tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35336951641285752492024-03-18T19:19:25.091+00:00Miscellany of RandomnessFrom the sublime to the ridiculous...Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.comBlogger981125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-50469275350770313252024-03-12T17:09:00.008+00:002024-03-13T19:54:28.265+00:00Old broken stuff<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2PaRqK4TTUxCHbodbO9bTET2lWVM_JcgscSezP_0WsUzE20fDb0LZBXVLZSUPB2b3uA3xRI9z2JchxTOJvyP-_h8sYKv7rOPaQBcDOCPakFFQA3i1ptHFV9yqWSrZW7ok1ArXSBgde-EvP3AIdfd8LIkxkaSktIGrmxuRWuApxtIDo2ZXvjv-brDoHs/s320/p0gt3lww.jpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2PaRqK4TTUxCHbodbO9bTET2lWVM_JcgscSezP_0WsUzE20fDb0LZBXVLZSUPB2b3uA3xRI9z2JchxTOJvyP-_h8sYKv7rOPaQBcDOCPakFFQA3i1ptHFV9yqWSrZW7ok1ArXSBgde-EvP3AIdfd8LIkxkaSktIGrmxuRWuApxtIDo2ZXvjv-brDoHs/w200-h200/p0gt3lww.jpg.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><p> A fun conversation from the radio sitcom <i><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04m9qm2">Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully</a>.</i></p><p></p><p>An alien commander is complaining that earth is 'a dump':<i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>Zone Commander Ravella:</b> There's old, broken stuff everywhere.<br /><b>Lucy:</b> You mean like that shopping trolley in the canal.<br /><b>Zone Commander Ravella:</b> Yes - but also all those old castles. Can you really not be bothered to demolish them?<br /><b>Katrina:</b> They're our history.<br /><b>Zone Commander Ravella:</b> I <i>see</i>. We write history down, instead of clogging up the landscape with ugly heaps of useless stone. </blockquote><p></p>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-18583299304272105752024-03-07T17:33:00.001+00:002024-03-07T17:33:13.942+00:00Tips for hymn writers1) <b>Write a chorus.</b><div>You may not think your song needs a chorus. You may be right. But someone, somewhere down the line, will decide it does. </div><div><br /></div><div>While the adding of choruses is particularly popular currently, the most bizarre example I can think of is the late 19th century addition of a happy jolly chorus to <i>Alas, and did my saviour bleed</i>, which is more of a sombre lament. Most added choruses are better than that - some are excellent. But if you want the chorus to say what <i>you</i> want to say, write one yourself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, if you do add a chorus, someone will decide it also needs a bridge...</div><div><br /></div><div>2) <b>Don't die.</b></div><div>The song you write will remain under copyright until 70 years after your death. So if you want to prevent people from monkeying around with your carefully thought through lyrics - sometimes ending up with a song that says something completely different than what you were trying to say - this is a simple (if impossible) solution.</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-90430345210440674742024-03-04T13:06:00.005+00:002024-03-04T13:18:12.847+00:00Lorem Ipsum is a Good Thing<p>When laying out a page design, if you don't yet have the final text it's common to use a dummy text in <a href="https://www.lipsum.com/">garbled Latin</a>, which starts "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..." (hence the name). </p><p>I've just been watching a very useful tutorial video on how to do some page layout stuff in InDesign. Very useful, but the narrator had a slightly monotonous voice, and the text on the page was - for no apparent reason - <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. Guess which I was paying more attention to...<br /></p>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-85718730317037924412024-02-17T13:15:00.002+00:002024-03-01T14:33:03.086+00:00Recyclable embellishments<p>I found this abandoned kid's craft in church - and realised that the flower embellishments are made entirely of paper, so it can go in the recycle bin. 🎉<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAN0t1tFoQMp94tx3Z_dThvt_wwn_Zb4rMPyKNkXg9gWr8kwJsEtevzPRE8ffHIMPDU0HvHE4LNjlvGm1iL_cBEDW4JsfBxnsK1GSj640TUn0pUdgV2xfikpulKbsa-YG0gBqnhsZLo8x1qtPYRaswiEM0lf_RpUI7n86Yv3Gdd6ASochaEq4_7w4DBc/s4032/PXL_20240216_165832901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A recycling bin, in which is a kids craft made with a paper plate, grass cut from green paper, and flower stickers made from coloured paper with contrasting centres." