glasses

This past weekend Ant ordered a new set of glasses. While he was getting tested and doing paperwork I was reading. But with all those funky glasses in front of me I thought I may as well investigate my (hypothetical) options. I took pictures so that I could see what they looked like. I have no intention of changing my glasses any time soon, especially not this drastically. But the look is growing on me.



I guess I was trying to look a bit like Nicky Hambleton-Jones, a TV presenter on the show Ten Years Younger. She is wearing a new pair of funky glasses in every episode.


After Ant returned he even got into the spirit. However, these are not the glasses he chose!

long silence

I have loads of things to blog about but it seems to have lost its luster this week. Last weekend we went to Bath to celebrate our recent anniversary and I have lots to say about it... soon. It was lovely! We took plenty of pictures so it will be a nice post when I get around to it. (Shocking attitude, eh!) This weekend we spent getting caught up on the errands we didn't do the weekend before: ordering Ant's new glasses, getting passport pictures taken, doing some cleaning, Ant trying out his route to work. It's been a very profitable weekend.

On Friday evening I went ice skating with some colleagues from last year. There's a rink set up in the Somerset House courtyard. It's a beautiful venue. We all found it pretty hard going. Owen and Simon stayed mostly on the practice rink. Derrick organised it all.



(Owen and Derrick and I look like we are cardboard cutouts in this picture. I'm not sure why.)

musings from Job

Two unrelated thoughts from my Bible reading tonight.

God's deeds are so amazingly huge. How to comprehend someone who who set the universe spinning? Like a song says, he flung stars into space, and then those same hands surrendered to cruel nails. "He marks out the horizon... as a boundary line between light and darkness" (Job 26:10). Wow! He sustains the whole world in his infinite wisdom and power. Yet Job realised that "these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?" (Job 26:14) May I keep learning about your immeasurable power and wisdom, Lord.

On a different note, Job is talking about his innocence before God. He describes his treatment of lesser people: "If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, what will I do when God confronts me?" (Job 31:13-14) I'm sure that abuse of servants was rife around Job and even now we look down on people unlike us in wealth or status or background. But Job knows that these people are not lesser like we think they are. "Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?" (Job 31:15) We're all equal in worth because of our origin; all loved by a generous Father who made us lovingly. So help me learn to love others and treat them with the generous respect they deserve, as fellow creations of God. Father, give me your love for your beautiful people.

tired and mellow

Ant and I tried out a route to his new work today. Our round trip was 22 miles (35 km) and took three hours. The long time of the journey was partly because we stopped to check the map countless times along the way, argue about our cycling styles, and one stop for kebabs on the way home. It was a pretty good trip, actually, although we are both exhausted.

London attractions I have seen since moving here

British Library
British Museum
Chicago (the musical) at the Adelphi Theatre
Design Museum
Hampton Court Palace
Hermitage Rooms
Jane Eyre (the play)
Kew Gardens
Lloyds of London
National Gallery
Science Museum
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Somerset House
St Paul's Cathedral
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Victoria and Albert Museum
Westminister Abbey
Windsor Castle

hampton court

Roople and I went to Hampton Court Palace today. It was cold and wet, but we had a great time! We saw King Henry VII's state rooms and King William III's state and private apartments. The costumed guides were brilliant and we saw several mini dramas, including ones about Queen Anne of Cleves' arrival in England and (later) Queen Katherine Howard's alleged infidelities. Henry picked Anne of Cleves as a political marriage, and when he saw her portrait he thought she was quite attractive. Oddly for a lady, she was painted face on. When she arrived in England it became clear why this was so--she had a huge nose. Henry took an instant aversion to her and never touched her.


We toured the Tudor Kitchens, which were a food factory when the court was full. We heard the Tudor musicians twice, once playing "smutty, common songs" in the kitchens and once playing "more refined music" in the great hall. The kitchen music was played on spoons, bones, and donkey's teeth, with a few more conventional instruments. The upstairs music included lutes (which Henry VIII could play) and recorders (which courtiers could play). We also heard a hugely loud fanfare that would have been played during the procession to the chapel when Edward, Henry's son, was christened.

We thought about going ice skating as well. But just as we left the castle it started to tip down with rain. So we drank a hot chocolate and attempted (unsuccessfully) to dry off before heading back into the city on the train.

back and forward

It's reflection time. What has been good about 2006? I'm thankful to God for loads of things.

Ant's successfully completed degrees
A new job at a better school
Ant's new job
Sonya's baby girl
Mentors at work to help me
A few new friends (from the book club and my new job, for example)
Keeping in touch with old friends
God's continued faithfulness

And here are some goals for 2007.

Learn better how to keep in touch with friends and family
Read the Bible all the way through (with the help of a book called Cover to Cover)
Stay fit by riding my bike a lot (not going to be too hard), work out on Thursdays at school
Find some new friends and deepen some current friendships
Save some money
Attend weddings of dear friends (will involve saving money)
Look after myself a bit better (like going to the dentist)
Prepare my classes further in advance and get my marking done on time (this is a hard one)

This is not yet a complete list. I haven't had enough time to think about it properly yet.

happy new year!

Ant was sorely disappointed that we had no real snow in Halifax this Christmas. On our last day we had a few flurries, but they didn't stick around long enough to be snow.


We got to see Sonya, Kevin, and Claire a few times and here is a picture of us with Claire at Cora's. We were having breakfast there and Claire got to suck on a pineapple and a melon slice. She really likes sweet things and now I hear from Sonya that she has had her first cookie.


When we were out shopping with our Christmas money, we saw this T-shirt, which unfortunately Ant decided not to buy. (It says, Here I am. What are your other two wishes?)


We arrived home in London yesterday. Ant has been really looking forward to seeing the bike he ordered. He's looking forward to finding a good route to work on the weekend and he intends to cycle to work everyday once he's sorted out his gym membership.


He got a free pair of cycling glasses, which I get to wear this week since he'll still be taking the train.


We had a few people over for New Year's last night--Justin, Matt, Si, Len, Mott, and Ness. They all went off into London to try to see the fireworks and Ant and succumbed to our jet lag and fell asleep before midnight.