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That was probably was one of the most cryptic titles I’ve come up with to date! It’s due to the fact that on Saturday, Phil and I went back to the house in Woodbridge where I spent most of my formative years. (Well, I wasn’t there the whole time, but that’s where we were living).

Anyway, after I went off to university – nine years ago – my parents moved to Ipswich. But they didn’t sell the house, the rented it out. Anyway, my Dad is retiring next year, and they want to sell the house. So, they gave the tenant notice, and she moved out last month. The past couple of weeks they’ve been spending a lot of time at the house trying to get it into a state where it can be sold.

You may have guessed that the tenant didn’t exactly leave things in a pristine state. If I’m honest, it was actually pretty awful what she did. She removed a lot of the work surfaces and units from the kitchen, she ‘painted’ – badly – various places, the whole place was filthy… I could go on. On Saturday Phil and I spent most of the day helping Mum and Dad to get the place cleaned up. Phil went into the garden to do some tidying, and I spent the afternoon ripping out a rather badly installed network.

I think she must have had someone come in to network the house (why she didn’t use wireless I don’t know – I think it was available in 2001, but I would guess these network points were installed well after that). Firstly, there were holes all over the house to allow the cables through the floor and up into the loft. Then the cables were basically run across the walls, i.e. there were a boatload of cable clips keeping the cables in place. Unfortunately in some places the cable clips had broken, letting the cable basically droop down! In other words, it was a mess.

So anyway, I basically ripped out the whole lot, leaving a large number of small cable clip holes – but at least it was better than leaving it there. I don’t think anyone else would have wanted it to be honest!

It was quite funny to see the old house to be honest – my room still had my old desk unit in it (which my Dad and I designed and built), but apart from that there was no furniture there. It’s been so long since we lived there that I do feel like it’s not really home any more, but it did bring back a few memories! Good times. Still, live moves on.

That took up most of our Saturday afternoon. Then, after that we went round to Anne-Marie and Sarah’s to watch Doctor Who. It wasn’t a bad episode this week although I don’t think it was exactly a classic. Then we watched the next couple of episodes of ‘Blackpool’ (really enjoying it, only one more episode to go now though!). Oh, and I should mention that ‘Ashes to Ashes’ was also good on Friday night – still so many questions, but I’m really looking forward to the next episode though! Phil says it’s kind of like old school Doctor Who, where they did six part stories and you were kept on tenterhooks until the next week!

On Sunday we weren’t at church in the morning (unusually), so we did a bit of gardening and the like. Then we went round to Jo and Evie’s and spent the day in the park with them, which was a really pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Then we went to Sunday@6, and afterwards watched ‘Young Victoria’. It was a fairly entertaining film but not one I’d really want to watch again to be honest – not my cup of tea!

I mentioned briefly in my last post that I had ordered a new PA system. Well, it arrived yesterday. In a huge great big package, on a palette! (A palette, for those of you who don’t know, is basically a wooden base which big packages can be strapped to so they can be more easily lifted by forklifts and the like). I should have taken a picture actually, but still.

I managed to get it inside (the sub came in a huge box which I wasn’t capable of lifting – I basically had to walk it all the way inside!), and then unpack everything. The system is basically an HK Audio package from Thomann (based in Germany). I bought an amp from them before and it was pretty decent, so I didn’t have any issues with buying from them again.

The last time I had a PA system, I had an amp with a couple of speakers. This time round I wanted to get an active (powered) system so I didn’t have to lug an amp round as well – basically it’s a bit more hassle-free. The package consists of one active 300W subwoofer – which contains all the electronics (and is why it’s so heavy!) – two 150W satellite speakers. Also included are speaker stands, cables and carry bags (a pretty good deal for the price). I also bought a Shure SM58 microphone for live work, and some cables to connect up my mixer.

I tested it out yesterday – at pretty low volume – and it all sounded good. Nice balanced sound, not too overpowering, and generally quite well rounded. Essentially what I’m saying is, I’d make a terrible audio engineer but it sounded good to my ears at least!

So I’m really happy with it. The first proper usage of it will come at my sister-in-law’s wedding in June, and I think it’s easily up to the job! The idea is that after that, I might be able to do the odd wedding gig here and there, I don’t want to loads of them but it might be a useful money earner from time to time.