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAN0t1tFoQMp94tx3Z_dThvt_wwn_Zb4rMPyKNkXg9gWr8kwJsEtevzPRE8ffHIMPDU0HvHE4LNjlvGm1iL_cBEDW4JsfBxnsK1GSj640TUn0pUdgV2xfikpulKbsa-YG0gBqnhsZLo8x1qtPYRaswiEM0lf_RpUI7n86Yv3Gdd6ASochaEq4_7w4DBc/w360-h640/PXL_20240216_165832901.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p></p><p>It would be nice if more kids' craft materials were recyclable - foam and gems and plastic stickers are nice, but for throwaway crafts this kind of thing is far more environmentally friendly.<br /></p>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-46160806448831546472024-02-15T22:37:00.002+00:002024-02-16T22:24:48.793+00:00Cutest dinosaur ever <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Stuffed toy stegosaurus" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzctqXK0f19GPnyvd9UB4t6otdpyNc51vtf7snvYumAS35P2HzAAidYARlejK0t2vmmaOrzZryHWAutIAkIwGuYPHmIxPlkzJ8UrChZCLJlWopxuzBdblqquRheXtOdmkYumX8e1k84R2wQyBQq4oK94sLOzYGcq-78PP3jdX_nBdivvrvf6JTvrbDFj8=w400-h225" width="400" />
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</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-33869120110467661132024-02-03T19:19:00.009+00:002024-02-04T22:04:23.183+00:00Atmosphere mattersI recently rewatched the <i>Stargate Atlantis</i> episode <i>Irresponsible</i>.<div><br /></div><div>The first time I watched it, it felt odd. The climax of the story is the death of a longstanding villain. But it seemed rather perfunctory and anticlimactic, like no big deal. If you blinked you could almost have missed it. He deserved a more dramatic death than that! </div><div> </div><div>But I listened to the director's commentary, and it explains why the episode feels odd - the problem is the setting. </div><div><br /></div><div>When it was written, it was supposed to have a bit of a Western feel, and they'd intended to film it in a local wild west village. However that fell through, and they ended up with this place:</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA37L-PARNWOWA-1_8xmVX4ALm3Fp8828zD49U2v_h-PDWOPc4FT0ZiCYFtbPxgJB9QYjI2puwjUchbT4a3Dj_yEo0Ir6b36kGiONFSwh0L8lGJesKBBZ2PIcblmm54z-8kRPOcZKAPvoonMz-wNJTGGuoHbbS-DYmqE0PXNV8WNYlTYgEorFsa3eXJQ/s1024/atl_313_0042.JPG"><img alt="An aerial view of a small grassy village square surrounded by picturesque European houses" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA37L-PARNWOWA-1_8xmVX4ALm3Fp8828zD49U2v_h-PDWOPc4FT0ZiCYFtbPxgJB9QYjI2puwjUchbT4a3Dj_yEo0Ir6b36kGiONFSwh0L8lGJesKBBZ2PIcblmm54z-8kRPOcZKAPvoonMz-wNJTGGuoHbbS-DYmqE0PXNV8WNYlTYgEorFsa3eXJQ/w400-h225/atl_313_0042.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Not <i>quite</i> the same thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, at the climax of the story, when our hero appears in the nick of time, he should stride down the broad dusty street under a wide open sky, for a dramatic confrontation... <br /></div><div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpG1TuJPvXYhkKXvF6UKyQcFShVvpIxA5Vwgn-M3NRNl_SAGwzMXVdZywEFpT_SyxT0YWQLTWZZl-ckzbISVKlzTh1GK-cK6dxjxKzgE3gDnBEs08LQm_oLj_iLcliwRPx7Y_ZGmIlMB52N8kkKNe8ixN1L69paM0MHLRYzsodGiflMOtqu3NBISqBk8/s864/514mTMm2o6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_b.jpg"><img alt="A scene from a cowboy film" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpG1TuJPvXYhkKXvF6UKyQcFShVvpIxA5Vwgn-M3NRNl_SAGwzMXVdZywEFpT_SyxT0YWQLTWZZl-ckzbISVKlzTh1GK-cK6dxjxKzgE3gDnBEs08LQm_oLj_iLcliwRPx7Y_ZGmIlMB52N8kkKNe8ixN1L69paM0MHLRYzsodGiflMOtqu3NBISqBk8/w400-h270/514mTMm2o6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div>...but instead he walks a few paces across the lawn in front of some picturesque cottages. </div><div> </div><div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXQXLj5n-CAR1vMOZQQTWYRJ2ILkUEnGWtWwGFMfhxXiAgX55d6dQfAHc_6W1yOjYJFjhtGFuHMansimebLlTHu8SSlz3qrdx5LAG2gzJQUd9bD728M_DG85L7mvtywNZHoFAy73lzZ__z5_4W3BwUne-2a_TUHZc01_y2MrtRtHt7eNah8gqyEmoG-w/s700/normal_atl_313_1438.JPG"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXQXLj5n-CAR1vMOZQQTWYRJ2ILkUEnGWtWwGFMfhxXiAgX55d6dQfAHc_6W1yOjYJFjhtGFuHMansimebLlTHu8SSlz3qrdx5LAG2gzJQUd9bD728M_DG85L7mvtywNZHoFAy73lzZ__z5_4W3BwUne-2a_TUHZc01_y2MrtRtHt7eNah8gqyEmoG-w/w400-h225/normal_atl_313_1438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>By the time they get to the shooting, the background is cluttered with townsfolk, outlaws and soldiers, who can't be positioned off to the side, because there's no room, or in the distance, because there is none.