After a few well aimed emails, I am pleased - and indeed a little proud to say that the scaffolding outside the flats is beginning to disappear. The bits that I am directly concerned with, outside my balcony and above it blocking the light are completely dismantled and it looks like the rest are on the way down as well.
Sounds like a little think but it is SO much bigger than that. It means that everything on the balcony has a decent amount of light again. My chillies have light as well as heat, my tomatoes might also ripen and will stop being drawn towards the little light that was left. The rest of the plants hopefully will return to flowering and the cacti that I have inside will get back to growing and flowering.
I think that it is telling that the council have pretty much passed the buck at every stage and refused to answer any of my emails. On the other hand, the contractors, Ian Williams Ltd, have been extremely helpful white their contractors on site and in their email responses. Not looking too good for Wiltshire Council then!
Wiltshire Council, I call you out! I pay council tax every month, you are MY employee! Why do you not even answer my emails? Maybe I will ignore your requests for payment for a wile?! I bet that doesn't last me too long huh? I bet I get some hardcore, badass debt collector later within a few days! So where does that leave your lack of answers to my emails?!
None the less, a little victory that means far more than the deeds that have created it,
Lord, I thank you for the little things
And for those who make them happen.
May they be blessed,
Even though they may not know the significance of what they do.
For those of us who benefit from their actions,
May we realise that our gratitude is best shared,
By doing deeds that will bring benefit to others.
And passing on the little things that make life that much better.
IJN, Amen.
Showing posts with label prayers answered. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayers answered. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
2013 review / New years resolutions
OK, so I'm starting the new year with a glass of champagne for breakfast - dart the way you mean to go on as far as I'm concerned. Then it'll be roast duck for lunch, cooked by my own hand... It's all starting to be a yearly tradition.
Anyway to the review. Looking back at what I said this time last year, there were a few areas that I challenged myself on:
1. Eating. - Doing well, I have managed to pretty much stick to 5 controlled days and 2 naughty days per week. There's been the occasional slip- and the occasional deliberate subversion of the rules. Anyway, mission accomplished.
2. Drinking. - so I'm now down to drinking 2 nights per week, usually on the 'naughty' days, with food, but occasionally I have separated them.
3. Hygiene. - Big change, I have re-discovered Lush bath bombs! More than happy to spend hours in the bath now! Only down side is that my water bill has gone up as a result!
4. Exercise. - BIG WIN! I've been going to the gym regularly, usually around 3 times a week, commitments permitting. The results have been astounding - I have lost 4st 13lb in a year! I was so desperately trying to get to the 5stone mark but ultimately I am not going to lie or cheat myself. I missed the 5 stone (just) but it's still an epic win. I also have the beginnings of a 'body' starting to develop, my weight living capacity has improved vastly and I have some serious muscle tone underneath once I can shift the rest of the fat.
Also this year a truly unexpected event has happened. What started as a major threat to life stability ahas turned out to be a massive opportunity for progress. I now own my own home. Having been given notice to vacate due to the land lady selling up, I was able to put together the finances to purchase the property myself.
I have also managed to achieve another big move forward - I have sorted out my long term finances with various investments and protections, through the advice of my finical adviser, plus I managed to get shares in the Post Office.
SO all in all, it's been a year of good achievement and of notable progress.
I think at this point I need to stop and give thanks to God for what I have received. I am truly grateful. I think that I have achieved much of this through my own effort, but with the Lords grace and favour to provide the opportunities and to give me the strength to actually see through the intentions that I have started with so many times before.
SO we move on to this year, the big '14... What am I going to target myself to achieve? What will I ask the Lord to give me the strength and opportunity to achieve?
Well, I think I want to carry on with the weight loss a little further, I have come so far but not yet reached my target goal. I also need to make good on a 'pinky swear' that I made with a friend - to actually bite the bullet and get into online dating and begin the process of finding a partner.
So in short, I think 2014 is a year of consolidation in many respects. Last year I changed who I physically am, this year I need to learn to accept that, become confident in that and begin to realise the worth in it. And so I set my goals thusly;
Weight / Gym:
To loose a further amount of weight with a joint goal of reaching either 11.5 stone (a 1 stone 8 lb reduction from where I am) OR to reach 25% body fat (currently 32%). I choose this as a joint goal as I also intend to focus far more on the body building and weight lifting which will result in some muscle gain and increase in weight through that.
To reach a stage where I am confident enough to go shirtless when I am on holiday in France next year - subjective I know - and I'm the one used to using SMART objectives! However, it's important for 2 reasons, firstly it's an obvious visual measure of my success, but secondly it's also a confidence thing...
Lord, please grant me the self belief and confidence to achieve this.
