Home again...

Well folks i'm back at home in sunny St. Helens. Ok - misty, drizzly St. Helens. And its nice to be home. On the definate plus side you will find such things as not having to cook food (:-)) for a week, home comforts such as a big couches and a big house almost entirely to myself. Also there are many great things like being able to look out of my window and see trees and grass, and also knowing that there is fantastic countryside at my doorstep. Most of all its great to be home with my mum and dad and to be able to see other members of my family. So... Its nice to be home.

But. And there is a but. Its hard being here. More and more I don't feel as if St. Helens is my home. I've barely been to my home church this year and its telling. My friends have moved on, and though i'll see them on Christmas Eve which will be brilliant, it is deadly quiet here. More so than ever before since I've been away at university. St Helens is also a town that feels so lacking in hope or prospects. It is a wonderful town to have grown up in but I don't feel as if my future lies here. Which is both bad and good. On the downside it leaves me even more unsure about my future - home is not such an appealing prospect, no matter how fantastic my parents are. However on the upside it is good for me to be finding things hard. It will focus my thoughts and prayers more so on my future.

Plus of course I get to focus on the blessings that I do have here, and in Liverpool, all the more. Marvellous. I miss all you Americans out there by the way..

Thanks for reading so far. This week has been interesting. Christmas shopping mostly, but it was my great aunts 89th birthday today so we spent some time as a family together and then I went to a Christingle service at my home church. Christingle is a celebration of Christ and His amazing gift to us through His sacrifice on the cross through the medium of an orange. As seen in the picture, everyone in the church is given an orange symbolising the world, with red tape around it symbolising Christ's blood shed for us, and the candle symbolises the light of the world. As for the fruits then i've forgotten. Ooops...

Christmas Meal

Today, and in fact the last few days, has all been about our house Christmas meal which took place tonight. Pretty much the brain child of Mr Evans Sarpong, we had a veritable feast that took us 3 hours too eat, consisting of carrot and corriander soup, roast ham, a huge turkey, mash potatoes, roast potatoes, stuffing, cheesey broccoli, pigs in blankets, mince pies, chocolate log, and Christmas pudding. We also had wine, ale, and so many other things. It was delicious. Mr Sarpong is a great chef and its such a blessing to live with him.

It was a great evening too as it allowed us to not only celebrate Christmas together as a house, but it also allowed us to be reunited with former housemates, and to welcome and cater for a variety of friends. All in all we had 15 people which was cool.

So a good evening. I probably should go to bed but I want to post some pics. Oh and before i forget, my evening also included me rushing to see the STINTers before they head off to Italy or the US for Christmas, which was cool. And many thanks to KC for my birthday present of 480 teabags. Tremendous.
And.. theres more. I also had the pleasure of retrieving a hamster named Moses who had escaped from his cage at a friends house. I'm convinced he was out to lead all the hamsters to the promised land. In any case he was a slippery customer who at least once manged to escape from my hands, jumping into a cup before I was able to get him into his cage again. Ah the fun...

Careers of Yore

As I sit here on this Thursday night I'm pondering over careers that I would've chosen when I was younger. One the one hand I was always drawn to being a fighter pilot. Walking in the Lake District I would often be overflown by jets at low level and i'd always stop and stare in wonder. I love the idea of being a fighter pilot because of flying these amazing machines - not because of their intended use. But they are sweet.

I also wanted to be an architect. I love looking at interesting buildings, some of the finest being in New York. The Chrysler building and the Empire State particularly interest me as does this one (see picture) called the Flat Iron - no idea why but i think its cool. So much better than more modern glass and concrete things.

Many thanks to the RAF for the nice picture.

Open Mic and Baptisms

According to blogger this is my one hundredth post. Yikes. And I thought this would be a flash in the pan thing.

Anyway, I went to an Agape open mic yesterday which was fun and chilled, and was an ideal opportunity for some great conversations with people, such as the ones in the photos above. Good evening overall. And a big, big thankyou to Ms Angie King for organising the whole event. Marvellous.

I also just went to Bridge Chapel for Ryan Hawkins' baptism which was also rather splendid. It was great to be able to be there to support Ryan (at least in terms of just being there) and its always good to be at Bridge Chapel. I have such an enormous debt to Bill and the friends that I made at that church for helping me in my walk as a Christian.

The pics are of the open mic. Enjoy.

Squirrels...

Today i went down to Sefton Park to clear my head a little and take in some winter air, which was great. Its such a fantastic blessing to be able to do that. However, on this particular day I had a more interesting walk than usual involving the park squirrels.

Now even in Sefton Park I have grown accustomed for a squirrel to always keep a good distance from you when you walk past. Like most small creatures they have a tendancy to run up the nearest tree when you get too close, probably because not too many years ago they would have made a decent meal for a hungry farmer or woodsman. ( I am not condoning the capturing and eating of squirrels here - i'm quite content with the more traditional staples of pig, sheep and cow).

Anyway... I was walking down a particularly wooded part of the park and came across a squirrel that seemed pretty friendly in that it didn't run off. So I stood and watched for a sec thinking it would bolt up a tree sooner rather than later. But it didn't... Instead it adopted a postion that I can only describe as 'expectant begging', as it sat on its haunches obviously waiting for some nuts to be thrown it its direction.

