Well Christmas has already come and gone.... and I'm all Christmassed out so I can't really be bothered to talk a great deal about it! But I got lots of wonderful presents from some wonderful people so thank you!!

I was speaking to Luke (our minister's son who is four years old) on Christmas Eve and he was just so, so excited about it being Christmas! He was worried that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep so that Santa would come and give him presents. But he did have a solution and that was to try and sleep facing the wall or snuggled under the blankets. So cute! I wish I could get excited about Christmas. I didn't even open a present until after 10am. Oh to be four years old again!

Now on to New Year! I'm driving up to Glasgow tomorrow (so worried about the parking!) to tidy my flat before Andrea and Ruthie arrive. They arrive very early on Saturday morning which is not very far away now!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Once my seminar had finished on Friday, I headed home and packed my bag then got the train to Edinburgh. I met Sue at this little place just off the Royal Mile called Chocolate Soup. To say that this place was amazing just doesn't give it enough credit!! How I wish there was a place like that in Glasgow!!! It was really nice to see Sue. I thought I hadn't seen her since schoolk but actually (and Christine, yes Christine, reminded me of this today) that I bumped into her when I went back to visit school when Christine was down visiting me! But still, that was a little while ago so it was really nice to catch up. She seems to be enjoying Edinburgh a lot so that is awesome.
Then I went to meet Mum and Meg outside Jenners. We wandered around for a while and then went to eat at this restaurant. It was terrible. I can usually find something that suits me, even though I am a really fussy eater, but there was NOTHING on the menu that I liked. So that meal definitely wasn't a success! We then walked to our hotel which was clearly the furthest away hotel that Mum could have picked. We had a little bit of time before we were going to the theatre so we just relaxed for a while.
We got a taxi to the Playhouse (which clearly we didn't need). We went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was good, and it did amuse me that Rab C. Nesbitt and Shirley from River City were both in it!! It was pretty spectacular and I enjoyed it so much. I think I have become a Broadway snob though because the last thing that I went to see was the Lion King on Broadway and that was just so amazing that I don't think that anything will ever live up to that!
On Saturday we caught the bus to Ocean Terminal and while Mum and Meg looked round the Britannia I did some shopping. When they eventually caught up with me, we had some lunch and then went back to the city centre. We looked round Marks and Spencers then, of course, I took them both to Chocolate Soup!!! lol
Finally we had a look round the German Market, which was pretty difficult to do because it was just sooooo busy!! Then it was time to go home. Mum was heading up to Inverness for a funeral on Monday and her train was first. Then I walked Meg to her train and made sure she was on there safely. And then I caught my train. It was so busy and a lot of people had to stand. I was so thankful that I got a seat.

Today I met up with Christine. We went to Wesley Owen to do a little shopping and have some lunch. I was really angry because I found three copies of Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy on one of the shelves. When I had last been in Wesley Owen I tried to order two copies but they said that it was out of print because they were releasing a new edition next year. They asked around all the other Wesley Owens and were able to get only one for me and now I go into the shop and find three just sitting there!!!! So annoying!! It was really nice to catch up with Christine though because I have only seen her twice this term!

I just thought I'd say that I have finished all my work for this term!!!

WOOHOO!! *dances around the room*

I managed to get all my work done last week. It was pretty tough but I did it (not that that was ever in any doubt!!). I've just one essay to do now and that is due in on Friday so I have got all the books that I need together and now I'll have to get on with that!

I went home on Saturday morning! I was relieved to have a bit of a break. On the train I made up a schedule for Andrea and Ruthie's trip over here. It looks like it is going to be a busy time and I am going to be doing more driving than I would like but I am definitely looking forward to seeing Andrea and meeting Ruthie!
I was pleased to see Mum, Dad and Hattie but I wished that I had brought Zinzan with me. For the two nights that I was at home I was constantly uneasy about having left him in the flat. He was fine though! Dad and I went to the football - second round FA cup match against Swansea. We scored first but ended up losing 3-1. It was a shame but I'm not gutted or anything. We are still in the Johnsons Paint Trophy so it certainly isn't the end of the world!
In the evening we went out for tea to the Chinese buffet - always great!!
On Sunday we went to church as usual. There was a power cut so there was no light or heat. They were unsure whether there would be an evening service even but there was. Mum was on creche duty and looked after little Samuel. He is such a cutie but wouldn't smile for me at all!
In the afternoon I went next door to meet little Edward. He is just so cute but is very colicky so was crying a lot. Mum gave him a bottle then he fell asleep when I was holding him. Grace was in good form. She is even more adorable now that she is talking a little bit now. She has a very cute sense of humour! Today she is going round to my house for my Mum to look after her when Edward is getting some jabs. I wish I was still at home!
On Monday I went into town and did a little shopping, then went round to Sarah's for lunch and a bit of a catch up. Then I had to head back to Glasgow. The train was so busy and the journey seemed to take forever! But I did get back eventually!

Well, Scotland lost the rugby yesterday. I didn't really expect them to win but it would have been nice! Darlo won against the MK Dons though so I'm happy. We had our captain, Clark Keltie, sent of after just 30 minutes so we were playing the rest of the match with 10 men. We always tend to win when we have gone down to 10 men, just as we always tend to lose when we are playing against 10 men. I think when a team is a man down there is just much more grit and determination.
I got so much reading done yesterday and I am ready to write my essay which is good - I'm just having difficult starting it! That is always the most difficult part!

I'm sitting in the library at the moment reading for the essay that I have in on Monday. It is nearly 2.30pm on Saturday and I have been here since 9am. What makes it worse is that there is somewhere where I'd much rather be - the north west of England where all my friends are presently because it is Jonathan's birthday tomorrow. I can't believe I'm missing out! Gutted! But this Barbarians essay won't write itself, as they say! The reading is going quite well so far - I'm not panicking anyway and I think I chose a good question to answer... Are Latin histories of the Goths more Roman than Barbarian? It seems to be pretty straight forward at the moment anyway!
I am listening to TFM over the internet at the moment. Soccer Saturday used to have a feature called Hodgy's Choice where David Hodgson would pick his favourite of three songs and it would be played at the end of the show. This was the first time that I had listened to Soccer Saturday since DH had been sacked and I'd forgotten that he, of course, wouldn't be picking his favourite!! lol It was a bit weird really. They didn't speak to the new manager, Dave Penney, at all. I have no idea what he sounds like which is also weird!! Darlo are playing MK Dons today. Hopefully we'll keep the winning run going but this is Darlo we are talking about here so I doubt it!
Scotland are playing Australia in the rugby which will be a tough challenge but if we win then we will finish the year off at Murrayfield unbeaten which would be awesome!
Well, I'd best get back to the reading!

I managed to get up in good time today to head out to Edinburgh. I got the train from Queen Street at 10am and met Margaret at Edinburgh Waverly at 11.15am. It doesn't actually take that long to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh but we planned to meet at 11. I arrived at about 10.50 and Margaret at 11.15!! lol
I really wanted to go to Starbucks so we walked pretty much the whole way along Princes Street to get to one! How ridiculous! There were two at one end of the street and none at the end where we started! It is so different to Glasgow where there is one on every corner! Anyway we got there eventually. So, we had our Starbucks and then rang my Dad who had arrived at the Rosses. Instead of picking us up as planned, they decided it would be easier for us to get the bus!! Nightmare! First it took us ages to find the bus stop and when we did the no. 11 had just left so we had to wait about 15mins for the next one!! We did get to our destination in the end. It was good to see Mum and Dad and Hattie, of course! We had lunch and chatted for a while and then Mum, Morag, Margaret and I headed out to a shopping centre. Great fun! We spent most of the time in Marks and Spencer. It was so busy that Margaret and I kept losing each other. I bought a brilliant hat but would have loved to have bought some of the beautiful skirts, dresses and tops that they had. I was obviously in a girly mood! We did eventually make it out of M&S and ended up in Dorothy Perkins. Margaret and I both got winter coats - the same style but different colours! Very exciting!
After we were done shopping we took Margaret back to her flat and then went back to the Rosses for tea. Then I pretty much had to head home on the train back to Glasgow! It was a nice day but I didn't want to come back to Glasgow or say goodbye to my parents!

My mum was telling me yesterday that she was looking at the pictures of the Murder Mystery. She said that I really looked like someone from the 1930s, especially with the hairstyle! That made me so happy!
At the moment I am watching Children in Need and being terrified by Jackie Bird. If you have never watched BBC Scotland (especially the news) then you won't know what I am talking about but she is the most scary woman in the world! I don't want to give her any of my money! They should really get Sally Magnusson to present it cos she is much less scary!

Oh and I have a film recommendation - The Prestige! It is just fabulous!!!

This was posted as a bulletin on myspace by one of my friends. It made me giggle, especially the final two answers!

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

(written by kids)
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you likesports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep thechips and dip coming.-- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry.God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you'restuck with.-- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.-- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at thesame kids.-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.-- Lynnette, age 8

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that Usually getsthem interested enough to go for a second date.-- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapersand make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. -- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich.-- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.- - Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry themand have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone toclean up after them.-- Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?-- Kelvin, age 8

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.-- Ricky, age 10

So I guess that I should update you on stuff that has been going on recently. To be honest, that isn't a lot. Last week I had an essay due in which I (obviously) handed in on time. It was an insanely difficult essay though - What was the impact of the Reformation on Popular Culture? I mean, seriously, could I have picked a more difficult topic? I think not!! I'm not convinced that I wrote a very good essay but there is nothing that I can do about it now!!
Other than that my weeks have been very, very boring! I'm looking forward to the weekend because my parents are going to be up in Edinburgh visiting the Rosses. So I'm also going to take the very long and very expensive (yeah right!) trip through to see them. I'm also hoping to meet up with my cousin, Margaret, as well cos I haven't seen her for a while. I think I'm going to have to head through to Edinburgh pretty early cos the trains are going to be busy on Saturday. There is a Scotland rugby match going on at Murrayfield that day so I guess many Glaswegians will be making the same trip as me. Last week Scotland beat Romania by a fairly large margin which was pretty encouraging but this week we are playing the Pacific Islands (or the Specific Islands as I keep saying!) which will probably be a much sterner test? Another happy note is that England lost in the rugby again last week!
I'm really excited because this week I got an email from one of my Summit friends, Annie. She and her sister, Laura, who was also at Summit, are going to be in London over Easter and they may come and visit me!!! I am so excited! YAY!! So next year I'm getting visits from Andrea (and Ruthie) over New Year, Annie and Laura just after easter and Keagan at the beginning of summer!!! Lots of things to look forward to!

A few more murder pics:

Lucy Loveless (Esther) and Jimmy Open (Andy)
Suso Shady (Kerry)
Dick Lacey (Findlay)

Ok, so on Saturday 4th November Christine held a murder mystery for her 20th birthday. It was so much fun.
The story was that we were all dinner guests of Sam Shady, a private detective. He was shot in the garden and, of course, all of us were suspects in his murder.
The cast list was:

Mandy Seever (me) : femme fatale (hahahaha!), married to Al DaBone but unfaithful. Sam was blackmailing me.

Jimmy Open (Andy): small time crook, Sam's long lost brother but Sam wanted to keep him a secret.

Suso Shady (Kerry): Sam's chinese wife, he had been cheating on her

Dick Lacey (Findlay): also a private detective and therefore Sam's rival, was losing out to Sam. His secretary was sending work Sam's way.

Lucy Loveless (Esther): Dick Lacey's secretary, having an affair with Sam and pregnant with his child.

Al DaBone (Phil): 'Pet Shop' owner, being investigated by Sam Shady, running illegal businesses and having an affair with Lady Faddington

Lady Faddington (Christine): famous actress but secret alcoholic

Bobby (Bobbi) Cuffs (Julie): police officer, was a bit crooked.

Gemma was also there and was sharing Christine's character. It didn't really work out but it was really nice to see her cos I only tend to see her once a year on Christine's birthday!

So we went through the rounds where different things are revealed and ate a lovely meal. It was great fun! We also had a few fireworks in the garden which gave me the opportunity to wear the fur cape that was part of my costume. Whether you disagree with fur or not, it was very 1930s so don't shout at me! Phil was in charge of lighting the fireworks - a fact that scared me to the very core but actually it went without a hitch thankfully!
Maybe I'll leave you to guess who the murderer was.....

Mandy Seever (me)
Al DaBone (Phil)Lady Faddington (Christine)Bobby/Bobbi Cuffs (Julie)

ok so presently i am annoyed at blogger. yesterday i wrote a really good post about christine's murder mystery last saturday and then it got deleted so i was a bit angry! i will write the post again later i think. im sorry that i haven't posted for a while!

I'm gutted. I missed my first class of the year today. I had been doing so well and was secretly pretty proud of myself because I've not been so good about lectures in the past but I was making a conscious effort to go to them all. But I do have a reason why I didn't go - I'm ill. It isn't fun. It is times like this that I wish I didn't live all alone. :-(

I went home this weekend which was a bit unexpected. My computer keeps breaking down and randomly shutting itself off which was getting to be a bit of a pain so I took it back for Dad to deal with. So Zinzan and I travelled back on the train on Friday.
On Saturday I headed to York to visit Beth. Twas a lot of fun! First we looked round the shops for a bit and then went for hot chocolate. After that we looked round some more shops then went to Pizza Hut. Then, of course, a little more shopping and then Beth took me to her halls. They are really nice! Finally I had to leave. I ran to catch a train and got a stitch and it turned out that the train was late! Fantastic(!) I was sad to leave though!
In the evening I went with Emma to Joe Rigatonis. Was yummy! Then we went back to my house and just mucked around really. We looked at some old school photos and tried to remember peoples names!
On Sunday I went to church, of course. Saw the usual folks which was great!
Finally on Monday I bumped into Tig which was awesome cos I haven't seen her for absolutely ages!
So I managed to catch up with a fair few people over the weekend which was great...... and now I am back in Glasogw :-(

Disaster strikes! I have discovered Facebook!!! It is so addictive! So between MySpace and Facebook I am doomed!! But like MySpace I have come across a few old friends so it can't really be a bad thing!
I'm really excited cos Andrea is coming to visit me over the Christmas hols!!! YYYAAAYYY!!! I really just cannot wait!!!