Anyway, in other news, Phil and I went to see the Assistant DDO (Diocesan Director of Ordinands) on Tuesday evening. He was very nice and we had a good chat about my application and how the process was going to work. It’s quite exciting stuff actually, I have a few things to do. He even recommended that I started looking for colleges – which hadn’t really even crossed my mind! So I’ll definitely have to start doing some research. So, watch this space for developments on that front!

… so goes the song ‘Holiday’ by Vampire Weekend. Well, we’ve just had a week’s holiday (technically a bit more than that, because of the Easter Weekend), so I suppose I should briefly sketch out the details of what we’ve been up to! I can’t remember everything so just a fairly broad overview:

On Easter Sunday Phil’s parents came up with Roz and Matt. They met us at church, and then came back for lunch afterwards. We ate our own body weight in lasagne, and then went out for a walk (we needed to I think!). After that Anne-Marie came round for tea, and after Phil’s family had gone we spent the time discussing Doctor Who and Ashes to Ashes.

Anyway. On Easter Monday we went round to Laura’s for brunch. (Laura is a friend from church). AJ and Jen also came round, and we spent the day together. We watched ‘The Proposal’ (which was surprisingly good), and then a couple of episodes of Gavin & Stacey. Then we went out for a walk in the countryside near Fordham. After that, we all headed round to AJ and Jen’s for dinner, and watched ‘Flash Forward’ (the first one Phil and I had seen, which looked pretty good although definitely something I’d like to watch from the beginning.) So that was a really nice relaxing day!

On Tuesday and Wednesday we did various things around here, a bit of sorting out, etc. On Wednesday evening my parents came round for dinner, so it was good to see them!

On Thursday we headed down to Somerset to see Matthew, Ellie and Samuel. It was a bit of an eventful journey – about 20 minutes down the A12, the engine warning light came on! Given that the car had only been serviced and MOT’d the day before I thought this was a bit odd. I called up the AA, and they basically said if you haven’t noticed any performance degradation or anything like that, it was probably just an engine sensor gone wrong (or something like that). Nothing to worry about, carry on as normal and get it checked out by a garage when you can. Well, that delayed us by a bit, and then we also got delayed on the M25 by roadworks and the like. So we finally got to Evercreech at about 3:30ish! A fair bit later than we were intending, but still.

We said hello to the Dawkins, and then checked in at the Belfield House BnB where we were staying. It was a very nice place, and very cheap! I would definitely recommend it if you need to stay anywhere near Shepton Mallet. After that, we went back to Matthew and Ellie’s to have a very nice roast dinner, and then chatted for the rest of the evening.

On Friday morning we wandered around Shepton Mallet, finding out a bit about the local history, and having a go on some cool outdoor exercise machines in the park! After that we went round to Matthew and Ellie’s for lunch, and then headed over to King Alfred’s Tower for a couple of hours. (There are some photos on Matthew’s Facebook). Then we had dinner, watched ‘Outnumbered’, and just chatted until it was time to go!

Saturday morning we said our goodbyes and headed back – and had a much better journey, we were home by 2:00 (after leaving later)! It was a real joy to meet little Samuel (four months old now!), and it was sad to say goodbye, but we will see him – along with Matthew and Ellie – in a couple of weeks, which was a nice thought to leave on 🙂

In the evening we went round to Anne-Marie and Sarah’s house to watch Doctor Who and Ashes to Ashes, both of which were very good. I must admit, I do think I’m enjoying Ashes more than I’m enjoying Doctor Who at the moment – just because of the puzzle element of it! I just can’t see how they’re going to resolve all the questions, but I hope that they do. Just the kind of thing that keeps me watching something (kind of like Heroes season one, but better).

*phew* Sorry that was so long, I just like to keep abreast of what’s been going on. Hope you all had a good week anyway. Back to work for me this week, still. I am taking delivery of a PA system at some point, but that is a story for another blog post – when it arrives, hopefully this week!

Just to update on my TYSIC challenge (can’t be bothered to link back here)… I’ve been continuing on with it for the past week or so. I’ve now started to post updates on the actual site so you can find me there.

