Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Fun’

Advent Cheer

Posted in Faith, Fun, tagged , , , , , , , , on 29 November, 2010| 3 Comments »

Advent has begun and with it our annual attempt to learn the whole of Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus off by heart. This is not quite as difficult as it sounds, as we have been aided by Andrew Peterson’s excellent song, found on his wonderful Christmas album ‘Behold the Lamb’ (only £4.99 at Crossrhythms). I think we now have about 85% of it nailed. This year I want us to get past Eliakim.

Read Full Post »

Tartle: A Word I Needed to Know

Posted in Fun, tagged , , , , , , , on 9 November, 2010| 14 Comments »

I was pointed to a page of 20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words today. Some of them are excellent, but my eye was particularly caught by this one:

7. Tartle

Scottish – The act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.

I must say that I often tartle, and so does the Vicar – a hazard of being somewhere where everyone knows who you are and you aren’t quite so up to speed. In a week when I’ve read a few blogposts about moving on to a new parish, I feel that it would be good to share anti-tartling tips.

How do you remember people’s names? Especially when you’re new somewhere?

Read Full Post »

Hallelujah in a Modern Church

Posted in Faith, Fun, tagged , , , , , , , , on 8 November, 2010| 5 Comments »

Do you ever think that shopping centres are modern day cathedrals? The Vicar was a structural engineer in his previous life, so is always interested in buildings. If you look up inside a shopping centre (not usually outside, which is so often like a tin shed), you sometimes feel a glimpse of that awe that comes when you glance aloft in a cathedral, or even a parish church. Sadly, the majesty of the Bullring, or Meadowhall, is a reflection of what we value in our culture.

So I loved this YouTube clip that puts God’s word magnificently in a cathedral-like department store. Although scripture is masquerading as ‘culture’ here. Perhaps we should all be doing this with our congregations – go and mingle with a crowd and then sing a favourite hymn!  I know that some shopping centres have Christmas carols, but perhaps we could think outside the box. This was done on 30th October, so definitely too early for Christmas carols.

HT John Richardson

Read Full Post »

Politics – More Thinking Required

Posted in Fun, Politics, tagged , , , on 5 November, 2010| 7 Comments »

I did a quiz last night on my political views. It had 50 questions, and I found some of them a little hard to get my head around. Anyway, I thought I’d share my results. And also ask for reading suggestions so I can get a bit more up to speed on issues about how much the state should intervene in our lives. Nothing too long or too hard, please. I find my brain a little fried these days. I found it particularly difficult to answer political questions in an abstract way, as the fallenness of our world and the politicians available to us colour my views. An interesting exercise, though. I also suspect some of the questions to be tailored to US politics.

Anyway, according to the quiz I am a centrist moderate social authoritarian. I don’t think that sounds too inaccurate…

Left: 0.73, Authoritarian: 3.13

You can find where you fit in the grid at Political Spectrum Quiz

Read Full Post »

Christian Pumpkins and other Halloween Fun

Posted in Church, Faith, Fun, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 2 November, 2010| 2 Comments »

We had such a ball on Sunday evening. The kids dressed up, we lit our pumpkin and put it in the Vicar’s study window, put sweeties in a bag and waited around for the doorbell to ring. Which it did, almost continuously between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Civilised, I thought.

As I’ve mentioned before, we imposed the Vicarage rules of making the Trick or Treaters tell a joke or story or sing a song before treats were given. I have to say, I was generally rather disappointed with the quality of the jokes. After the first group, who had a selection of not too awful jokes, pretty much everyone told the knock knock Dr Who one. Bonus points, though, to the teenage girls at the end of the session who told a proper(ish) ghost story.

After handing out sweeties and a Good Book Company tract, we took our Trick or Treaters to look at our pumpkin and told them about about it. I got the kids to do it a few times and sometimes I talked to them. We took the visitors through sin (the yucky middle of the pumpkin that needs to be got rid of) and the light which we can have in our hearts because of the cross. One set of Trick or Treaters had been in Junior Church with me in the morning, and had heard my (rather longer) explanation of the pumpkin in the service. They joined me in singing the new song I’d taught them: ‘What a Mighty Mighty Saviour You Are’.

In the window on the stairs on Saturday evening

Read Full Post »

The Vicar’s Wife Recommends: Brainbox Games

Posted in Family, Kids, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 4 October, 2010| 4 Comments »

This summer I was looking for ways to help the Queen to improve her ‘working memory‘. She struggles to hold facts and numbers in her head for long enough to manipulate them with ease. Or where she just put something down.

So I went on a little google hunt and found a brilliant game, which  is designed to teach facts and improve working memory. It’s called Brainbox and consists of a series of cards on a variety of subjects. The set we got this summer was on nature. Other topics include maths, history, football and the World. You take it in turns to study a card for ten seconds. You can play on line to see what sort of cards are included (you’ll have to concentrate!). Once your ten seconds are up, you roll a die and answer the question with the corresponding number from the back of the card.

The children loved this game – it’s quick to play, interesting and doesn’t seem like hard work, as you might expect from an educational game. It comes in a robust box which means that it will last. So many games seem to come in boxes not designed to store their contents for longer than a couple of plays, which drives me loopy. I have the maths and a history one tucked away for Christmas stockings. Mind you, as these evenings get darker and more uninviting, I might be getting them out before then.

Prices on Amazon seem to range between £5-£10. I originally bought them from the Happy Puzzle Company, who do an excellent range of games, but they charge £12.99.

Read Full Post »

Bible in a Minute

Posted in Faith, Fun, tagged , , , , , , , on 15 September, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I saw the original YouTube clip for this a while back, but here it’s been brilliantly set to a kinetic typography animation. An excellent bible summary in less than a minute – what are you waiting for?

Read Full Post »

Superman Engineer

Posted in Family, tagged , , , , on 10 September, 2010| 3 Comments »

This summer the kids enjoyed all their usual home activities – playing on their bikes, arguing over the PS2, making a mess and dressing up. The Engineer was particularly keen on his (very nearly too small) Superman costume. Since we didn’t have a haircut until the day before they went back to school, he was also able to work on his Superman hair. Can you see his kiss curl?

You look JUST LIKE Superman, darling.

Read Full Post »

Beautiful Hands

Posted in Fun, Inner city, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 3 September, 2010| 4 Comments »

I’m going to a wedding tomorrow. My friend StarStudent, one of my first friends from our first parish, is getting married and the whole family has been invited to attend the big hoo-haa. StarStudent’s fiance is Sikh, so the wedding will be at the Gudhwara near to our old church. Her family are Hindu, so there’ve been all the usual Asian wedding celebrations. We were invited to three events – the wedding itself, the family farewell party tonight and I was invited to the mehndi night last night.

Nice, eh?

A mehndi night is when the bride has her hands and feet decorated with henna, and celebrates with girlfriends. Although the groom didn’t attend last night, contrary to Wikipedia’s take on the celebration. He had his own do going on instead.

So I spent an excellent evening with StarStudent and her lovely family and friends. I ate samosas, wriggled to Bollywood tunes and drank strong masala chai (didn’t sleep too well last night, but it was too delicious to resist). And I had some mehndi applied too. Just one hand, and on the back, so I could drive home. You have to leave it on as long as possible to get the dye to fix well.

I love the look of it and am pleased my dress and jacket have short sleeves so I can show it off. It’s the nearest I’m going to get to a tattoo, however much I think I should get one to fit in around here…

Read Full Post »

The Kapoors/Coopers Go To Church

Posted in Fun, tagged , , , , , , on 23 August, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Another Goodness Gracious Me clip to cheer your August holidays.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »