O Love that will not let me go

Never heard of the Gaither Band from the 1980s  but certainly appreciate this version of an old hymn they sang at a reunion.

http://youtu.be/CAH1HuUqLZo 
 

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be. 

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be. 

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be. 

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be. 

Thanks Mavis, for inspiring me to search this out!

Why does it always rain on me? (She sings!)

Dick has already written about the Thanksgiving service, so I will relate the taxi saga which got us there. Just outside the hotel is a taxi booth and before each journey negotiations take place (dh) for two cars. Glad to get out of the rain, off we went in convoy, dressed smartly, dh even wearing a tie (unheard of). 

Dick was advised to use his seatbelt, which would be handy if there had been a slot to insert it in. I think the driver wanted him to look as if he was wearing it, in case we were stopped by a policeman. Meanwhile the single windscreen wiper (driver's side, thankfully) was fighting a losing battle with the rain... 

It wasn't long before I became aware of a "little light showering " from within the vehicle....Everyone else was oblivious, windows were up, I scanned the area, wiped my face (slightly gritty sensation)...tried to ignore it....more drips...suspicious dart of eyes around the area...then I noticed my arm.....I have freckles?!!! This is new, moreover I have wipeable freckles and a forearm that glistens. "A little drop of rain will hardly hurt me now" comes to mind and I know I will be humming Les Mis for the next hour. Now my companions in the back seat are aware of my situation, apparently the freckles are also on my face (not a good look) and there is a damp clingy sensation on my leg where the material has sealed itself on my ankle.

It is at this point that Dick, in the passenger seat, looks down at his smart shirt.....smattered with tiny polka dots, brown or shall I say taupe, not sure how the fashion industry would describe the look.... Not sure who is the most dismayed, he or the taxi driver who calls out an expletive (in English) and thrusts a rag in the general direction of the, now obvious, source of the flow. The dashboard is parted and jets of "water" are spraying without restraint at Dick and beyond him to me. Dick spends the rest of the journey pressing the rag (not sure of its previous use....) into the aperture, not terribly successfully, due to bumps and braking suddenly.

We arrive at our destination, thankfully not too grubby. The travellers in the second car, emerge dry, smart and amused when we recount our tale!

Not really that Sim-ple

The plan seemed straightforward enough: buy a cheap phone, purchase a Prepaid Sim card to make calls/send texts to the UK for a fraction of the price. Yes made sense really  as we come backwards and forwards to India regularly.

First get two Auto Rickshaws and get chief negotiator(dh) to agree a price. First "Auto" takes Nigel, Sue and Janet then disappears into the traffic, apparently knowing where the drop off point by the phone shop is. Second "Auto" with dh and I follows some distance behind. Second "Auto"arrives at destination,  first "Auto" nowhere to be seen.  We hover by road squinting into every "Auto" that flies by....nothing, no sign. Okay, we proceed with Plan B which is to buy the phone and Sim card, text Sue on Indian phone and find out where they are. Phone is bought, a cheap Nokia one (about £15). 


We then discover that Sim needs to be bought from a shop on the next floor, so up we go (still no sigh of the others) Sim selling shop is spotted, in we go. Man at computer desk manages to hold conversation with us whilst rarely removing eyes from computer screen before him (epic fail, I think to myself, having recently done an exercise in "listening skills"....try not to make judgement....epic fail on my part...) Sim can be bought here but will take 2 days to activate....silence....I look pitiful. Man looks up, must note my expression and offers helpful advice: "if you go to the Vodaphone shop at Vasant Vihar, they can do this for you today." Decision made, hail another auto rickshaw, drive to aforementioned shopping area, find Vodaphone shop, in we go. Sim card  sealed pouches are flashed before us,  Two forms are produced, filled in, passport and visa details entered.home address, Delhi address. Passports are photocopied, the end is in sight....um no... "We need a passport sized photo to put on the form" she says. "you will need to go to a photo booth."  "Okaaay, is there one nearby?" Apparently there is possibly one at a neighbouring shopping area, we will need another auto rickshaw..


We leave the shop undecided. For a few minutes...we walk in silence, suddenly it all seems one step too many....we decide to regroup at the hotel and meet up with the others who have ended up at a Bazaar and  bought a few bits and pieces.  Everyone seems cheerful enough, so we sample some of the Indian snacks they have bought and plan our evening meal out at "Punjabi by Nature" less than a minute from the Vodaphone shop.

 
 The assistant seems genuinely disappointed at our decision not to proceed. We'll ask Freddie's advice when we see him! The best laid plans and all that!

Practising with Live Writer!

So, the idea with this is that if I can get used to adding to my blog next week whilst I am offline, it will enable me to  write up the day's events at my leisure and then simply upload it to my blog when I can get online.  Sounds like a plan!  I have always felt under pressure due to internet time constraints especially when it comes to uploading photos, so let's see  what happens when I do this:




and just in case that was a fluke:







Yes, I'm getting it, I think! Perhaps a link to the India blog?
http://asha2013.blogspot.co.uk/

Well a bit of tweaking was necessary, but  it's worth persevering, I reckon.

Preparing for Christmas and all things festive

As it is now December 1st, I will turn my thoughts towards Christmas. Today we will venture into the loft and retrieve this candle display which is always the first decoration to go up. Then little by little other festive bits and pieces  will make an appearance.  I have to do this in stages otherwise I get bogged down with it all, which rather defeats the purpose!

  Look what just dropped through my letter box this morning, right on cue because I am supposed to read Chapter 1 today! 

 From this company:

http://www.alibris.co.uk/booksearch?qwork=1087756 
 for the  price of £0.64! Our next book club read!  We are to read a chapter a day throughout Advent.  Each chapter is headed with the date.....sounds intriguing! (Am awaiting another book from the same company written by dh's great grandmother...but that's for another time!)

And this was my impulse buy today! I love snow globes,but most of them are quite tacky, this one however, ticks all the tasteful boxes!

 ....and finally, a reminder right at the start of Advent:

 1 Corinthians 13 (the Christmas version)

If I decorate my house perfectly with tinsel, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love, I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas delicacies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I’m just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, sing carols in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the Christmas tree with shimmering angels and glittery snowflakes, attend a myriad of Christmas parties and sing in the choir but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

 Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. 

Love is kind, though harried and tired. 

Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. 

Love doesn’t yell at the kids toget out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the
way. 

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never fails. 

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure. 

(Anon)