Lynne Taylor

Warm

It is warm today.
I awoke to a warm room
in a warm house.

Over the past 10 days we have moved from an Indian summer
to mid-winter sleet, hail and frost
and now seem to have returned to a delicious NW system
(that means warm and dry, with gorgeous skies).

I keep looking to check I haven't left a heater on.

I like weather.

I loved Saturday night's hail and thunder storm
(even if it did damage my roof)
I love the warmth of sunshine on my back.
I enjoy listening to the rain on the roof
(I even enjoy getting wet in it -
especially when i know warmth and dryness isn't far away).

Weather is good.
But today,
warm is very good.

Charlie

Charlie popped in today.
He lived in our (purple) house 20-something years ago
and was able to tell me about how it was when he was there.

I discovered the log burner that was permitted 12 years ago
was installed 24 years ago,
thus moving the replacing of it up the priority list!

The decorated archway in the hallway,
(with purple faces)
is original.

The kauri floorboards beneath the carpet
are polished and delicious.

Under the paint at the front veranda is stained glass
(I thought it was glass, and was appropriately careful
when chucking wood around the other (several!) days).

I like the fact that my house has a history
that includes other young couples making a home for their families.

My sister is reading a book about a house at the moment.
In London.
A history of people who lived there.

An interesting project!

The hills are alive...

One of our Steve-away rituals
is kfc for dinner one night
(yeah I know, GE ingrediented, msg slathered stuff...)

Tuesday night was the night
KFC
The Sound of Music to watch
(and sing along to!).

The best bit?
possibly when we got about halfway into the video
(a new recording we hadn't watched before)
and it was apparent that intermisison was coming -
big music, clever fading and all that sort of thing.

And then the sign...
Intermission
across the screen.

I had to refrain myself from racing out to buy icecreams.
(Tho where I could have gotten choc dipped,
single scoop,
flat bottom cones I am not sure)

She loves me

Kayli posted this in our letterbox a week or so ago.
(It's a cherry tomato)

She is so lovely.

holey conservatory

We had the most amazing storm
on Saturday night...
Hail and awesome thunder and lightning.

So good I grabbed the video camera and started shooting
from inside the conservatory while the hail bombed our roof.

It sounded like someone was tipping gravel out of a bucket above us.

I realised something was amiss when I felt hail on my left
- well inside the conservatory arm -

Just a wee few holes!
Taped up now by a kind Aaron,
and waiting for the Insurance assessor
who is somehow fairly busy in Christchurch just at the moment!

343...

is the number of lollies I guessed there to be
in the container.

There were 345,
making me the winner!
YAY

There are no longer 345!

Waltham Youth Trust holiday programme community dinner last night
Nice to see some familiar faces-
kids from Waltham School who made diaramas with me before Christmas:
("Was it fun? Should we do it again?"
"Yeah!")
Plus a boy who was at our table last time
who went to my old school.

And some new friends too.

It is a good thing they do.
ANd nice to eat together.

Hanging up my mouse (or time for that cup of tea)

You know those days
when you boil the jug
go back to work
and then boil it again
and then go back to work
and then boil it again?

My jug is probably about cold again now
but i am hanging up my mouse
logging off
shutting down
and am off to drink
three glasses of water
and one cup of tea
(and maybe, just maybe a little butterscotch schnapps
-yep, P&D there is still some left!-)

I'm outta here!
Byee!

Dusted off...

I (literally) dusted off this piece for church today.

I produced it
(with great nerves and humility)
for Graceway's first Christmas art exhibition,
because Jesus' coming as a baby
means life to the full for me.

I selected photos that represented
life to the full
for me at that time
- wedding, baptism, shannon's birth, friends, family, mission trip, deep spiritual growth times -
and had photos copied.
Then painted a sheet of transperency black
and etched back the words of the verse:
"He came that I may have life
and have it to the full"

So through the blackness that symbolises my humanity
the words of Jesus allow the life to the full to be seen.

(Under pics follow if you wanna see)

Nice...

Someone was just nice to me.

I received a lovely email from a friend
who spied me at school this morning
thought I was looking good
and told me so.

How lovely.

So often I think things
- appreciation for people, compliments, thoughts -
and the moment passes.

Here's to making the effort and speaking/emailing out!

Make your day
Make their day!

Today I have...

This morning I have...
surfed around the theme of tithing, generosity, giving
for resources to go out to our NZ Baptist churches later in the year.

In in-between moments
I have printed off survey forms and other documents
that will contribute towards a submisison
to the Tertiary Education Commission
on behalf of many of the Christian Training Colleges in NZ.

