Sorry I did not get back as promised

the other day, as you have probably read from Daves place, we have been kinda busy to say the least.
As I write L is in the delivery room and I am sitting here with hardly contained excitement. I have cleaned the windows, swept the floors and generally tried to keep myself occupied.
It's daft isn't it? I was thinking this morning that even though your kids are grown up and about to start their own family, they still remain your babies and you would do anything to take away their discomfort and pain. I think L's Mum and I would have gladly changed places with her over the last 48 hours or so. Just to help ease things along.
Anyway back to promise I made the last time to finish the amazing story of the lady I met on the train. As I said before, this was the only seat available in that part of the train, my phone ringing as I sat down with son telling me he thinks L is in labour. After I end the call this lady sitting in the next seat say's" that sounds exciting" Next thing we are sharing all about our sons and how they are both expecting their first child, her first grandchild. Also her son and daughter-in-law share the same names as D&L, no coincidence there. I then find out she gave her life to Christ 2 years ago, gave up her work and starting raising funds for a soup kitchen in a deprived area. She was baptised at Easter and is now working to provide a half way house for female offenders to help them adjust to being back in the community. This is the story basically in a nutshell but just demonstrates the loving guiding hand of God. He gave me such encouragement through this lady, an amazing testimony and there were others on the train listening to our conversation so it was pretty awesome.
I spoke on Sunday evening to the fellowship on the life giving waters of Jesus, I love it when he says all that are thirsty come to me and I will provide them with thirst quenching water.
It has been a lovely summers day today, not too hot, slightly overcast but still warm enough to potter about in the garden and enjoy the fresh air. We are truly blessed with our home in the country, the best of both worlds, close enough to town to get what we need and travel to work but having the open outlook and space around us.
I have afew more days off work before going back to a pretty busy schedule but I am loking forward tocatching up with all the friends and colleagues who have been so supportive over tha past 9 months. I think everyone is as excited as Dave and Myself sbout the prospect of us being grandparents. A lady in ASDA( Walmark) wants me to pop in and let her know about the baby and I was only buying my groceries this morning!!!!!
Well, I think I needa cuppa, I am sure Dave will beat me to the blog with all the news.
back soon.

I know it's been almost a month

since my last blog, sorry folks, I just don't know where the time goes.
It's been an interesting month though, very busy at work with organising end of year reports and visits to all my General Practice, being away at conferences etc. It makes me realise how God blesses me with the energy to keep going sometimes. It has also been an exciting time with the birth of the baby almost here. We thought we were going to see our Grandchild on Wednesday but everything came to a stop after poor Laura had excperienced 5 hours of contractions.
I was on my way back up trom Glasgow on the train when David ( son ) phoned to tell me what was happening, it's am amazing story really. Here I am having to run to get the connection, a packed train with very few seats available and I end up sitting next to a lady who eventuallly told me an awesome story.
I am hoping to testify at church tomorrow so I won't say too much just now but I will finish the story after church tomorrow, promise.

