Missing...

one appetite. If found please can you return it to me?

Thanks :P

Clare xxx

Result!!

After what has felt like many long years of struggle, Kimi Raikkonen has finally won the Formula 1 World Championship. I am both amazed and very excited. I knew he had a chance, but he's come closer than he was a still lost it. But today, the cards fell well, and everything that needed to happen to allow him to win, did. Much to my amazement.

I do feel to was very unlucky for Hamilton to have such hard luck. But ultimately, it's Raikkonen I've been following since he joined F1 and therefore, despite not being British like Hamilton, Raikkonen I wanted to win.

Clare xxx

Thoughts

Firstly, an update on my dad. Thank you for all those who prayed. In an email he sent to the family, he said that he really felt the prayers. For a guy who is usually scared of hospitals, he said that he was calm and relaxed. A real answer to pray. The outcome of the appointment was that he does have a hiatus hernia, but that it's treatable. Hopefully the pain and discomfort he feels will fade.

I've started learning Japanese this week as an elective on my course. The first lesson was intense and fast, but also really good. I have, what seemed like, the mammoth task of learning Hiragana, one of the Japanese scripts. But after breaking it down and following advice from our Sensai and websites, it's gradually getting there.

In other news, I'm back helping at King's Kids on a Friday evening, and due to a lack of male leaders, I help on the boys side. It's interesting seeing the difference between the boys and the girls behaviour wise.

There's probably other stuff, but life's normal, but not that news worthy atm!

Clare xxx

Purple Box

I have this purple box. It's a box of memories I think it's sometimes called. It's where I put objects and pieces of paper that means something to me but to most people is worthless junk.

I was going through it recently looking for things I can put on my wall and realising how much stuff I have in there. I have a card and a necklace from an old friend, something I keep thinking I should get rid of, but I'm not sure how. I have an old key, that apparently was for a side gate at a friends old house, but became symbolic as a key to something else. I have a programme and tickets from when I went to watch a friend race cars. I have the ticket from the play I went to see whilst my brother was being rushed to hospital, but that I still went to because "life goes on". I have the thank you cards and passes from my gap year. The tickets from going to see one of my favourite, but little know bands play. I have the tickets from when I went on the London Eye, the Tube, the Scottish Tube. I have a purple heart badge that I was given by the youth at the kids club I did at home, one Valentines day. The peg that was randomly put on my by one of the CU during the baptism service at my church at uni. The badges that I got given during primary school for various achievements also sit in that box.

It's a box of memories. Of funny times, sad times, happy times. But there are also little bits of encouragement, letters written, those pieces of paper where you write something about the person on them, the random things that make me smile and laugh because of what's linked to them.

I don't really know the point of this, I just felt like writing it. Maybe one day someone will look through that box, a relative, someone who knew me, after I've gone, and wonder the significance of an Eeyore keyring. Will it just be a piece of metal, a pretty thing? Or will they know? Who knows?

Clare xxx

Prayers

I should have put this on here earlier but I forgot...woops.

Can I ask people to pray for my dad. He is going into hospital today to have a tube with a camera put down his throat, to see if he has a hiatus hernia. He is hoping he doesn't but we will find out today. He was surprise at the pace that everything has moved from the GP visit to the hospital appointment and that has unnerved him slightly. He doesn't like hospitals. Can you pray also for my mum who will worry.

Thanks

Ruth xxx

God didn't screw up when He made us

I was listen to Our God Reigns, by Delirious? and one lyric caught my attention "God didn't screw up when He made you". So I googled it and found the rest of the lyrics.

Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.

So I looked at Psalm 139, verses 3-5 say

3 You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

In what ever is going to happen God already knows, He's there Guiding my path.

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

How amazing is Our God. How little do I say that?

21!!

I had a joint 21st birthday with Sarah, who's 20.

We had a fairly quiet evening watching a film and chatting. It was great to see various people again, including one of my Bristol friends. We had a lot of food and drink...and we still have tones of stuff left!!

I finally got to bed at 2am, and got up to watch the F1 at 6...and haven't been back to bed yet. Feeling more than a little tired now, but never mind...!!!!!

Sleepy and confused...

Bye

Clare xxx

Once again, Into the Breach

Well, I'm back in Portsmouth. The summer has been long, and I'm just about ready to start again!

After my last minute packing...(woops!!) on Friday, the car was loaded to the brim with all my random stuff ready for the trip down to Portsmouth on Saturday. I was excited, but also really worried about how I would cope, missing my family and having to re-adapt to life in Ports again.

The journey down was smooth most of the time, but when we reached Ports, we reached the traffic, it was horrible...!! My brother and mum, who travelled by train, reached the house first... :O! It was great to see Ben, Dan and Kita, who was visiting for the weekend, again. All the boxes were moved up to my room. Saturday evening was fairly relaxed. I got to meet Phil, who has become the fourth house mate after James had to pull out. Phil is from Germany, studying for his masters. Kita made us jacket potatoes and we just chilled out. Ben had to take the car back to his house, so didn't stay the night.

The first night was good, I just about slept, but had a 4:30 start to watch the Formula 1 in Japan. It was a bit of wet race, and was under the safety car for a lot of it, and I was running the risk of falling asleep, but there were some good parts! I went back to bed for a bit, but ended up just reading and watching kids tv. There was a BBQ at Adam's to welcome the new students. It was great to see everyone and catch up...!! :D The service was really good, a baptismal service. Some of us, went for drinks at the pub just down the road after. We walked some of the freshers back, then two of them decided to come back to ours and watch a film.

Didn't have much to do on Monday. Eventually got up, Ben, Dan and I had a really late breakfast, then headed to Southampton so the guys could buy more hi-fi stuff (sigh). The evening we all (the house mates) went to 'Spoons for tea. Apart from the fact that they had very little in the way of food, it was good.

Today I had registration and getting a few essentials, and another chance to see old friends again.

Oh, and I turned 21 on Thursday!! Scary!!

I'm sure I've missed something, but it happens...!!

Clare xxx