What is going on?! We woke up this morning to breaking news that 18 people were arrested overnight after it was revealed that there was a plot to blow up 10 flights using liquid-based explosives travelling from the UK to the US when over the atlantic. We are on our highest security alert ever. No one is allowed any hand luggage except wallets and passports. No liquids are allowed on board including beverages, hair gels, lotions. Baby milk has to be verified by being tasted by the parent/carer in front of security people. Heathrow are taking no incoming flights that aren’t already in the air. All internal flights and short haul flights have been cancelled and the police are advising that no one come to the airports today. It’s chaos!! Poor people going on holiday this morning who were unaware of all this! Poor children who can’t have drinks or toys on the plane!

Really praying this gets sorted out soon. All TV channels have changed their schedules to keep us updated. I hope no one in the US is affected…..

To stay updated you can check out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4778575.stm

This weekend we celebrated Sam’s Mum’s 60th Birthday by staying at Ickworth Hall with all Sam’s siblings, spouses, neices, nephew and grandparents! Phew! It was the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed in formerly owned by the Marquis of Bristol, steeped in history and surrounded by beautiful gardens. It was lovely to celebrate altogether and to be treated to such a great weekend. The hotel had a spa where I had a pedicure. Mmmmm!

We thought we’d share some pictures…

Our room was on the first floor

The view from our window

Cycling round the grounds

Sam’s mum blowing her candles out with a little help from granddaughter Elizabeth

Sam recreating Wimbledon (He won the family tennis tournament!)

A celebratory meal in our private dining room!

A gorgeous weekend

Last night we went to a worship evening put on by the church we were part of before launching into Mosaic. We got to see people we haven’t seen for ages. I wondered what I’d feel, seeing everyone again now our lives are moving in different directions but on the same mission. There are times when I mainly remember the frustrations of our previous church community, the disagreements and the desires I had that didn’t seem to line up with anyone elses.

Last night, I felt nothing but affection and fondness for the people we left behind. We were welcomed and embraced in the same way that we were released to pursue our dreams.

Thank You Victory Assembly…

…for the privilege of leading your special community in worship

…for permission to dream

…for acceptance of who I am and encouragement to be all I was created to be

…for demonstrating joy, passion and celebration

…for the gateways into different cultures I may never have known

…for a place to belong wherever we are and whatever we do

…for being people who we can always call on and who don’t forget us

…for providing a place to meet my husband!

…for being a learning curve and a launchpad to where we are now

…for being excited about what we’re doing even if you don’t understand it all

…most of all… for giving me the freedom to dance!

This weekend has been lots of fun. Yesterday we celebrated our friend Helen’s 25th Birthday by going to a roller disco. For those who don’t know what this is, people (mainly small children) roller skate around to music with flashing lights! We were definitely the oldest ones there apart from some mum’s and Dad’s who didn’t all venture out on skates! I had a roller disco birthday party for my 12th birthday so the memories came flooding back. It was lots of fun watching the kids and the mum’s and dad’s falling over! I managed to stay upright!

Afterwards, we had a barbeque. It’s been a heatwave all week and at the point that we started our BBQ, the thunder started and the heaven’s opened! Helen’s boyfriend Chris made a makeshift shelter for the BBQ from washing lines and bin bags!

This afternoon we went with friends Lizzie and John to see Pirates of the Carribean 2. I loved it. I can’t wait for the next one. Just a year to wait! A fun weekend full of people and fun prepares me well for a week of work nicely. Bring it on.

Me skating - so fast, I’m a blur!

trying to catch Chantelle (in the yellow)!

Sam and a random child. He was definitely the tallest there!

Helen and Chris

The train! A Classic!

Bbq in the rain. The guys hanging in there while we look at them through the kitchen window!

Finished off with a game of “Towering Blocks”! Ooh, the tension mounts….

All in all, a thoroughly good weekend.

We are experiencing a heat wave that makes me feel like we’re in the Mediterranean but having to work - rubbish combination! Apparently it’s a Level 3 heatwave. Today has been soooo hot. It’s reached 35 celcius (95 Farenheit) and England does not do air conditioning! Our Summer average is usually 22C (72F). The kids weren’t really up for therapy today and neither was I. I’m in the hospital tomorrow on the elderly wards. The hospital has no air conditioning (the NHS don’t have the money to stretch to that) and the patients who are alread dehydrated will be more so.

It’s going to be hotter tomorrow and likely to break all British records. It was hotter here today than the Spanish holiday resorts that all the Brits flock to during the summer months! Who needs Ibiza and the Costa Del Sol when you’ve got Sheffield?! Will someone please declare a national holiday? I can’t cope!