</div><div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAaICQhZFt3CvKZohaHezZdexSPMUITVMfHnJmiDpYQKeKk52kKXqLUxmbLQ632gX1YRODPvr_QIlDTzaJ7RWlSrdOHNTf-y8GF733Rc5Qf9EHFGmInBw0Jjf0JnGCTg5UeGA-4x21aahViK17iTxt6vVlBZg-vjGDdAFt7ruEZ9Ik5_M6-TAjP5j4qo/s700/normal_atl_313_1493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="700" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAaICQhZFt3CvKZohaHezZdexSPMUITVMfHnJmiDpYQKeKk52kKXqLUxmbLQ632gX1YRODPvr_QIlDTzaJ7RWlSrdOHNTf-y8GF733Rc5Qf9EHFGmInBw0Jjf0JnGCTg5UeGA-4x21aahViK17iTxt6vVlBZg-vjGDdAFt7ruEZ9Ik5_M6-TAjP5j4qo/w400-h225/normal_atl_313_1493.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr align="center"></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWx03w0ckB5qqN0o-yzPRVDjGp23xn5LSVrJTI4bzrnS7O0WcHmmFiD0Ax5iprJQORdQnnXM2MpHAmdKR88_APWVP2x8MkiANQsnxVOIUvGiaD2xsT7ovtGpHhyphenhyphenaaurgpNFr5GIInKUKfS7JVrEpJUI-s124weiAUOyl1HsURA_DQbVnMx0lbNdE9W9I/s700/normal_atl_313_1505.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Back view of the hero with a body on the ground, and a crowd of people in the background" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWx03w0ckB5qqN0o-yzPRVDjGp23xn5LSVrJTI4bzrnS7O0WcHmmFiD0Ax5iprJQORdQnnXM2MpHAmdKR88_APWVP2x8MkiANQsnxVOIUvGiaD2xsT7ovtGpHhyphenhyphenaaurgpNFr5GIInKUKfS7JVrEpJUI-s124weiAUOyl1HsURA_DQbVnMx0lbNdE9W9I/w400-h225/normal_atl_313_1505.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The director pointed out that if he'd missed he'd have shot his own team, they were so close behind!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div></div>They did their best with what they had, but in the director's own words: </div><div><blockquote>"here comes the standoff: the odd little standoff in the odd little town in the odd little square"</blockquote><br /></div><div>Of course, in reality, a villain can be killed anywhere - under the open skies of a dramatic dusty frontier town, or in a twee and claustrophobic village square. (Or be accidentally run over by a bus for that matter). </div><div> </div><div>But stories aren't real life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, the same village was used years previously as the setting for an episode of <i>Stargate SG-1 </i>(<i>Revisions</i>)<i>. </i>For that episode, set in a cosy little town with a sinister secret, it fitted perfectly.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Atmosphere matters.</div><div><br /></div><div>C.S. Lewis wrote a lot about this but it's hard to find a decent quote. Here's one from <i>Planet Narnia</i> by Michael Ward, which quotes C.S. Lewis. (He's using the term 'romance' in the old-fashioned sense of an adventure or fantasy story.)</div><blockquote><div>Again and again, in defending works of romance, Lewis argues that it is the quality or tone of the whole story that is its main attraction. The invented world of romance is conceived with this kind of qualitative richness because romancers feel the real world itself to be 'cryptic, significant, full of voices and 'the mystery of life.'' Lovers of romances go back and back to such stories in the same way that we go back to a fruit for its taste; to an air for... what? for <i>itself</i>; to a region for its whole atmosphere—to Donegal for its Donegality and London for its Londonness. It is notoriously difficult to put these tastes into words.'<br /></div></blockquote>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-16873079459992535152024-01-29T09:11:00.040+00:002024-01-29T22:07:08.664+00:00The Caves of Steel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCHmXVn0e9gMLtMUfjYZVS1oMinhx7S8TsLgSxfFh0z14Ri3Nw-SYF7e_8_SyStSg8JjA_vaSgfAn3xN7TFahQBg3Nq7gAkVPlDYeJoxHkn7-gW6HPldlYUQo8bH3TOStrO7yWrZF9xdp2fBrKLm6xn4023J_mfBAGDszSVyFGmJssmZc5iKQzmzSVd5A" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div><div> </div><div>I recently reread <i>The Caves of Steel</i> by Isaac Asimov. I've read it many times before, but I noticed something I hadn't seen before.