We had a lovely few hours in the garden today trying to catch up with things, the grass was very long and so were the weeds, we do not seem to have had the chance to do much at all in the garden this year. I love this part of the year when everything is so fresh and green.
I had a wonderful time last weekend in Glasgow with our daughter. It was so good to have some quality time together without all the interuptions of everything else. We went to a show with a group of singers performing some songs from musicals and stage shows. It was a really lovely pleasant evening and I think Rachel was reminded why she loves the musical theatre so much, she has an amazing voice but then I am biased of course.
We are waiting to hear how she got on with an interview with a local company, Dave has probably blogged how much she is looking forward to moving back home, she has also applied for another job in a doctors surgery so hopefully she may get an interview for that also. It will be so great to have her near enough to say meet you at the coffee shop for lunch or just be able to pop by instead of having a 3 hour journey to see her and Mike.
Please pray for Mike, he is a lovely guy and is willing to leave his home town and move up with Rachel, we need to pray for suitable work opportunities for him and that they can find somewhere to live. Rented accommodation is fairly expensive here but hopefully there will be the right place for them and their mogggies. Most places don't allow pets but Milo and Smudge are a lovely pair of cats, Milo especially thinks he's a dog and goes for walks with Rachel when she visits the local shop. He sits outside and waits for her then walks back home again. Smudge is the older one and is much more laid back. Mind you, she has been known to go into a huff for days if Rachel or Mike are away at all.
We had some dissapointing news during the week though, one of my nephews is breaking up with his wife. They have been together for a long time, since teenagers but things have not worked out. I would value prayers for Mark, he has been suffering from mental illness and stress for a number of years and last time I saw him he was suffering very badly with psoriasis, a sure sign of stress. I just pray that although his relationship with Z is finished that somehow he will be able to recover and build a new life for himself. Z was not the easiest person to live with, very abusive verbally. We need to pray also for the children, that they may somehow be shown that although their Daddy is no longer living with them that he still loves them. Pray that Z will not use the opportunity to turn them against their Dad.
Mark is the image of my brother John, he died some years ago and I can't help thinking that if he had been around then things may have turned out differantly. But then we know that God is in control of situations and although we sometimes don't understand, we have the reasurrance that he will never let us go through anything that we can't cope with as long as we focus on him and let him have control.
Thats the problem really, as humans we don't like to relinquish control, we like to think we know best and it goes against the grain to allow someone else to take the lead. I see so many people struggling, even fellow believers, because we try to reason out why we feel the way we do and why things happen they way they do.
I used to reason things out all the time and I ended up in a right mess, I have learned over the past few years to trust God. I also know that that is a big thing for some folks, folks who have never experienced trust in their lives before will not find that step easy. Believe me folks, just try it and see, the more you do the more you want to. It's an interesting life, following Christ, we were never promised an easy ride but it's certainly interesting and challenging isn't it?
Anyway folks, it's almost supper time and I think I really should go a feed Dave before he finishes off that bar of chocolate. Will blog some more tomorrow. God bless.

It's an absolutely gorgeous day

The sun is shining and it is quite warm. I have seen my first swallow this morning, they return every year around this time and they are a sign that spring has finally arrived.
I often wonder about the swallow, it travels thousands of miles to return to the same nesting ground each year and raise a brood of chicks, then off to the other side of the world for the winter. Not sure if I envy them or not, moving away from the cold winter would be nice but the hard graft of raising a brood of chicks against all the elements seems so hard. Perhaps I am getting a little comfortable in my old age!!!
It's been a busy few weeks again, time seems to fly by and we are now only five weeks away from the birth of our grandchild. I feel like a child with an anticipated present and can't wait to open it. Do all grandparents feel this way? I have been good though, I have resisted the temptation to buy lots of little toys and such but I must admit to being drawn to the baby area of the stores just recently. I feel a little out of touch with what is the latest trend and such, the big debate at the moment is disposable nappies against real ones. We are being encouraged to be environmentally friendly and go for real, there is only so many bags of rubbish that can fill a hole and we are fast runing out of suitable garbage dumps.
We have finally decided on an autumn holiday and have booked to go to Malta for a week in October. It seems a long time since we actually went away on vacation, we tend to visit folks and family so this time we are looking forward to some sun and relaxation. October will still be warm enough to enjoy without feeling overheated.
I am looking forward to exploring some of the ancient sites on Malta so I guess I should look out more information.
Work has been busy this week, the usual thing, reports needed as of yesterday and all at once. My line management is changing in the next week so it will be interesting to see how things work out, my new line manager is a believer and has been a great support to me in the past. She is an absolute whirlwind and I may have a problem keeping up with her but at least it will be fun.
We are being treated to dinner this evening by a very gracious and lovely lady, she was unwell some weeks ago and we spent time visiting her to cheer her up and she now wants to treat us. She is such a prayer warrior, she is not physically up to doing much but boy can she intercede and pray. It is so good to know that we have people like her in the fellowship who spend time praying for everyone and situations. This gives us a firm foundation and support. Something that is so important for any fellowship.
On a different note, we have a situation coming up with the local council roads department. They want to widen the road by us, something that we feel will lead to cars travelling at excessive speeds, it's bad enough now with some drivers totally ignoring the rural nature of the road. We have kids and folks on horses, bycicles, families out walking and loads of farm machinary and animals roaming about. We have voiced our concerns and have asked for some speed restriction or traffic calming measures but we are not hopefull, the council are a strange lot. I believe that some folks working for the council tend to loose their common sense and become bound up in beaurocratic mumbo jumbo. Anyway, we would appreciate any prayers and thoughts for a sensible and responsible solution.
Hope your day is a lovely as mine, take care.

