Ten Per Cent!

Friday was forecast to be damp, so off we went in search of water crystals, a mousemat  and other sundries. First stop was to be a garden centre.

It was drizzling when we arrived at Cherry Lane,
but even so I couldn't resist stopping to take a photo of scarlet virginia creeper and michaelmas daises,
which lurked edgily in the hedgerow at the perimeter of the car park.
Despite the precipitation we were on the trail of water storing crystals.
Frustratingly, I purchased some a few months ago,
but they have disappeared.

Large plant pots at the front of our house are scheduled to be replanted with fresh compost.
It would seemed sensible to add some water crystals to the mix at the same time  - to help keep the compost damp and reduce the amout of watering required to prevent the premature demise of the plants.

As I type, a large verbena cannot decide if it wants to live or die, after I failed to water it in early September.
The pots are very close to the house so very little rain ever reaches them and daily watering is required during very hot weather.

Despite it being the wrong time of year
a member of staff successfully located some crystals for us.
No doubt the missing ones will now decide that it is safe to reappear!


In the clothing department I discovered this 'Marmite' top - so called because you either love or hate it.
My fellow shopper was less than impressed,
but I thought it would look great with black trousers.

We moved on into the centre of Worcester,
as my fellow traveller wanted to check out a cafe.

Rain had been forecast,
but I did not anticapte the deluge that descended
just as we were about to leave the cafe!
The lunchtime rush was over.
As no-one was waiting for a table
we delayed departing by five minutes or so,
until the rain had reduced to being 'very wet'
as opposed to 'torrential'.






We made several interesting purchases, before finding ourselves in a certain department store, where I was tempted by a blue coat.
"Would you like to open a store card?" asked the helpful assistant, "It will only take five minutes. You will get 10% off your coat AND a voucher for the cafe..."
I knew it would take longer than the given time, but the thought of a 10% discount won me over
The assistant read out the essential fiancial blurb,
and I answered the questions.
We were making good progress.
I recalled being stood at the same desk about three years ago.

"Last time I tried to open a card here the system crashed. They gave me the 10% anyway..." I reminisced.
The assistant looked at me
"You're joking?!"
"Nope!"
"Because it has done it again! You have crashed our software!"
"That is really weird, because it was the same till point..."
The assistant apologised profusely and, just like last time, gave me the discount anyway!

When I got home, DH was so pleased with the new tap he had fitted, that he didn't notice my new, blue coat. I stood in the middle of the hall, looking at him for several minutes until he finally  noticed...
"Is that a new coat?" he enquired
"Yes!"
"Haven't you already got a coat?" he asked bravely.
"Yes, but it isn't really fit to go anywhere decent!" I explained.
The thought of the 10% discount cheered him up though!

It Takes a Church to be Church

As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child,
so it takes a church to put on an event that reaches out to the local community.

This week we held our fourteenth Afternoon Tea Service,
when we threw open the doors of the church and served afternoon tea -
sumptuous sandwiches,
choicest cakes,
stately savouries
and lashings of tea and coffee to lubricate the vocal chords and keep the conversation flowing.

As with any event it is the people who are seen to be doing who get the recognition.
It is easy to know who they are as they are the ones wearing the brightly coloured aprons
(orange this month to reflect the palatte of autumn).
They are the volunteers who serve the plates of food and top up the tea cups.
However, all their efforts would be in vain without the backing and support of both the church and local community.

The Chatterers 
They may not have been on a  'sharing-your-faith-in-ten-easy-steps course' but they intuitively enable the conversation to flow around the tea tables, drawing the quieter ones ito the dialogue and are always ready to listen to the words of others.

The Responders
Those who take up the invitation to come. Some came to the very next Afternoon Tea Service, others mulled the idea over for a while before crossing the threshold.

The Inviters 
Those who have been brave enough to hand over invitations and suggest that friends or family might like to come. They take a risk - what if they say no? Will it strain the friendship? Fortunately they often say yes, but we never assume...

The Converted
Those who have been, had a wonderful time, and make it a priority to attend and tell everyone how good it is!.

The 'Turn-Up'ers
Those who appear each time, swelling the merry throng. We are so grateful to you.

Food Preparers
Who survived the online food handling course. They passed, of course - they are such stars! Faithfully prepare fresh food, without which there could be no Afternoon Tea Service.