As I was watching my first little friend however, a second squirrel was bounding its way across the nearby woodland towards me. It got closer and closer until it was eventually sat at my feet and I thought, 'Wow. This is pretty close. Cool.', again expecting the squirrel to turn and bolt up a tree. But... It didn't. Instead my second little friend started to climb up my leg and then my arm until it was sat on my shoulder. Finding this somewhat surreal I just stood still and watched as it worked out that I was not a good source of potential food and scurried back down to continue its endless search for grub.

However, realising its error in sitting still, the first 'begging' squirrel started climbing up my leg too... At this point I decided that as fun as this was I really wanted to get home so I could sort out some tasks and just started walking away, with the squirrel still in mid ascent..

Huh... So very odd and yet also pretty cool.

The rest of my day couldn't live up to that but I've managed to finally sort out some admin stuff and I had a brief but good time in Uni. So yeah... Cool day peeps.

Oh and Evans still has soup.. Mmmm... soup.

Today...

Today has been a pretty good day.

It started with me hanging out with our new housemate Neil for an hour or so, which was cool..

Then I headed up towards Calderstone Park for a short, but nice, walk.

After that I grabbed some lunch from Greggs and then set about reading a book for my course, namely 'Religion, politics and violence in nineteenth-century Belfast'. Fun, fun, fun... Its actually been good to get some more work done even though it was a little slow. Hopefully I can keep this up until May and then be able to sit down and review my thesis.

I am actually trying to rekindle my excitement for Uni right now. Its all part of recognising that as much as I sometimes ache to be elsewhere I am at the University of Liverpool until September so I should really act and live as if I am.

Today has also been pretty cool in that I've allowed myself to let go of some major issues that have been affecting me. By letting go I don't necessarily mean forever forgetting about them. Rather, its more a case of trusting them to God and accepting the wonderful and amazing peace of mind that comes from that.

Oh and Evans made soup. Man I love Evan's soup. It is AMAZING and I've already eaten three bowls of the stuff tonight.

Anything else....? Erm... No. But a good day. Time to relax for a wee bit.

Hope all is well with you.

New Music..

I know i'm posting like a mad man at the mo but i'm feeling a little bored with my music collection. So... All you good people out there. What new music can you recommend to me? It doesen't have to be new per se - it could just be your favourite 'unknown' band. I am particularly seeking something Oh Brother Where Art Thou-esque, or Jack Johnson-y. Or indie... That would be good too. Cheers.

For those interested in some new music themselves i'll point you to The Arcade Fire - quality Canadian indie band.

Oh and thanks to Mike and Maggers for suggestions as to what that German phrase means. Todays is: Muttig bittet heute das Hanschen, die Annelie zum Weihnachts-tanzchen. Inspired stuff.

Giants Causeway...

My trusty old computer died this summer. It was a veritable workhorse of 4 years that saw me through my Undergraduate degree and around 15,000 words of my Masters. It also played host to various other things, not the least of which being my ever growing album of digital photos.


Fortunately I had managed to back up the vast majority of my photos and work apart from some I took at the start of the year in Northern Ireland, which was sad as I really liked em - we had a bit of a lads holiday staying at my old mate Alistair's in good ole Ballymena. Anyway, i thought i had seen the last of em.


But today of all days I was looking through some old photo cds and found them! Joy of joys... Anyway... This is probably boring to most. But hey... It allows me to post some of my pics. In particular they are pics from the Giants Causeway, the geological wonder on the north Antrim coast.

The Causeway itself is cool but is so easliy dwarfed by the great power and magnitude of the brooding sky and vast ocean. Awesome. Oh and also a good place to take album cover pics. Enjoy.

Oh and I have an advent calendar all the way from Germany which is great - its Milka so the chocolate is delicious - but when i open the doors it appears i will also get a useful and no doubt fun German phrase.

The first day says this:

Pit hat den falschen Schuh mitegbracht, drum wird er vom Volgein ausgelacht.

Any ideas about what this means? Funnier and wackier the better please folks.

I'm thinking, Please use the hat made out the bread to hit the drum to wake up Santa before Voldemort arrives.

Not very good but its a start.

What a difference a year makes...

What a difference a year makes eh? I was just glancing at some photos from the CU houseparty 2004 and found a few of me playing chess. And I look ridiculously young. I'm posting one taken this time round and maybe its just the extra hair and added scruffyness but I think I look so much older now. Redonculous. And cool too... Ha.

That said my over-the-top hair is prompting a number of yeti/muskateer comparrisons, and though the idea of being compared with a sixteenth century French soldier is kind of cool, its also rather worrying. My hair has recieved a trim but its time maybe for the beard to undergo the same thing. Anyway. Enjoy the pics.

Houseparty

So. I have just returned from the Christian Union's annual Houseparty. Essentially Houseparty is a weekend away in Wales with a lot people (120ish this year) designed to allow the CU body to grow in fellowship with each other and to allow us individually to develop our relationship with the Lord.

And its been a good few days. On the list of highs then it was great to spend some time working through the book of Haggai and all the lessons it teaches us, such as the importance of obeying the Lord, of not placing our desires above His, His complete sovereignty over all things, and the complete faith that we can place in His promises.

It was also a great time of fellowship, both with people I know and see frequently, and also with people I have not seen for a long time or haven't even met at all.

