Carmen Jones

I went with James, Lucinda and Kim to see Carmen Jones at the refurbished Royal Festival Hall on Friday night. I booked tickets after a sunny evening on the Southbank created a desire to 'do more London'.

However the weather on Friday was not the balmy summer eve I had been envisaging. Despite this we ate Al Fresco at Giraffe, chatted and enjoyed the general atmosphere of one of London's trendiest areas.

The inside of the Royal Festival Hall is a bit like being in a rich old lady's house! It's smart but has a certain retro charm! We had seats three rows back which gave a rather upward view of some scenes and made us feel a bit intrusive in some of the more intimate ones!

Despite this it was a good performance and I enjoyed it. I am not an Opera fan so it was a rather off kilter move to book tickets for an Opera adaptation. Tsakane Valentine Maswangany played Carmen I was struck by her strength and stage presence despite her tiny frame. I think I could have put my hands round her waist.

She played the female anti hero well, and her sickly sucking up to Joe made my skin crawl. Hearing the orchestra was great and the tunes are well known. There were times when the intonation of the singers let them down and I had to struggle to hear what they were singing.

All in all a great evening in London Town xxx

100 years

On 8am on August 1st 2007 Scouting celebrated 100 years since Lord Robert Baden Powell blew the Kudoo Horn to open his first experimental Scout Camp for boys on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour.
At 8am (local time) on August 1st 2007 Scouts around the world joined 28 million members and renewed their promise. I stood alongside my husband, on the seashore in Hamworthy, Poole overlooking Brownsea Island and said the promise which still sends shivers down my spine. After a BBQ brekkie we made our way to Poole Quay to join Scouts and friends making their way across the water to the island. The sun shone and there was a friendly party atmosphere. Brownsea was closed to the public on August 1st and open to One Thousand visitors. Whilst the activities could have been better it was good to spend such a historical day in such an important place.

On August 4th James and I went to the 21st International Jamboree, at Hylands Park in Essex. another gloriously sunny day saw us wondering around enjoying the great atmosphere and sampling food, drink and hospitality from all sorts of countries. We had a beer in Germany, lunch in Finland and afternoon tea in England. We relaxed in Algeria and marvelled at the Swedish Ferris wheel made only from pioneering poles and rope!
We took a tour of the site and saw how 40 000 participants lived, ate, and learnt during the 10 days of camp. It was mind blowing and exhausting.
One of the themes we saw around the site was:
'There are 28 million Scouts in the world. If every Scout changed one thing....'
What a proposition! Seeing young men and women from every continent and almost every nation living working and playing in harmony was truly inspirational. If Scouting can do it why can't the rest of the world watch, learn and follow suit......'

100 days

James and I have been married for one hundred days today.
I have finally got my rings re sized so that they are not in danger of falling off. Almost all our presents have arrived, and most are in use! We've taken our wonderful family tree - a gift from both our fathers tracing our paternal family lines - in to the framers.
We've had a bit of a house clear out and tidy up and re-arrange.
We are settling into the daily pattern of being Mr and Mrs Gordon. It's great. Once a week we have time set aside for just us. We have used this time to go to a gallery, discover a new country pub, have dates at the cinema and just enjoy an evening at home with a good meal and no TV. I love this special time and when we have missed it I feel our relationship begin to sag. James was initially sceptical about this dedicated time but having given it go he agrees on its value and dates are in his diary!
People ask me whether things have changed since we got married, do I feel any different? The answer is perhaps a surprising yes. I feel grounded, anchored by the love of my soul mate. I feel calmer, like I have stepped into the shelter of someone who will always be there for me. I feel like James and I are a team, working together and for each other.
We are facing some big decisions about the future for both of us that would lead to potential career changes and financial pressures. As part of our decision making we are spending Sunday away from home, with our Bibles, talking to God and waiting on Him. I am looking forward to retreating for a short time, but then being able to talk things through with my husband.
Last night, as part of my new Bible reading plan - God's Story in 9 months (courtesy of Carla Harding) I read Genesis 1 & 2 aloud to James. We've decided to work through it together, taking it in turns to read to each other each night. I'm excited that I am going to journey through God's Story and even more excited that I have a travelling companion.
H x

Facebook

I have just de-activated my Facebook account. It's temporary but it needed doing. I am going Cold Turkey on it, a bit like giving up smoking the hard way.

