what news is there from this week. Well I did not make my supervision due to supervisor being double booked. He is on temporary "promotion" due to basically the Dean of Arts getting a new job. I think for the first time he realised that I know how to handle people with busy diaries (thanks Fleur, Sarah, the Dicksons etc for the training) as when he did not respond with dates to my first email I sent him a second more persistent one. I am also learning to deal with busy people with Dyslexia. If you want them to act of something make sure it is the FIRST point in the email, if they think they can get away without reading on they will, and that rather blows things if from your perspective the main point is the second.
The Advent Wreath happened largely thanks to Lynn and Sandra (her twin sister). I think Asha the Chaplaincy assistance thought I was being odd when I introduced them by colour of clothing especially as both of them were looking down at the time and at present Sandra has more weight on than Lynn. However they are identical twins and though I can tell now just by looking someone who does not know them won't. Lynn has retired so came in specially bringing her sister and four bin bags of greenery. I am still trying to digest this years wreath. My analysis to date is it is more subdued but in better keeping with the front. The purple and I think blue will to create a depth and I wonder another year I might have just some greenery sprayed with those.
With the supervision being cancelled I have actually had three quieter days this week (deliberately). I spent the time doing some transcription, writing up last Sundays service, making chocolates and decorating boxes as well as wrapping one or two presents and sending out my Christmas Cards. In between I have been playing with my camera and the result to date has been three panoramas of the view from my window in the snow. The first one after a flurry on Friday, the second later than evening and the last one this afternoon after a far heavier fall today. Fortunately the met office seems to think that the snow will decrease over the next few days.
Today I went to Herringthorpe for the nativity play, this year the play was set around the story of Simeon and Anna. The kids had written it. So it was set in the X-mas Factor, with contestants of Shepherd, Angels, Animals, Kings and Mary and Joseph. None of the acts caught the judges eye but there were two people cleaning around the place while it was going on. They of course were Simeon and Anna and although they appeared insignificant they were chosen as the most important. As the leader said afterwards they get more bible verses in Luke than do the Shepherds or the birth of Jesus and yet have none of the cute appeal the others had. I did rather get worried that he thought there were no animals in the temple, of course there were, even the passage we were reading has Mary and Joseph bringing two doves. Maybe animals don't count if they are going to be sacrificed. The other thing is that I think Anna and Simeon weren't nobodies you over looked. They represent the piety of ordinary folk who were part of Judaism, their piety made them exceptional. The piety did not bring them wealth but it gave them a way of living. So they were respected but for a totally different reasons. Oh and God was all for using the older person. In fact looking at a lot of biblical characters I am still too young. I think God sees eighty as about the median age for getting people to do things.
Last week I met up with a member there called Jenny. She used to attend Littleborough URC and then went up to St Andrews. So had enough in common to talk about things with ease. I could for instance say that perhaps Eldership should move more to an Academic Families pattern of pastoral care, and she immediately got the analogy. I wonder if that comment would actually work. There are several things about academic families that are interesting. Children choose parents and choose at least two (mother and father), families tend to be a mix of people parents have met in differing ways e.g. through societies, through hall of residence or through a social that the child and parent both attend. The result is that families are more mixed than most elders groups are. Its not a single interest group but a group where there are shared interests with some of the others. Hmm I think I feel a Musing coming on but will need some more thought before its written.
Tonight's service was a pretty normal carols by candlelight service. The things that stood were that they had both a choir and a young persons singing group. Both groups did harmony and the teenage girls have some strong voices amongst them. So I am beginning to see why they are thinking of putting on a musical. Roads were fine despite the snow but then the roads I am travelling along nearly all 40 mile an hour or higher with their speed limits so priority gritter roads. The problem was that most of the elderly stayed in so it was about a half a dozen mince pies each at the end.
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