Personal Life
To find the right place to start looking for love online, to avoid the meat market of the less moral on line dating sites in the hope of finding someone with similar values who might actually be interested in me as a person.
Lord, please grant me the guidance to avoid situations that would have me compromise my moral values and show me to somewhere that I may actually find people that I have a chance of happiness with.
Other
To consolidate on what I have achieved in 2013, to make good to those who have helped me along the way and to make sure that what I have is secure.
Lord, you gave me so much last year and I am truly thankful. Please help me to get back to my Faith and the strength that it gives me, to find the way forward to people that I can share my life with.
Please help me to appreciate what I have and to see the way forward to better myself and be happy.
It's a selfish ask, I know, but once I am strong, I can use that strength to help others.
IJN, Amen
Anyway to the review. Looking back at what I said this time last year, there were a few areas that I challenged myself on:
1. Eating. - Doing well, I have managed to pretty much stick to 5 controlled days and 2 naughty days per week. There's been the occasional slip- and the occasional deliberate subversion of the rules. Anyway, mission accomplished.
2. Drinking. - so I'm now down to drinking 2 nights per week, usually on the 'naughty' days, with food, but occasionally I have separated them.
3. Hygiene. - Big change, I have re-discovered Lush bath bombs! More than happy to spend hours in the bath now! Only down side is that my water bill has gone up as a result!
4. Exercise. - BIG WIN! I've been going to the gym regularly, usually around 3 times a week, commitments permitting. The results have been astounding - I have lost 4st 13lb in a year! I was so desperately trying to get to the 5stone mark but ultimately I am not going to lie or cheat myself. I missed the 5 stone (just) but it's still an epic win. I also have the beginnings of a 'body' starting to develop, my weight living capacity has improved vastly and I have some serious muscle tone underneath once I can shift the rest of the fat.
Also this year a truly unexpected event has happened. What started as a major threat to life stability ahas turned out to be a massive opportunity for progress. I now own my own home. Having been given notice to vacate due to the land lady selling up, I was able to put together the finances to purchase the property myself.
I have also managed to achieve another big move forward - I have sorted out my long term finances with various investments and protections, through the advice of my finical adviser, plus I managed to get shares in the Post Office.
SO all in all, it's been a year of good achievement and of notable progress.
I think at this point I need to stop and give thanks to God for what I have received. I am truly grateful. I think that I have achieved much of this through my own effort, but with the Lords grace and favour to provide the opportunities and to give me the strength to actually see through the intentions that I have started with so many times before.
SO we move on to this year, the big '14... What am I going to target myself to achieve? What will I ask the Lord to give me the strength and opportunity to achieve?
Well, I think I want to carry on with the weight loss a little further, I have come so far but not yet reached my target goal. I also need to make good on a 'pinky swear' that I made with a friend - to actually bite the bullet and get into online dating and begin the process of finding a partner.
So in short, I think 2014 is a year of consolidation in many respects. Last year I changed who I physically am, this year I need to learn to accept that, become confident in that and begin to realise the worth in it. And so I set my goals thusly;
Weight / Gym:
To loose a further amount of weight with a joint goal of reaching either 11.5 stone (a 1 stone 8 lb reduction from where I am) OR to reach 25% body fat (currently 32%). I choose this as a joint goal as I also intend to focus far more on the body building and weight lifting which will result in some muscle gain and increase in weight through that.
To reach a stage where I am confident enough to go shirtless when I am on holiday in France next year - subjective I know - and I'm the one used to using SMART objectives! However, it's important for 2 reasons, firstly it's an obvious visual measure of my success, but secondly it's also a confidence thing...
Lord, please grant me the self belief and confidence to achieve this.
Personal Life
To find the right place to start looking for love online, to avoid the meat market of the less moral on line dating sites in the hope of finding someone with similar values who might actually be interested in me as a person.
Lord, please grant me the guidance to avoid situations that would have me compromise my moral values and show me to somewhere that I may actually find people that I have a chance of happiness with.
Other
To consolidate on what I have achieved in 2013, to make good to those who have helped me along the way and to make sure that what I have is secure.
Lord, you gave me so much last year and I am truly thankful. Please help me to get back to my Faith and the strength that it gives me, to find the way forward to people that I can share my life with.
Please help me to appreciate what I have and to see the way forward to better myself and be happy.
It's a selfish ask, I know, but once I am strong, I can use that strength to help others.
IJN, Amen
Thursday, 25 July 2013
A smallNyA period of time can make a big difference.
OK, so the house purchase is all complete and I am now the lord in my own manner (so to speak). In the process of leaving my old bank (HSBC) they managed to damage my credit record and use my details without my consent - breaching the Data Protection Act. They have offered to settle out of court for an amount that pleases me so that is now all tied up and I have finally cancelled my accounts with them and closed that chapter.
