If life were a bowl of cherries...

A song of ascents.

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion

             we were like men who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter

                           our tongues with songs of joy.

 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

 Then it was said among the nations,

 

 "The LORD has done great things for them."

 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

The LORD has done great things for US,

            and we are filled with joy.

 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

Restore our fortunes,

        O LORD,

                like streams in the Negev.

 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

He who goes out weeping,

            carrying seed to sow,

 

Will return

 

with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

 

 

BMS is focusing this Harvest on Burma and the millions of refugees fleeing and living in camps for the last 22 years. They are using this psalm as a focus for the work they are doing to improve the lives of victims trapped in a foreign country with no apparent cause for hope in the near future

 

What I want to know is

 

What is so repugnant about Burma that no one wants to report this? There is no media attention on this area whatsoever - with 150 000 currently living in Thailand refugee camps and over a million still hiding in the Burmese Jungles.

 

Anyway, brilliant presentation, and an amazing reading/video of that psalm... take a look if you can (I dont know)...

 

xXx 

Soul survivor was good :D very fun... also very challenging and difficult at times, desperately need to talk through a lot still and I've spent a large part of the week talking - just shows just how much builds up when you make a point of ignoring everything! ugh! I will gradually post updates, particularly on some excellent seminars, and also on general impressions and things I didn't agree with so much - just to be fair!

However, brain feels like it is being pushed through a garlic press so you will all just have to wait for now! and I shall leave with a load of lyrics that I have in my head!

 

 Through the suffering still I will sing
 
 When hope is lost, I'll call You Saviour
 
 When pain surrounds, I'll call You Healer
 
 When silence falls, You'll be the song within my heart 

 Tim Hughes – I’ve had questions 

 I can only imagine what it will be like,
 
 When I walk by Your side
 
 I can only imagine what my eyes will see,
 
 When Your Face is before me!
 
 I can only imagine.  I can only imagine.  

 Refrain
 
 Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
 
 Will I dance for you, Jesus?  Or in awe of You, be still?
 
 Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
 
 Will I sing Hallelujah?  Will I be able to speak at all?
 
 I can only imagine!  I can only imagine!  

 Bart Millard – I can only imagine 

 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
 
 There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
 
 Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
 
 As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. 

 Refrain 

 Great is Thy faithfulness!
 
 Great is Thy faithfulness!
 
 Morning by morning new mercies I see.
 
 All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
 
 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! 

 Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan – Great is thy Faithfulness 

 xXx  

SCHOOL IS OUT

2 weeks of busy-ness and work and cooking and cleaning and family -- notcie lack of comment

I have just made the writing on my screen smaller.... but I dont know how I did it, and I dont know how to make it better again either - some random keycode. ugh. *finds glasses*

Have in the last week finished two scarves... one for Theo (Secret Santa but she doesn't read this) out of the Colinette. It was about 1.2 meters long and used 200m or wool :P lol. but worked really well even if I was still knitting it through Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday - not the singing part though! Incidentally we sounded GOOD it was quite funny watching the faces of certain people of the opinion that the choir has gone to the pits sicne they left. *evil cackle* There were loads of men too - 3 tenors and 3 basses and Tom, and then 5 altos and 4 sopranos. Twas very good.

Unfortunately no pic of Theo's scarf (not that she actually there in the end) because I had to wrap it and get to church quickly. But I have also finished knitting the mohair scarf. Which is amazingly stretchy!!! I am still debating whether or not to add some silver/sequins to it.... comments would be appriciated.

 

Ball on Saturday Night!!!!!!! WAS ACE! So good. Except for Jim's fake tan which was a little disturbing. But everyone enjoyed it. I went with St A's but there were school people there, which was mildly amusing! (maybe down-right hilareous) But I got away with basically ignoring them. I also bumped into one of my primary school teachers who was helping Sarah with the food. :D Got home at about 1am and then slept on the sofa because my bed was too messy. I had made a white top to go with the skirt I wanted to wear because I couldn't find the right one in the shops. -- Well Dad sewed it in the end because he sews faster than me and I can clean faster than him - so both jobs got done better and faster and all was good. I did the design/cutting (marked with help) and then finsihd off and added ties - which I ADORE and was still sewing on a hour before the dance.

 

 

Here are the pretty ties!!!! :D:D 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here is the top :P

 

 

No more church for 3 weeks. :'( I will miss. A lot.

Got more pressies. Sweets for cousines and Chloe.... a book for Ceri and Sara (The curious Incident of Tony Blair and the WMD in Iraq". Don't know what to do for various other relations.... including Em, Heath, Dad - where is all the time I had!!!! ???

mended Bird which was broken.... but I need to sand and polish away.... didn't glue very well but I cant exactly undo it.

DT resumes next year!!!