So another week is just about over. It has been generally quite good. I went home with Dad on Sunday afternoon after we went to church at Gardner Street. I drove the whole way home which took around three and a half hours. I was pretty tired after that! Iain, Paula and the kids (Craig, Cara and Emma) were staying at ours for the weekend because they were going to spend the rest of the week at Oasis (Center Parks in the Lake District). It was really great to see them! Went to Geneva Road in the evening. Was nice to see Sophie! We chatted about Robin Hood and Richard Armitage who is playing Guy of Gisborne. Fantastic!

I had to sleep on the sofa bed in the sitting room cos Craig was in my room. I didn't mind at all! The sofa bed is probably more comfortable than my bed! Apparently Iain's alarm went off on his phone just outside the sitting room door in the middle of the night but I was the only person in the whole house that didn't actually hear it!! They all set off pretty early on Monday and then I did pretty much nothing for the rest of the day. I was meant to catch the train at around 6pm but it was over half an hour late which was a bit of a pain but hey. The journey was pretty uneventful but I did feel sick most of the way because I was sitting backwards! Gross!

The rest of the week has been pretty boring! Watched Scotland play the Ukraine in the Euro Qualifiers. Unfortunately we couldn't replicate the form of the France match and lost 2-0 with one man being sent off (unfairly I might add). Ah well, it can't take away from our result on Saturday. I will just remind you:

Scotland 1 - 0 France

On Thursday evening Zinzan decided that it would be nice to give me a heart attack and escape. I was really worried that he had managed to get out of the flat and then I would probably never have found him. Thankfully though I found him behind my bed!! Cheeky Monkey!

I don't think that I could describe it any better.....


The scorer has played for Darlo! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I met my neighbour today (not the baby in Darlington, the lady in Glasgow). I have been living here for getting on for a year and a half now and never met here before...... and she is moving!! lol I just thought that that was quite amusing. She is moving to London and will be renting her flat out. Now this worries me because she is pretty quiet so I hope that whoever rents it isn't noisy! That would be a nightmare!

Darlo play Rochdale tonight. Obviously I'm not going to be there. Dad is travelling up to Glasgow tonight for the Scotland/France match tomorrow evening! I am so excited! This will definitely be the highest profile Scotland match I have been to. The atmosphere will be amazing!!

BRING IT ON THIERRY!!!!!

David Hodgson has been sacked as manager of DFC! I can't say that I am surprised because it didn't really seem anyway way back from where the situation had got to. I thought he would resign if I'm honest but then I guess it wouldn't look good as he had already been suspended and it would almost be some kind of admission of guilt (mind you I wouldn't have a clue of what!!). I am sorry to see him go because he has done an awful lot for the club but hopefully some new blood will give the club a boost. It worries me though because we have been doing reasonably well under Hodgson so a new manager might be a change for the worse but perhaps for the better (which I am really hoping for!). We shall have to wait and see!!!

Some better news is that in Darlo we have a new neighbour!!! His name is Edward and he was born on Monday (2nd October). I am so excited and if he is anything like his big sister Grace (who is just under 2) he will be an absolute stunner!! I can't wait to meet him!

I went into Wesley Owen on Monday afternoon to pick up a book that I had ordered. I've already read a lot of it! In the evening I met up with the girls from CU for the Bible Study. We are going through a book about the Old Testament which I think is going to be pretty good. It was great to just spend time with them though!
Today I had all my lectures which went really well. I'm a lot more interested in my courses this year (so far anyway!). Made sausage casserole for tea - I'm trying to perfect it. The couple of times that I've made it is has been ok but not nearly as good as when Mum makes it! So I guess I'll have to keep on practicing!!! I really want to learn how to cook this year. I'm definitely going to try!

Could this little man be any cuter?? I think not!

My first week of my third year at uni is over! It actually went pretty well which is surprising! The modules that I'm taking seem really interesting (so far!) and hopefully that will continue!
I only had one lecture for Saints and Sinners but had a seminar for it which was awesome! We looked at the questions:
1: What (if anything) does the study of history contribute to modern society and why are you studying history?
2: Do you think that people are more or less religious now than in the 16th century?
3: What is 'bias' and can it be avoided?
We got into groups and discussed these questions - we had differing views so we did a lot of discussing!!

I had three Barbarians lectures. In the second one we looked at two movies to look at how barbarians are viewed and pictured. We looked at Gladiator and The Fall of The Roman Empire. Both films are about the same point in history 180A.D (if I remember rightly) so it was quite interesting to compare and contrast them. We were just watching the first bit of Gladiator and one thing was really annoying me - at one point during the battle the music sounds sooooooo similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean music. So this week we've really just been looking at perceptions of barbarians.

I had two V&E Glasgow lectures which have actually been a lot more interesting than I thought that it would be!! This week we've just been having an overview of Glasgow really.

On Wednesday I made the very scary step of going back to CU. GUCU is pretty cliquey to be honest (not on purpose I'm sure) which is why I stopped going after the first few weeks of first year. I was terrified going back but eventually I spotted a girl that I had known from halls. She remembered who I was which really put me at ease and then a few more girls from the hall group also came along so I wasn't on my own! It an ok meeting, there were a lot of people there which was great. The hall group girls last year carried on doing a weekly bible study even after we've moved out of halls and they are carrying that on this year and they've invited me to join them! SO excited!

On Thursday I met Jess and we headed round to Georgia and Eliza's flat where we were joined by Michelle and Alison. It was really nice to see all these girls again and they were so friendly and welcoming that I didn't feel like I hadn't seen them for a year (going on two I guess).

It would seem that David Hodgeson (manager of Darlo) has been suspended. Can he come back from this? Well, with all that has already gone on this season with all these arguments with the board and so on I'm not so sure. Would he want to, is another question! It doesn't really help that our old assistant manager moved to Hibernian a few weeks ago so Maddo will be in charge of first team affairs. We drew 2-2 at home to Grimsby last night after leading 2-0. Obviously I wasn't there so I don't know if we deserved to win or not. I do know that we had a man sent off and that gives us a horrendous discipline record! We have had so many red cards from the end of last season to now. I can't believe it! And it is something that really affects the team because it usually means a 3 game suspension.