So despite the stress of the past few weeks everything has pretty much come back on track so far. Now the biggest worry that I have is that my decision to paint the bathroom olive green looks like a big mistake. It was originally sage green and I think that I'll have to stick with that - I just don't like it very much!
On the work front, I had a 7 dayer last week and I've got another next week - that means cash money pounds of overtime. Probably just as well as it looks like I might not be getting much of a bonus next month. If you cant get a bonus, get some overtime! They can't take the overtime away even if the work fucks up on the other aspects. Overtime is always a safe bet!
Anyway, the project to renovate the bathroom and kitchen in my new place carries on. Ive re-grouted the bathroom, replaced the shower, replaced the silicone sealant around the bath and sink and repainted all the whitework. There's still the walls to do - when I can decide a colour - and then its on to the kitchen.
I've already made a start in there too - but mostly with the little bits. Seeing as I had a tube of silicone open it seemed sensible to do the silicone round the kitchen sink before the tube went off, so that's been done. The grout on the tiles was fine but a little discoloured so I have freshened that up with some grout reviver and it looks like new. I've also replaced the shitty carpet remnant that passed for a floor mat in front of the cooker with something a little nicer looking.
I did have a clock lined up to replace the nasty piece of crap that's on the wall right now but the courier has smashed it up - thanks My Hermes... nicely done! What did you do to it? From the looks of the box (and the footprint on it) someone stood on it! Nice, thanks for that. Never mind the 'fragile' labels all over it, just tread on it - it'll be alright, some sucker will sign for it anyway... Doesn't matter really, I'm getting refunded from the seller - the only irritation is that it was an ebay purchase, used. There's nothing else like it on ebay right now and no way of getting another one. So the search continues.
Right now the UK is being hit by a massive heatwave - 30+ degrees a day. For anyone overseas, you may be used to hotter, but here in the UK that's pretty unusual. The heat is nice, I like it but it is having a detrimental effect on my plants on my balcony, they're looking pretty sick - and in some cases they've been toasted to a frazzle! Going down the gym is a nightmare as they don't seem to have heard about air-con. If it's 30 outside, its 40 in there! How are you meant to work out in that?! Weights, fine - just about. But cardio work - in 40 degree heat. How about NO?! So the only thing I can do is try to keep control of my eating and compensate for the fact that I am not working out as often as I want to. I am still managing 2x a week but my eating is slipping a bit. More precisely, my drinking has crept up again. The weight loss is still continuing to a degree but I am sure it is not as efficient as it could be. I need to revisit and regroup.
But right now, I need to give thanks and praise. Thanks to my family, who have carried me through from down here on earth. Thanks to God, who has moved mountains and guided me from on high. Somehow the seas have parted and I have found my way safely to the other side.
Praise be to the Lord
So despite the stress of the past few weeks everything has pretty much come back on track so far. Now the biggest worry that I have is that my decision to paint the bathroom olive green looks like a big mistake. It was originally sage green and I think that I'll have to stick with that - I just don't like it very much!
On the work front, I had a 7 dayer last week and I've got another next week - that means cash money pounds of overtime. Probably just as well as it looks like I might not be getting much of a bonus next month. If you cant get a bonus, get some overtime! They can't take the overtime away even if the work fucks up on the other aspects. Overtime is always a safe bet!
Anyway, the project to renovate the bathroom and kitchen in my new place carries on. Ive re-grouted the bathroom, replaced the shower, replaced the silicone sealant around the bath and sink and repainted all the whitework. There's still the walls to do - when I can decide a colour - and then its on to the kitchen.
I've already made a start in there too - but mostly with the little bits. Seeing as I had a tube of silicone open it seemed sensible to do the silicone round the kitchen sink before the tube went off, so that's been done. The grout on the tiles was fine but a little discoloured so I have freshened that up with some grout reviver and it looks like new. I've also replaced the shitty carpet remnant that passed for a floor mat in front of the cooker with something a little nicer looking.
I did have a clock lined up to replace the nasty piece of crap that's on the wall right now but the courier has smashed it up - thanks My Hermes... nicely done! What did you do to it? From the looks of the box (and the footprint on it) someone stood on it! Nice, thanks for that. Never mind the 'fragile' labels all over it, just tread on it - it'll be alright, some sucker will sign for it anyway... Doesn't matter really, I'm getting refunded from the seller - the only irritation is that it was an ebay purchase, used. There's nothing else like it on ebay right now and no way of getting another one. So the search continues.