I probably won’t update much about it here from now on 😉

Well, the Moore Course is all over for another year few months (they usually run from October / November until March / April). I have to say I’m glad to see the back of it this year – not that I haven’t enjoyed the course, but working all day and then coming back home to do revision is actually quite wearing! We’ve got all our evenings pretty much free this weekend, which is the first time in absolutely ages that’s happened.

Anyway, the exam itself wasn’t too bad. I hesitate to say it went “well”, but really I just mean that in comparison with my expectations it could have been a heck of a lot worse! My marks have been going down steadily over the past few years though so I expect that will probably happen again. I will be annoyed if I failed though. I think that’s unlikely, but then you can never really tell.

Aaaaanyway, after the exam we went to lunch with the others who had done the exam. We had a nice lunch at the Sun Inn at Dedham (where we usually go). I had a lovely Ploughman’s, which had a variety of excellent cheeses. After that we went home briefly, and then we were out again for the “JOY” event. that was a youth event for churches in Colchester, which actually seemed to go pretty well. There must have been around 80 or so young people there – enough to make it busy and worthwhile, but not so many that it was too packed. I think they all enjoyed it as well, there was a great atmosphere!

So that was Saturday. Then on Sunday we went to church in the morning, with Jo and Evie, then came back for lunch (and I mowed the lawn for the first time this year – couldn’t believe how long the grass was!). Afterwards we went out to Fordham for a Bach Motet (Jesu Meine Freude — ‘Jesus, My Joy’) which was beautiful.

Apparently it was composed by Bach for the wife of a civil cervant (a postmaster general or something like that) who had died. It seems a bit wrong somehow that Diana, when she died in 1997, got a recycled pop song. This woman, although I don’t think she was ‘important’, got one of Bach’s most famous and beautiful pieces.

After the Bach it was Sunday@6, and afterwards we went round to Jo’s for some Wii action. So there you have it, that was our weekend!

… when I say that, I don’t mean that I have any problem with the content of Ephesians. It’s just getting to the stage where I want the exam to be over already! Maybe then I could get my evenings back. Still. We haven’t been up to much over the past few days – the usual really.

Last Friday was the last 21 of this term, as there’s a youth event called ‘JOY’ this Saturday, and then after that it’s Good Friday. After Easter we have the week off work (take four days off, get two thrown in for free! – bargain).

Anyway. On Saturday, Phil’s parents came up in order for us to put up some trellis. We went to the garden centre in the morning to buy it, and then came back home – only to find that we couldn’t put it up! The reason was, the posts supporting the back fence are far too unstable. I think we need to get the back fence replaced, unfortunately, so we had to shelve the trellis idea. Still we did manage to have a productive day – we put in a couple of new plants in the garden, and bought a new standard lamp.

On Sunday, apart from church in the morning, we spent most of the day revising! We did go out to the park with Jo and Evie and have an ice cream, and then fed the ducks! It was a lovely day, would have been a shame to waste it by staying inside for most of it.

So that’s pretty much the weekend. The only other thing I have to report is that I have arranged a meeting with the DDO (or, to be more specific, the assistant DDO) for 13th April. So my application is moving on slowly! Exciting stuff, even if my going into ministry is still (a) to be decided; (b) even if it is, a long way off!

That’s all from me for now anyway. I’ll probably just be revising the rest of this week, it will be so good to have the exam all out of the way on Saturday!

Just a very quick update on TYSIC. I’ve been doing well the past couple of days, I’ve spent some time practicing slowly. I’m still finding it difficult to force myself to actually practice things at a slow speed and ensure they’re perfect, but I think I’m doing better than I was.

I started learning the intro to ‘I bet you look good on the dancefloor’ by the Arctic Monkeys earlier and actually seemed to pick it up pretty quickly. So obviously the work I’ve been doing has somewhat paid off – even if the intro is actually pretty simple! And I’ve started working on my power chords as well which I’ve never really had to use before, but think might be useful.

Oh, and I’ve started an exercise about finding notes on the fretboard. So, in general there’s about a million and one things to do, but I’m getting there!