Just one week until the Scotland match against France at Hampden!! So excited!!!!!!!

Ok, I've just got to say something that has been annoying me for a while:

Weird is spelt WEIRD

now that is W*E*I*R*D, not wierd!!


W*E*I*R*D weird weird weird weird weird!!!!!

I had my first day of lectures today. They all went well. They were introductory lectures really so didn't have a great deal to think about or use my brain for. At 11am I had Saints and Sinners (sounds a bit like some kind of fancy dress party really), then at 12pm Barbarians in the Mediterranean. Then I had an hour for lunch and finally at 2pm I had Victorian and Edwardian Glasgow. All in all they were ok. Tomorrow I only have one lecture - Barbarians where we will be looking at the portrayal of barbarians in film. Hopefully that will be quite good. When I got home I was visited by Kendie, Naomi and Ali which was nice. Don't think I have seen any of them since New Year so it was good to catch up. We took Zinzan out for a while because they had never seen him. We put him in the new pen that I have got him which he seems to enjoy!
I got a letter from Sarah today! I was so, so pleased! It was such a surprise! I miss her a lot so I'm busy writing an equally long letter!

I am bored. I have been bored all week.
All I have done is:
Wednesday - Enrolled for my Junior Honours History at 9am. Seriously, why did it have to be 9am! That is just idiotic! Been ill with cold
Thursday - bookcase delivered just after 8am. Again, absolutely ridiculous! GIVE ME A BREAK! Then I built me a bookcase. All by myself. No help at all, apart from stupid Ikea instructions. Then I moved it from my living room to my bedroom which you thought would be easy but the bookcase was just about as big as my hall so I had to deal with the problem of angles. There is a slight bash in my bedroom wall but quite frankly, bothered? Then I did nothing else except made a sausage casserole for the first time. Turned out nice but I will not use those sausages again. Been even more ill with cold.
Friday - Did nothing!
Saturday - Did nothing except cleaning my bathroom and doing a load of washing.

Can't wait for tomorrow. This will be my first visit back to Partick Baptist since the end of May so I can't wait to see everyone there.

I'm now back in Glasgow. Mum and I drove up yesterday. I drove the first part (Darlo to Gretna) and then Mum drove the rest. This meant that I drove on the motorway for the very first time. Very exciting! I was really worried about it but it was fine because it wasn't busy.
Today Mum and I went to Ikea (oh the joys) to look for a bookcase which I am really, really in need of. It is getting delivered on Thursday so I'll have to try and put it together. I'm not sure how successful I'll be. We also got various bits and pieces for the flat including a rug (it looks very nice) and a basket thing to put all my random computer stuff in. Then we went to Next Home and I got a storage thing for my bathroom.
We then returned to Partick and went for lunch, then got the boiler serviced (very interesting stuff!! lol), went and bought a nest of tables to put my tv on, then Mum set off to go home.
Haven't done much since!!! lol

adopt your own virtual pet!

* Deborah - I love the post on your site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to announce that I passed my driving test and I am very pleased about it!! YAY!!

On Saturday Helen picked me up at just after 10am and we headed over to Carlisle. We were having a reunion of leaders from LM3C at Laura's new flat. Unfortunately Agnes couldn't be there but she was the only one so all the rest of us were there, although that still didn't mean there were a great number of us - Laura, Helen, Lola, Kirsten and I.
Helen and I were the last ones to arrive. We chatted for a while then went to Penrith (where Laura works) and had lunch. It was so delicious - shame I don't live anywhere near Penrith or I'd go there more often! After lunch we headed to Keswick and just wandered around for a while at the market and then down by the lake which just looked beautiful on such a sunny day. Then, of course, we got ice cream!!


Laura and Helen

Lola and Kirsten

Keswick - love it!

We went back to Laura's for tea which was chilli (delicious) and then Laura took Lola and Kirsten to the train station. In the evening we watched Notting Hill - great film - and were joined by Laura's flatmate, Fiona.
Today we went to a church that Laura is trying out and then had lunch at Laura's. After that it was time to leave so we went to the train station. My train to Glasgow was delayed 40 minutes!! Grrr! I was so annoyed but actually I quite enjoyed just sitting in the station. The train, once it arrived, was fine - in fact it was quite pleasant because it was really quiet. In the evening I went to Gardner Street as per usual.

I had to post this one too. The required proposal and rejection scene for any self respecting period drama but with the immortal and very harsh lines....
'I wish to marry you because I love you'
'You shouldn't because I do not like you and never have!'

Oh, I just love it sooooooo much!!!!

Ok, the North and South obsession is getting worse and worse!!
Met Beth for lunch yesterday, had a funny incident with her sandwich which we didn't realise had meat in it! Oops! Anyway, she didn't starve! Then went to college to because she had to go and visit her old music teacher and he wasn't even there so we went to her house and had a North and South marathon! It is four hours long but that didn't stop us! I really just can't put across how much I love it!!!!

Oh and Darlo drew 1-1 on Friday against Torquay! BLEURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can't Darlo play like Scotland???!