Right now the UK is being hit by a massive heatwave - 30+ degrees a day. For anyone overseas, you may be used to hotter, but here in the UK that's pretty unusual. The heat is nice, I like it but it is having a detrimental effect on my plants on my balcony, they're looking pretty sick - and in some cases they've been toasted to a frazzle! Going down the gym is a nightmare as they don't seem to have heard about air-con. If it's 30 outside, its 40 in there! How are you meant to work out in that?! Weights, fine - just about. But cardio work - in 40 degree heat. How about NO?! So the only thing I can do is try to keep control of my eating and compensate for the fact that I am not working out as often as I want to. I am still managing 2x a week but my eating is slipping a bit. More precisely, my drinking has crept up again. The weight loss is still continuing to a degree but I am sure it is not as efficient as it could be. I need to revisit and regroup.
But right now, I need to give thanks and praise. Thanks to my family, who have carried me through from down here on earth. Thanks to God, who has moved mountains and guided me from on high. Somehow the seas have parted and I have found my way safely to the other side.
Praise be to the Lord
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Messengers
Sometimes the Lord seems to choose the strangest messengers. Sometimes the message isn't quite what you were expecting! I went to see an old friend yesterday - I haven't seen them for nearly a year, last time was at their wedding. Anyway, besides the realisation that I need to make an effort to see them more often, comes the the strangest of experiences.
Firstly, their wife, who I have to admit that I don't really know that well yet as I have only met her a couple of times, starts having a whole heart to heart with me about finding the right person and how I still have time to have a family etc. That really is a strange conversation to have with someone that you don't really know but it felt like a natural conversation. I think it's fair to say that I really wasn't expecting that kind of message. More to the point, I am really happy with the sentiment of it. I mean. it's what I really wanted to hear. Somehow I just have to believe that it will happen. The only thing that might cause a set back is the 'problem'. I guess I have to believe that for the right person, it wont be a problem any more and that there will be a way around things.
Secondly, having spent the day around their two little ones I suddenly realise that looking after children is not as hard as I though it was going to be. Ok, yes I know that it was only one day but both of them were feeling under the weather and playing up a bit and I felt absolutely fine dealing with it all. In the afternoon we went out for a bit and I ended up looking after one of them for a while and dealing with what they were throwing at me. I think that I coped pretty well. Yes I'm sure that there is much that I have to learn and at some point in the future if I have kids they will have me pulling my hair out and ready to scream blue murder - but the first work of not being able to do it has gone. Also, despite being a majorly big kid at heart, I've always found it difficult to know what to say to kids when they are too young to have an adult level conversation. I think I learned a fair amount on that front too, not perfected the technique yet but I learned so much in the space of 12 hours that I honestly believe that if I need to learn 'on the job' in the future, I can do it.
So there we go, an unexpected message, a very strange choice of messenger - but thank you none the less. Maybe when I fasted a while back, it took a little time for the answer to be given. I really feel like so much of what was on my mind has had an answer given. Not all of it, there was a question over my career too, but the idea of having a family and finding someone to settle down with is far more important and frankly something that I would rather focus on, God willing.
Firstly, their wife, who I have to admit that I don't really know that well yet as I have only met her a couple of times, starts having a whole heart to heart with me about finding the right person and how I still have time to have a family etc. That really is a strange conversation to have with someone that you don't really know but it felt like a natural conversation. I think it's fair to say that I really wasn't expecting that kind of message. More to the point, I am really happy with the sentiment of it. I mean. it's what I really wanted to hear. Somehow I just have to believe that it will happen. The only thing that might cause a set back is the 'problem'. I guess I have to believe that for the right person, it wont be a problem any more and that there will be a way around things.
Secondly, having spent the day around their two little ones I suddenly realise that looking after children is not as hard as I though it was going to be. Ok, yes I know that it was only one day but both of them were feeling under the weather and playing up a bit and I felt absolutely fine dealing with it all. In the afternoon we went out for a bit and I ended up looking after one of them for a while and dealing with what they were throwing at me. I think that I coped pretty well. Yes I'm sure that there is much that I have to learn and at some point in the future if I have kids they will have me pulling my hair out and ready to scream blue murder - but the first work of not being able to do it has gone. Also, despite being a majorly big kid at heart, I've always found it difficult to know what to say to kids when they are too young to have an adult level conversation. I think I learned a fair amount on that front too, not perfected the technique yet but I learned so much in the space of 12 hours that I honestly believe that if I need to learn 'on the job' in the future, I can do it.
So there we go, an unexpected message, a very strange choice of messenger - but thank you none the less. Maybe when I fasted a while back, it took a little time for the answer to be given. I really feel like so much of what was on my mind has had an answer given. Not all of it, there was a question over my career too, but the idea of having a family and finding someone to settle down with is far more important and frankly something that I would rather focus on, God willing.
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