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was written in the 50s, but the story happens thousands of years in the future. All of Earth's inhabitants live cheek by jowl, enclosed in giant monolithic Cities. Everything is regulated, centralised and efficient. Food - mostly artificial yeast cultures - is rationed and eaten in huge communal dining rooms. Poor people eat nothing else, but those with higher status may earn the right to a real chicken drumstick - or even to eat at home a few times a week. Toilet and washing facilities are communal - a basin in your own home is another hard-earned privilege. Population is controlled. Houses are small, and the poorest live in grim barracks.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The reason for this? It's the only option, owing to the massive population of earth, which has now reached a whopping <i>8 billion!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Wait a minute. We're at 8 billion now... </div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-49034882121209443542024-01-01T13:13:00.002+00:002024-01-01T13:13:36.624+00:00Happy New Year!<p> I always like to post a song for the New Year - but this year I've got two.</p><p>They're both about how, as Christians, God uses the ups and downs of life to make us who he wants us to be.</p><p>First a sad one:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ah9ThceBdVs" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ah9ThceBdVs"></iframe></div><p> And then a cheerier one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uh1cV4IuZk8" width="320" youtube-src-id="Uh1cV4IuZk8"></iframe></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-5907719891570624702023-12-24T15:49:00.003+00:002023-12-24T15:54:36.297+00:00God's gift <blockquote>"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." <div>John 3v16</div></blockquote><div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="A poster made by children - a large parcel covered in little squares of wrapping paper. There is a wide gold ribbon in the form of a cross with the letters J E S U S on it. The gift tag reads "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son"" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOQh77yl3akYWAPOdyRLqmAmVOnYlPuY9MKwYOxF4Av3C5IawTfrOOsg_qXHkjK-2_5BUBFFQvetaiEgeeR6M7H9fETVLpkAbAEivn6_Y-pJOIjLMEuItSXRKSZ8-yhZVsFO9GnIOk8lAGXCE2-I_yBvPxk07kpLyiwNKvkqjH_MxVM5aiCVya6tx0_-Q=w536-h640" width="536" />
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</div>I've been watching the BBC series <i>Sherlock</i> recently.<div>The final episode of season 2 is called <i>The Reichenbach Fall. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sherlock's arch-nemesis Jim Moriarty - a fantastically insane criminal mastermind - wants revenge. He has hitmen in place to kill Sherlock's friends. Sherlock can only save them if he himself dies - and not only dies, but dies in disgrace, with everyone thinking he's a fraud.</div><div> </div><div>It made me think of these lines from a song: <br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div></div><div>"To pay for our salvation</div><div>He let a bunch of fools portray him as a criminal"</div><div>~ from <i>Good Company </i>by Ross King</div></blockquote><div><div></div></div><div>Jesus didn't just die - he died in disgrace. Bad enough to be tortured to death, but so much worse to do so while being misrepresented, mocked, doubted even by his friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>He <i>could</i> have come down from the cross like they goaded him to do. He <i>could</i> have asked his father to send 12 legions of angels to rescue him. He <i>could</i> have vindicated himself.</div><div></div><blockquote><div>"He was despised and rejected by mankind, </div><div>a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. </div><div>Like one from whom people hide their faces </div><div>he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. </div><div>Surely he took up our pain </div><div>and bore our suffering, </div><div>yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. </div><div>But he was pierced for our transgressions, </div><div>he was crushed for our iniquities; </div><div>the punishment that brought us peace was on him, </div><div>and by his wounds we are healed."</div><div>Isaiah 53v3–5</div></blockquote><div></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-18987173841449281342023-12-18T19:42:00.003+00:002023-12-18T19:44:56.410+00:00How to make music for a horror movie<p>Film children dancing, but try out the 'slow motion' setting on your camera.</p><p>(I threw lots of filters on afterwards, to anonymise the children in the video - and