So, on Saturday my Dad and I travelled up to sunny Glasgow (yeah right.... it rained pretty much the whole time!). First we went and checked on my flat.... yup still in pretty good condition. Can't believe that I'm going back there to stay in a few weeks!! BOO! We went to Greggs for lunch (ever so classy! lol) and then worked out how we were going to get to Celtic Park for the Scotland v Faroe Islands game. We realised that we only need to catch one train from Partick to Dalmarnock and then walk 10-15mins to get to stadium. So that is what we did. At the station we met Susan from church. Hadn't seen her all summer so that was really nice.
We got to Celtic Park without a hitch. We arrived sooooooo early though, like 2 hours before the kick off so we were hanging around outside the ground and the players coaches arrived, Faroes first (not really bothered about them to be honest) and then Scotland. Obviously when the Scotland coach arrived EVERYONE wanted to catch a glimpse of the players so we didn't really get a good view. Dad saw Walter Smith (the manager) while I got a really good view of Paul Hartley. Then we made our way into the stadium and to say that we had awesome seats doesn't really justify it. We were alongside the pitch and not too far from it towards the middle (does this make any sense) . Anyway, they were good seats! While we were waiting for the game to start I was watching all the really exciting people who were milling around on and around the pitch. Darren Fletcher (Scotland and Man Utd) was the first who I saw - he looks so much like my cousin Der it is unbelievable). Then Gary McAllister, Dougie Donnelly and Pat Nevin. But best of all...... ALLY MCCOIST!! He is one of my heroes so I was really pleased to see him. Well that made my day, I didn't really care how the match went after that!
The atmosphere in Celtic Park was amazing! The stadium really keeps the sound in so it was just fab. The attendance was 50, 059 which was great when everyone except my Dad was singing along to such songs as The Proclaimers - 500 Miles and also Loch Lomond - it is goosebump stuff! Well there isn't much to say about the match - we won it. 6-0!! I didn't think I'd ever see Scotland score 6 goals let alone in one game. To be fair to the Faroes their keeper should have saved at least 3 of the goals - the two penalties (scored by Kris Boyd and Kenny Millar) and Gary O'Connor's shot (the only goal of the second half). The other goals were scored by Darren Fletcher, James McFadden and another by Kris Boyd. Fantastic!!
Well, Dad and I are wishing that we could have more internationals played at Celtic because it is easier to get to from Partick than Hampden is. It is also much quicker to get out of! We were back at the flat in a fraction of the time that it would have taken us to get back from the national stadium.
We set off straight away to go to Inverness to visit my Grampa. We had a good journey and arrived sometime after 9pm.
On Sunday we went to Kingsview - saw lots of friends and relatives as usual. In the afternoon we went to the Fairy Glen for a wee walk with Ian, Paula, Craig, Cara and Emma and of course Molly. Hattie and Molly basically ignored each other the whole time but had great fun playing in the stream getting themselves and everyone else absolutely soaked. We then went back to Dunballoch and saw their kittens, Smokey and Murphy, who Hattie terrorised (yeah right... I think she was more scared of them but they did not like her at all!) and I saw Cara's hamster Chester who is adorable! I don't love him as much as Zinzan though! We went to Kingsview again in the evening - had a good talk with Catherine about the camp that she did. Sounded awesome!!
On Monday we went into Inverness shopping. First headed out to the 'Golden Mile' (it is basically a retail park) and went to Tesco (bought a skirt) then to Borders (didn't buy a lot), then to Pizza Hut for lunch. Then went to Inverness itself - bought some boots.
In the evening Uncle Don came for tea, Emma was there as well cos Iain and Craig were harvesting and Paula and Cara were at dancing. So was v. nice.
On Tuesday morning Auntie Kathleen called which was nice and unexpected. Then we set off down the road. Stopped at Bruar for lunch then went to the Rosses. Called in at the shop which was good to see and then went to their house for tea. Then carried on down the road. Can't remember when we arrived home. I was too tired to remember!!

Just watch and appreciate!! This is from North and South (BBC adaptation)


| View | Add Favorite

Don't really have a lot of news today. Yesterday went to visit Beth just to say hi and then ended up going with the Ainscoughs to the Archers ice cream parlour (which I had visited for the first time on Monday!). Twas lovely - had some ice cream (obviously) and then went to the maize maze which really consisted of more sunflowers than maize but was awesome. Had a great time! Played hide and seek with Jonathan being the seeker. He found Beth and I first but then we ran off and hid again and they couldn't find us. At one point they were right beside where we were. It was very difficult to keep quiet! Beth got stung by nettles which wasn't nice!
Had to clean Zinzan out today as he is going to stay with our neighbours for the weekend which he should enjoy. Today I am meeting up with an old school friend from Polam, Emma (or Emma Jayne as she was always called!!), which I am looking forward to. I can't have seen her since I left Polam about six years ago I think!! That is totally crazy because in primary school we were really good friends. A couple of years I went to her house for Bonfire Night and there would be fireworks and sparklers and stuff. One time a big rocket shot off and hit their neighbours roof which was kind of funny! So I'm looking forward to that anyway!
Tonight Darlo are playing Torquay. They are playing on Friday night because there are various Euro 2008 qualifiers being played on Saturday so they thought that people would want to watch them on Saturday instead of coming to watch Darlo (which is quite understandable given recent form!). It works out well for me because tomorrow Dad and I are going to Glasgow to watch Scotland take on the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park! Very exciting!!!

My former Darlington favourite, Ryan Valentine, has been called up to the Wales squad for their Euro 2008 qualifiers!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY (i just wish he still played for Darlo!!)

WELL DONE RYAN!!

The slide show in the post below in of Keswick 2006 - I just created it for my MySpace so thought it would be nice to put it on here too.

Yesterday Helen came down to Darlo for the day from Newcastle. We had an awesome time. We went to Barnard Castle (the town where I went to school) and kind of pottered round there for a while. We visited the castle itself which I got in free to because I'm a very proud member of English Heritage (actually it was the first proper time that I had used my card!). I love the castle at Barney. I don't really know why I like it so much but I do. After the castle we wandered along the main street (there isn't much to it) and went into a few shops. I bought a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Our Mutual Friend. I love books in old bindings. Most of my books in Glasgow are ones that I have found in second hand bookshops and they all seem to match. I like my books to look as though they've been read, even if they haven't all been read by me!!
When we had finished with Barney we headed back home and on the way made a little detour to the Archers Jersey Ice Cream Parlour in a village just outside Darlington. We'd never been there before so it was really nice. Obviously we got ice cream (banana and chocolate for me and raspberry and chocolate for Helen) and then went on a little walk around the farm which was very pleasant. At one point we came across some cows (not very surprising) - one amused me quite a bit because it stuck its tongue up both its nostrils. I know, simple things please simple minds but I don't know a human that can do that! On our way back to the car it started raining.... A LOT so we got very wet which wasn't great.
At home we decided on pizza for tea which we had to go and pick up. After we had had our pizza fill we decided that we needed some pudding so we headed for Sainsburys. However, Sainsburys closed at 7pm because it was a Bank Holiday (we arrived at 7.05pm!), then went to Morrisons which was also shut. Finally we went to Mills which we were pleased to find open and got some very delicious chocolate cake. So Helen had an unexpected tour of Darlo and we got our pudding in the nearest shop to my house that we went to, which we went to last (very annoying).

Today Mum and I headed up north to Hadrians Wall. We had been saying that we would do this for a while so we just went for it today. Our first stop was Corbridge Roman Fort which we were amazed at. We had never been there before and I certainly didn't think that it would be as big as it was (which is stupid because having studied Roman Britain I know that Corbridge was an important place on the Wall). But it was really good to nosey around there for a while.
Then we went to Vindolanda. Now this place is AMAZING! I had been there before on a school trip and was really eager to go again. First we went to the museum section and had lunch and looked round the museum. At Vindolanda they have made discoveries of these things which are called the Vindolanda Writing Tablets which are basically roman personal letters or documents which have been preserved since that time. It really amazes me. A few other interesting things that they have found are the plume from a soldiers helmet and a ladies wig! AWESOME!!!
Then we looked round the fort itself for a bit.
By then though I was getting tired (I don't know why) so we went back to Corbridge (the modern town) and had a sit down in a coffee shop. Then we looked round some of the shops that Corbridge had to offer. The best of these was the Cook Shop which had all sorts of kitchen stuff in. I was really really pleased to find some grapefruit spoons, something which I had been looking for for a long time!!
It was all in all a really nice day - I will try and put some pics up sometime soon.