Got to go deliver now - picture will be added this evening when I can find the lead to the camera!

xXx

Im ill..... ruddy chest infections. My nose is running (cold remnants) I'm caughing constantly... my throat is a raging inferno and I can not pitch to save my life - very embarassing. We have concerts on Wednesday, Thur, Sunday, Tues Thur!!!!! Then Christmas. Im stumped.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MR BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grrrrr..... Apparently,

Mr Vermaak: "I make all the rules for RM (woodwork) and you've got to Feb"

ME: "In your face Mr Bull!" (*silently*)

I need to get Mr Vermaak a REALLY Nice pressie somehow.

Score:::: Ruth:2 (also one for not being outright rude to him)
Mr Bull:0

So I can now relax slightly and actually stop panicking. Doesn't stop his class being my worst. Just so much stress. The moment he walks out there is a massive shouting mathc against him.everyone hates him. No kidding. and he spends all his time doing Adams work for him and never helps anyone else. He is just so patronising and arrogant. And a complete pervert. Seriously being the only girl in his class boarders on abuse!!! It's not fair. (Laura doesn't count, she's a complete chav and skives anyway) I MUST remember to wear a jumper over my long sleved high necked top next time!!!! (own clothes day) ugh its sick! Anyway I think that is enough ranting for now. hee.

There were testimonies at church on Sunday (evening) and Geoff did one. He is amazing. And well... I dunno... his life being completely entwined with music (lucky man) he used the words from great is thy faithfullness (see title) and I can't get them out fo my head. Really nice set of things. Then Jane did talk afterwards and she was just inspirational. It was so cool. The cakes were too apparently but I didnt have any - sick. They both are inspirational and also so human. It's really Awesome!

Jim is meant to be phoning me sometime this week.... I wonder if he remembers. lol. ahh well I need to go see him anyway to give him money for the ball. lol. So then might well be it. Ugh hate talking so irritating. But nice that he asked on Sunday, I hate taking first step....

Anyway... really must go do some DT.

xxxx

WORK STATUS PENDING....

 

Stats: EXTENTION - never been s happy for an exra hour in my life - now I have a chance to pass it!

Music: Drum line, dynamics and other markings to be done tomorrow in lunch... (no more work now).Performance went well... one muff up, but considering the amount of practise I had done... results after half term :'(

Drama: performance went OK... one memeber not quite usual (said with trepidation) self but the less said the better... We redid it, missed out 2 pages of a 5 page script first time through!!!! eeek but went Ok second time - not amazing but it was stage acting to an unresponsive camera... Essay on performance to be done over half term - basically copy other and change details... can anyone think of a stimulus for an environmental satire named "the tree" ??? And also self assesment to fill out after half term! - Hate those things

French: written and she is marking it... collect tomorrow and copy up over half term... easy as always

Geography: !Ton! still to do but its easy now... just time consuming (analysis) doing over halfterm, haven't had any time in the last 2 weeks at all..... ugh WHY EVERYTHING NOW!

DT: handed in. A* but no comment or clue what to do to make better...... which is silly, because I *know* I've only scraped an A* and to be quite honest I'm not happy with that as its so easy to get 100% in written cw! - - provided the criteria are written in a way which is comprehensible to any other than those who wrote it. Am now in a position to make DT over half term and try to work out how to improve it.... which could be harder! (Note to self: MUST BUY WOOD)

Science: Just chem hw... bio copy up and revision and physics revision/learning!

Greek: an exercise working on participles.... very confusing I don't get grammer at all and my vocab is horrible after the holidays!!

 

 

 

THATS MY HOLIDAY WORK!

 

On a lighter note... I have no MEP, PE or English work to do - none ever in first two and none books in in second.

Technically I also have revision.... but if I can get top marks in almost all subjects with NO revision, I don't think its that much of a chore.... I'll read through vocab/books a few days before. Its sooo unfair.... all my exams bar 3 are on the first 2 days! - solid exams! but hey... its a break from all the work.

 

One good thing about all this work... I will not have to deal with boardom during the holidays... and I will always have an excuse to disappear so my precense will not be needed 24/7 - hopefully. For once I am actually looking forward to a holiday - tis weird! I'm so tired. Will have to see how it pans out though. Can always escape to friend or town...

 

 

GOOD STUFF

 

 

Sheringham: AMAZING.... Challenging in many ways but not thrat I would care to go into at the present... focusing on passion for Christ and how to live our entire lives as worship - slightly clichee maybe but completely new... if you see what I mean. Highlights include:

• Bible/prayer on the beach each morning - choice...
• Leading worship.... split into groups to do prayer, testimony, word, music (guess where I was)
• Hunt the leader - leaders and 6th formers dress up and we have to run around sheringham trying to find them! - costumes included: and old woman, a very convincing middleaged red hair (andy!), a blue devil, a weirdo! (jim fishing on an unturned bin in Hannahs coat! - which got soaked) etc....
• Caberet - hilareous, best act must have been year 10 massive! (improved jamming with matching hats saying "I'd rather be playing bowls!" - You had to see it) and Andrew Brook's amazing presentation fo the entire thing - really really good, keeping up constant chat with the audience
• Dorm - some very good conversations and times together... and we slept too!!
  