In addition by the time we reached Cefn Lea there was a thick covering of snow which meant that when we set out for the 'Annual Walk Up The Hill', we had some fantastic snow-balling action. Honestly, there is nothing like a snowball fight with people you don't know (because its pitch black and therefore can't see who you are about to pummel with compacted snow) to bring out your inner 5 year old. Marvellous.

Lows. Well I felt ill for a few days which added to the general tiredness that is Houseparty anyway, but it wasn't anything too bad. The discussion group I led was also challenging but I wouldn't want that to be considered a low point to be honest. Hard... but good.

So a cool weekend. Here are some pics...

Wintery Welsh arty pics...

Three intrepid (or is that mad?) people on top of a small Welsh hill...

Andy Moll narrowly avoids a snowball...

Angiepants...

Ah to blog

Ah the bloggers delight. What? I don't know... I just don't.

Anyway, hello there folks. I wish I could write a long blog now telling the wonderous tales of my life but I can't. For a start my housemate Damien is sat in my room and I don't want to be anti-social. Add to that I have a long list of things to be doing and a CU houseparty to be at in 2 hours and I don't have a lot of time.

But I want to say that there are people in this world that are wonderful, amazing people who put up with my stupidity, impatience and often just moodyness and I am thankful for them. You guys are quality.

I also want to remark on the rather wonderful Thanksgiving I attended yesterday as a guest of the Agape team. It was brilliant. Thankyou so much guys. Wonderful food, company and fellowship. So thankyou.

And also the Lord is good. We should always look and trust in Him at all times. No matter what our difficulties are, or how impossible the situation may seem, the Lord is faithful and sovereign. So lets be thankful for that too.

Ok.... Until Sunday night/Monday... Goodbye.

Without

This is a week 'without.' Without tea or coffee and MSN to be specific. And... I'm enjoying it so far.

I feel the urge to use MSN more often than not, and for a Lancastrian (or even an Englishman) there ain't nothing like a good brew/cup'a'cha/cup of tea to start or end the day. But... I am not missing things as much as I thought I would. Still, I have another few days of being 'without' so I shall let you know how things go when I get back from the CU houseparty which is this weekend..

Ah houseparty... Two and a bit days in the middle of Wales (aka the middle-of-no-where) in the freezing cold. Its... going to be... GREAT! Always is... so yeah. There you go.

Otherwise I'm enjoying things a lot more so now. I still need to meet with the Lord more often than I do, and I have a lot to learn. Things aren't perfect (they never will be - at least not yet), nor do I feel like I'm riding the crest of the wave. But I am happier and more relaxed. And for this I am thankful.

Tagging...

Right. So this tagging business has it that I need to write about five quirks. Now that all depends on what 'quirks' are - I'm going with things that are 'different' rather than being odd.

1. Hugging. Ah hugging. I have gained a reputation for someone who is adverse to hugging and bad at it at that. Most stories revert to 'limp arms' and terrified expressions on my face. And yes, there is some truth in my lack of enthusiasm for the hug. I am not keen on hugging people that I am unsure about, and therefore when people do hug me generally i go into a mode of 'oh dear. whats happening?'. But - and this is a big but - I love hugging when its someone special. In that bracket i'd put a handful of good, or old, friends who I haven't seen for a while or are leaving - but even then it'd be rare for a hug to be seen. If however I am hugging my girlfriend then I love hugging. It is something I like a great deal and its cool. So I am a girlfriend only hugger... Ha.

2. Baths. Simple one now. I really enjoy taking baths. I will of course use the shower but given the choice I will take a bath anytime. Don't know why really though I'd imagine it has a lot to do with growing up in house that for a long time didn't have a shower.

3. Food. I am a fussy eater. As in really fussy. I have real issues with a large number of foods such a fish, vegetables, and for a long time even things like brown (wholemeal) bread. As time goes by I am improving in my tastes and i'll try to be as polite as possible when given things i'm not so keen on... But I am still an increadibly fussy, and slow, eater.

4. Nocturnal. I am in many senses nocturnal. I function well at 2 am and feel incredibly rough before 9 am. Even if i'm in bed by 1 am I will seriously struggle to get myself up and be functional befroe 9 am. It feels like I have huge weights attached to each eye lid and my body is often really, really cold. Its frustrating but in my student life I've grown to work with it.

5. Americanisms. Ok so I am, and have been for a while, very much American in my outlook. I freqeuntly have the Star Spangled Banner running through my head, I own a Stars and Stripes mug, as well as a host of other US related clothes and things. I love bagels, Jelly Belly jelly beans, Nooma's and i'm also developing a taste for US history. All this amounts to much mick-taking, and a very real feeling that I want to live in the good ole US of A.


Ok so those who have been tagged (Moll, Brit, Treece, Van Geldy, KC) note your 5 quirks on your blog and tag 5 others. Don't forget to tell them by commenting on their blog and telling them to read your own. Oh and tell them what they need to do.

Yo, yo, yo...

Ok... So i know that I haven't replied to either tag (i feel blessed for being chosen guys - thanks). I will.... But it'll take a wee bit of time. I haven't really applied myself to just being sat in the house at all lately. So... Anyway. Just thought i'd post and say hi. Hi!

Yet another sky pic..

Life can be a pain sometimes. But God is good and just a simple look to the skies above will provide ample evidence of His amazing creation. What an amazing sky folks. Amazing. And kudos to Mr Danny T for spotting such an amazing picture. Cheers mate.



