Tomorrow i have a job interview for a part-time job which will either suppliment or replace my job at the cafe. I think i'm actually quite keen on getting it, which is quite contrary to how i thought i'd feel. I think most of all though to be shortlisted for interview is significant in that i wasn't sure if my CV really added up to much at first glance - working in a cafe and lots of years working in churches doesn't strike me as being the best things that employers are looking for. Selling myself isn't one of my greatest characteristics so i think i've let God do it for me a bit - and of course he's come up trumps.

At the moment we are trying to figure out, as i imagine are most fo the country, what to do for Christmas this year. We are planning on going over to my parents' respective houses a couple of days after xmas, but whilst here what to do. Thinking currently is that we will invite people round to ours and just have a bit of fun and lots of food. Hopefully it'll work out. Christmas is such a tricky thing. It's meant to be a time of happiness etc but so often works out as a political nightmare trying to please everyone and making sure people don't get left out. I think it will only get trickier when Tom's parents move to Portugal rather than living in Dubai as it means they'll be within easy visiting distance. That's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong (who could complain about having parents-in-law who live 10 minutes drive form the beach on the south coast of Portugal in a beautiful big hosue in the middle of an orange grove!!). i guess it just adds into the mix of what to do, who to see when!

I am still loving the fresh frosty morings. We had some amazingly beautiful cobwebs that seemed to be spun out of diamonds in our garden yesterday. Tom was out snapping away first thing. I so got into the autumn spirit that i went into the garden and pruned everything, including a huge tree, which was once only a small bush and had grown way out of control. I fear i may have gone slightly overboard though. Tom was a little stunned to find simply a few stumps left this morning when he looked outside. Hopefully it's very robust and will grow back int eh spring. If not i'll be in big trouble with the landlords!!

Thoughts and ruminations from the past week or so include:

1. how god truly is amazing at planning things. So many times recently both in my life and others we can look back both short an dlong term and see how 'GOd works all things together' so that his plans work out in us and for us and through us.

2. that we have been looked after and provided for financially more than i could ever have expected. Truly humbling and inspiring

3. that my husband is fantastic. every day at the moment i am a bit more overwhelmed by how much of a blessing he is in my life and how thankful i am for him. It's coming up to our 2 year anniversary and it's incredible to think how much life has changed since then, how much better it's got, how much wholler (?) i am

4. that once again i love autumn/winter and frosty mornings and wrapping up warmly and sweeping my feet through leaves and putting on hats and long coats. i really hope i can spend the rest of my life with each season being fresh and new eaach year again.

5. that God is determined to help us be the people he originally intended us to be even though sometimes that hurts. I have been struggling my way through the 'why don't you heal' questions over the past few weeks, finding that the usual answers you can tell others aren't sufficient on yourself and in this phase of being honest with God and him sorting out hidden fears, that i have to bring the big ones to the table and really start to thrash them out into some workable theology for myself and not keep living off of others' thoughts and working-outs. I was brought up short for not following though on my comments the other day by a lovely friend, how i can easily throw big thoughts out there but never finish thinking about them. i will try harder this time as i know it's something that God's not going to let rest in me.

Back to looking after some children for some friends for a few days now. Such fun to be around people who get a kick out of sniggering for ages over realy silly things and for whom a sticker is the most valuable thing in the world. Oh for uncomlicated ignorance!!

This is a quick post as i'm waiting for Tom so we can go for lunch. Still trying to figure out what to do about the job and am in the process of starting to look for other part time jobs that can either rplace it or work alongside it. Wait and see i guess. God's come up trumps in providing us with cash though just with a whole bunch of random finding money in pockets, some in bank accounts we'd forgotten about extra. Some may call it coincidence but it's not often that i wake up thinking about money, remember to pray and then feel totally peaceful about God as total and utter provider and then find heaps of cash.

Last weekend we went away with our lovely neighbours to the cotswalds. we walked lots, ate lovely food, and endured HUGE amounts of rain and wind. All in all a great weekend : )

Husband's here so i will dash...