We had a great weekend pottering round the garden, chatting to the man next door who came and cut our hedge, celebrating our friends’ birthdays, watching the World Cup final.

I have to say that an interesting part of our weekend was a trip to the new Costco in Sheffield. I got membership cos I work for the National Health Service so Sam and I thought we’d go and check it out. My Aunt has been raving about it for ages. It’s huge! And full of exciting low price items! It was shopping but even Sam enjoyed it! We got membership cos we thought it would be useful to be able to get food items for mosaic events and stuff. Sam got a t-shirt and we got some exciting food for our Mosaic event on Wednesday at our house. They market it as an “American” thing in the hope that that will attract people.

On every aisle there was someone with samples of food trying to get us to buy it - not a very British approach I don’t think - they didn’t look very comfortable doing it!. I ate all the stuff but didn’t buy any of it! There was a guy trying us to get us to buy “American Beef Jerky”. A “new and different” product! No one was trying it cos they thought it looked horrid! We could have bought a big Cheesecake Factory cheescake - no one had heard of that. We had, having visited three times during our trip to LA! The man on the way out said “It’s nice having something a bit different isn’t it? All those American things to buy”.

In a way, I’d rather not have the American stuff so that we can go and get it in the US! It’s a bit disappointing to get back from California and see all the stuff we saw there, in Sheffield. Oh well, I’m sure it’ll be a good place to get things - appliances, clothes, huge amounts of food!

Today was a significant day. The anniversary of the London bombings. As I woke up and watched the news I saw story after story of survival, grief, fear and hope. I knew that 52 people died that day and I feared for many friends I have in London but I had no idea of the extent of those who were injured, lost limbs, lost independence and many who have only recently left hospital. At the same time I saw stories of the human spirit, of courage, of people risking their lives to give others a chance at life. Crowds gathering around the country to experience this day together, to remember the lives lost and damaged; lives from many different faith and cultural backgrounds. I thought of the families of the suicide bombers. What must they feel today? At 12 noon, I was driving from a patients house back to the hospital. I stopped my car at the side of the road to listen to the 2 minute silence and reflect on what the people affected by that tragedy must be feeling right now. I thought about life, about hope, about the mystical thing that brings people together in times like this. I got back to my office and read some obituaries of those who died. I had to stop because of the tears I shed. What would my obituary have said had that been me? How do events like this shape how we live our future? Today I saw the hope in the pain and decided to live..

We’ve just got back from an evening of jazz in Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens (beautiful Victorian gardens). Everyone brought picnics (some were very sophisticated - candles, tables and everything!) and sat on the grass listening to the jazz bands, talking with friends. We went with some people I work with, some from our Mosaic community, and met sooo many people randomly who I have worked with/ lived with /seen around the city… So many lives in one place. I really felt like a part of this massive city community. Like I belong. So many people to talk to!! I loved it! Later in the evening there was dancing! I really thought this morning as I drove to work in a thunder storm that we’d be rained off but it was so warm and sunny. I wish we could’ve stayed all night….

Strawberries and cream - mmm!

The band

The picnics

The company

The dancing

A good night was had by all.

We’re waiting for kick-off… they’re justy giving us some interesting facts about Ecuador. They make panama hats and Christina Aguilera’s dad is from Ecuador! Interesting.. I’m not a great one for football knowledge but I know if we lose and get knocked out, the nation will be in mourning and many will cry. That won’t happen though! Sam told me to stop with my negative talk! I just think if I don’t expect too much, I can be pleasantly surprised!

Here’s Sam with his shirt and our patriotic biscuits (cookies!?)…

Come on England!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Father’s day to all the fathers! We spent this weekend with both our Dad’s. My family on Saturday, and Sam’s parents today. I like celebrating stuff and I really appreciate my Dad’s support and love and consistency in my life. It was nice to have both my brothers there too. On Saturday we went to Calke (pronounced Cork) Abbey which is a stately home near my Mum and Dad’s. We picnicked and wandered around, then had a bbq and watched the USA v Italy match. Today we had another bbq with Sam’s parents then went round a local village for an open gardens afternoon. It’s great. You get to look around other people’s gardens and peep inside their houses! I was inspired to put plants in pots and sort our garden out. Overall a brilliant weekend. I feel rested and ready for the week ahead…

A picnic at Calke Abbey

Beautiful Gardens

Looking at the graves at the chapel and recreating the lives of the people from the 18th and 19th centuries

bbq…..

…and football!

Wandering round the village this afternoon with Sam’s parents

Someone’s pet Peacock! This fella was noisy but beautiful

I’d like to have a peacock wandering around I think, reminding me of how beautiful things can be.