Fog & Fortune

Yesterday I was reading Brother David's blog and relating to his observation that "Most of my musings escape before I can rope them, lost in the mystical ether (just thought I would call it that, sounds better than fog) "
Well this morning the fog lifted temporarily.

As Fortune or God would have it I decided to switch the radio on half-way through Salman Rushdie's examination of 'The Wizard of Oz' http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g3xq8
Judy Garland's rendition of 'Over the Rainbow' is magical .....

but I couldn't manage to download it so here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKIjsWUbhVM
Rushdie says that the song is a search for a place "where nothing was deemed more important than the loves, cares & needs of human beings". He describes it as a Utopian dream and "joyfully secular" - but to me it's just the Kingdom of God or the Garden of Eden.

C S Lewis talks about our search for it in 'Mere Christianity' when he says, "I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same."
Mack, the main character in the 'The Shack' by William P Young (which I'm 3/4 of way through & enjoying),finds such a place.

Films, legends & books are full of the search. It's a universal human longing for God. Well that's my own worldview/faith. We can be happy in the here & now though once we've found faith, just as Dorothy was able to be happy being home in Kansas once she'd visited the Wizard of Oz, and that's what the pictures are about (as well as making it more interesting LOL X)

Flights of Fancy

I love 'em. You often keep them to yourself and they stay in your head. Some, like the unusual arrangement of scarves that a friend has up her staircase are merely fancy and going up a flight of stairs - but enough to put me in mind of the phrase.

Monty Python specialised in flights of fancy and this is one of their best .........


My own latest flight of fancy was to dye my hair red but it's very tame beside this lady who I caught on camera in a park in Budapest. Her flight of fancy reflected God's own seen in the glowing colours of the trees behind. Life would be dull without them.

Fortitude

I came across the above when googling 'Fortitude' and whilst it's not what I had in mind, being warlike and all, I had to include it for the passion & the films it reminded me of.

I was thinking more of the staying-power sort of fortitude that enables people to finish what they started or not give in when difficulties arise. It might be finishing a half-marathon like Winona did on Sunday....

or finishing a beautiful piece of patchwork like the
bedspread on our bed in Marple, made by Nadine.
Both showing incredible fortitude.

Fan - tastic

Last night we went to see http://www.benaddis.com/ at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in 'The Widower's House' by George Bernard Shaw. Four/For Free tickets. It was press night so I'm really looking forward to reading the reviews - they'd better be good 'cos he, and all the cast were brilliant and a really good production of GBS's first play.

This afternoon found bargains in the charity shops in Wilmslow. It's really frustrating not being able to download photos as I've left my camera usb at home. I can't even manage to get the youtube screen on today but for tips on charity-shop shopping click on link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYuGwEnCWXY

Foundations, Forgiveness and Frippery

Sunday service at All Saints Marple with DS leading worship. And surprise! surprise! the foundations theme of the last post was continued in the sermon. Talking about how the rug can be pulled from under us suddenly when job-loss, accident, illness occurs out of the blue. Something unexpected & not part of the life we'd imagined ourselves to have. If our life rests on that lifestyle, fitness, or loved one taken from us, if they're our foundation then we'll collapse.

When Jesus was tortured & killed his disciples thought that was the end of all they'd hoped for (even though he'd warned them what was about to happen) but it wasn't. He is indestructable and there wasn't any risk of them being without their foundation. He came back to them & left his Spirit & a promise to live in everyone who believed in him and be their indestructable foundation.

I don't know why I have to write this on my blog but somehow I just do. It was funny that today's sermon should by confirming yesterdays post. (One of many foundations texts is 1 Corinthians 3v11.)

And now for something completely different. A lovely testiment to brotherly love & forgiveness.

And finally a tribute to a very dear friend who is loving, clever, funny and generally fabulous. Since moving away from us to the south of England she has had a website created to showcase her hand-made-felt beads, birds, books and beautifications. Find them on -

http://www.frippery.uk.com/

Firm foundation

Spent the evening watching the film,'Sylvia', about the life & death of Sylvia Plath. The f-word was not redeemed but used to reinforce the blackness and bleakness of her life with Ted Hughes.
He saw his role of a poet as being a magician on a spiritual journey. He was looking for power in his words but seeking it from the occult (Cabbal, tarot, ouiji board etc). He was looking for light in all the wrong places.
The f-word that came to mind after watching the suffering and chaos and finally Sylvia's death was 'foundation'. There are wonderful poets (Donne, Betjemen, Hopkins & many more) writing with passion and power who sought that 'magic' from Gods word through Jesus. The only true light.

Feasting with family & friends

Today nine of us had lunch together & it was very special because not only were we with family but we had our closest friends there too. The food was gathered from leftovers in the fridge, the freezer, the poly-tunnel in Ian & Nad's garden (we're visiting/house-sitting) and a hasty trip to the Co-op but by the time everyone had arrived the table was full.
I felt a wonderful sense of well-being & completeness. Andy said it reminded him of Babette's feast & although the food didn't compare I think that the same spirit was in it. 

Fame

Our hometown has achieved a new award! To add to the many Britain in Bloom trophies comes the title of 'Best Pier in Britain 2008-2009'. Well deserved after huge amounts of renovation work & imaginative lighting.  For a few photos of our beloved pier go to  http://www.freefoto.com/browse/?query=saltburn+pier

Fun in the Woods

DSIL taking advantage of a stout branch to maintain his Fitness. Hope he finds as much support on the branch of our Family tree that he joined last year when he & DD married.

Family trees must be being challenged in the 21st century when living together is often preferred to marriage. I believe that people in a loving and monogamous relationship, committed to each other for life are married in the eyes of God. It's a sad thought though if their partnership is not recorded. Do genealogists name 'partners' on the historic family tree? If not an awful lot of family history is lost to the coming generations.





FERNS - Another F-word favourite. I was pleased
to find these furry baby ferns unfurling.

Fun on the beach

A First! She's been on this planet for a quarter of a century and yet Lindsey had never before built a sandcastle! We live by the sea so her priority on arriving from London with DD & DSIL was to head for the beach & get stuck in.

Food-shopping & Football

Food shopping & football usually feature on a Saturday & today's no exception but most of my time has been sucked away by fumbling to get lists of favourite blogs & finding out how to put active links in my posts. I'll just have to wait for our younger generation to visit & show me how.
At least our team won; Middlesbrough3 Hull1; and still have a chance of avoiding relegation. I'm not that bothered but all my male loved ones are passionate fans.
Looking forward to tomorrow!

Freedom!

Redeeming the F word

As an expletive the F-word is very expressive. I first heard it as a student in the 60's, used by an art student and thought it sounded really cool so used it while out with my friends - they disagreed violently and my "But it's only a word!" didn't persuade them.
I could never have imagined then how popular that particular F-word would become in the following few decades & how uncool it would sound to me now. It will go out of Fashion but meanwhile I'd rather focus on other F words that never will.
Faith, Family, Friends, Flowers & Films will do for a start.
Good Friday is the perfect day to start. Clips from 6 films - The Mission, The Passion, Life is Beautiful, Saving Private Ryan, 13 and The Green Mile - were shown in church this afternoon to help to explain the reason for Christ's crucifiction and the power of God's love. So Faith & Film are today's F words...... Happy Easter!