now it looks like ghosts dancing, which is very appropriate) <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxfVQOWcPMFrSOSoxVpwqbS8pSw4DfMAxQkMHbWYbQgo9Nhvqm-BmyjNgH9DhfFw-hfoBYQI4hCjQxPNLloqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>I think the tune was actually <i>Santa Claus is coming to town</i>. </p>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-31708615352280857372023-12-09T18:03:00.005+00:002023-12-09T19:52:48.319+00:00'Condensed' soup (plus recipe)It's <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/24698920/campbells-soup-disappearing-from-supermarkets/" target="_blank">really difficult to get Campbell's condensed soup</a> just now, which is not ideal if you have a recipe that needs it. But I thought of an idea - and it works!<div><br /></div><div>If you mix powdered soup up with half the quantity of water, it gives you a pretty good condensed soup consistency. I actually preferred the texture. (I think I would sieve the croutons out in future, though - they got rather soggy waiting for the soup to be used!)</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br />And here's the recipe - sausage pasta.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_OdHv24WcyJUVRgkypxHeH2yiysSuEVCuFEwXMmES5Ph8r7Iid8bESKcXY38e_Z_cfWVD6zRKPA99d0_INyP1ehnFYsFVL7SaSRpin7U8U6tPdKfrtWC9rYtNe8hSdEj3YNol8gts-qq5MwdftslAjAA3pIFwImfTK7aXFT1556-o6GXkv2fUb_2b3Y4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_OdHv24WcyJUVRgkypxHeH2yiysSuEVCuFEwXMmES5Ph8r7Iid8bESKcXY38e_Z_cfWVD6zRKPA99d0_INyP1ehnFYsFVL7SaSRpin7U8U6tPdKfrtWC9rYtNe8hSdEj3YNol8gts-qq5MwdftslAjAA3pIFwImfTK7aXFT1556-o6GXkv2fUb_2b3Y4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>You will need:</b></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Square sausage. I used 4 for 3 people (260g), and could easily have got away with less.</li><li>Frozen spinach. 3 lumps per person.</li><li>Pasta. Whatever you would normally use - I use a small handful each.</li><li>Condensed mushroom soup. One tin for 3 or 4 people. Or I used 3 packs of cup-a-soup, diluted with half the water.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div><b>What to do:</b></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Shred the sausage with a couple of forks into small lumps.</li><li>Put in a large frying pan on medium heat (no oil needed if it's non-stick). Stir from time to time until cooked.</li><li>Meanwhile, cook the pasta.</li><li>Also meanwhile, defrost the spinach in the microwave.</li><li>When sausage is done, add spinach and stir through.</li><li>When pasta is done, add to mixture (I use a slotted spoon, but if you drain it, make sure to reserve some of the cooking water).</li><li>Stir in soup.</li><li>Add a little pasta water to bind it and get the sauce to the consistency you want.</li><li>Eat!</li></ol>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-63148093382320323792023-11-25T14:58:00.007+00:002023-11-27T12:41:06.790+00:00I don't think I'm the strange one<div>I can usually tell if someone other than me has been hoovering in church. </div><div><br /></div><div>They will often put George back in the cupboard in the correct place, but facing into the corner - as if he's in disgrace 😟</div><div><br /></div><div>I <i>always</i> put him facing outward, so he can see.</div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8r3gzAbJaggWdeGG5F9e84AV8Wnpu6gtPcIp6ByWI0kRdoTF1pXEW9wgtV3Me8RdHjU9ae2dpfSqFWK_dpism8Kvq6APGDiLbzeBe2eJdjgYrk7C8o7Cb1Xw2DsfXd6pFftN7ToQyLMGGiDmKx4iPY-9iWPO63zxQFYFrDiCTowyyBdT2a8KMpWTk3U/s4032/PXL_20231113_183845340.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8r3gzAbJaggWdeGG5F9e84AV8Wnpu6gtPcIp6ByWI0kRdoTF1pXEW9wgtV3Me8RdHjU9ae2dpfSqFWK_dpism8Kvq6APGDiLbzeBe2eJdjgYrk7C8o7Cb1Xw2DsfXd6pFftN7ToQyLMGGiDmKx4iPY-9iWPO63zxQFYFrDiCTowyyBdT2a8KMpWTk3U/w400-h225/PXL_20231113_183845340.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't he look happy? </td></tr></tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-14236538489021006112023-11-20T09:46:00.016+00:002023-11-20T20:43:30.397+00:00A loooooooooong time ago I was explaining to the children how God has always existed. <div>He was there 100 years ago... A thousand years ago... A million... A billion... A trillion...