| View | Add Favorite

I'll start off with Saturdays football result... Darlington lost... AGAIN! We were playing Swindon who are as yet unbeaten this season. We lost 2-1. Julian Joachim came on as a sub and it was just so bizarre because I never thought that he would get such an amazing reception (considering he scored two goals against us last weekend!) but his presence really lifted the crowd. And we really needed it. Darlo were abysmal! At one point in the first half I got my book (Jane Eyre - which I have now finished! AWESOME!) and read some of it. It is a bad sign when the book comes out! Sadly though Joachim didn't score.
On Sunday there was a 'fellowship tea' at church because Holiday Bible Club was starting the next day. I made Sticky Toffee Brownies for it which seemed to go down well but I think my friends were just humouring me! I really wish I could bake well. I would bake all the time if I could but then I'd get even fatter because I would be eating all the finished product! After the evening service we had to set up the church for the next day which is always fun. Beth and I laminated name badges and cut out little emergency info card things (can't think of a more sensible name for them) which was good. We missed out one of the name tags to be laminated though so we felt really bad (sorry Pam!).
So on Monday HBC started. I am part of Jonathan's team along with Cath Friston and Julia. We are the vultures. We had a good group of kids and they were all really well behaved. We weren't so good at the games but I think they had fun and that is all that counts!
Tuesday I went into town before HBC and raided Primark (love it!!) and came away with various items of clothing, then went to Boots to get this stuff that Jen had recommended called Bach Calm Spray (or something like that) because I had my mock driving test the next day. HBC was again good as usual.
In the evening Darlo were playing an away game in the Carling Cup against Stoke (REALLY wanted to go) who are a Championship team (i.e. play two leagues above us). We had a man sent off in the 12th minute or something like that and the Stoke went on to score. Well, we all thought that that was it but evidently not. We equalised through Logan just before half time then in the second half Julian Joachim scored an awesome goal which turned out to be the winner. So I was quite happy. I was hopeful for a win because we usually play better with 10 men anyway (more determined or something) and I also didn't realise that Stoke are a Championship side!!
So today (Wednesday) I didn't go to HBC. I had my mock driving test. I spent the morning revising the 'Show me/Tell mes'. Then Dad tested me on them and I drove about in the driveway just practicing. So at 3.30pm my driving instructor came to pick me up and we headed to ASDA where we were meeting the other instructor who was going to be my examiner for the day. So I did my test. I didn't think I'd passed but I did with only one minor so I was quite pleased with that. It was encouraging certainly!

Had a mock mock driving test yesterday. I failed it but actually drove ok. I stalled on a roundabout past the white line and that would have been a serious fault (unsurprisingly!!). But I guess it was reassuring that everything else went well. I also found out the courses that I got on to do Junior Honours history next year. In the first semester I am doing Victorian and Edwardian Glasgow, Barbarians in the Mediterranian (this was my first choice so I'm very pleased) and Saints and Sinners (can't quite remember what this is about!)
Today we went to Ochis to celebrate Paul's birthday (Beth's dad). Was a lot of fun and the food was awesome. I had a Cajun Style Wrap for my main course which tasted sooooo good but was really spicy (which wasn't helped by the fact that I had ginger beer to drink!). For dessert I had a chocolatey thing called Chocolate Lumpy Bumpy which was good but I don't think that I would choose it again. One of the waiters used to go to the same school as I did which was funny. He was a few years above me and got on the same bus.
Beth, Sophie and I had a lot of fun taking photos and playing with the empty ginger beer can. Simple things please simple minds as they say!
How cool are we??! Me and Sophie with the help of an orange
Beth and I
Stunning! What can I say! I think probably the less said the better on this one
The boys were not immune to the madness either!!

Yesterday I had an awesome time with Mari. It really was great! We met up in Darlo and then went to Coopers for lunch. We just talked and talked. We took so long in deciding what we were going to eat, I think the waitress was getting a little annoyed. We were talking and laughing very loudly as well so I don't think that we were too popular with everyone else either. We had fun though. Mari showed me some pics of her family and friends. Her little sisters, Anna and Eri, well, they ain't so little anymore! I can't believe how grown up they are.

Anna is in her first year at uni! Crazy! So we had a nice lunch then wandered around Darlo for a bit. Whilst meandering in the Cornmill I spotted Emilaaaa, Shelley and Katie so had a quick chat with them. They get their results tomorrow so I think they are a bit nervous.
Then Mari and I went to look at mobile phones because I was wanting to get a new one but the shop was too busy so we decided to go to Costa in Ottakers because we had done the same last time she was over.

We then went back to the phone shop where I got my flashy new phone (same number) and then we headed back to my house and hung out there for awhile.

Then all too soon she had to leave! *sob* I was very sad to see her go because she is so awesome and I wish she lived a little nearer than Japan!

In the evening I went to the church and made up the sweet bags for Holiday Bible Club next week (the kids all get sweet bags on the last day). It is definitely my favourite HBC preparation job - although painting is fun as well. I think I ate more of the sweets than went in the bags but we had enough so I guess it doesn't matter! The next job was to help Simon with building the pyramid (the theme is Egyptians). Sophie was very good at helping - Beth was good too. Adam was NOT but neither was I! We just got in the way! Simon was very scary - building the pyramid was very stressful and extremely complicated. I couldn't understand it and we were only using cardboard boxes!! lol

Ok, so Darlington lost 4-1 at Boston this weekend. Shambles right? Actually I don't have the foggiest. I have really read up on it yet, maybe we played better than what the scoreline suggests but that isn't really the point - in fact we didn't get any! This guy was playing for Boston - Julian Joachim. He scored two goals against us and today we sign him. So he is now a Darlington player. You think he could have done his new club a favour - but no. It isn't like he didn't know that he would sign for us. This move had been on the cards last week. Why, Julian, why?? Not that I'm bitter, he'd just better score loads of goals for us to make up for cutting our goal difference in half at the weekend..... or else!! lol I am pleased he has signed though because in the past it has been our strikeforce that has let us down. So now we have Joachim, Giallanza and (dare i say it) Barry Conlon hopefully we will get a few goals this year!

Haven't done a great deal today (haven't even got dressed - disgusting I know!). I'm re-reading Jane Eyre at the moment. I love it! It is easier to read than I remember although I've been getting a bit lost in some of the conversations. Too intellectual for me! Next I'm planning to read either Pride and Prejudice or North and South (when my Mum finishes it) or maybe Sense and Sensibility. I'll see where my mood takes me!

Tomorrow I am meeting up with my friend Mari. She used to live in England before moving back to Japan, where she is from. So I haven't seen her for a couple of year and I can't wait. We went to school together and we were really good friends. I remember when she first came to England and she couldn't really speak English and used to get mouth and mouse mixed up. She was so cute! She is amazing at English now though, better than me even I don't doubt! So excited!!!!!!!