Donators 
Those who roll up with a box of cakes, or little packet of something to swell the feast. We never know what delights they will bring and their gifts are always appreciated.

Clearer Uppers
Who at the end of our allotted time discretely begin to clear the tables, chucking the rubbish and loading the dishwasher -  providing those who have been busily serving with the opportunity to chat with guests.

Pray-ers
They may not even be present,
but they are supporting the event in prayer.

However the foundation of such an event go back further:-
To those who taught us the importance of being welcoming.
To those who had the vision to build the church.
To those who worshipped here when the church was only a vague hope for sometime in the future
To those who look after the building and ensure it is a place of welcome.


It takes a church to put on an event.
Many people, each contributing according to their gifts, talents and time.

It takes a church to be Church

High Maintenance

"So you need to be at W______  for 6pm..."
"Yes, but the KHT is late home, and won't be ready by then,
so you will need to take me and come back and pick her up and take her to her sports club."
"Then I will join you at W, and take you home, before the church maintenance meeting at 7:30pm, which I will leave at 7:50pm to collect the KHT, drop her home and then return to the meeting."
DH outlines the exciting schedule ahead of him as household taxi.
"I have set an alarm on my watch"he announced.

Later that evening the KHT reappeared in the kitchen.
"Does anyone know an electrical expert?
"Dad will be home soon."
"No, I want an electrical expert!"


DH returned from his meeting
to a leaking pipe under the sink.
The cupboard is emptied
onto one of the armchairs in the kitchen.
From church maintenance to household maintenance - never a dull moment for the lucky churchwarden.











I go upstairs.
The KHT's bedroom light is off.
I open the door and throw the jacket, which had been abandoned in the lounge,
in the direction of the bed.
A muffled cry of outrage emerges from the darkness.
I recall the random conversation from earlier about the need for an electrical expert.
"Has your light blown?" I enquire.
"Well it hasn't been working since Thursday!" comes the indignant response.
"Why didn't you say!"
There is no answer, because we both know she can give no answer.
"I can lend you a small light."
"No, it is fine. I will just ignore it."

I go downstairs to where my husband has his head in the cupboard under the sink, trying to detect the source of the irritating leak.
"Just to add to your joy, the bulb has blown in the KHT's room."
Kitchen roll is spread on the shelves under the sink.
The precise location of the small but persisant seepage eludes him.
It will not be solved this evening.
DH switches his attention from plumbing to electrics
"Hmmm. Probably a bayonet fitting!"he announces and goes to find and fit a replacement bulb.

DH reappears in the kitchen
"It has not been working since Thursday!" he announces incredulously.
I provide no answer because we both know that there is no answer.

On the trail of Godiva

"What are your plans for the day?" enquired DH on Friday morning
"I shall be sent to Coventry!" I announced.
Nothing new there, pondered DH.

Later DH tried again.
"So where ARE you going today?"
"Coventry. I've seen mention of a market online, so we are going to investigate."
DH was still bemused that anyone would want to go to Coventry.
The road system is enough to put anyone off...
'Is there anything you would like me to get?"
"A fridge thermometer."
"No problemo," or so I imagined...

"Motorway or non-motorway?" enquired my fellow explorer.
I thought about the delights of the Midlands motorway network
and could hardly contain my excitement <joke>
"Non-motorway!"
The satnav took us on an interesting route, via Stratford.
Hardly the way I would have expected to go...
"Why didn't we just cut through Henley?"
"Maybe there was a hold up at the traffic lights?"
We will never know, for Satnavs never divulge the reasoning for the routes they choose.

The aforementioned satnav had been programmed
for the car park near the markets and the surprising blue glory of Coventry Ikea.
As we drove in signs announced that this was a ticketless car park - something we had not encountered before, but we were committed.
I suspect that they rely on CCTV, rather than just trusting that patrons will pay.

We headed off towards the shops.
Noticing a sign indicating access to the market
we found ourselves on a rooftop section of car park.
Alas, as we headed towards the sign advertising access to the market
we noticed that the roller shutter was down.
Muttering 'open sesame' was not going to gain us access.
Squinting through the windows of a large raised skylight we could see a roundabout beneath us.
Weirder and wierder...

My fellow explorer accosted an innocent looking man, who had just parked his car.
"How do we get to the market?"
He gave us a strange look,
as if to say 'why would you attempt to gain access to the market through the roof?'
and indicated back the way we had come.
We retraced our steps and somehow found ourselves on the level below.
Don't ask me how, because I really can't remember!