Do you ever get frustrated when your plans don't work out?

I have been a little frustrated this past week, the weather has been unseasonably cold and wet and I took the week off specially to spend time doing some spring cleaning and work in the garden. Needless to say I have not done even half the things I planned to do, however one thing that has been a real blessing is being able to spend time last night( thursday) at our cell church meeting. We have a small group at the moment, sometimes 8 people sometimes just 4 or 5.
Last night we looked at Revelations chapter 2 v 1-7 and Rev 3 v 1-6, two of the seven churches mentioned in these chapters. It was so interesting and challenging to study these two churches and make comparison. On the one hand Ephesus, a prosperous lively church and the other extreme Sardis, a dying church except for a few stalwarts. There was a great lessson for all of us there, we can become so complacent, comfortable and focused on "doing church" that we loose focus a little and turn away from our first love, Jesus Christ. We can become engrossed in worship of anything other than God and before we know it, we are idol worshipping anything that can take the rightful place of the Lord. Idols can be anything, sometimes we don't even know they are idols untill all of a sudden we realise that our focus has been distracted away from our first love, This happened with the church at Sardis, they worshipped the Emporer Tiberius and became so stagnant in their walk that nothing survived. Nothing can grow in stagnant water, everything eventually suffocates. Thank Goodness we have the living water of Jesus Christ.
I am enjoying looking at revelation now, as I shared with folks last night, I have always steered clear of revelation because it scared me, the apparent apocolyptic message unnerved me. However, there is so much encouragement and reasssurance there, Yes there is warning but if we read chapter 4 we are given a hint of the glorious future.
Our fellowship is meeting tonight ( friday) to have a foot washing service. It is a really special and blessed time as we pray and wash each others feet. ( we get a few giggles too as some folks have tickly feet) Tomorrow, a group of us are going to do a 10 mile hike around Lochindorb, a remote and beautiful loch set in the highlands. Hopefully the snow will be away but the weather is not looking too good at the moment. Should be fun though and a chance to have a good blether ( chat) on the way.
I am looking forward to spending some time with my daughter next month. We are going to Glasgow for a couple of days and it will be a great chance to do some catching up and shopping. She has been away from home for almost 10 years now and I miss her company very much, it's always so good to spend precious time with her.
Our daughter-in-laws Mum is in hospital at the moment with Diverticulitis and is having some tests done to find out why she has been passing blood, a worry, especially with the birth of the baby getting closer. Please pray for Vicky ( Mum) that everything will be fine.
Time I went and caught up with ironing, a job that I am not too fond of, I keep hinting to Dave but as yet I have not come home to an empty laundry basket. Maybe soon !!!

Well here I am once more folks, I know it's been a long time since I last blogged but I have been away so much over the last three months with my work.
It's almost the end of March and at last the nights are starting to draw out and it does'nt get dark now until after 8 pm. It makes you feel as if you can get other things done rather than coming home from work and hibernating. It does seem to have been a long winter so far, yes I know by some standards we have had a mild winter compared to other countries but it is so good to see the sunshine.
Today I had to visit one of my general practices down in Braemar on Deeside. The weather was glorious and the last remnants of snow on the mountains melting fast. It is always a pleasure driving around when the weather is good, last week the roads were blocked with snowfall and I could not get to visit with folks. There were some intrepid folks ski-ing on the slopes but I think we might be coming to the end of the good snow now.
As I look in the garden, the daffodils and crocuses are starting to show and there are lots of new growth on the bushes and trees, everything has a hint of spring even though the ground is still quite wet and muddy in places.
I love the spring and early summer, when everything is so fresh and alive, the blossom on the trees smelling so sweetly. I have not yet seen our yearly visitors, ( swallows) once I see them I know that spring as finally arrived.
Dave & I are off to visit family next week, the trip usually takes about 10 hours so we have decided to stop off halfway and enjoy a night in a hotel and then finish the journey the next day. That way we arrive fairly refreshed and don't have to spend the first day recovering from the journey. We have not seen the family since Son and Daughter-in -laws wedding last July, so are looking forward to catching up.( Baby is developing well and everything on track for early June, I can hardly wait to see my first grandchild , I am so excited.)
It will be good to get away for a few days and relax, mind you, I think my sister might have a few things planned to do, she loves garden centres, coffee shops and charity shops and when we get together we seem to spend all our time blethering( chatting).
Dave has been keeping me up to date with everyone's blog news and I have been able to pray and think about everyone has they have face various problems and trials.
It is 23 years ago today (29th) since my Mum died, I was able to speak about her a little at church on Sunday evening, I gave a message about Mums as it was Mothers day here.
I felt led to speak a little about a really special Mother, Mary, mother of Jesus. We know very little about her really and it was good to look into her life a little and imagine what it must have been like for her. She knew that her son was so special and was able to give him up so that he could fulfil messianic prophesy, watched him grow and move into his ministry and finally complete God's redeeming plan on the cross.
I wonder if any of us would have been able to do the same thing as Mary? I know that I love my kids and trust that one day they will return to fullness in Christ but I honestly do not know how I would have coped in the same situation as Mary. All we can do is have faith and trust in the Lord to take us through all trials.
It's really nice and the moment, Dave is on the other computer doing some paperwork and I am here blogging, we have some really chill out music on and it's really cool.
take care all, it's good to be back and hopefully I won't be away so much in the future.

I cannot believe we are almost 2 thirds of the way through January

already. I always remember my Mum saying years ago that as you get older, time moves on quickly. I am beginning to think she was right, or does that make me sound ancient? Talking of my Mum, it is nearly 22 years since she died and sometimes I believe God has prompted me to think on things and our relatioship. I was living overseas in Germany at the time of her death and didn't get the chance to speak to her or say goodbye and for sometime felt very guilty about that. I feel that one of the most fundamental things in our walk with the Lord is that we have to forgive ourselves for things we have done in the past and the things we perceive to have done. We know that He forgives us unconditionally for our faults and sins but some people have a hard time forgiving themselves. This leads to self condemnation and recrimination and interferes with our ability to live in the freedom that is ours through Christ. Wow! sorry folks, not sure where that came from but I have a feeling someone needed to hear that tonight.
I have really enjoyed work today, there is a difference in how I have felt this past couple of weeks. I know I was not looking forward to going back after the holiday period and was starting to loose focus a little. I believe that God has anwered my prayer and decision to thank him in all circumstances, no matter what.
Our daughter has said that she is longing to return to our home town after being away for nearly 10 years. I think she has become quite homesick after the wedding last year and the news of the baby on the way. She doesn't want to be a long distant Aunty. We can only pray that the right jobs and a place to live becomes available at the right time. I would love to have her home again as I believe God is working in her life to bring her back to fullness in him again, YES!!!!
I am off to Inverness tomorrow for a meeting with My Regional Manager, some feedback from an annual report submitted 8 months ago, should be interesting.
Take care everyone and God bless.

I have had a very interesting and blessed day today. Part of my job is travelling around this beautiful country visiting General Practices to encourage them to make improvements in their appointment systems and be pr0-active in the care of chronic diseases.
Today I visited Braemar and two other practices on Deeside, in the general area of Balmoral Castle. It is stunning scenery with the hills having a covering of light snow and the colours are amazing. I always enjoy meeting these folks as they are so warm and inviting, there is always a cup of coffee and a" peece" ( biscuit) ready for when I get there.
The most amazing thing today though is that quite unexpectedly, I had the opportunity to witness about the Lord to my Boss. It was one of those moments when you know it is divine appointing and just to speak out. I did and we had a great chat about all sorts of things. I don't know if what I said had any impact but I do know that she is searching, Pleases pray for Ingrid, that she may build on the small knowledge that she has and that she will become hungry to know more about our Lord and his atoning sacrifice for us.
It is a little colder again this evening and I think we may have some hard frost overnight. A time to snuggle up with a warm drink, at least there is small change in the length of the day. It is starting to get darker just that little bit later. I must admit I don't like the long dark nights, I would much rather have the long days of the summer where it hardly gets dark at all. You feel like doing so much more then.
My Daughter in Law has just told me that the baby is getting very active now and our son has been able to feel movement for the first time. I can hardly wait to be a Nanna.
I'd best be letting Dave have his turn to blog now, I can see him getting itchy fingers.
more soon.