Went to James' house for a BBQ last night. Did some baking for it in the afternoon. I made Brownies (out of a packet to be fair) and Triple Chocolate Oat cookies. I find baking really relaxing so I enjoyed doing that. I also enjoyed eating the end product - I'm surprised any got to James' house! So anyway we had a really good feed at James' and then we went to Blockbusters and rented a movie. From past experiences we really should have known better but we picked our film, Firewall, and went back home and watched it. Well, it was terrible. Such a BAAAAAADDDDDDD film! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I was just so bored. Nevermind, at least the company was good.

Yesterday I got 3 postcards!! Yes, THREE!!! lol a bit crazy! I got one from Beth and one from Jonathan in France and one from Helen who is back home in Northern Ireland just now. All of them sound like they are having good times. Beth had me singing Phantom songs and I wasn't even going to Paris!! lol so annoying!

It has been a great week for mail because I got two more letters today. I was really pleased to get a letter from Andrea. She sent me some of her pics of Shaun Maloney lookalike from Summit. Thanks mate! They are so much better than mine. It has been frustrating trying to describe how much he looks like Shaun Maloney without a decent picture. I sound a little bit like a stalker now. I'm not... honest!!! I also got a letter from one of my campers, Chloe, which was also very exciting too.

John and Morag went home today. I think they are planning to take the scenic route home so I don't quite know how long it will take them to get back. It normally only takes about 3hrs to get from Darlington to Edinburgh.

Dad has flown over to Northern Ireland for the weekend. Uncle Donald is doing some preaching there (not quite sure of exact location) this weekend so my Dad is just going to go and pay him a visit. He got there safely thankfully. It was probably quite a boring flight because of all the added security in Britain's air travel just now. You aren't allowed any carry on luggage other than a passport, money and medication. You have to carry it on in a clear plastic bag. It is crazy tight security!

I really miss Beth!!! She is on holiday in France just now and I am all lonely!!! *sob*
Just as I was writing that my Dad brought in the post and I got a postcard from her!! Yay!! lol written even before she left England!! Fantastic!!

Beth and I

Beth on her 18th Birthday after FINALLY managing to blow out the candles (it took her about half an hour!!)

What we look like without make up! Girls Afternoon In at Keswick!

Beth is not amused!!!
Can't wait until you are back, mate!!!

Deborah - did my card arrive yet? I sent it a while ago but mail always seems to take ages to get across 'the pond'!

Last night I got a call from my driving instructor saying that he had a cancellation at 10.30am and would I like to move my lesson to then instead of having it at 8am. I was so happy! There was no way that I could get out of bed to be out of the house by 8am! So I had my driving lesson at 10.30am. It went really well! I managed to do 3 reversing round corners in a row without any help!! I am so pleased! Hopefully it will continue to go well in my next lesson. I was pretty relieved when 12.30pm rolled around though.
This afternoon I'm not doing a great deal. John and Morag went to Durham and I could have gone too but I'm feeling pretty wiped from my driving lesson. So, I'm just hanging about the house. My Dad is home this afternoon because he is on-call.
I've just realised that I haven't put any of my Keswick pics up. I'll have to do something about that!

Darlington won again last night. We beat Accrington Stanley 2-0. It was Accrington's first home league game in 44 years so they really wanted to win.... but they didn't. We did. So we are still top of the table. Pretty much the whole of the season left to go but it is looking positive. Should I feel bad about ruining Accrington's party? I don't. Plenty of other times our parties have been ruined by other teams (e.g. our last game at the old stadium, our first game at the new stadium). We went there to win and get the points and we did so I'm pleased. Accrington haven't got any points on the board yet so I hope that they start getting some soon. I'm just glad that they didn't gain any points last night!!
Encouraging for Darlo was that the players who scored are both midfielders and not strikers. Last season (and many previous) we had a problem about goals and where they were coming from so this is a great improvement. I just hope that it lasts!!!

We have my Mum and Dad's good friends, John and Morag, staying with us at the moment. All their kids are at an APC camp in Inverness so they thought that they would come and stay with us for a few days.
Today Mum, John, Morag and I went to Castle Howard which is a big stately home in North Yorkshire. It was pretty impressive. It totally got me in a Pride and Prejudice mood. There is even a lake in the grounds (if you have seen the BBC version!!). It also got me thinking of North and South which isn't set in stately home kind of places but there was a rose garden and there were only one or two roses in bloom which was a shame. Just a note of explanation - Margaret in N&S used to live in a house with copious amounts of roses in the garden. It was always a happy place for her. When she visits sometime later the new owners have got rid of all the roses and it is terribly sad. So, as I was walking around the garden feeling sad that there were no roses I couldn't help but think of N&S.
Tomorrow I have a very early driving lesson - 8 o'clock it starts at!! Is that even a time???

Happy Birthday Deborah!!! No longer a teenager!!!!!!

Today was a great day. The first day of the football season. I wasn't really excited about it until my Dad was parking the car at the stadium. Unfortunately when I was walking to my seat the first player that I saw of Season 2006/7 was Barry Conlon - URGH!!! I just can't get across to you how much this man annoys me. I'm sure that he is a really nice person but as a footballer he is just very frustrating and I was a bit gutted when we re-signed him this summer, especially since Ryan left (how I miss him *sob*). It was so weird watching the players warm up because I didn't recognise very many of them at all. We have signed 9 new players this summer so it is definitely a new look team.
It was a good match today - I honestly don't have a clue how Macclesfield did not score. They should feel very hard done by. They hit the post twice and Sam Russell made some AMAZING saves. He seems to be getting back some of his form that he was lacking a bit last season. Well Darlington ended up winning 4-0. Three of those goals ended up coming from Barry Conlon. I know that you will be thinking, 'Well he's obviously fantastic! Why doesn't she like him?' NO! He doesn't put in any effort to play football but expects the ball to come straight to him and then complains and doesn't try to get the ball back when he loses it. He just doesn't seem to show a lot of passion. He is obviously a great goal scorer but just think at how amazing he would be if he just tried!
So Darlington are starting off the season at the top of the league because we have the best goal difference - I just wonder how long that will last!

Please go to www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk and run a search for Derek Martin. You should get a story titled 'Boys' Lobster Catch Wins Royal Approval' dated 05.08.06. It is an article about my cousin, Derek, the Queen and some lobsters. I think it is awesome and kind of hilarious!! Nice one Der!