</div><div><b>5 year old: </b>an octillion</div><div><b>7 year old: </b>a googolplex,*</div><div>Wasn't expecting that 😆 <br /></div><div><br /> <hr /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">*Fortunately I did know this was a real number! Didn't know how big, so <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googolplex">I've just looked it up</a>. It's <b>10<sup>10<sup>100</sup></sup></b>, which means that the mass of the books needed to write the number down would be many times the mass of the visible universe. Fairly large, then.</span><br /></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-80688540433097553642023-11-15T22:10:00.004+00:002023-11-18T21:59:52.859+00:00Analogies are not (necessarily) heresy<p>Wrote this aaaages ago - finally got round to finishing and posting.</p><p>From time to time, people claim that this analogy or that analogy of the Trinity gives the wrong idea of God, or is even heretical. I'm sure that's sometimes true. But sometimes I think it's just that the people criticising it are trying to make an analogy do more than it's meant to.</p><div></div><div>For example, take the triangle. People say it's a bad way to explain the Trinity because each member of the Trinity is fully God, whereas each side of a triangle is not a triangle. But, I don't think it's bad, just - like all analogies - incomplete. It would only be a bad analogy if you were saying that a triangle says everything that's to be said about how the Trinity relates - and that's not how analogies work.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviAgMY5781hmfTrLZKCEf0rCJFOhDMc11IYtMvATcrCGct3Ksp8jBzHNYarCMjiE_IK20xhsGw7LNexwRMCGRdpIUxO5zD8pMnROD70ojfnfItyGlLHFHi5wlR9Lxz82qelWy5wajaMEQSyEyAP3FXOu2hJ-rtYMtVrp7iy4R4_ZEqDNUEZWNmYSqEPY/s3072/033%20(4).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A triangle made of coloured lolly sticks. They have Father', 'Son - Jesus', and 'Holy Spirit' written on them." border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviAgMY5781hmfTrLZKCEf0rCJFOhDMc11IYtMvATcrCGct3Ksp8jBzHNYarCMjiE_IK20xhsGw7LNexwRMCGRdpIUxO5zD8pMnROD70ojfnfItyGlLHFHi5wlR9Lxz82qelWy5wajaMEQSyEyAP3FXOu2hJ-rtYMtVrp7iy4R4_ZEqDNUEZWNmYSqEPY/w240-h320/033%20(4).JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craft we made, based on <a href="https://www.catholicicing.com/catholic-trinity-craft-for-preschoolers/">these instructions</a>.<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>I have used the triangle analogy in Sunday school. I'm teaching people who may not yet even know that Jesus is God. So <i>all</i> the analogy is meant to say is that:<br>
<ul>
<li>The trinity is a thing.</li>
<li>There is <b>one</b> God, made of <b>three</b> people, (who are all God).</li>
<li>They are the <b>Father</b>, the <b>Son (Jesus)</b> and the <b>Holy Spirit.</b></li></ul>It's true in what it intends to teach - it's not the last word on the subject.<b> </b></div><div><br>Actually, it's the same with the analogies of Jesus which are used in the Bible. He is variously described as our father, future husband, brother, master, shepherd, a lamb, a vine, a gate, bread, water, light... If you took any of those to extremes you could easily make a heresy. And some of them are mutually contradictory.</div><div> </div><div>But the point is that Jesus - who is far more than we could ever understand - is a <i>little bit</i> like all those things (and the context usually makes it clear <i>in what way</i>).<br></div><div><div><br></div><div>Here's a quote:</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We have to think about Christ using ideas and images, but if we put our trust in these symbols, rather than in the One they symbolize, we will be making a big mistake. [...] </i>
<i>By using more than one image for God, we remind ourselves that any image we use is only temporary; it must be corrected and relieved by other images. These images serve our minds; they do not save our souls. A fork is not food.</i><br>
<div style="text-align: right;">~Michael Ward, <i>The Narnia Code</i></div>