And a night sky picture too. Just walking back tonight I was again reminded of God's amazing creation. How cool is the ever changing canvas that is the sky? Be it night or day.

Disclaimer and a cool pic...

Hello. Just a wee disclaimer. I thought i'd be clever before and adjust my blog settings so that the time was set to GMT rather than LA time (which is the default I think), not realising that it would completley mess up the posting dates. Sooo... Rather than have people think that i've been posting at 3 am etc and to align posting with the correct dates etc, please ignore the time and move the day of posting back a day.

Anyway I hope you all are well and life is treating you well. Today I've tried to be a bit more disciplined and its been great because of that. And also some great friends who have been a tremendous support to me. Thankyou.

Slow Burner....

I am nuts about photography (in a very sane casual way) so I'll appreciate this may mean nothing to you but I love this photo. I took it up in the Lakes a few weeks back and it really is a a slow burner. I was just looking through some pics last night and decided its probably one of my favourtie pictures even though i hadn't even noticed it before. So... Enough waffling and enjoy the pic..

Actually one more bit of waffling... Although it isn't really waffling. Anyway... I've just had a really nice day. Church this morning, Kimos for dinner and then a long and winding walk home, taking in Smithdown Road cemetary (which is actually a very peaceful place - surprised me somewhat) and Urban Coffee. And all with some exceptionally good company. Marvellous.

Oh. And to add to what I wrote before, a very nice evening down around Sefton Park. We went to try and get a better look at the stars away from the main areas of the city. And it was great. If not a little cold.

Wisdom

Difficult to know what to post about today. In general its going to be heavy so if you want something light hearted and fun then please enjoy this picture of Danny looking ecstatic at how the beer mat is sticking to his pint. Priceless...

So. To begin an apology. An apology to the Agape team for not attending their Life Objectives conference. Because of some pretty awful sleeping patterns i've got myself into of late I ended up getting to sleep at 5 am. Hence by the time my alarm went off at 8:30 today I was as the Aussies say 'bushwacked' or 'shattered'. I feel awful for missing the day and for missing seminars which i said i'd help with (KC).

And that takes me on to, well, me. What is going on with me right now? Seriously - what is it!? I feel like i'm pressing the self-destruct button, and its happeing bit by bit. I have this military analogy in my head at the mo - that of rallying around the flag. I need to rally around the flag, the flag that is God's amazing grace and truth, and set about one of the most comprehensive rebuilding phases i've had a as Christian. And that scares me, but I have very little choice it seems.

What I need is wisdom. Wisdom from the Lord. In the book of James it says this 'If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.' (James, Ch.1, v. 5)

In the book of Proverbs the first four chapters are related to the importance of that wisdom. I particularly like chapter two:

'My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
'For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth came knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those who are blameless, for he gurads the coruse of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
'Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.'

Tis cool. Ok guys. Catch you later.

Dad's Birthday and St Rich

These people are my parents ladies and gents...

I went home for my dad's birthday today. And it was cool. A very relaxed time with my family and yeah, it was fun. Rather shockingly he is now 60 years old - at least in a physical sense. Mentally i'd say he's very much still in his 20s, albeit with significantly more wisdom. So a good day.

I'm tired though. Like really tired. My body and my mind are at breaking point so i'm really looking forward to having a slower day tomorrow. Maybe a walk to the park, a trip to Tesco's for some fruit, wash some clothes, read some history books... That kind of thing. Ahhh... Yes, yes...


Oh and this is rather cool pic i took of myself tonight. I like it because i appear to have a halo. So ladies and gents say hello to St. Rich.

Hallville Sunset

For the last few days, nay weeks, i've been feeling really tired. I'm not sure what it is - stressful decisions or indecisions in my life, that constant feeling of having work to do, or just Autumn blues well and trully setting in - but whatever it is, things are beginning to drag. I'm starting to long for some energy. Maybe something to incorporate into my prayer life.

Otherwise things are good. I'm starting to realise that this year may be one of those years of learning - a year of growth - which seem to come along every now and then. We do of course grow each year, infact every day, but sometimes we get presented with a time in which we have to grow in our dependence, grow in our trust in the Lord more so. Testing times if you will.

However I did say that things are good and they are. I am still remarkably lucky to be in my position as a full-time student and am trully blessed by those around me. I am fortunate to have remarkalby caring, generous and sympathetic friends, family etc. Thanks guys...

Nooma and Mum's Birthday

Over the last few days i've been introduced to a series of DVDs that go by the name Nooma. They are American and if you want more info then go here www.nooma.com. From what i've seen I like them. They are in essence 10 minute sermons....

Anyway, one of the nooma's i've seen talks about crying out to the Lord in times of need or distress and how we can take comfort in the fact that He is listening to us. References are made in particular to the book of Psalms.

And that is how i feel right now. I want to let out this cry of frustration. I am struggling right now. Those of you who see me on a regular basis will know this, those of you who don't then hey its true... I'm finding things difficult. I have a trust that things will be fine in the long run. That the Lord is my shepherd, my rock, my guiding light. But in the meantime I feel like a giant wrecking ball/demolition ball crashing my way through each and every day. Bad analogy in some ways but also close to the truth.

