A Gratitude List

I cannot lie.  The outcome of the EU Referendum has left me reeling.  I voted Remain even though there are parts of the EU that I do not agree with such as the unnecessary waste within the goverment departments and the pressure on faith schools to promote certain practises that are not in line with church teaching.  This is contrary to the original ethos of the EU which was to promote a moral and stabilising force in addition to supporting peace, solidarity, subsidiarity and to improve living and working conditions throughout the member states.  Over the years there has been too much emphasis on economics and so the original vision has been diluted over time.  These concerns however pale into insignificance when it comes to the reality of our current situation within the UK.  Our country is in a crisis, the political parties that are meant to govern are feuding amongst themselves, Scotland quite rightly is now calling upon another referendum to divorce itself from the UK as they voted overwhelmingly to remain and even London wants to remain part of the EU.  We have also witnessed the worst of society which culminated in the death of Jo Cox MP for Batley and Spen who was murdered at the end of her surgery and since Friday there have been physical and verbal assaults against anyone not deemed "British."  The far right "Britain First" neo nazi party have called for the repatriation of all foreigners and quite rightly so many folk are frightened indeed.  In short I am ashamed to say that I am British.

As a Christian I know that God calls me to reach out to those in need, to love my neighbour, help the oppressed and in short be that good samaritan.  When all was falling around me on Friday He graced me with a passage from scripture during my quiet time in adoration:

 God is good!

So without further ado here is my list of thanks this week:

Glastonbury is on i-player, it's the nearest I'll get to ever being there :-)

Pip finished another set of Singapore Maths books so we will be consolidating what we have learned and then moving up to level two at some point during the week.

I managed to get both kids to mass today, now THAT IS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE!  Pip and I attended St Joseph's this morning which included children's church.  Benedict and I went to the Cathedral this evening, I cannot remember the last time him and I were on our own!

I've got back into the swim of things quite literally which has included an extra swim and pool physio lesson before the usual Wednesday swim meeting.  That extra half hour session really made a difference to not only my swimming but also the pain in my back, right shoulder and knees.

Carrying on with the exercise theme I have even hopped back on the exercise bike, 12 km travelled each night after tea.  I use this time to catch up with you tube subscriptions and so I don't feel bad about screen viewing during this time.

Dave has been having reflexology sessions at Slynedales and we have noticed a small improvement in his walking ability as each session and week goes by.  He also finally had his first session with a neuro physio on Wednesday.  She is working on strengthening his leg muscles but as we suspected his upper body strength is really good, he uses his arms to really pull himself up the stairs.

Whilst Dave was in his physio session, Pip and I walked to the Royal Voluntary Service cafe for an ice cream:

 " Cheese, mummy!"

On our walk back we also spotted this interesting landing place:

The helicopter landing pad!  It was only after I had taken the picture that I had noticed the sign that said, " no unauthorised personnel" oops!

We were treated to really gorgeous weather on Thursday and spent the day with some home ed friends at Holker Hall.  The kids had the play area to themselves leaving the parents to chat and drink tea!

 Butternut soup and gluten free bread.

 A discussion about which ice creams to choose, it is a very serious business making the right choice!

 Gorgeous blooms!

Pip learning to play the harmonica.  We have been treated to its melodious tones at six in the morning!

Looking at these pictures has really lifted my spirits, so a timely reminder to keep looking for the joy ;-)