Wow!!!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At worlds end, was amazing!! It was a really good concluding part to the trilogy, and I would say, maybe better than POTC 2. It's really difficult to write this with out giving anything away... so it's going to be brief.

There are some very funny moments, few sad, few scary. All the usual characters are there as well as a few we haven't met yet. It feels like any loose ends are tied up. And if you go to see it, don't forget to stay to the very end after the credits and see the final scene.

My only moan about it was that, due to a cinematic error, we had to watch the film with subtitles...

Great film, worth seeing, I wanna go again.... :P

Clare xxx

Steve...

Just for the record....I am not in competition with you...end of story...for now...*cue evil laugh...!!!"

Clare xxx

Me again...

Hello!!

Once again we have entered the dreaded exam period... :(, but that also means that I have nearly finished my first year at uni. I think that I more scary... To think that around 8 months ago things were sooo different, I had very few Christian friends, very few close friends, I rarely went out, whether it was just to see a friends, or a film, or clubbing. I never imagined quite how settled I would feel down here, that I would get on well with my flat mates, and hopefully not loose contact with some of them next year, that I was have a house sorted with house mates I'm looking forward to living with.

I go to a good, active church. I'm part of a great cell group, where I don't feel like I have to hide anything. God has been doing alot of work in my life, both with issues that I was aware of, and some that I had tried to bury. I would say that I have been broken by Him, but healed by Him. My faith has grown, through the rough patches, the really bad homesickness (which, I'm pleased to say has nearly gone..!! I still miss home tho!), the times I felt really distant from God.

The course is going well. I have found me feet, and am understanding lectures. The work side still need some more improvement, but it'll get there.

Things have been very positive. Four months at home, then back to the uni life.

Clare xxx

Blog Design

Since I set up this blog, I have been trying to find a design and colour scheme I vaugely like. Ben has been helping me with this, by re-colouring sections of the site I couldn't do with Blogger, and centering the sunset picture.

Cheers

Clare xxx

Heehee..!!!!

I have an account on Dan's Mac...!!! :P And I'm very slightly hyper....and I'm listening to Transition...and...and...

Nah, I think that's it...!!

Heehee!!!

Clare xxx :D :P

Transition...

...were absolutely AMAZING!!!! I'm really glad that I got to come back to see them.

Friday night was the acoustic gig, it was lovely. When I arrived, I managed to find Martin and Tina, Steve and Niall's parents, who I met and worked with for the Love Bristol Festival last summer. In the hall were large tables, with chairs and candles. The atmosphere was really relaxed as well. I ended up sitting at a table with some of the bands relatives: Steve and Niall's parents, and 3 cousins, and Jesse and Josh's mum and aunt...weird. The night started with Fiach, an Irish singer/songwriter, also Niall and Steve's cousin. He played a few songs, and really helped set the tone for the evening.

Then the band came on. The set was a mix of really old, old, new and very new songs, intermixed with funny stories about the band, mostly told by Jess but with input from the others. I'm not sure how funny it was meant to be but there were some very funny bits. On two occasions, the guys got us to sing along, complete with three part going during one song!! The band generally only play: bass, guitars and drums, but they even managed a harp for one of the new songs... I also got a Transition jacket :D

Saturday was the electric set, a lot louder, and with more audience participation. They had two support bands, who were good, before they played. What was weird was that the various members of Transition were wandering around the audience during the support acts. I brought their album, Openhanded and Undetected (again!!!, 'cos my last copy is still on loan somewhere...) and got the guys to sign it... Tina was with me and asked Jesse, who was stood next to us, if he would sign it, and he then offered to get the other guys to sign it as well, they really are lovely guys!!

The actually set was amazing, similar to the Friday, with the mix of songs an stories, but different stories, more relevant to the crowd, and a different set, ending with two fantastic new songs, which have made me even more excited for the new album... :D. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the guys had come out, so I didn't get a chance to say bye, but that can be said in the email.