However today has been a good day. Great time of fellowship with my Dad and my Mum, as well as my Uncle Bob and my cousin Andrew. I went home for my mum's birthday which was cool and she seemed to have a good time, even though she will be working for most of the evening and she's only been getting on average 3 hours sleep for the last week or so. Crazy. Reason number one for not going into teaching, and also the key reason as to why teachers need so much more respect than they recieve.

One Birthday and An Amazing Day in the Park

Today was the birthday of one Daniel Temlett. I won't say how old he is but he is now officially one year older. So there you go...

As an external observer it seemed like he had a very good day, a lot of which is down to the smashing people that are Ms Stephanie Gillette and Ms KC Clark. You guys are awesome.

Here you will find a picture of Mr Temlett enjoying his breakfast, lovingly prepared by Ms Gillette and Ms Clark.

Aside from Danny's Birthday today has been a great time of fellowship both at the pub and earlier in the day.

Its also been great in terms of me getting up before 8 am. Very rare but also very good. It was nice to be accomplishing things before mid-day.

And accomplishing things included walking down to the park which was amazing. The colours, the crisp cool air. Fantastic. Sadly my camera battery died pretty quickly but i did get some cool pics.

Weddings, weddings, weddings...

Today I went to a wedding. It was my fourth wedding of the year, and it was great. The bride and groom had a great time (Christoff and Sarah) and it was such a good time of fellowship. Christoff was a fresher with me, so the wedding brought together old friends, who by-and-large have drifted off in different directions. Nice.





The wedding service was cool too. It was held at Bridge Chapel, and taken by Bill Bygroves who is man I have tremendous respect for. The service was incredibly relaxed, and yet also did an excellent job at establishing the grace and joy apparent in a Christian marriage and why that is so (as in its a unity of two peoples through God, rather than as a result of each others dependance on the other). Bill also had some watchful words at the end of the service about a wedding not only being about the joyful unity of two people, but how it is also a time of great loneliness, anger and regret for others, which i thought was an important point to raise. Good stuff.

After the wedding those of us not invited to the full day of events went to the Richmond Tavern for some decent food and more fellowship. And then... We went back to the Palm House in Sefton Park for the evening reception. And that was very cool. Excellent fellowship yet again, decent food, and the Palm House is an amazing place to be at night. So, so good.



It was a great day, especially the moment when the bride and groom left. This is because the crowd where issued with helium ballons, with a sparkler attached to the bottom of each one, and, a lighter. Then the sparklers were lit and the balloons released. This looked very cool, but in a park filled with trees and on a windy day, it was, interesting. I think we all thought the Park may be set alight at one point. But it proved for some cool pics, and its different.



Good day people. Enjoy the pics. Oh and I hope the craic is good. Apologies to all those who leave comments to which i fail to reply. Its very much appreciated and I hope you are all well.

A Photographic Record Of A Day In The Lake District With Six Americans And A Big Baby

Man of Constant Sorrow

I thought it'd be good to post but i'm tired and feeling highly unorganised about things. This does not bode well for what I wish to blog about, namely the fantastic weekend that has just passed.

So... bear with me folks as I leave you with a short wee entry.

The weekend was fantastic and such a great time of fellowship as me and Danny took some of the Agape team north to the wet and....erm... wet, Lake District. Grand day for so many reasons. And thankyou so much for the card guys. Much appreciated. It was no problem taking you guys there and we both really enjoyed it.

Right now I am exhausted and thats even with an extensive sleep earlier this evening. I am tired physically and mentally and I think thats beginning to show. So I should go to bed really.... Its in the pipeline. Trust me..

Hopefully tomorrow i'll get back to my work and sort out simple things like washing clothes, buying in food and cleaning the house. Sounds pretty dull but I'm looking forward to getting back into some form of a routine, God willing.

So there you go... a wee post for ye all.

Oh and if your wondering about the title i'm listening to the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack and its class...

Zzzzz....

Good morning!!! The three exclamaition marks there (probably a record for this very understated blogger) suggest a level of excitement and energy that is definately misleading. This is because i'm writing at 6:55 am, and I've been up since 3:30 am, having gotten to bed at about 12:45am. Ok so theres a lot of am's in there, but seriously I feel a little tired. Ha.

But I want to blog. I haven't updated for a week now which is something of a record for me. So what should I blog about? Well... Right. Well first of all there is my situation. I'm up at this crazy hour as i've just dropped my parents off at the airport. They are flying to Germany to stay with some family friends and its brilliant that they are doing this. They haven't left Britain for 22 years so it is a good thing. But my parents being my parents don't half worry about things, and right up until they walked through security it felt like I was the one over fifty and they were the ones still in their early twenties, as i tell them not to worry and they ask me a hundred and one questions about check in and bag packing. Still I don't mind - its the least I can do for them and, to be honest, all of their worrying etc is quite amusing and endearing.

The airport was interesting. Very 'airportesque' you could say. Even at 5 am its still full of noisy kids, confused looking internationals, even more confused Brits, businessmen who have a smug no-it-all 'i do this every week' look, and, unervingly for a Brit who's quite proud and adjusted to the Police being unarmed, a Policeman equipped with a machine gun. Yikes!

It takes 25-30 mins to get to Manchester airport from here and I really enjoyed the drive. Ok, so it was mundane motorway driving but it really does give you time to think and to chill out. Especially to music. And to that I must make a recommendation. I was listening to a cd of songs by Angie King, agape worker extraordinaire, and a talented singer/songwriter. Good stuff.

