Exciting time ahead

Dear friends, you may or not be aware that we have moved to France since the end of February and I have been pondering over the future of this blog. Should I end it and start another one, one matching a new exciting time ahead in our life. 
Then again, I thought that bearing in mind that time is precious and my knowledge in blogging hasn't improved much, I will abstain from changing blog.
So what's new?
1 Shall I pick on Steven first? Is he learning French? ..nop
2 One question for me...Have I found a job? ...nop
3 Is Steven still practising what he is best at...bbq?....yes with a gas bbq! Really as Verity Yarwood told him, he's become a traitor to the charcoal bbq league!
4 Have I found another friend to Christopher rabbit yet? ...nop..
5 Do we have a French TV...nop...English thank you very much and we enjoyed watching the two programmes for our Queen's 90th birthday, the BBC one and the ITV one. 
Hugs and blessings :)
More to come....

Numbers 6:22-26

Aaron's Blessing
22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Blessed to be a blessing!

Thanking God for my blessings without forgetting that I am blessed to be a blessing!
Friends, have a blessed evening and a sweet night in Christ!

Prayers

The Miraculous Draft of Fishes. Acts of the Apostles.

In peace let us pray.
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.
Risen Lord as we prepare to receive Holy Communion, we remember with humble thanks the sacrifice you made for us.

We pray for the Queen and the Royal family and especially this morning, we pray for the little girl born to the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge.

We pray for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal, especially those who have been injured, the homeless and all those who mourn the loss of loved ones, the orphans and the hungry. Lord of tenderness and mercy we ask you to relieve the burden of trauma, worry and pain from the victims of Nepal. We pray that they will find courage to rebuild their lives and their communities.

In our prayers, we remember the work of the aid agencies and volunteers working to help the people of Nepal. Lord of comfort and compassion, bless with humility those who work to relieve the pain and suffering of those affected in the Nepal earthquake, help them to deliver the basics of life and where there is despair let them bring hope.

Almighty God, Shepherd of the sheep, defender of the defenceless, we ask for your blessing on Elisa newly baptised into your Church Family. Hold her in your arms and bless her, shine your light on her path and let her always know her loving presence. Lord we ask you for your blessing on her parents, grandparents and God parents. May they always be ready to listen and to comfrot, to laught, to pray and encourage and to praise and throught their love for Elisa, may they receive your loving kindness.

Finally, we pray for ourselves, for our own discipleship, and in the presence of Almighty God, we take a few moments of silence to talk to him now...

As we work through the tapestry of life, we pull together the threads of our journey - the rich colours of success and shades of sorrow, the stitches of friendship and the design of our destiny. Almighty God, creator of all things, as we weeave through your pattern, let your light shine before us to show us the way; let your hand carry us in times of trouble or doubt and let your love embrace us, helping us to do our best to the glory of your name.

Merciful Lord accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus-Christ. Amen.

Wayne
Sandon Church, Mid-trent churches.

Have a blessed week!

All good things come from our heavenly Father

He is the one who knows our heart's desires.

Thank you Jesus for your abundant love

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5 8

Have a blessed day!

We are off to Bolton to see Verity and her fiancé David. Have a wonderful day!N.

Bless the Lord oh my soul!

Good morning my dear friends and family, it is such a beautiful day today, I want to thank our heavenly father for all his 'good deeds' Psalm 103: 2. You probably know that song from Matt Redman, the lyrics are below. 

Chorus

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

I am with you!

When we have to face a difficult situation, it is good to affirm our faith and remember that our Father in heaven cares for us so much everyday. Pick up your bible or google a bible app where you will find many verses that tell us about putting our trust in the Lord at all times and many others that tell us not to be fearful. 

This morning, I stopped on these verses inIsaiah 41:10(NIV)

10 So do not fear,(A) for I am with you;(B)
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(C) you and help(D) you;
    I will uphold you(E) with my righteous right hand.(F)

Bring back our girls, praying..

“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength…But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” -Psalm 33:16-19

Launched in 2002, Boko Haram - which in the local Hausa language means "Western education is forbidden", a reference to the initial focus of its Islamist agenda - became a force to be reckoned with in 2009 when it raided police stations and government buildings in Maiduguri, and other northern cities.

Hundreds of people were killed in the ensuing clashes between the security forces and its members.

Soldiers raided Boko Haram's headquarters, an Islamic centre in Maiduguri where children from poor families, including those from neighbouring Chad and Niger, enrolled for religious studies, only to be recruited as fighters.

When the security forces seized control of the centre, they captured its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who then died in police custody. 

The military declared victory over Boko Haram, only to find the group reorganising itself under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, who took it on a more militant path in the campaign to establish a puritanical Islamic state across Nigeria.

This is how the extremist group Boko Haram started their fight. Using children warriors according to the BBC article. For more videos that explain how it started, click here.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for all the blessings and love you pour out on Nigeria and its neighbouring countries. 

We ask you to reveal yourself to each member of Boko Haram, may you speak to them Lord, so that they turn from their evil acts, and let the children go.

