Boxed in and Boxed out ..... a moving tale!
The Removal men arrived and we made tea and coffee.
Uplifting a house of all its 'effects', as they are called consists of a day of little dramas, some misunderstandings and hundreds and thousands of little hopes rolled into the fulfilling of one big dream.
So we had wardrobes and drawers full of clothes and things and persona's as in 'Who shall we be today'?.
Then there was a kitchen full of cabinets.
Just like Dire Straits, we sang:
We got to install microwave ovens custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators we gotta move these colour TV's
At present we have a reasonably straight Kitchen, a sitting room in which sitting is almost comfortable and my study is looking studious, but shelving a 1000 books doesn't happen overnight!
The Dining Room needs some heavy lifting before we can get Gladys's Table installed.
Gladys's table we found in a used furniture shop. Apparently it came from a Methodist Chapel that Gladys attended. There was a Brass Plaque in her memory attached to the Table.
Aah, we thought poor Gladys (and her friends and family) so we bought the table, so Gladys will continue to be remembered and honoured in Snods Edge Vicarage, we hope that she will be / is pleased.
The human neighbours we have met and hope to meet again soon. But we have screeching Pheasant neighbours, squirrel neighbours, venison neighbours, owl neighbours and best of all Red Kite neighbours who flew in to welcome us, circled overhead in a magnificent fly over and flew off again along the Derwent.
I sense that the house was designed by Maserati, even though it was stationary with the engine running you could literally watch the fuel gauge depleting before your very eyes. having seen our hungry children fly the coop, it seems we have acquired a hungry boiler!
As soon as we can find the boxes with our Thermals and Woolies we will wrap up and the boiler will be turned down.
Attending my first meeting was interesting.
I left the Diocese of Newcastle in 1987. It is now 2018, according to the Gregorian Calendar after Pope Gregory in 1582 that is 31 years.
The meeting I attended was having the same discussion now as it was all those 31 years ago. The same issues of money, not enough, Diocesan Budgeting, unrealistic, Social Justice, Mother and Toddler Groups and Community Gardens. It was as though 31 years ago I had slipped out to the cloakroom, mysteriously time warped and stepped back into the meeting, which having stopped, restarted after 31 years.
So now warmly wrapped up. Booted and suited we set out to walk dogs through woods, along paths, over streams, lovely countryside, lovely views until darkness falls, and boy does it fall, plunged into darkness at 3 30 pm we have been busy collecting storm lanterns, torches, mobile phones anything to shed light on where are we at this minute.
A night or so ago I took the waste bin to the roadside for collection the next day. I was, I thought, following the path in the moonlight, suddenly a couple of clouds swept in, the light disappeared and I walked into a tree some three feet from the path.
Oops, Oops indeed.
So on Monday it is going to require a Bishop, an Archdeacon and a number of others to Licence me to perform my Office of NSM, House for Duty, Priest in Charge of St John's, Shotley aka Snods Edge aka Shotley Fields Forever.
I look forward to a grand occasion full of blessings.
But, I remember how my secular jobs, of which I have had three or four, always started with a meeting on a Monday morning.
How I have been Licensed by a Bishop in Slippers in his study between meetings. And, on another occasion, in the Bishops Chapel at Mattins before +His breakfast, to which I was not invited.
But given that Snods Edge has its own Bar there will be Toasts, so raise your glasses to forthcoming tales of senior ministry as Georgie Fame said at the Sage last evening, as long as we can still remember the words, we'll keep singing the songs.
And what words could be more appropriate than Do Wah Diddy, Diddy, Dum, Diddy, Do?
Uplifting a house of all its 'effects', as they are called consists of a day of little dramas, some misunderstandings and hundreds and thousands of little hopes rolled into the fulfilling of one big dream.
So we had wardrobes and drawers full of clothes and things and persona's as in 'Who shall we be today'?.
Then there was a kitchen full of cabinets.
Just like Dire Straits, we sang:
We got to install microwave ovens custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators we gotta move these colour TV's
At present we have a reasonably straight Kitchen, a sitting room in which sitting is almost comfortable and my study is looking studious, but shelving a 1000 books doesn't happen overnight!
The Dining Room needs some heavy lifting before we can get Gladys's Table installed.
Gladys's table we found in a used furniture shop. Apparently it came from a Methodist Chapel that Gladys attended. There was a Brass Plaque in her memory attached to the Table.
Aah, we thought poor Gladys (and her friends and family) so we bought the table, so Gladys will continue to be remembered and honoured in Snods Edge Vicarage, we hope that she will be / is pleased.
The human neighbours we have met and hope to meet again soon. But we have screeching Pheasant neighbours, squirrel neighbours, venison neighbours, owl neighbours and best of all Red Kite neighbours who flew in to welcome us, circled overhead in a magnificent fly over and flew off again along the Derwent.
I sense that the house was designed by Maserati, even though it was stationary with the engine running you could literally watch the fuel gauge depleting before your very eyes. having seen our hungry children fly the coop, it seems we have acquired a hungry boiler!
As soon as we can find the boxes with our Thermals and Woolies we will wrap up and the boiler will be turned down.
Attending my first meeting was interesting.
I left the Diocese of Newcastle in 1987. It is now 2018, according to the Gregorian Calendar after Pope Gregory in 1582 that is 31 years.
The meeting I attended was having the same discussion now as it was all those 31 years ago. The same issues of money, not enough, Diocesan Budgeting, unrealistic, Social Justice, Mother and Toddler Groups and Community Gardens. It was as though 31 years ago I had slipped out to the cloakroom, mysteriously time warped and stepped back into the meeting, which having stopped, restarted after 31 years.
So now warmly wrapped up. Booted and suited we set out to walk dogs through woods, along paths, over streams, lovely countryside, lovely views until darkness falls, and boy does it fall, plunged into darkness at 3 30 pm we have been busy collecting storm lanterns, torches, mobile phones anything to shed light on where are we at this minute.
A night or so ago I took the waste bin to the roadside for collection the next day. I was, I thought, following the path in the moonlight, suddenly a couple of clouds swept in, the light disappeared and I walked into a tree some three feet from the path.
Oops, Oops indeed.
So on Monday it is going to require a Bishop, an Archdeacon and a number of others to Licence me to perform my Office of NSM, House for Duty, Priest in Charge of St John's, Shotley aka Snods Edge aka Shotley Fields Forever.
I look forward to a grand occasion full of blessings.
But, I remember how my secular jobs, of which I have had three or four, always started with a meeting on a Monday morning.
How I have been Licensed by a Bishop in Slippers in his study between meetings. And, on another occasion, in the Bishops Chapel at Mattins before +His breakfast, to which I was not invited.
But given that Snods Edge has its own Bar there will be Toasts, so raise your glasses to forthcoming tales of senior ministry as Georgie Fame said at the Sage last evening, as long as we can still remember the words, we'll keep singing the songs.
And what words could be more appropriate than Do Wah Diddy, Diddy, Dum, Diddy, Do?
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