And right now I'm sat in my lounge in St Helens with 'Whats The Story Morning Glory?' by Oasis cranked right up on my dad's stereo. I'm feeling nostalgic, and it is marvellous. Especially when I have a big house to myself. Just me, the music, and a cup of coffee which I need to go and make actually. Hmm... Ok... Well as I do that I shall bid my farewell and hope that the craic is good with ye.

(P.S. This is my house. In the photo... Up at the top. You know what I mean. Ha.)

Conkers on me 'ead

So today I ventured down to the park to try and get some photos of the autumn colours. Some of the trees look outstanding at the moment. Little pockets of colour surrounded by green and grey. Sadly this photo doesen't really reflect that - the light wasn't particularly good. Well thats my excuse anyway..

I actually really enjoyed my little walk today though. First of all I got up a little bit earlier which was grand. Secondly, on the way to the park I was walking under a chestnut tree just as four conkers dropped to the ground. Except that they didn't hit the ground. Rather they hit me on the head. Ouch! Funny though. I thought things like that only happened in cartoons.

In the park I was taking pictures when a guy walking his dog came up to me and said, 'Ah. I bet your an Art student?' To which I replied 'No. I'm a History student actually.' On hearing this his face dropped and he looked immensly disappointed. I mean I have never, ever seem someone seem so devastated to hear that I studied history. Amused me somewhat.

After the walk I had a wee chat with Evans and then went to see my friends Beko and Juliet, which was cool. Not seen them for a while so it was good to chat.

And now i'm blogging and then maybe working. I was watching a film with Danny and Evans but it already had my blood boiling after 3 mins by having American soldiers fighting the Nazi's in Scotland in 1944. What!?!?! A warning to anyone who watches a historically inaccurate film with me... Ha.

Oh to have a name like mine ;-)

Hello all potential readers out there!! How are you? Good? Well I hope so. Ready to digest another post?

Now bare with me for a wee second. My name is a very popular name. By that I don't mean that everyone hears my name and goes 'Oh what a wonderful name!', sadly ;-), rather that lots of people have it. A Google search will produce 45, 100, 000 results. Thats a lot of namesakes. The result of this is that i've grown used to having to create unique user names for things like e-mail or passwords, as, by-and-large, someone has already taken it.

It was too my great surprise and delight therefore that when I started my postgraduate degree I was able to use my name as my e-mail. No extra intials, or dates, or owt. Splendid.

However, I have since found that there is a catch to having such an authentic e-mail. Over the course of the last year I have recieved (and still do recieve) a growing number of e-mails that are for similar named people. For example I was contacted by a large Government reseach commitee who wanted me to present a paper to a world leading conference about Ocean studies. As flattering as I found this, my knowledge of the worlds oceans is limited, so i figured there must be another similar named person out there. And sure enough Liverpool Uni has a Professor Ric Williams, who as it turns out is a dude in all things Oceanic and is now leading a big expedition in the Atlantic. Nice.

And it goes on. Last week, I recieved an e-mail which stated simply 'Is this you?'. I did want to reply sarcastically 'Well it depends. It could be me. I am me. But am I the me you want?' but decided that was a tad harsh and didn't. That probably would've been a good idea though, as a week later I got a series of e-mails, apparently intended for a Ruth Williams, asking if I fancied meeting up for drinks, and estate agent talk. I did point out immediately that I am not Ruth Williams, but even still I was invited along for drinks. Turned them down though... It would have been a bit odd me thinks, plus estate agent talk doesen't sound all that good to be honest. Ha.

And then today I recieved two e-mails forwarding on important, nay essential, PBL (this is medical jargon for self-supported study) material related to respiratory illness. All very well and good but not really what i'm looking for with an Irish History degree. Ha.

Still I enjoy getting all these random e-mails. Makes life a little bit more interesting. On that i'm off to do some Irish history.

Hurrah...

The Blog War...

Well... I've just been informed that I am in a blog war. Ha... Amusing. I'd like to say that in such a case this blog will become like the UN or something. A peacekeeper amongst blogs. Ha.

Anyway, I'm currently feeling very tired, even though i only got up at 10:30 today. I think this is a good thing though. I really, really need to get to grips with my sleeping pattern and ensure that I have done some productive things before 12pm, and feeling tired will help me in getting to bed earlier.

Thats been something that I've found really frustrating about today, and the last few months - getting up really late. I have a lot of work to be getting on with, I'm so keen on establishing a constant relationship with the Lord, and University is just such a blessing in terms of what can be accomplished here and the people around you. And yet, I'm still in bed after 10 am. Bummer!! So annoying sometimes..

The Lord is good though, and inspite of my laziness today has been great. Me and Danny actually managed to out together a good meal - Shephard's Pie - for Movement Prayer which was good.

Our house looked as though it was heading for meltdown a few hours ago and now things appear to be good which is marvellous.

And... AND I'm so thankful as ever for the fellowship I have with the Agape team. You are all brilliant. Thankyou so much for letting me hang out with y'all.

Artbybryn

Only a short blog tonight. I just wanted to bring attention to a website that Steph showed me yesterday. Its this one www.artbybryn.com . And I think its really cool. Check it out.

So thats it. Keep reading the post below...

Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl!!! This post has been a long time in coming. A post all about Ms Brittney Michelle Lenhoff no-less. The Queen Blog herself.

This sassy, classy and gassy American lady has inspired a thousand blogs, as opposed to a thousand ships – though I’m sure you could do that too Brit.

But anyway, cheesy Iliad references aside then this is my perspective of the one known as the Brittster.

Where to begin? Well I guess there was my first introduction to Brit. I had been told all about the American girl named Brittney by the great Peter ‘Pedro’ Roberts, along with the succession of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ jokes that he had already used. However this could not prepare me for the moment of actually meeting Ms Lenhoff. For the 25 minutes it took to ride the bus home I was introduced to BML’s unique language form (think Valley style), and the ‘guns’ concept that I will leave well alone here, but led to some unfortunate and interesting months afterwards

And from then on in its been a riotous, fun filled time of discovery and adventure in getting to know the one Mr Daniel Temlett refers to as B-Rit.

She is the lass forever to be identified with phrases such as ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Redonculous’, ‘You’re darn skippy!’, ‘Booya’, and most recently ‘Knacked’. Her unique limberness will be hard to forget too – all those who have seen the famous Brittney ‘rock’ will testify to such wonders. This girl is also a person now synonymous with Winston the Dog, her beloved companion and the central figure of a rather splendid story.

Brit is also the one who introduced many to Guster (well lets say she was part of a trio including the equally legendary Toth and Treece),the one with a mean punch, and the one who has brightened the day of many a Brit and American, as well as the citizens of many other nations of this globe.

Not too mention her dancing nor in fact her grand hand gestures that almost inevitably result in anyone within 5 yards of the Britmeister being hit by a flailing appendage.

On a more serious note she is Brittney the missionary, the team member, the housemate, the sister, the daughter, the supporter, the encourager, the listener and the friend. All in all a sound, quality, marvellous lass who means a great deal to me and to so many others.

So ladies and gentlemen – Ms Brittney Michelle Lenhoff.

Tis the season to be blogging...

I'm sat in the living room of the Agape girls house amusing myself no end by writing a blog whilst sat on the couch using Angie's computer. Tis amusing. I have no idea why but it is.

So today was great. I headed down to the Maritime Museum in the morning with some of the Agape team and it was cool. I've been to the Maritime Museum many times but it was fantastic to be down there with the team. I'm sure I was annoying but I really enjoyed just talking about ships and history and things. I don't know why but I really enjoy sharing my knowledge with people - a sign that I am indeed cut out for lecturing? I don't know but maybe.

Afterwards I enjoyed a splendid time of fellowship with Brittney. We made a wee trip to Tesco's, took in the Richmond Tavern and then I was honoured to eat some delicious Brittney Lenhoff soup. So, so good. I really appreciated just talking and chilling out with ye Brit. Thankyou.

And now i'm sat with Danny and Stephanie just talking with a cup of tea and some music. Marvellous.

Oh and thanks for the computer usage Angie. Just checked out your song too. Nice. Really, really good. Angie King ladies and gents.

Brendan Benson and Ok Go

So tonight I actually ventured out of Allerton to the city centre. Wow!! For those who don't know me too well I am not a going out type person. I am a drinking coffee with good friends round a kitchen table or in a lounge type person. Thus, for me to make a trip into town in an evening is a rareity.

But tonight it was very much worth the trip. I went to a gig at the Uni on the recommendation of my mate Woody. And it was great . Fantastic. Marvellous. Brilliant. In other words it was good.

There were actually three acts playing but we missed the first, so the first band we saw was Ok Go. If you live in the UK and like indie music you'll probably have heard a track of theirs called Get Over It. To be honest, I was expecting that song to sound good (I like it) and then the rest to be poor immitations of that song. However, I am very pleased to be able to say that they are a great little band (all the way from Chicago) who have a very creative and cool set.

But, as good as their music is, it was an added extra that really put them into my musical good books. As they ended their set, they informed the crowd that they had time for one more song (always a good thing) but rather than tweak and tune their instruments they put them down and all four of them preceded to stand in line on the edge of the stage. Then a recording of their song came on and we the audience stood in awe and then fits of laughter as four indie band guys started to perform a dance routine (a very well exectuted dance routine) more akin to a boy band. And it was HILARIOUS. So, so funny. What made it even more amusing was that while three of the band are tall, lanky American guys, the bassist is a shorter, more rotund chap, who also happens to be balding with huge chunky glasses and amusing facial hair. The result was even more comedy. It was so good infact that most of the audience went and bought their cd, and to be honest its worth it, plus they were sound, sound guys who took the time to chat to whomever after the gig. Ok Go ladies and gents. Splendid.

After Ok Go came the main attraction, one Brendan Benson. Now I'll admit that I hadn't even heard of this chap until two days ago, but he was good. Very, very, very good. To describe his musical style I'd have to go with Damien Rice/Jack Johnson/indie rock - a fusion of all three. It was great and so well executed by Brendan and his band, which included a very insane looking drummer... Hmm...

So a grand night out. There where some other things that made the evening though. One was effectively being asked to select a beer that will be sold in the Richmond Tavern next week. I went with one called Nelson's Victory so it'll be interesting to see if they actually take up my choice.

I've also just been privvy to some delicious brownies courtesy of KC Clark. So good. Thankyou KC. Not forgetting the ever joyous company of the entire Agape team and Andy Moll and Danny too. Proper grand.

I do have one gripe though. At the concert we had two couples standing in front of us for most of the evening and I have to say - snogging (kissing) in public - not good. Especially when 500 people are having to look past you to see the gig. Anyway. Good night folks.

To Blog Or Not To Blog

To blog or not to blog. That is the question.

So another blog in quick succession proving either that blogging is a great thing to do with your time, or more likely, that I have very poor time management. I'll let you decide that one...

Anyway. As I said briefly in the last post i've found things to be quite stressful of late. And I wish I could go into why here but I can't really. On the one hand its a general feeling of not really belonging (at least as a student) where I do combined with other pressures and stresses that taken individually amount to very little, but collectively take on a much greater significance. Then on the other hand there are things particular to this week which have added to my general state to make me feel as if I've reached rock bottom.

However the Lord is good and when I finally spent some time with Him in prayer and reading the Bible life looked significantly less bleak. And also some fantastic friends have helped me feel less under the weather. In particular I'd like to thank Brittney for letting me 'emotionally vomit on her' (to borrow her own phrase), the guys in my house and also my mate Joe who without knowing cheered me up no end with a perfectly timed e-mail. And thanks to Steph and Woody who kindly asked how I was doing but I didn't explain. Cheers guys. Appreciated.

Moving on to other things then I headed down to Sefton Park the other day to find loads of kids from my high school milling about the place. Kind of odd to be honest - but an interesting suprise nonetheless.

I've also been learning some new phrases such as Cool Beans (or Kewl Beans), Yes Siirie Bob etc. All courtesy of Stephanie. Cheers Steph. Ha...

Reech's Laundrette...

Ok well this is a post in a hurry. I have a pizza in the oven which will be ready in about 8 mins and then i'm off to CU. So not much time to write and be creative...

But even still i wanted to post....

Life has been tricky the last few days. I don't want to bore you with the details but i've felt increasingly pressured, lost and confused in the last week. So much so that i was feeling pretty miserable on Monday. But things are better - thanks to finally spending some time with the Lord and some quality friends who listened to me moan. Thanks guys... Really, really appreciated.

Otherwise a week of normality - Tesco's shopping, and today washing. How difficult is it to wash and dry clothes in the UK? Even on a sunny day like today my clothes are still wringing having been out on the line. Hence my room looks like a laundrette at the mo.. Nice.

Ok Pizza time...

Oh to be a Williams...

I like this photo. Its yet another pic that I took in Conwy.

Anyway. You learn something new everyday. According to the US census of 2000 the surname Williams is the 3rd most popular in the country with c 1,747,000 people having the name. Cool.

Ok. So i've been thinking about my surname recently and the fact that so many people have it. For example I ran a Yahoo search on 'Williams' and it came up with 230,000,000 hits! Madness.

According to this website (which may or may not be reliable) - http://allthingswilliam.com/willynilly/name-origin.html - this is the origin of the name Williams.

William is derived from an Old French given name with Germanic elements: wil = desire, will; and helm = helmet, protection. Some say the Old German name Wilhelm derives from Wel-helm (the shield or defense of many), Weil-helm (protector of rest, defender of tranquility), Vil-helm (strong protector), or from the Belgic Guild-helm (harnessed with a gilded helmet).
The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. When the Normans conquered Britain in 1066 they brought with them a stock of new names and different ideas about names. They were beginning to use the first name and last name system, which allowed the same first names to be borne by many different people at the same time. William - "will" and "helmet" - was an outstanding favorite Norman name and became, in short order, one of the most popular given names in England. In the first century, after the Conquest, it was the commonest male name of all, and not only among the Normans. It has belonged to several rulers of England, Prussia, and Germany, including William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England

I may try and find a better account of the origin of the name Williams. Anyway my trip to Wales the other day also got me thinking about my own particular family origins. Sadly I don't know a great deal other than that my Grandad came from Flintshire and I have relatives right along the North Wales coast. But, I do know that we have a semi-famous relative, who you can read about more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/arts/emlyn_williams.shtml

Ok. Sorry if thats quite dull. I've never been one for family history but going to Wales got me thinking the other day.

How many Americans can you fit in a telephone box?

That is just one of the many questions this blog aims to answer, and today a scientific experiment was undertaken to find out the answer. And as this photographic evidence proves the answer is 5.

So today I joined 6 members of the Agape team on a Welsh adventure. We ventured out to the medieval town of Conwy and took in the castle, which was completed in 1287 at the behest of Kind Edward I. Why? Well, King Ed (or Eddy to his mates) needed an iron ring of castles to control those riotous Welsh, so he set about building quite a few of them. Random bit of history for you there.

Anyway a good c700 years later these mighty weapons of war serve as a ideal distraction to students and full time ministry workers, and a rather splendid earner for the Welsh tourist board. I very much recommend that you check them out some time. Its good fun.

But back to today. We checked out the castle, had a wander around Britain's smallest house, checked out some random swings, ate in the finest fish and chip restaurant in all the land, pottered around the town walls, and even found time for magnum ice creams and kebabs.

All in all a great day. Almost neverending fun and fellowship - i'm extremely thankful for that. I'm a wee bit tired now, but twas grand. Thanks for inviting me guys. Nice.