Jesus, you are the living God, you have the victory and you are King of our hearts. 

We know that you pray for us and your unfailing love is immense. 

Help our Nigerian sisters and their families, comfort them and strengthen them, help them escape their kidnappers and find a safe place, help them to find shelter, surround them with your love oh Lord. 

Guide all those who are looking for our sisters, may they find them quickly. 

We praise you Oh Lord, you are the God of miracles, nothing is impossible for you. 

You love us, and you keep your promises. We ask in the mighty name of Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Let's celebrate!

We knew we wanted something different, so when our vicar (Vicar, St Mary's & St Martin's Church, Blyth) suggested a flashmob, we were sold.
Gary Richardson

Let's chill!

That's it, I am officially on holiday. However when I woke up this morning, it took me a few seconds to realise that I didn't have to get ready for work..even though I don't work on Saturday of course! At work, last week, most people (including I) were counting the number of get up! And after our visit to Alton Towers, a complete success, smiles were on every faces!
We've just had a really nice bbq in good company, Verity and David came to see us for a chat and a lunch all the way from Bolton. Verity and I managed to get a bit of tan until one o'clock, after that it went overcast! So this was even better as we could enjoy the heat without burning..that is if we forget to put some more sun cream lotion! For desert, no chocolate cake, instead, Verity and David very kindly picked up our home-grown raspberries (that is, off our temporary accommodation) and with vanilla ice-cream (the last tab available at the local shop) we had a delicioso desert!
Imogen can't wait to go to her auntie Jacqueline's wedding in Missouri! and we need to load more stuff in the caravane..What are your plans for the summer?
Hope you are having a relaxing week-end! Yours in Christ. N.

Grilling!

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

For the last two weeks, my time has been hijacked by various issues. It seems there is no end to it. I can't even explain what's going on. All I know is that I have to bite my lips, praise the Lord for He is in charge and knows what is happening and wait. This is easy to think when you are calm! When the tempest is raging, it becomes harder to feel the peace. So, if you are feeling out of sort, if you are struggling with lots of burdens, emotional, at work, in your relationships, if you feel worried, angry, if you despair, do not give up, the Lord is there by your side, give your hand to Jesus, listen to the Holy Spirit comforting you and strengthening you.
When we found out about the tornado that wrecked the town of Moore on Tuesday evening, we were utterly devastated. Join us in our prayers for all the victims' families, may they find solace in the Lord and may He comfort them in those dark hours, may He pour his healing hands on them. In the name of Jesus our saviour and redeemer. Your sister. N.

Service cancelled due to bad weather

Due to the snowdrifts and bad access to Sandon church (a 10 o'clock service) our confirmation service had to be cancelled. Philip, our team rector phoned Bishop Jeff who was digging his car out of the snow up in Barlaston, just on time, and then succeeded to ring all the candidates. 
Fortunately it was decided that we would have a service (at 11:15) at Weston which is of a more accessible church with a better parking. The weather forecast was -I am told- looking quite good yesterday. It was a lovely Palm Sunday service, with excellent hymns, and well attended by parishioners all around Mid-trent churches team. The younger ones made different coloured palm leaves which we shook when we sang 'At the name of Jesus' composed by John Michael Brierley (b. 1932), one of my favourite hymn.
On a funny note, Imo decided to go for a walk with her friend Kathy and was looking for a pair of wellies (size 5). I told her to look in the garage to see if her sister's wellies (size 4) would fit. She found them and brought them to us complaining that there were bits of paper in it. So I emptied them in the garden and to our surprise, with the bits of paper came a fair amount of sunflower seeds. She tried them on but they did not fit. Some time she left. Then Steven, the good looking vicar (!) told me that the rural mice had probably selected those boots for their spring nest and hoard. I told you that the neighbour's cat Lucy always comes uninvited, thinking about it, I am glad that we have this cat keeping the rural mice at bay. 
Have a blessed Sunday. Yours in Christ. N.

Buffalo or wild boar?

I am a very proud mother, Camille was offered a position for a company based in the outskirts of Bristol.She is over the moon and so are we! Now, she needs to find an accommodation and so far, nothing has come up yet!  Yesterday we set out there from Cheltenham and with the help of the GPS it was an easy ride. We had lunch in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Camille couldn't decide between the buffalo or the wild boar! After coffee, we browsed in Oxfam Bookshop, Queen's road where I found some excellent books including the  Traite ' de l'amour de Dieu (Treatise Of the Love of God, 1616) written by Francis de Sales (1567-1622) . 

 However, there was a small hiccup, with hindsight I should have parked in a car park, you have guessed, I got a fine for parking in the 'motorcycle bay'. I was not very happy as we made sure that we were back on time at the car ...anyway...

Camille took me to a flat that she considered to let and as we were waiting to hear if she could visit it again this time with me, I spotted this gorgeous cat, a youngster, very interested by birds up in the tree.
Later on, the odds were stacked against that room for all kinds of reasons so looking for a house or a flat is back to the drawing-board. Will you join us in prayers. Have a blessed evening.

