Valentine's Day on Reflection

I had a bit a serious day yesterday, waking up to the Today Program doesn't fill you with the spirit of the day & throughout the day my sense of humour didn't return, Gabriel was being super naughty & I also had to clean up cat vomit which was done in a concealed spot so wasn't spotted when it happened which leaves me to think that it was Jezebel's as Gabriel has shows little regard for where he vomits, it was grim. Was I worried that this year even though I'd agreed with Rich that there was no cards, flowers etc this year I did have that thought of what if he surprises with something & I took him at his word, I would have felt mega guilty. As it happens the only surprise he had for me was that his rehearsal had been cancelled & we had an unexpected evening together where we cooked together in the kitchen which was lovely & then watched a bizarre film about Joyce Hatto. All in all the evening was lovely & unexpected which is way better than than a naff card or or flowers that have a limited vase life. So my worries were unfounded, but I do feel like there is way too much pressure on people to do Valentine's Day, perhaps if you don't get to see your partner so much or the relationship is new & you want to show how much you care it is a festival for you. I say I love you to my partner everyday & I mean it when it is said, it has been over 8 years since we first started in our relationship & we show our appreciation for each other often, so why just limit it to one day a year. All in all though it is meant to be about secret admirers rather than long term coupling. It was good to spend time together though & I would not have changed it, well perhaps with a little more assurance that there wasn't going to be an over blown gesture would have been reassuring but to be honest I don't think we could have made it clearer, but it never stops the niggling doubt. Love to everybody especially Rich xxx

P.S apologies for my lack of humour to everyone online & in text

Gun Violence

It is with great sadness that another case of gun usage on another human being occurred & the fact that it is high profile is equally as bad, the world would be a much better place without them. My thoughts go out to the family of Reeva Steenkamp. I can't emphasise enough how much I don't agree with gun ownership for those whose jobs do not require a need for one, defence is not a reason as the gun the person owns can be turned against you by a skilled attacker. Thankfully with Barack Obama calling for tighter restrictions on gun laws in America it could make his country a lot safer if only the republicans could see that instead of thinking more guns are the answer to the gun problem where Joe Normal turns psycho & goes on a killing spree. If we could remove all guns from the world it would be a much better place. It is a sad case where a tool becomes a weapon & then make it an even deadlier weapon over time, but many weapon starts out this way as a sword was originally an agricultural tool. Guns do not make you look cool they just make you look like a scared psychopath who couldn't defend themselves in any other way. Although tighter gun laws are a step in the right direction, we need a more rigid system across the world to help stop the statistics of gun crime increasing. Perhaps a Battle Royale situation for anyone caught with a gun who does not need one for their job & the winner gets to live in a cell for the rest of his life may work & it will solve the over population of the planet crisis at the same time.*

Please do not take the last comment seriously.

Imbolc on reflection

I have to make admit something here, I have never really felt a connection with this festival as it is one where it is more for those who keep livestock or those who have children as it is a festival about birth as much as it is a festival of awakening of the seasons. Perhaps if I had livestock or was heterosexual I would have more of a connection with it perhaps, but I've never really got it. I tend to get the Vernal Equinox more on that side of things as being an ornithologist it is the time when more birds are mating. However I did do a pathworking based on the festival & it seemed to go well, I did take something from it perhaps this year it had a slight more significance with my sister having had Reuben & becoming an uncle biologically for the first time & I did send my thoughts & blessings to the both of them, but still I don't feel that Imbolc is not my festival.

