DERELICT SUNDAY

We had a great service at Church with a sermon about hope.  

The first candle of Advent was lit - although Advent doesn't officially start until next Sunday - but on the 9th December we have no service, so have begun Advent a week early.  On the 9th a play is being performed, similar to the Passion Play I was in a couple of years ago, entitled "The Journey" and this will be a public performance of the Nativity, an old story, but told in a fresh way and it will be re-enacted in the Old Town area of Swindon, finishing up at Christ Church.

Mr. HCB and I were puzzling about which area to visit to look for dereliction, and decided that we would drive along the Cirencester road towards South Cerney - and we were spoilt for choice - almost round every corner and in every lane, we saw dereliction - so much so, that we have said we can go back for other weeks for some time.  

We went down some very narrow lanes but thankfully there wasn't much traffic because it was Sunday and only had to back up a couple of times. Next time, I will take some sandwiches, because we saw lots of places we could stop.

This derelict cabin, on the road out of Oaksey, caught my eye - I don't think this has been used for some time and is certainly derelict.

Interestingly, Stephen, our preacher today, said that at the beginning of the year, he started to keep a diary and wrote down at the end of each day, three things he was thankful for similar to my Blessings Jar.  However, he felt that some of the things he wrote were rather trite and ordinary.  Personally, I don't see anything wrong with that - for most of us, our daily lives can be quite ordinary and unspectacular, but nevertheless, a blessing is a blessing, small or large - and we should be grateful for every one.

Today I am grateful for:

1.  A telephone call from a friend in Hong Kong before Church
2.  A good service - and the fact that we can worship God in freedom
3.  Enjoying the countryside, even though it was a rather grey day