Cutting down on red meats

Some time ago, during the summer holiday, I woke up with the words puric acid in my mind. That day went and I did not talk about it to anybody. The following morning, those two words were still in my mind and this time, I checked them up on the internet as I did not have a clue. I was so surprised at what I found. I thought that I would share this with you... Knowing how to reduce uric acid levels will directly alleviate severe inflammation of joints and the discomfort of gouty arthritis.
Foods high in puric acid that you should not include in a low purine diet are:



Anchovies, baker’s and brewer’s yeast, animal organs, sardines, Boletus mushrooms and gravies—more than 800 milligramsper three ounces.

Researchers now understand that gout occurs as a result of the body being unable to eliminate uric acid, or making too much uric acid. Uric acid forms as a result of break down of puric acid, which can be found in abundance in meats. In people with gout, uric acid forms sharp crystals that collect in the joints and soft tissues (especially the big toe), causing inflammation and excruciating pain. High levels of uric acid can also cause kidney stones.

Foods that have large quantities of purines, in addition to red meats, include certain types of fish like herring and sardines. Alcoholic beverages also increase uric acid in the system.

Gout attacks are brought on by several factors including:
some foods with a high content of protein and purines – such as liver, kidneys, sardines, and anchovies
being overweight
haemorrhages in the gastrointestinal canal
bodily trauma with extensive tissue destruction
major surgery

overconsumption of alcohol, especially beer
conditions in which there's a high rate of cell turnover, eg leukaemia,lymphoma, psoriasis.

Good advice
Cut down on alcohol consumption and also soft drinks containing fructose.
Avoid food that you know can cause attacks – conversely some items may be helpful and protective eg cranberry juice, coffee, dairy products.
Watch your weight (losing weight, if overweight, will help).
The uric acid crystals can be secreted in the urinary system as calculi (stones). Therefore you have to drink plenty of water, preferably 10 to 12 glasses a day, in order to wash out the urinary system and prevent any stones from developing.

Interestingly enough, it appears that 'the alkaline mineral in the green and brown tea (manganite is destroyed by complete fermentation and hence not found in black tea), enlarge the fat digestion, a function which -in cooperation with the coffeine's functions- stops the raising of the puric acid (purine) to prevent gout.' 

Have a blessed Sunday. N.

Big Society in Hixon!

Grow old in the Lord 'Tis sweet to grow old in the fear of the Lord, When we cease our tasks one by one; When His strong right hand helps us stand, Till the last day's labor is done.When His strong right hand helps us stand, Till the last day's labor is done. 'Tis sweet to grow old in the fear of the Lord; To live 'neath His loving restraints; 'Tis sweet to grow old in the fear of the Lord; As life's shadows longer creep; Till our steps grow slow, and our sun swings low, He gives beloved sleep! (Faith in the Future, copied from The Vegas Dive Messenger, January 7, 1966.)

Some time ago, Steven and I went to the luncheon club  in Hixon. 

As it happened it was Ray's 95th birthday and we had a cheerful nutter. 

The atmosphere was so friendly, the roast diner was 'excellent' I was told by the regular folk. 

 The luncheon club welcomes

 the over-60s from Hixon and villages nearby, i.e. there were a couple of pensioners living in Weston.

 It is organised by a team volunteers 

alternate Fridays from 12:00 to 15:00 

and believe me

 it is much appreciated by his patrons.

 May the Lord bless all the participants of this superb example of 'Big Society' in abundance!.In Jesus-Christ, we ask. Amen. 

On the left, Ray, in front of him, 

Vera who lives in Weston

Quality time with friends and family

Some time ago, Patricia and Michael invited us for Sunday diner and we had a wonderful time.  It was great to spend some quality time. There was a beautiful log fire in the lounge and we were pampered beyond measure!






We love having friends round, however, finding the right time can be difficult. The week-end before last Pat, Alan and Jason came to ours. You can guess who is the cook! Diner was délicieux and I will extrapolate about the desert!

I was told that best English trifle is made with custard! I was quite happy to make it with jelly topped up with custard..I hear that there is a bit of controversy..so what kind of trifle do you prefer ? When we went shopping on the saturday, Steven put some summer fruits in the trolley but somehow, when he unpacked the shopping, he could not find them, ..checked the bill and he had not paid for them either..Earlier in the week, I bought a pineapple..you can guess what happened...this is a pineapple trifle façon Etienne.

Family and friends, cheerful hearts, are a blessing from the Lord. Praise the Lord.

More photos!

Meet Dad in Norfolk.

These otters are waiting to be fed. We saw them in the sea life Center in Hunstanton. We had a great day even though it was pretty cold!

This is Cromer in Norfolk.The first time we went there, we actually had to buy the 'famous' Cromer crabs! Freshly prepared.

As we are preparing to go to Heacham next week to celebrate Dad's 90th birthday, we may go to Cromer again. I praise the Lord for those past holidays. May our next holiday be blessed too so that we can all meet in peace and appreciate our time with relatives and friends. In Jesus-Christ.