutter. He can then do the shed and the loft if there's sufficient room left! I'm redecorating Amy's bedroom, so it's all going on. All the contents of Amy's room are in Kelly's room as she's away at the minute. So, I have a week to get that finished too. So, it's all go!!

The wedding we went to yesterday was lovely. Everything was fantastic although the weather could have been a lot brighter and less wet!

After the wedding I drove Kelly up to camp in Suffolk in the wet and returned home in the wet and the dark at 12.40am. God is so good and so knowing. Yesterday morning I listened to a tape of one of the morning services I missed recently, it was all about God's glory and holiness. On the way home last nght I decided to listen to a couple of podcasts I had on my ipod. After fumbling about in the dark whilst driving, trying to get one to play on the stereo it eventually started to play, it was all about the holiness of God and being set apart, about not being under the law but set free in Christ. The same message as I had heard in the morning. The second that I listened to was all on 'our light and momentary troubles' from 2 Corinthians, just what I mentioned last week in church, and what I have heard preached about 6 times in different places recently. It amazes me that out of about 50 podcasts on my ipod the 2 that I stumble upon in the darkness of the car, on the motorway just happened to be those two. They have no titles by them on the menu just a date, so it certainly wasn't pre-meditated on my part! The service this morning was from Galatians and was about again being free in Christ and how we shouldn't let the old law govern us and how we live and do church. Christ has come and set us free from all that. Again, another occasion with the same message - God is so persistent and really hammering home these same messages to me. Its fabulous to know Him at work in my life and see different people from all over, ie France, Bromley, Brighton, London, preaching the same messages from God's word. It's fantastic to have these things reinforced and shows how God encourages us individually and His church worldwide, it shows that the Church is united and very much in tune with God.

I prefer the version we use, the NIV's translation -'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.' 

I had a lovely time with Sue last night, we had a great time of prayer. It was good to catch up, it's ages since we've met up what with her holidays and mine etc. John had all the guys round anyway to watch a film at our house, so I was pleased to be off out!

Not sure what I'm doing yet on Sunday, I may go up to Hillsong in London for the lunchtime meeting as its gonna be very late by the time I get back tomorrow night. John's got to work, Kelly will be away and so the house will be empty..... a taste of things to come!

I read this today and think it's very apt.

When you are down to nothing, God is up to something!

Well, we did all go out for a meal last night, which was rather nice, the food took a lot to be desired mind you. I don't think we'll be going back there in a hurry! It was nice to all be together again and I'm hoping that over the next few weeks we may see more of Amy. Kelly's off to camp on Saturday for a fortnight and so we have lots to get ready for that, and also for September . She has to see the doctor and the dentist tonight, the doctor for jab advice and the dentist to check her teeth before she goes off to Africa. We need to sort out her visa application and photos as well as the kit list etc. Lots of people are asking them both what they'd like for their 18th and it seems odd Kelly asking for a mosquito net, travel first aid kit and insect repellent!

Had a great weekend. The shopping was good, we got most bits for the house now and have 2 deliveries of furniture to come in the next few weeks. Street Pastoring was good, a great bunch of us, all very enjoyable and a real privilege to do. We finished about 2.30am just before the rain started!

The evening service was good, based on Samuel, followed by communion. Later that evening Amy came round for a couple of hours, which was nice and her and Kelly agreed to try and spend an evening a week doing something together after Kelly comes back from camp. So that'll be nice. We are hoping to all go out for a meal tomorrow night with Uncle Martin and Nanna just to briefly celebrate the girls 18th birthday, as Kelly will be away on the day and it's the only time we have all together!

Hooray, a weekend where we aren't so busy. We had dinner at Nigel & Lucy's tonight and discussed the proposed furnish of the French house. We've decided to go down the rental route and so now we have to fully furnish it, which will be lovely when we go over and really quite exciting to do now. So, tomorrow, instead of going out to the coast for the afternoon we have a trip to Ikea, Argos and other shops, to do the deed. We're hoping we can get everything together so that John & Nige can hire a van and take everything over early in September. Although people could usually fall out over such things as decor, furniture etc, luckily, we all agree on everything so far! How good is that?

Sunday, we have a visiting speaker at Church in the morning and again we have a fairly relaxed afternoon with no plans. Maybe we'll go out for a walk or back to Bowles again.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." 1 Peter 1 v 23-25