Next I will
type in offering prayers I am writing
...
offering prayers that offer
our money
our time
our gifts
ourselves
to God.
(also resources to go out to baptist churches)

Then I will go to school
watch Kayli Anne and Shannon run
in their cross country races,
and take them out for my traditional
"term's end" coffee/fluffy.
(This is Kayli's first such event -
school finishes early on the last day of term,
so Shannon and I used to have coffee/fluffy together
before picking up Kayli from kindy,
but now she's a big school girl too)

And then there's party planning
AND TIDYING
for Shannon's birthday party/ies.
(For some reason she seems to be having three this year).

Just as well I am not stressed.
Purple house?
Inner peace and contentment?
The love of God, family and friends?
All of the above!

I live in a purple house

The doorbell just rang,
"I am (can't remember who) from Wellington."

"Yoga and stress relief",
says he as a starter for ten.

"Not interested," replies I with a smile. "Not stressed!".

"Well", he says, "You live in a purple house."

"Purple house, no stress", agrees I.

So he gave me a purple pamplet
about a vegetarian cafe in the city
that makes a great chutney.

And we went our separate ways.

Glad of the simple things...

Like a stapler that works
even when it isn't perfectly horizontal.

Lovely staples,
In every time,
No pulling it apart every second page.

Sigh
Contentment and appreciation

(Mine's a much groovier blue)

Blessing...

The blessing I gave punters
at our very-private-advance-showing of expresso.
(Less-private-advance-showing coming up 10 May,
general release date TBA)

Go enjoy,
Southern Hemisphere dwellers!

I always said...

I always said that if my watch
ever ran out of battery
AND needed a new strap at the same time,
then it may be time for a new one.
It used to have a gold face,
and it still does in patches.
It has a scratched face.
But i like it, and am happy with it.

Steve and I bought watches for each other
for a wedding anniversary years ago
at least nine years ago, maybe more.

His got nicked with our car about 7 years ago.
the car came back - the watch did not
(a sail bag and a pair of enormous sunglasses were left instead)

Anyway,
My watch strap has been disintegrating for months.
Superglue helped,
but not forever.

So on Friday afternoon
I bought a new watch strap.

Very nice it was too.

Saturday I was taking my sister to pick up her car from the garage.
"Oh," says I, "But it is only 11.15".

"Nope," says sister. "It is 11.30"

"Bother" says I.

That afternoon I drive to Riccarton Mall
(sorry, Westfield Riccarton)
and at 5.07 purchase new battery.

Man-putting-battery-in looks at watch in a checking-sort-of-way.
I don't (mistake!)

I show my new batteryed watch to Steve over coffee.
"Bother" says I.

It is still 5.07, except the hand ticks
one second on
one second back.

Due to opening of movie theatres at Riccarton Mall
(sorry, Westfield Riccarton)
the shops are open til 9pm,
and Golden Horse is playing.

So I head back there.
Take my watch to jeweller.

He puts it in a wee bag to send off to repairer
(whatever happened to jewellers
who can do more than just SELL jewellery I don't know).

Today the phone call comes.
My watch needs a new movement.
That will be $100.80.

Yeah, right.
And bother.

Must go shopping for my new watch.

Anyone need a new battery?
A new strap?

Golden Horse

Went to a free Golden Horse concert at Riccarton Mall
(sorry, Westfield Riccarton)
tonight..
it was fun.

They were a bit rough to start with,
perhaps the foldback wasn't great,
or perhaps the guitarist-on-the-right
just needed to watch the rhythm better.

But it was great.

I wished I had a camera to take a 4-pic cameo...
1. Asian man takes photo of 4 young (giggling, head-covered) Asian women
2. Pakeha (European) woman offers to take photo of all five of them
3. Asian woman comes out of posed shot to show Pakeha woman which button to push
4. Photo with Pakeha women in middle, embraced by Asian woman on either side.

Very cool.

I like humanity-watching at such events.

I remember going to a baseball game in Nicaragua
and just watching the people.
So many different and individual people
enjoying themselves!

This from my office

I had just ripped the month of March off the wall,
thus exposing todays date,
when I received this email from the Auckland office...

Attention all staff,

Due to recent problems with static in the phone system, we are giving some attention today to the state of the internal phone network.

This will involve an integrity check of each line and clean-out of residue that has been accumulation within the line itself.

At 11:45 this morning we will be forcing air through the lines to assist with this.

Please contact Helen for a dust cover for your handset to ensure that the dust that is blown out is not spread over your desk etc.

Thanks for your understanding on this matter.

The technical Team
Sushila Nelson and Carl Dunwoody.

(I'm not quite sure the airflow will reach Christchurch!)