chickens

Back last summer I told I blogged about our trip to see out daughter and her family in South Africa. Her and her husband run a charity for Aids orphans. While we were there we visited a cottage on a farm that they were hoping to move to and last September they did just that.

when she was very young my daughter always wanted to be a farmer...she loved to wear her big black wellies everywhere...she didnt want little coloured boots like other children because she wanted to look like a farmer! Well now she is living on her little farm with her own chickens, some ducks and a pig. Visit her blog here 

For some reason while I am writing this I cant actually see the photos that I have added to this post...seem to be still having problems with posting. Would like to write about the photos but cant see them to do that!

http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/

Problems

Is anyone else having problems uploading photos to their blog? I am also not able to change the font or layout on my post....really not sure why!

Shaw's Corner, Hertfordshire

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we went out for a drive in the country, visiting a few pretty villages and stopping at Shaw's Corner, (National Trust) the house where George Bernard Shaw lived until his death.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish playwrite and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. He was one of the most famous men of his time as well as writing plays he was an author, critic and political activist with a great commitment to social reform. Nearly all his writings address prevailing social problems but have a vein of comedy. One piece of work, Pygmalion was made into a film for which he won an Oscar. He was also awarded a Noble Prize for Literature in 1925

Twins

My son in law takes such great photo's and so sometimes I just have to steal  and post them!

Maggie & Primrose

Studio Pottery

My husband and I are interested in Studio Pottery, especially items made in Cornwall where we met and married. My parents moved to Cornwall when I was young and they had a lamp which over the years became wonky and was disposed of. I searched the internet to try and find which pottery made this lamp and eventually came across Tremaen Pottery based in Newlyn, near Penzance. The website shows the exact lamp that my parents had and when it was made, around 1973.

So I then searched ebay and came across the lamp below from the Tremean Pottery, its a different style base but the pattern is very close to my parents lamp. We bought it and it looks lovely in our house which was built in the early 70's

My husband has quite a keen eye and discovered the pot below in a charity shop, he bought it for £1 after finding the mark on the bottom showed it was made by Bernard Leach one identical sold on ebay the day he bought it, for £75.....a good buy!

Bernard Leach

The Leach Pottery in St Ives is considered by many to be the birthplace of British studio pottery. One of the great figures of 20th century art, Bernard Leach played a crucial pioneering role in creating an identity for artist potters across the world. His second wife was American potter Janet Leach, his son David Leach, also a potter had three sons John, Jeremy, and Simon who are all potters...quite a legacy. We have just booked a few days in the summer down in St Ives when we will visit the Leach Pottery Museum...cant wait!

He has been named!

Well our Grandson was registered yesterday, after 6 weeks of debating what he should be called, he was given an Irish name on St Patricks Day

Gilby

(he has been called this for a little while but I wasnt about to announce it until registration!)

Moses basket in use

Moses Basket

 I have finished the moses basket lining, here are some photos of it in the basket that I have at my house, it is a little shallower than the one that is used for baby so I am guessing the lining just reaches the top edge and doesn't wrap over the edge as it does in the photos. I am waiting to see a photo with baby in the basket.

I have also added photos of a very sweet little antique shop we visited last week on a day out



Forgotten God

 

I am reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan

Such a good book and part of why I can say that is because I know he 'walks the walk' and doesnt just 'talk the talk' (that photo above is of my daughter...she walks the walk too)

Here is a bit from the book that has really challenged me this week.

‘My hope is that instead of searching for ‘Gods will for my life’ each of us would learn to seek hard after ‘the Spirits leading in my life today.’ May we learn to pray for an open heart, to surrender to the Spirits leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now.

To say that we are not called to figure out “God’s will for my life” does not mean God doesn’t have purposes and plans for each of our lives or that He doesn’t care what we do with our lives. He does. In both the Old and New testaments He tells us that this is true. The key is that He never promises to revel these purposes all at once, in advance.

We do know that we are called to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians we read “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh...If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
 Gal 5:16, 25

The phrases keeping in step with the Spirit and walking with the Spirit are mostly likely familiar, but do they affect your life in a practical and meaningful way? Like I said earlier, I think dwelling on Gods plan for the future often excuses us from faithful and sacrificial living now. It tends to create a safe zone of sorts, where we can sit around and have “spiritual” conversations about what God “might” have planned for our lives. Thinking, questioning and talking can take the place of letting the Spirit affect our immediate actions in radical ways. God wants to see His children stake everything on His power and presence in their lives.

Nowhere in scripture do I see a “balanced life with a little bit of God added in” as an ideal for us to emulate. Yet when I look at our churches, this is exactly what I see: a lot of people have added Jesus to their lives. People who have, in a sense, asked Him to join them on their journey, to follow them wherever they feel they should go, rather than following Him as we are commanded. The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just all on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true life.’



Basket

I bought this basket a few years back, its just the right size for Bible, note book, net book, phone plus more. But I was always losing small things in the bottom under everything else so I decided to line it. I had a piece of nice, fairly stiff denim and decided to use that.

Making a pattern from newspaper I cut out two rectangles for the base and a wide long rectangle for the sides. I joined the side piece to one base piece, I then put the other base over the wrong side of the fabric to cover the seams around the base. Folded over the side to the correct depth and sewed around the rim. I added pockets to the sides, sewing one down the centre to make  two, one just the right size for my Blackberry :) the other for pens. The pocket on the other side for other small items.

I then used quilting thread (as its stronger) and sewed the rim to the basket, pushing the needle through any gaps in the basketwork.

I now need to start on the moses basket for my grandson...knowing this isn't going to be so easy as the sides aren't straight up and my daughter doesnt want it gathered!

Interlude

I have stolen a couple of photo's from my son in laws blog.....

I am struggling with a bad back so not up to much 'making' at the moment although I have lots to do. If I dont get the moses basket lining finished he will soon be out of it!

Cindi

Those of you who have read my blog for a while will know that one of my daughters lives in South Africa with her husband and two adopted boys. They are missionaries and work with orphans in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Kwa Zulu Natal. www.projecto.org.za

For about 2 years now they have had Cindi live with them, she was orphaned together with her brothers. Her brothers live with their grandmother in the house that Project O has built. The house is in the Valley which isnt always a safe place for young girls to live. Martin & Vashti would love to adopt Cindi but the adoption laws have changed recently and also adoption is quite an expensive process. Cindi has fitted into the family so well and the boys love her.

Cindi has been in a local school but is now due to go up to high school, she doesnt cope well in large groups. She loves to read and works hard. My daughter has decided to home school Cindi, please pray that they will receive funds for this and that Vashti and Cindi will work well together enabling Cindi to reach her potential. She is a great girl and loves the Lord. I know that He will bless them as they move into this new season.