There are lots of things I like about Facebook. There are lots of things I don't like about Facebook. I don't like how becoming 'friends' with someone is as easy as clicking the mouse. And then continuing to ignore them. Real friendship is hard work. There are ups and downs and hugs and laughs and tears.

In the flush of new Facebook love I 'became friends' with a lot of people who I had been at school with. I have arranged to meet up with one and I am looking forard to this, although I am nervous. We were at primary school together t0o! Like some cyber voyeur I looked at their profiles, where they are living now, their relationship status' and their photos. As I peered into their lives I was transported back ten years and the feelings of jealousy and competition grew. I didn't like that many people at school. The girl who had been my best friend for most of my school years left after GCSE's barely maintained contact with me and within 12 months had become a mother. During my sixth form years at the same school I suddenly had to try and make new friendships but by that stage everyone was sorted into their little groups. I had friends, people I spent time with and liked but no real best mate.

I had one very good friend, Milla, who you will recognise as my Bridesmaid and one real long time friend. We didn't go to school together and met through Guides. At seventeen we joined Venture Scouts and that's where the bulk of my friends came from in my truly formative years. At my wedding not one of the people there was someone I had been at school with (apart from my sister.) My friends were my Onnward VSU colleagues, the five mooses from uni and people James and I have come to know through our church. James had lots of friends from school at the wedding. But these people too have become my friends, as we live in his home town and many are still here.

I have friends. None of these are particularly deep or best friends, but they are important people in my life, and people with whom I am happy and glad to share things with. I am not a girlie girl, and letting people in is a challenge for me.

Facebook was like one big popularity contest. A giant playground. It is strangely and weirdly and nastily addictive. I know what is going on in people's lives without having to talk to them, without having to spend time with them. I can freely share with people my photos and comments and thoughts and everyone who is my friend can see all my other friends. The desire to log on to see if any of my 'friends' have updated anything or added anything is taking over my life. My restlessness and unhappiness with my own life situation drives me to peruse others lives and wish for more when I have been given SO much more than I need, and grace in abundance too.

What I should be doing is turning to God and to my husband, who is TRUELY my best friend on this earth, and talking to them, seeking their counsel and guidance. I should be soaking myself in God's word, and listening for Him speaking through the storm.

I have deactivated my Facebook account, and opened my Bible. I believe there will come a time when the two can exist in harmony in my life, but for now there is only one Book for me.

Hannah x

Thanks Bee Lady I love LOLCat

Your Score: Sad Cookie Cat

70% Affectionate, 43% Excitable, 51% Hungry

You are the classic Shakespearian tragedy of the lolcat universe. The sad story of a baking a cookie, succumbing to gluttony, and in turn consuming the very cookie that was to be offered. Bad grammar ensues.

To see all possible results, checka dis.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

I'm feeling blue. It's not post-wedding blues, its worse than that.


Married life is great, and being married is great. We're loving our marriage times, and we're trying to get the house straightened out.


This is not the issue.



I am not fulfilling my purpose

(update - I can't finish this post but I'm publishing it anyway 26.07.07)

Never go jogging - it makes the ice in your glass jump

As you have all probably worked out, from the link to the left, I am running the Hydro Active Women's Challenge 5K again this year - with one difference: Sisters are doing it for themselves!
I can no longer remember why we decided to run together but I think it was some sort of motivational challenge.
Alice has decided to don her trainers after a couple of years of encouraging people to run 26.2 miles for her charity.
So I had better get back in training.......
We're running for Leukaemia CARE and if you want to give up some money then click on the link on the left. Cheers! Hx

Nicked

Had to call the Police again yesterday evening.
James took my car to work for the first time - his new employer requires him to use his own car for business purposes and he adjusted my insurance for this on Saturday.
Anyway he went on his scheduled visit in the morning. Then he received a call requiring him to go out again unplanned. On returning to the car park he was in a rush and didn't take the front out of the car stereo.
Two hours later he returned to the car to come home.
No stereo.
Damaged drivers door lock.
Bugger.
My first ever insurance claim is now underway.
Yesterday was a bit pants, it feels like it's been a long week already.
Hannah