We soon located the market -
which appears to be circular,
with the odd circular skylight -
one of which definitely had a roundabout beneath it,
so I didn't dream that bit!

We attempted to explore the market using a sensible and logical approach,
but as there were some stalls selling the identical merchandise,
I was never quite sure whether we were passing stalls for the first, second or possibly third time.
We discovered a stall selling a vast array of kitchenware
"Do you have a fridge thermometer?" my fellow traveller enquired.
"Sorry," came the regretful reply. "They are on order, but they didn't come on the delivery."
"Never mind, I am sure we will find one somewhere."

At a stationary stall - I am such a sucker for stationery - I was delighted to discovered packs of six mini notebooks for £1 - perfect for the Christmas prize-a-time raffle.
"That is better than Amazon!" I observed.
I raided my purse for sufficient dosh to purchase two packs.
Locating the lady behind her towering display of christmas themed mechandise
was somewhat trickier.
I went one way, she went the other.
Finally the she emerged from the depths of her stall to take my money.
I happily stowed by goods in my bag.






The produce section of Coventry market is a joy to behold,
stalls loaded with a vast array of fresh food.










As we passed by the herb stalls
a pungent pot pouri of hebal fragrance
filled the air.

If you want fresh food,
this really is the place to come.
Once my town had a good market,
but even in its heyday
it was never as good as this.
Alas, I was not wanting to buy fruit and veg at this stage of our trip.
We should have saved the market until the end!






We were rather bemused by these strange contraptions dumped in the middle of the market. I assume they are barrows that get taken out into the streets on sunny days,
rather than the biers they resembled!







From the market we moved on through the shopping centre
until we emerged next to a flying saucer, sponsored by Cafe Nero.
Coventry is obviously very proud of this flying saucer
and has built a glass roof over the top to prevent it from escaping...







Next I decided that I wanted to buy a card.
Waterstones didn't have anything that met my need, but WHSmithcame up trumps.
I also admired the stationery and resisted...Have I mentioned that I am a sucker for stationery...
"Any good cookshops nearby?" my fellow explorer enquired of the lady at the till,
"We are looking for a fridge thermometer..."
"The assistant sadly shook her head, 
"You could try Wilkinsons..." she said doubtfully,
handing over my receipt
and a sheaf of promotions for MacDonalds.

We emerged from Smiths into another shopping arcade, with see-through lifts and escalators.
We stuck to the safety of the escalators.
"It's just like Watford!" 
declared my fellow raveller.
Debenhams disappointed in the fridge thermometer stakes.

Jurassic Cov

Heading towards the Cathedral.
we took a wrong turning
and paused to watch a mechanical dinosaur,
which was in the process of devouring a building.

Time for lunch.

The Slug and Lettuce got our custom.
It was quiet on a Friday lunchtime so we had a vast selection of tables to choose from.

Glory

After lunch we entered the nearby Cathedral.

It is always a delight to step into this amazing building 

and admire again the genius and vision of the architect

who designed this vast spiritual space.























I stood for some time admiring the beautiful metalwork of this cityscape - the different shapes and textures. 

Part of me wishes the plumbline was not quite so out of scale with the city. 

My fellow travellor would have prefered the city to have been suspended from the plumb line...

Two out of Three Aint Bad

It is always interesting watching a cathedral at work.
I observed as one of the vergers replenished the oil in the candles on top of these immense candlesticks.
The stepladder provides a sense of perspective.











Next we headed for the charity shops - no interesting necklaces to be found,
but we did discover some beautiful almshouses.
Ancient beams contrasting with the blue curves of the adjacent sports complex.
Coventry may not be a beautiful city, but it has plenty to interest a visitor.
One street resembed a timeline of business failures with BHS close to Thomas Cook.
We thought the M & S was closed too,
but it was actually open.
"Shall we go in?"
"Nah, I've moved on from M& S after they abandoned our town. They don't really interest me anymore."



We passed the rear entrance to Wilkinsons, but had no idea how to find the main entrance.
By now we had walked so far, that not even the thought of a fridge thermometre could lure us in.

We retraced our steps towards the fountain, admiring the fantastic voice of a young busker,  Jason Allan - here he is singing in another city.

Coventry, we will return, even if you do not sell fridge thermometers...