Well I've had a very boring past couple of days. I started clearing out my room but seem to have got sidetracked and it is even messier than it was before (and it was pretty messy then!). I haven't really done a lot else and it has been so dull. Hopefully the football season starting tomorrow will brighten things up a bit. Dad and I went to the stadium today and bought Flexi Tickets. You pay a certain amount (a student one was £88) and get vouchers for 10 matches which you then exchange for a ticket for the matches that you want to see nearer the time. I thought this was a genius idea because it means that I don't need to get a season ticket and miss lots of games but I can pick and choose the games that I want to go to. It works out cheaper buying a Flexi Ticket than just paying for a ticket on the day, especially since they put the prices up this year!
I got the date for my driving test today. I haven't told anyone when it is but it is too soon for my liking!! I'm good at driving but terrible at the maneouvres (especially left reverse!). I'm nervous already!
I got really mad today because I've had to change my mobile phone number. I've had my old one since forever (well since I was 14 years old and shared the phone with my mum!). It really annoys me when people change their numbers so I'm so sorry that I've had to change mine - believe me, it wasn't by choice!!! I'm sure I'll get used to it!! If I haven't told you the new number then post a message or send me an email and I'll get it to you - hopefully I managed to reach everyone though!
Right I'm off to watch Taggart - the best TV show EVER!

Just now I like:
Listening to: Chris Rice - Short Term Memories
Reading: My Bible :-)

The football season starts again on Saturday!! No Ryan but I'm starting to get excited now!! We play Macclesfield at home first. Not the ideal first game because Macclesfield are so dull but I'm sure Darlo will make it good!

So I'm finally back home. I had two great weeks at camp and then Keswick. First I'll start with camp.
Well, I arrived at camp to a different dorm name - the Beavers. I was so unbelievably annoyed at first because I had prepared loads of eagle stuff for the dorm. But in the end the name grew on me. The five girls in my dorm were so awesome!! They were all great and just really pleasant, kind and sweet. I hope they had as good a time as I did. They ended up calling me Mrs Beaver and they were the Kittens! How cute! I was so worried about having a dorm on my own because last year I was sharing a dorm with another leader, Kirsten, but it turned out fine. They didn't seem to ask too many nightmarish questions and the ones that they did ask I think I answered ok.
It was so nice to have a really small camp - only 17 girls, 6 leaders and 3 cooks. It was so weird though at leaders prayers and things like that because the leaders' room is much bigger now than it was last year and we were almost drowning in the space on the first day but we soon found lots of things to fill it with (mostly craft stuff!). All week we kept thinking that we were missing people when in fact everyone was there. It was just bizarre!
I quite liked having only a few leaders this year. Agnes was leading the camp as usual, Laura was the ATL like last year and Kirsten was also there. It was so good to see them all again! They are just amazing! Then there was Lola, who I had met before (even been to her house) but clearly she couldn't remember! It was so great to get to know her - kept me entertained a lot! Finally there was Helen who was brilliant - You are such a blessing to me Helen! I love ya!!
So I had to do my talk one evening. It went so well and I was so pleased. I just pray that I got the message across to the girls in an understandable way. All the girls, most of whom are not from a church background, seemed to be really receptive to all that we were telling them about Jesus during the week and it was just fantastic!

So that was camp. Dad came up to Lendrick Muir and picked me up to go to Keswick. We were also giving Lola a lift because she was going too. She was staying in a caravan though - unlucky!! lol I'm sure she had a great time - although I don't have a clue cos I didn't see her at all after the first day!
Keswick was good but just not up to standard this year. The morning meetings were great - Ajith Fernando was speaking and he was great. We were looking at Ephesians 1. The evening meetings were a bit hit and miss to be honest. Derek Tidball was good. Steve Brady was good one night, but awful on the first and don't even get me started on Luis Palau!!! It was so hot last week that I just found it difficult to do anything. Twice I had to leave the tent because I was feeling ill because of the heat. One time I really thought I was gonna faint or be sick everywhere. It wasn't pleasant! It meant that I also didn't do a lot during the afternoons.
It was Beth's 18th on Saturday, then Meg's 15th on Tuesday so we had a few little parties. Great times! It was so awesome to have Megan and Tina in Keswick this year! Such fun!

David and Mairi were staying with us for the weekend and Megan and Tina at the Ainscoughs'. They've just left this morning. Very sad!

At the moment I'm using the internet in the Earthworks tent at Keswick. I'm having such a great time and it is only Monday! Camp was awesome. The girls that were there were just fabulous and so responsive to everything that we taught them about Jesus. My dorm were great. We had a bit of a name change which I was a bit annoyed about at first but was reconciled to the name after a while. We were the Beavers. I enjoyed camp a lot but it was a bit frustrating at times when you are with girls 24/7 who constantly ask questions and you can't get a moments peace. Generally though they were really great and we had no trouble from them whatsoever!
Anyways, I'm off to enjoy the rest of what Keswick has to offer!!

Tomorrow I leave for camp. I had to write a talk for the Wednesday evening meeting so hopefully it makes sense and I don't mess it up when the time comes! I'm so excited to meet the girls who will be in my dorm - the Eagles!! Beth made a good suggestion about a verse that could be our dorm verse:

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31

Awesome! Love it!! Hopefully camp will go well. It is a pretty tiring time but also really great. The girls ask so many questions about Jesus so you really have to know why you believe what you believe. It is really challenging!
Straight after camp I am going to Keswick along with just about everyone from church! I'm looking forward to it a lot. I'll be sharing a room with Beth which is always great - we talk A LOT!! Some of our friends are camping and quite frankly I think they are mental!! I don't understand people who choose to camp. It is bizarre! Keswick is a big christian convention or conference thing. It is always great! I don't really know how to describe it so this is the website address www.keswickministries.org
Anyways, this means potentially a two week break from blogging but I'll have a lot to write up when I get back!!

Had a nice day yesterday. Relaxed in the morning which was fab. Then met Clair and walked down to the school to pick up Ben and Bethan. We then all walked back to my house where the kids played in the garden with Hattie and I showed Clair my photos of my trip to the USA. She was probably bored because there are a lot of them!! I think she was interested in putting some faces to the names that I have been talking about because I have been talking A LOT!! Gave Ben and Bethan their t-shirts that I got for them in NYC. I was pleased to see that they fitted because I had been so worried that they wouldn't and I couldn't exactly return them!
In the evening I went to church to do some more Holiday Bible Club preparation. Had to paint a big sunset with silouetted palm trees with David Rowe. It turned out quite nicely actually! Also had to cut out some Memory verse scrolls which I did not like. I cannot cut out - my art teacher at school gave me a complex about it because she was really horrible about my cutting out and I've been scared to do it ever since. Yes, that is right! Scared!! I don't know why I can't do it. Maybe it has something to do with being left handed, but most left handed people are able to use scissors proficiently. I guess secondary school art had a bigger effect on my life than I ever thought it would!

me and James (I am so sad that this pic is blurry!!)

Jon

Jackie, me and Cherie
Jeff Graduation Night:

My room mates - Jackie, me, Stacie and Faith
Jeff, me and Robin

Annie and Brittney

Stubbs

Doc Noebel

Traci and I

Keagan, Joanna and I

Pat Edwards and I