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</div></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-26687353354906892812023-10-31T18:27:00.000+00:002023-10-31T18:28:04.156+00:00Unusual menu item <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhIfVBa_1IvkEqHywpiZz6mVaGpzlgUGJO0rpwppWvVJLdTxI14CI2JRC0CO_zlohHg_fXm2clYlFMQeFVAgRFaAg6WRZr7vYktH1ZMErPcn0VPdHXxc1FPw5RfZDSWcztTgLJcAIAIkY7IiHJvTG3IZGAoFc1uTHqfPwYcnOHGvXJY4nYyIdL5Ucv8FY" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhIfVBa_1IvkEqHywpiZz6mVaGpzlgUGJO0rpwppWvVJLdTxI14CI2JRC0CO_zlohHg_fXm2clYlFMQeFVAgRFaAg6WRZr7vYktH1ZMErPcn0VPdHXxc1FPw5RfZDSWcztTgLJcAIAIkY7IiHJvTG3IZGAoFc1uTHqfPwYcnOHGvXJY4nYyIdL5Ucv8FY" width="400">
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</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-81232223956993022422023-10-11T11:28:00.003+01:002023-10-11T17:51:40.326+01:00A good reminder<blockquote>"Nothing is wasted<div>Nothing is wasted</div><div>In the hands of our redeemer</div><div>Nothing is wasted"</div><div style="text-align: right;">~Jason Gray</div></blockquote><div></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-593987150888772552023-10-10T17:00:00.000+01:002023-10-10T17:01:03.817+01:00Clever business card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjdSAGX9SAuVTrfpY6XrPm3GGglfjCyWgTjsCpCsqgCHi1uPtxzrgM-H2Hj9VTw8GPnbZFd_fFSL_GzsbydicQxH9Uq5wLWF93x1X4e355_yxduw1Gh9kFCxun7QbkFGWFJ-2dorkWIIFbWm0cUlzHfFbPkIMP_GBdGLUbBpMiSPiik0yE_9srNZZdb2Y" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjdSAGX9SAuVTrfpY6XrPm3GGglfjCyWgTjsCpCsqgCHi1uPtxzrgM-H2Hj9VTw8GPnbZFd_fFSL_GzsbydicQxH9Uq5wLWF93x1X4e355_yxduw1Gh9kFCxun7QbkFGWFJ-2dorkWIIFbWm0cUlzHfFbPkIMP_GBdGLUbBpMiSPiik0yE_9srNZZdb2Y" width="400">
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</div><div>Came across this old business card for a restaurant.</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-79731140551166136802023-10-09T18:27:00.003+01:002023-11-02T11:15:09.998+00:00Tasty leftovers <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhec831KOybUOkQ5_jQ_VhEMpldnt7-RoqoAAB3o8x32UU9ZQheYnJD8Y29y4360OuFOwjGkUgQAAqC0QNssnZj4xCMuu2HUjyMUAOnzSnQbTHFuCP44olaLAnIAJJIcSE1xx3gYyliZTANZXEXUDSAbCd5or6tLWoMHyI2Z7cvcYAxfWTes2rTH5AG_b4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div></div><div><br></div><div>Leftover cabbage, fried up with bacon. A few splashes of soy sauce. On granary bread. <div><br></div><div>Wasn't sure what it would be like, but definitely worth repeating.</div></div><div><br></div><div>[<i>Edit: also works with broccoli</i>]</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-91464597660281801682023-10-05T12:29:00.008+01:002023-10-11T17:53:08.915+01:00Pillars<p>I liked this quote about pillars in the Bible - both literal stone monuments, and the pillar of fire & cloud that the Israelites followed in the desert.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbOf9dNOzucmVQQYauB4W9cASUzIhI9eYt4MLPtyERWmCcoRUzMzhSmegpae4ijPYvxfF2tG544jHEIH6j2xoJmezO-oPMVIjbZ6Xf8A5dm9qzpKIdD9Og8imrjXJXUonSf6nU8rsqzDva6mxtS2QZYydMk402hzLFhir1JsLSCavimbKClq5r6e4OjY/s1654/Bible-PowerPoint-for%20children-Samuel-Ebenezer-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Samuel with the Ebenezer stone pillar" border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1654" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbOf9dNOzucmVQQYauB4W9cASUzIhI9eYt4MLPtyERWmCcoRUzMzhSmegpae4ijPYvxfF2tG544jHEIH6j2xoJmezO-oPMVIjbZ6Xf8A5dm9qzpKIdD9Og8imrjXJXUonSf6nU8rsqzDva6mxtS2QZYydMk402hzLFhir1JsLSCavimbKClq5r6e4OjY/w320-h240/Bible-PowerPoint-for%20children-Samuel-Ebenezer-5.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> has helped us.”</i> <span class="bible-item-title-wrap"><a class="bible-item-title" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%207%3A12&version=NIV">1 Samuel 7:12</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><blockquote>"In your own life, there are, no doubt, “pillars” that point you backward, reminding you of what God has done before and what he can do again. You need that. Those are reassuring and give us the confidence to keep walking. </blockquote></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Israelites following the pillar of fire by night" border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1654" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFVFLSCF-UN-9_ZESYX7JDpAzht8mhUCKQlal2gaK6AXj-C9rYlwdGofYqwHg8hUkpRKYTKRdX6iBhiHZ2Xx9BAD8Hh6WEkxzkSYpW_MDeQdsJtTTPZXmSuvjpHhNjssRCPVh54e3s3vQBUmPhEcwRDVtOdzEWRlpkNMmRX22gVuF3IaByL-I6WkIRvA/w320-h240/Bible-PowerPoint-Moses-crossing-the-Red-Sea-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light</i> <a