Another quick update about the weekend. On Friday night we helped out at 21, which was mostly preparing for the youth service on Sunday night.

Then on Saturday we did some shopping in the morning, followed by some Moore Course revision in the afternoon (the exam is on 27th, so just under two weeks left to go now. It will go by quickly!) Then, in the evening we had AJ and Jen round for dinner. We made a curry, and it seemed to go very well. AJ even took a picture of the bombay potatoes in the dish and set it as his phone wallpaper! I’m not quite sure why, but they did look good. Afterwards we played games, mainly a game called “Cranium” – which was great fun, although it was probably one of those evenings where you had to be there – and then we played Uno. It’s the kind of evening we should really do more often!

Anyway. On Sunday we went to the Mothering Sunday service in the morning, then back for lunch and a bit more revision, then out again for the youth service. So, there you have it, that was our weekend!

On his blog, Mark Watson recently started up an idea called the Ten Year Self Improvement Challenge (TYSIC for short). Readers of his blog were asked to submit things which they wanted to accomplish over the next ten years, and it would form some sort of community of people working on it together.

I didn’t post anything up at the time (the official start date was 4th March) but, on reflection, I’ve decided to take up the challenge. Here’s my TYSIC:

I’ve always lacked discipline when learning an instrument. At the piano, I always used to (and still do) learn things up until I can sort of play them… and then stop. I’m finding it the same at the guitar as well: I learn things up until I can “sort of” play them… and then stop. Well, no more. My aim is, over the next ten years, to try and get actually good at playing the guitar. (I say guitar, I didn’t want to be too ambitious and I already play the piano to an extent I’m relatively happy with … I might extend to the piano as well depending on how it goes).

So, from now on, when I practice guitar – and I’m going to try and do at least 10-15 minutes every day – I’m going to be doing the things no-one really likes doing: scales, finger exercises, and generally playing solos really really slowly to make sure that I’ve got them perfectly. We’ll see how it goes, but I started last night and felt better as a result!

I thought as well that it would be better to do this as TYSIC rather than just an aim of mine, because the TYSIC community will hopefully keep reminding me of this!

I’ll update here from time to time with my progress.

Well, not really, but I was on Saturday. For most of the day. The reason was, on Friday night we had the 21 overnighter. Now, I’d love to tell you why it was an overnighter, but the truth is I’m not really sure… we basically spent an hour or so playing games / praying for the ‘JOY’ event that’s happening in a couple of weeks, and then spent a couple of hours playing on the Wii or watching a film (the former for the boys, the latter for the girls) and then we went to sleep. Well, that is to say, some of us went to sleep.

I tried to go to sleep, but I met with limited success. AJ had left the heating on so it was very warm in the barn (it didn’t help that I was in a sleeping bag which was rated down to -9! I guess it will come in useful at the weekend away though – last year I was too cold in the sleeping bag I had), also I was sleeping on an airbed which was not the most comfortable think in the world. So I was pretty tired by the time morning came round!

Still, it was a good night. The kids really seemed to enjoy it anyway, so that was positive.

On Saturday we did a bit of shopping. I bought a couple of new CDs (Seasick Steve’s album, which I’ve wanted to get for a while now, and also ‘Is This It’ by The Strokes which I’ve always seen but never got round to actually buying before. They were on offer in HMV…) I also bought the Black Books box set (three series of comedy brilliance for £12, bargain), and I also bought a new shirt and trousers for work. In the evening we didn’t do much! Anne-Marie came round and stayed for dinner, and we watched some Black Books and Frasier, so it was quite a relaxing evening which I think we needed!

On Sunday we had church in the morning, as per usual – although as per, well, not usual – I was down to lead. Only I didn’t. Unfortunately I only found out about it this week, and due to one thing and another I felt like I couldn’t really lead! So I will have to lead that service some other time. Not really a big issue though. Then, in the evening we went to Sunday@6 and afterwards watched ‘Lark Rise’.

So that’s pretty much our weekend! Not much going on this week, tomorrow evening Anne-Marie and Sarah are coming round and we’re going to watch the last part of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ series 2. Apparently the two final episodes are some of the best TV the BBC put out last year, so I’m quite looking forward to it!