And incase you don't know who Transition are... their website is here

and this is the video for While We Walk, played on MTV:


As to the rest of my weekend, it was really good. I had a good time at home. I helped to do the display for the 229th Scouts AGM, well the Beavers part. On the Sunday, I got to got to Salem again, an see everyone, and was there for a service for one of our missionaries, and for a bring and share lunch. In the evening, I went with the youth group, to the Mix, a monthly youth service. It was really good, and had a very good message about the Church. It also gave me a change to see a few people who I worked with during the Love Bristol Festival.

I came back today, and had a surprisingly good journey.

Think that's it...

Clare xxx

Manic...

...I have no idea what the time of this post will be, but it is now 3:02 according to my computer.

After leaving Dan's I came back to mine, to pack, and then get a semi-early night...why do my plans NEVER work...?? I had just finished packing when one of my course mates came online, then wanted to ring me. It was now 12:30 ish...not entirely sure... He rang me, and the conversation made me feel upset and guilty, I won't say why, but I really felt like packing everything in and just giving up...what was the point anymore...?

I rang Ben, and he was still at Dan's...which was good for me, because it meant that I could go up and see them for support, what I needed right then before I fliped, or started on that horrible dark, downward spiral that could have happened. Dan made me a great latte, hit the spot, and I had space to talk and cry. I then stayed for a bit, before I started falling asleep. At that point, the guys realised that there was some printing they needed doing. could I do it? It was gone 2...but sure, why not...? SO ran back to my flat, did the printing and then back up to Dan's. I have now left for the final time, and will probably try to sleep soon. TBH, I don't really feel like sleeping. Still feel a bit unsettled and upset, so my have a nice little chat with the Big Dude up stairs.

So much to do...so little time...

Clare xxx

My Week...

I am currently getting overly excited because I'm going home tomorrow!!! :D But it's te reason I'm going that I'm really looking forward to!! I am going to see Transition...yay!!! Have I lost you yet?? Transition are a Bristol based band that I met last summer and love!! It is their 10th anniversary gig, playing an accoustic set on Friday night and a electric set on Saturday. The only downside is that my dad is taking me, and it's about a 45 minute drive from home...so I owe him big time!! :P

My week in general has been fairly good, not quite the average week. Probably best to start on Sunday...

Sunday: My morning was lazy as usual, and things didn't really get exciting until the evening. Last Sunday, there was a baptism at King's which is always exciting, but we also had a really good speaker over from Australia. His talk was about trying to balance giving and praying. It was very challenging but such a good talk. God was really talking to me both then and during this week, prompting me to do a few things that I wouldn't have normally done, and had never done before.

Monday: I had a few lectures, then I met with Ben and we went shopping. We decided that for tea, as Dan was away, we would make Shepherds pie. So after Ben had got back from Big Band we went back to his kitchen and cooked! It was quite exciting really! And tasted good!!! :D

Tuesday: Started off the day by going to the beach with Ben and Sam, having ice cream (yay!!) and then lying on the beach before an early lunch so that Ben and I could get to our lecture on time. After Ben had finished work we went down to Jamocha's for Cell, complete with a cardboard cutout of Dan...!! Cell was good. We were looking at the main focuses of student life and how we can evangelise in those circumstances.

Wednesday: No lectures...!!! Tesco with Dan (who arrived back on Tuesday evening, very late...), then Diane came round to work on our project for a bit, before I headed up to Dan's flat, where we sat for a bit before deciding to go to see Shooter, a verg good film, better than I expected...!!

Today: (is it really Thursday??) My longest day this week...but surprisingly managble...Mervyn came round so I could go through Differentiation with him...so fun!!! And now, I am, as usual, sat in Dan's flat, typing this post, on Ben's laptop with a dodgy 'H' key... I do need to pack at some point...and I may go put the oven on, so we can eat sometime before midnight..!! :P

TTFN

Clare xxx

P.S. We're gonna have pizza...!!! :P :D