The advantages of cooking from scratch

With all the headlines of horse meat in ready meals, it is now making people take note of what they are eating. Hopefully it will mean people will take more of an interest in making there own food. Having just eaten last night's left over vegetable lasagne, where even the pasta was mas made fresh, it made me think how much better it tasted from the the convenience food reheat in the oven/microwave versions, it has a far better flavour to it & in the long run works out cheaper than buying one of similar ingredients. OK making lasagne from scratch is a bit of a long winded process, but then you make what you have time to make. There are plenty of meal options that take less than 30 minutes to make if time is short or if you have a slow cooker just bung everything you need in it for a stew & it is ready with little effort when you get back home to eat. If you just adjust your eating habits to the time you have to cook, it will become less effort & less of a chore. I tend to go for easy options as I hate faff & therefore enjoy my food when it is ready. If you cook more you will start to think more about the wider ethics & economics of your food. Cooking from scratch rather than buying ready meals & convenience foods has cut down our food bill considerably. Hopefully next year our food will have a bit more seasonality as I will be taking on a vegetable plot which I find puts more in sync with the turning of the year & makes me feel even more smug of I did this. Seriously, ditch the crap that is not what it appears with its dubious meat, excess salt & sugar, artificial flavourings & whatever else they decide to put in there & taste food how it is meant to.

Flu & stuff

I'm sorry it has been a while since I have been blogging I have been puli bad, having had the flu (apparently being ill around here has something to do with misbehaving dogs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli ). Now normally I would try my best for my ailments not rule my life, but this did properly floor me. I did go into work but that was more to not knowing whether I would have my shifts covered. I really wished I had phoned in sick so I could have properly rested, but other than going into work I was sensible, hibernating under a duvet, keeping up my fluids, avoiding dairy & eating soup & dry biscuits. I did have to take it easy as flu & asthma are not exactly the kindest of bedfellows & at the moment my lung capacity is not back up to normal & my chest is still rattling like a  toddler with a set of maracas. If you are unfortunate enough to get flu be sensible don't treat it like a cold, take care of yourself as unlike a cold (unless you are an alien from War of the Worlds) the flu can kill. This is one time I let myself be the patient & I do feel better for it

Coping with the winter weather

I'm not entirely sure why snow brings people into mass hysteria, it is easier to cope with it if you are a lot more rational. Panic buying, clogging roads to get home before everyone else snarls up the traffic in the bad weather which does not work. Plan in advance. If it is going to snow first of all dress sensibly, this is the most important thing if you do get stranded you need to keep warm, it is not a time for vanity, sensible shoes, winter coats, warm jumpers, hats, gloves & scarves, leaves the heels, skirts, fashion shoes & denim at home. As far as food goes, dried goods are far more useful than perishable goods. Why do people think that bread & milk are the most important things? They deteriorate quickly, sure bread flour is a better idea & if you are stranded at home you will have time to bake. Long life milk would be more useful if milk is absolutely essential to you to have it, though at this time of year building up mucus is not the best idea anyway. Keep curtains closed will help keep heat in. wear you jumpers & warm clothes around the house so you don't have to ramp the heating up too much more than you'd need to. Keep your phone with you so that you can contact loved ones just in case you get stranded. Do take some high energy food with you just in case you get stranded & a hot drink in a thermos flask. If you have these then you are less likely to need to do the panic things that grinds the country to a halt. Also only drive anywhere if you have too, walk if you can or work from home if you can. Check on neighbours if they are elderly, sick or disabled. Most of all enjoy it, build snowmen, throw snowballs put out bird feed & see what birds come into your garden. I have a 4.2 mile walk to work tomorrow though being sensible I am looking at finding an alternative route as it is quite steep. Those are my tips to cope

Confidence crash

Sorry for the major hiatus in the posting I had difficulties getting onto my blog. I have had issues recently with my confidence, it took a nose dive recently for real apparent reason, I feel I'm coming out of it as I realised there was no reason why I shouldn't have confidence in my self & kinda shook myself & told myself to get a grip, my life could be worse & has been in the past. Well it appears that I need to de clutter my head & do tasks that are important to me & my life, take strength from my faith. So if you are having a crisis in confidence & your not sure why, dig deep, concentrate on your strengths, do something you love & are good at & you may find your confidence creep back, but the first step is to acknowledge your lack of confidence first otherwise you won't be able to do much about it. The much happier Pagan Chaplain.