A ancient Laurus Nobilis

This branch of Bay Leaves or Laurel Leaves comes from my tree at home - endlessly useful, but just look at the colossal Bay Leaf below which is from my granny's enormous (and I mean enormous), ancient tree. Stunning!

Really good coffee

Today was in one word 'mayhem'... and so I only had my first cup of coffee in the afternoon! Rebecca was in Ballet class and I studied my scripture memory verses and savoured my coffee. It was so good.

"I never laugh until I've had my coffee" ~ Clarke Gable

Let me right this heart

'Rueing, I think for what then was I made;
What end appointed for - what use designed?
Now let me right this heart that was bewrayed -
Unveil these eyes gone blind.'

Honours ~ Jean Ingelow 1863

To love a husband

This is love... you then I and again... you then I.



We have been reminding Becca that in English, its not 'me and Janet' but 'but Janet and I'... that it's firstly about the other person then yourself. And I know that I keep forgetting what I am meant to remember, that in marriage this is most true. That it is a constant grace of bending. Of bending my will and need to be right and remembering that its the meek that inherit. If we are both thinking 'you then I' marriage works best.

I was reading in John 15 and He said, 'Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends', to lay it down, to bend, the kind act of deferring to the other, this is love, that is how He loved us and showed us how to love others. My life and my wants and my mouth must not be exalted but must lay down. This is not popular these days and is not always easy but this works. For God resists the proud anyway but gives grace to the humble.

"Self centeredness is the main enemy of any marriage' ~ T Keller

Real love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. Always.

Weekends are for

cooling down... today is hot, hot, hot.

Herriot's Yorkshire stories

We are loving these farmyard stories of a country vet... with beautiful illustrations.

Running to the end

The child began her day with a 800m race, which went something like this: An energetic 100m sprint when the whole group was still together, then a 100m jog and then a walk -alone, so I thought 'okay, this is it' until just about the half way point. Then something must have happened on the inside because she then ran from last to end up 6th.

This set the tempo for the rest of the day. All sluggish starts with excellent end results. We love stories about perseverance and now she has some of her own.



After all the sun, high energy and celebration, a hot bath and a nap on the couch.