Gathering threads

I see there are a few things I have promised to update you on...
The bathroom remains unpainted. We tried out a turquoise kind of colour, and decided it is too bold, possibly even institutional. So it's back to neutrals - well, in theory. That might have changed by the time the painting actually gets DONE!

Sad news of the Blue Car: due to inferior parts corroding, those parts and one other part all need replacing. Thankfully (mercifully) the metal has not spread round the whole engine. We are hoping the part-suppliers will meet the whole bill, including labour...

Some new ideas inlcude thoughts on electricity: we have met a family who is off the grid, using solar and gas power only. Do give me your comments on this issue: whether you have solar power in any form, would like to, prefer using gas, or any other relevant ideas.

Getting it right

"Paint the bathroom": this was on our to-do list for the December holidays.Well, you know what comes next: it is STILL on our to-do list! Everyone has a different view of how to prepare the surfaces, what colour paint we should choose, and whether the walls need damp-seal or not. I've surprised myself at the range of colours I've looked at, from a very pale green to a deep moss to the current "Grecian" turquoise/green. I hope to paint on a sample of the colour tomorrow, and live with it for a few days before taking the final decision. (If I get really technologically organized, and post a picture here, you can even help me choose.) I am keeping the tortoise in mind: no rushing on this job. Anyway, we CAN"T rush: the walls must be sanded and then sugar-soaped before any paint can be applied. There are also cracks to fill and one wall of very stubborn paint to strip off. This might be a rather drawn-out project.

By complete contrast, I was faced this week with a very quick change in the life of one of my one-time mentors. On the 15th, I bumped into her at the shops, said hello, admired her beautiful green-co-ordinated clothes, and moved on. Ten days later, I encountered her again (at the library this time), to the news that she had had a double mastectomy. I still can't grasp the suddenness and depth of this. Would I have faced such an intimate change with such equanimity? I know she is rooted in Christ, and sees God's grace and timing in the whole event.