Social Comment

I called the police today before 8am.
Walking from Clapham Junction towards my normal bus stop I encountered the usual rowdy crowd of schoolchildren. But today something was up. They are usually noisy and shouting to each other across the street but today the tone was different. Their eyes glinted with something very scary. They seemed to fill the pavement more. As I stood at the bus stop for about a minute and watched I could see something was going to happen. They were moving in groups, up and down the street, some on their phones. They were facing off to each other, but this wasn't play fighting. There were groups from two schools.
Before anything actually kicked off I'd made the decision to call 999. I figured for a large group of schoolchildren to be this intimidating and wound up before 8am something had to happen. I called the police from my mobile whilst still watching this situation unfold. The operator asked me questions.
How many:? 15 to 25
How old? 13 -14
Any weapons seen? No, thank goodness for small mercies.
As the call came to a close the first punches were thrown and my bus arrived. The operator said the Police were on their way but I didn't stay to find out.
The situation upset me. Because fighting upsets me, and these were kids. No older than the kids I see in my youth group on a Friday. And they were mainly girls. Mainly black. and mainly Muslim. Young women shouting and screaming and kicking and punching.
As I sat on the bus, another woman was also starting her call to the Police. As she held the line, a young man further down the bus asked her if she was calling the Police. When she replied that she was he gave her a torrent of verbal abuse, saying it was a 'normal fight', and that they were 'his sisters' and she had 'no business' calling the police. The woman stood up for herself, quite rightly pointing out that kids are being killed on the streets of South London at the moment, and there is no such thing as a normal fight. I thought about backing her up, but decided against it. Why? because I feared for my own safety, because I am white and neither of the people on the bus were. Perhaps that's why the Police didn't receive 40 calls this morning from people standing at bus stops at Clapham Junction, becasue we are scared of what will happen if we speak out adn stand up for justice.
When did we become a society that looks on and lets our young people dish out their own violent justice? When did young people take justice into their own hands? When did gangs form on the streets of South London, and become an acceptable way of life for our kids?
How many kids have to die before something changes?
Hannah

Train Trauma

I am usually quite an organised person, especially when it comes to my Travel Card. I am that smug person who whisks past the massive queue on the Tuesday after Bank Holiday laughing at everyone who forgot to renew their passes. I don't have a season ticket loan scheme at work and because I am not cash rich I have to buy my card on a monthly basis. If my card runs out midweek then I am good at renewing it at Brixton tube. If it runs out at the weekend I am not so good, leaving me annoyed and queueing on a Monday morn.

This Monday was one of those.

Monday is an early start meaning I have to be on the 7.18 train at South Croydon. I arrived at the station at 7.05 with plenty of time to join the two people at the ticket machine. I queued, chose my ticket and put in my card. Nothing. No error no nothing. I pulled my card from the machine and joined the by four people queuing at the window. The people moved slowly. The woman in front of me wanted a travel card and a car park pass. Two transactions for the price of one queue space. Not fair. The ding dongs of the train announcement went. It was my turn. I asked for my ticket, put my card in typed my pin. As the printer spat out my ticket the train started to pull in, and it printed my receipt I was half way through the door of the ticket office.

Card, wallet, tickets, hand bag and book bag in hand I sprinted, two and half inch wedges, down the stairs, through, the subway, up the stairs and towards the open train door. I took a running jump at the door and

SPLAT

I caught the toe of my shoe on the ledge of the door and literally flew head first into the carriage. Hands full my brain must have decided that twisting and falling on my shoulder was the best way. I am sure I heard people go 'ooooooooo' as I landed and one woman asked me if I was OK. OK? yes. Embarrassed? Definitely. I gingerly stood up and in true commuter style acted as if nothing had happened, despite the stinging in my right knee. I rearranged my trousers - damn I'm glad I wore good pants! Thankfully at East Croydon a seat became available and I spent the rest of the journey eyes closed in prayer. Please God let the ground swallow me up must have been in there.

Safely plonked on the bus at Clapham I inspected my knee to find true seven year old style playground grazes and the start of some lovely bruising. This has got slowly worse over the week with bruises on my right knee and sore muscles in my left shoulder.

If I learnt one thing from this incident its wear flat shoes on the day you forget to renew your season ticket - or just buy it earlier!

Hannah