class="bible-item-title" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2013%3A21&version=NIVUK">Exodus 13:21</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><blockquote><p>"The pillar of fire, though, is scary. It points you onward, and, like your ancestors in their journey, it gives you only enough light to see just ahead. You will see that the light goes out into the wilderness with you, but often these times will feel to you confusing and disorienting. You will feel lost. Only in retrospect, if at all, will you see what God was doing. The temptation at the moment, though, will be to pitch the tent in place and look to the pillar of memory rather than to follow the pillar of glory. The light is there, though; the cloud is overhead. Moreover, this pillar of glory is not really a “thing,” but a person. Where it is pointing you to is the final New Jerusalem, which has “no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23). The Lamb is the Light. The pillar of fire and cloud still leads on."<br /></p><p style="text-align: right;">~Russell Moore </p></blockquote><p></p>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-72425355227467865352023-09-16T10:46:00.001+01:002023-09-16T10:46:26.583+01:00Makeup Are women fortunate because, unlike men, they can cover up their flaws with makeup? <div><br></div><div>Or are men fortunate because, unlike women, they are not expected to have no flaws?</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-82618367030119583702023-08-21T07:15:00.002+01:002023-08-21T13:37:04.669+01:00Non sequitursFirst day back at Sunday School, colouring pictures about 'B is for Bible', when the child next to me suddenly asks - "Did you know that pirates still exist?"<div><br /></div><div>A few minutes later he starts talking about the noise turkeys make, and instead of colouring his picture, fills in all the blank space around it with pictures of two turkeys, a nest, a baby turkey and eggs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to enjoy having this child in my class! 😊 * </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><hr />
<span style="font-size: small;">*I realise that could sound sarcastic but I mean it literally.</span></div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-34843336701001816012023-08-19T10:25:00.006+01:002023-08-19T19:01:02.967+01:00DeleteJason Gray's songs so often sum things up perfectly:<div></div><div></div><blockquote><div>"I want to bring the heat<div>I stop and take a beat</div><div>I type, then I delete</div><div>Until I find a way to say a kind thing without lying"</div></div><div style="text-align: right;">~Jason Gray</div></blockquote><div></div><div></div><div>Oh, but it is cathartic to do the type and then delete bit. (To be on the safe side, type in a notes app, and not somewhere you can accidentally hit send 😄) It's such a shame to be unable to use some of the more colourful or creative phrases in real life, though...</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-71213972882559395302023-08-12T16:39:00.003+01:002023-11-25T16:10:14.556+00:00A useful tool<p>A braille stylus is a useful tool. As well as using it to write braille, you can use it to remove hairs and fluff from your hoover brush.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3533695164128575249.post-36872574584269549482023-06-17T22:25:00.004+01:002023-06-19T12:23:57.265+01:00Knowledge<p></p><blockquote><p>Received ‘wisdom’ says that the people who lived before us, and
particularly in the Middle Ages, knew far less than we do, but what
stands out the most for me from my research is they were infinitely more
knowledgeable. What we have is much more information at hand, most of
it little better than trivia, but they had real, embodied knowledge of
their world. They understood the chemistry of plants and minerals, how
to make the most of it and what to avoid. They knew when and how to
gather and prepare for food or craft. Their daily practical skills and
self-reliance put us to shame, with our dependence on factory-made
products that don’t need to exist.<br /></p><p style="text-align: right;">~Joumana Medlej</p></blockquote>Kirstyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00715262306812090352noreply@blogger.com0