Grandma! Grandma! Pop out of bed

I thought that I was never really good with small children, and even now ,when I have my own collection, I mainly respond to the words .....putor Grandma?

  I was once  asked if I would take a class of twelve 5 year olds for the Summer term as they begun their School Life. I was trained to teach Junior/Secondary  age children and have always enjoyed being with the 9-13yr range. I took the job at St Martins however, knowing that it was only for 1 term,  and I knew the school well , sitting on Chalk Grassland on the North Downs. BUT it was one of the happiest times I ever had .The weather was beautiful, the school had lovely grounds, the head gave me Carte Blanche with the curriculum. And I had Ellie , a wonderful LSA to keep me on the straight and narrow. 

We spend many afternoons wandering around the nearby allotments learning about seeds and vegetables, walking the Old Coach road looking at 6 Spot Burnet moths, and sitting under trees on the field reading stories, Danny Fox by David Thomson was our favourite.

So 20 years later I just can't pass any Greater Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) in the hedgerow without remembering that group of boys and girls. How many of them ,as parents of small children, are now popping the blooms from their stems and saying as we used to 

'Grandma , Grandma , Pop out of bed!'

Chips and Crisps

If like farmers trading futures on the price of wheat, farmers also sell ahead at a fixed price their Potatoes then it makes sense if they take note of trends in weather patterns. I don't have the right lingo here or probably  not even the right grasp of the situation. My knowledge is gleaned exclusively from my daily newspaper and BBC Countryfile. 

I do know that what I see on my weekly trips across the Wolds tells a story. For those of you who live in USA and other far flung places I will just explain about the East Riding of Yorkshire. 

• between Filey and Beverley the topsoil is on Chalk
• At Kilham the topsoil  drains very well indeed
• the Cotswolds always reminded me of the Yorkshire Wolds-same type of soil and flora
• the Romans built villas like the one at Rudston in the E Riding
• east of the Chalk Wold land the soil is CLAY,CLAY CLAY to the coast

2 clicks makes this much bigger

This Google map was made when the Oil Seed Rape was in flower, this year that was about 3weeks ago. Last week I took pics of the poppies now in the Rape seed fields at Rudston.  Barley for the brewing industry is grown too, wheat  and some flax and field beans, but mostly POTATOES.

Kilham Potato field

My parents grew all the potatoes we could eat , only occasionally in the winter was I sent to the village to buy half a stone . Our soil was clay in Sutton in Holderness, but a ton of manure was delivered every spring from the nearby farm to spread .

Bartindale near  Rudston

So here we are -June 2011. I have not seen farmers irrigating so early around here for all the time we have lived in Filey.  I can hear my mothers words ringing in my ear-

'get a sack now the potatoes are going to be dear! '

My road home

As the Bigger trees near Warter is being prepared to regale Ferens Art Gallery next week  and the wow the Hullesian Hockney fans I realise I have already been wowed many times . I have made trips to the Royal Academy, to the Annely Juda and to Somerset House just to see David Hockneys pictures, watercolours, oils and computer generated pics, of my part of East Yorkshire. When I was Bridteacher, children would spot him painting  up Woldgate and come excitedly to school and tell us. Since those times, and I have blogged about him many times ,he has been responsible for just opening my eyes to  see what I never appreciated before.

Today my road home through the Hockney lanes took me past so many worthy wonders that it took me an hour longer than usual to get home from taking aged parent to HC at Beverley Minster. I had to double back several times, and a one point passed the same cyclist 3 times.

Later

Ive been watching the next phase of the Demolition next door, and talking to Malcolm again about Old Filey so this blog post has been waiting for hours to get finished. I am covered in brick dust, and need to get clean for my highlight of the week,  PCC meeting. So its only Pictures now ..........

Poppies in the Rape Field nr Rudston

Honeysuckle in the Hedgerow nr Kilham

Every Gorse bush from Rudston to Burton Fleming was killed by  frost

Bladder Campion

Hogweed-prettier than its name

Potholes temp fix

Still a Nissen Hut left in Rudston 

ON the way home we stopped to look at the sea

Cliffs towards Bempton and Flamborough Head

Silent Sunday

H/TEmma  but couldn't make it Silent

Not the safe option

A few weeks ago I took a bold step for me and wrote out my testimony of Faith and sent it to a complete stranger. It was a response to the blog of a young Christian man who was  in a place of doubt. 

I dont usually use my personal blog as a place to proselytise, either.

Sometimes I think that I am going to stop reading blog posts by high profile  Christians, as I cannot see why some of them have so much time to write so many posts and never have anything to say about what God is saying to them, or what they have read in their Bibles, or prayers that have been answered or any encouragement for those who find faith a struggle. I know this sounds like another of my critical rants. I know that I am generalising wildly. There are as many Christian Bloggers as there are shades of gray. BUT am I alone in wishing I had more hours in the day to learn about the Bible, to be quiet before God.  I am longing to tell people how  surrendering to God is the transforming step towards Life the Universe and everything  .  Actually I do God the Father  a disservice here, as I am talking about Jesus, and the Power of the Holy Spirit. I surrender to an Almighty God , because of Jesus and through the prodding of the Holy Spirit. I am gob smacked  that it is so simple and yet blog after blog after blog, talk about things that are really politics and power and get up the rankings .Evangelism is not my gifting. Writing out my testimony has cost me Big Time. For the last few weeks I have been depressed, stressed, almost in that dark night of the soul place that I recognize from years ago when I was newly baptised with the Holy Spirit, and my faith went from my head to my heart. Until NOW THAT IS. I have recognised that a defeated (at the cross) foe is having a go at me , and I have told him to go in the name of Jesus. I am OK  but on my guard, or rather, got my armour on and standing firm.

Great things are happening in our Parish of the quiet geriatric sort. Our vicar has started preaching with Christ's Power. We now have a PCC that prays,  Christian Churchwardens , an Archdeacon who can preach and Teach well  AND know how many light bulbs it takes to illuminate a dull Church. Prayer is beginning to take off-I see people praying for each other after services in pairs in transepts. 'Bums on seats' is beginning to be less important than the softening of hard hearts, and it will only take a spiritual  push and the word tithe might just have some meaning and the struggle for the Parish Quota achieved. And no we are not a Charismatic type church, we are not Happy Clappy, we still do candles and Morning Prayer on Wednesdays. We are beginning to talk about Jesus whilst doing the Flowers, and praying for ourselves to be healed in stead of not presuming to bother God. I guess Screwtape and His friends are not mightily pleased. 

Next Monday we go back to Ordinary Time. We have one more lectionary day to pray for the Holy Spirit to come and blow once again through the Church that is supposed to be getting ready to be a bride. Bring it on .

I am searching for some Blogs to encourage  Christians to grow. I am searching for those that are not full of Theology and difficult words. I am searching for some honest testimony of what God has done through Jesus, in the lives of ordinary bloggers. Let me know if you find some gems that are not already my treasures. More and more people are starting  to network  here. I am about to teach Internet Skills to silver surfers-I want to pass on something to them that will change their lives for ever.

Praise our God who lives in Heaven

I Shall be playing my favourite Bach Cantata all Day. I haven't got a record player  so will be listening to the Cantata no 11 for Ascension Day    in a version Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen  in German taped from the Radio about 20 yrs ago. John Elliot Gardener has not done my one in his Pilgrimage series through the Cantatas yet. 

C and I are off to take aged Parent to Beverley Minster for HC. We shall listen all the way.  I'm not repeating what I think about on this my favourite RED LETTER Day .