• Excellent speaker - Tim - who treated even "old" stories in a new way which reached out to everyone and seemed completely new........... brilliant re-telling of Christ's "purpose" using candles....but difficult to explaint. Just really meant something.
  
• Barnabus Buddies - best idea ever. Everyone is paired up (randomly) with someone else and has to give notes/gifts/etc over the weekend to make them feel appriciated - like secret santa - and at th end we find out who had who.... Really nice idea
• Seeing Esther become more confident in herself - year 7 and youngest there... very shy but absolutely lovely girl. Great to see her making her own additions to conversations/prayers/jokes
• ALL THE GREAT TIMES WITH EXCELLENT FRIENDS AND MANY MANY LAUGHS AND STILL CENTRED ON GOD
  

Oh yeah.... and the memory verse was set to the Dr Who Theme Tune: (not in this order)

"Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervour serving the Lord. O be joyful in hope, paitient in afliction and faithful in prayer."

Romans Chapter 12 vs 11 and 12

Lol. very silly... funny... stupid.... but you remember it!

 

AAAAAANNNDD

 

REUNION - On Saturday.... Can't wait... Sailing people.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

too excited to continue!

xXx

ummm.... well despite saying that this would be up by this morning I decided to go to bed (if either Dave or Danie are reading this feel HAPPY and PLEASED) and get some sleep.... so ummm 8 hours (roughly) which I am rather pleased about....

And now I have work to do.... and I am already late because of Drama.... MUST finish music today (yet another of my world famous impossible targets!) but to take a break (and eat kuskus!) I am writing a bried update for today first highlighting some memorable moments.

... Nasty scare this morning which inexplicable blood rash (dark marks under skin) being a sympton of meningitus (ACK) and I have had several of the other symptons over the last few weeks... but when i had woken up a little realised that it was just blood blisters from playing too many clapping games for far far too long throughout Sunday.... so yey.

Trampilining was good but I irritated the rest of my group because I could already do all the jumps they learnt today and keep bpdy straight and toes pointed etc (sitting jump wasnt as good so they were happy about that)

Hills Road lady came in to talk about science... not so interesting but useful stuff to know.... but the universities do not  ask for A level biology to study it at Uni - whatever she says! I still think I prefer The Leys... but still got open evenings to go to for Hills before I decide. Entrance exams in November... I need to start learning pieces! lol

SHERINGHAM WAS AWESOME UTTERLY AMAZING AND THE BEST THING SINCE KESTRELS (which still beats it for the sailing) ALSO CHALLENGING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING AND UTTERLY HILAREOUS!

 

I shall update on that later!

xXx

Dad if you read this... please will you help me with my stats tonight - just to talk it through because I shjould rpobs do some work on it now.

Ok, alternating between talking to people.... knitting (!!anne!!) .... and writing this, whilst waiting for my Geography to print. It's working now (printing) which is excellent, I do not want it to stop. Once all the docs are printed I shall work out what i need graphs of etc.... and what I need to do for these stats. Hopefully I will be able to do a lot tonight.

Music supervision tonight which was sooooo cool. I am basing a whole load of stuff on a cycle of 7ths!!! (cycle of fifths in the form of 7th chords - dim 7ths, dom 7ths, normal 7ths!) It's so much fun.  I love writing rock! tis so much fun, particularly when you do it as mixed genre! :D:D:D It's basically gonna have to fit into the "songs from the musicals" section - a song from the (potential) musical of Fahrenheit 9/11. But it is so much fun - other composition put on hold because i wont get it finished for deadline! lol

Nice English results - 200% - I'll do with that, it was double marked and I got to A*+'s :P ie. 100% VERY Happy with that ... should prob tell Mum sometime. (*ooops*)

Started Stats coursework... not that bad actually... so much nicer when you can get excell to do the hard stuff for you! LOL. STUPID exam board! You are not allowed to take the work home... and must use exam stationary under teacher supervision... however you can make notes at home so long as you copy them up, and draw graphs on the comp at home! sooooo........ I am writing it at home and copying up in class. LMAO.... as i said Stupid exam board!

Went to Mrs Cannie (principle) abbout Mr Bull.... update on that when something happens. Good enough to say for the moment that she agrees there is a serious problem... which needs dealing with. We have Ofstead soon anyway, and its apparently a pupil oreintated one, so hoping he'll fail and we can get rid of him without actually having to *sack* him! otherwise, we'll just have to put up with his bullying, which isnt fair.

Ahh well, Mr Morris (head of DT) had a word with me, is actually helping me with my DT (Mrs Cannie must have told him that Mr Bull had refused to) but the thing is I can manage, decipher the minimal help he gives me etc... it's the others who can't.

Becca's Baptism yesterday... beautiful and wonderful testimony! :D Then a candlelit fondu in the evening courtesy of Jim e have the BEST youth team!  sherringham away weekend for youth next weekend :D can't wait.

ah well, work printed now so

xXx