The girls are here!!

We got our 'girls' a week before Easter and they are great. The 'girls' are Betty,Dotty and Maisie, three resuce battery hens. They are a year old and would be pet food now it they hadn't been rescued. They have really come on since we got them. Dotty is bossy and likes having here photo taken. Betty talks alot and has got the most feathers. Maisie is the quiet one, until you try to catch her and put her back in the pen, than she's really fast and runs round the garden, so I'm getting quite fit. We had our first true freerange egg today. They were grubbing around the garden while I cleared the ground for the new hen-house, and one of them laid an egg under one of the shrubs! We have had at least 1 egg every day apart from one, and some days we have had 3. It's so good to go to the nest box and find fresh warm eggs waiting for us - even though I don't eat them. Anyway, here's a picture or two of them for you to admire.

From left to right we have Betty, Maisie and Dotty trying grass for the first time.

and here they are meeting the rabbit, Star, for the first time.

I'm sure there will be plenty more pictures and blogs about them, we're like proud parents with a new sprog!!

A better score than England!!

So off I went to District Candidates Committee and at the end of it they told me the score was 10-2 in favour of me continuing to candidate for the ministry.
If only England had managed a similar scorline against Scotland. But GO WALES!!!!!!!! I was hoping they wouldn't come bottom - that's usually reserved for Italy - but I never expected them to win every match. It's a shame I don't look good in red! But I do like dragons...
Anyway, after DCC I went off to join everyone at ERMC residential weekend and it was great to be there, champagne and cards and congrats from people. They are so supportive and encouraging, they're really lovely people, great friends to have. I am fortunate to have met them.
But I wouldn't have survived the last 2 weeks if it wasn't for 1 very special person who was there for me all through the prep for Ofsted, and in the aftermath, and in the run up to DCC and there at Ditchingham to bring me home. I hope I never forget to tell her how much I appreciate everything she does for me or take it for granted. Great friends and a great partner- what more could I ask for (other than chocolate)

Accreditation and Candidating

On Sunday evening it was my accreditation service as a Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. The service was really good, and the sermon quite personal to me. It was good to have family and friends there to share the occassion with me. I was presented with a Youth Bible and a letter from the President of Conference. It was quite thought provoking and really made me think about what it means to be a Local Preacher. It's quite a responsibility to be folowing in the footsteps of so many wonderful preachers. (And some not so wonderful ones, to be honest!) And no matter wha happens on Saturday, I will still be a local preacher.
And as for Saturday - District Candidating Committee - the next step towards becoming a minister in the Methodist church. It's 3 interviews - 2 with small groups and one with all 12 people- and then they have a chat and a vote, then let me know before lunch if I've got through or not. If I do, then the next stage is in April, and if I don't, well, I don't know what the next stage is. Not sure what I'll do if it's a 'no'. But my support group will be on hand with tissues, chocolate and white wine to help me out!

surviving an earthquake and ofsted!

What a week! On Monday we got 'the call' at work to say that Ofsted were on their way at the end of the week, so it's been really stressful and busy, but now it's over, thankgoodness. The school came out well, which is nice because it's our last inspection as an Infant school if the merger with the juniors goes ahead to create a primary school in September.

The earthquake was interesting. Never been woken before because the whole house is shaking, the bed was wobbling, and the wardrobe doors were banging. So it was quite reasurring the next morning to hear the news say that it was an earthquake as my initial thought was that there had been an explosion or something at the airport. It must have been quite frightening in Lincolnshire when it happened. I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to live in an area where they are much stronger.