General Chat

David, I think those words are a very small part of what's known as "St Patrick's Breastplate" prayer.
Google it and you will be able to read it all.

Good morning :-)


I went to church yesterday which was a bit emotional but the people are so loving and kind it helped a lot. As it happens, there is a lady in the choir whose husband died a couple of days before mine - so there were two of us in the same boat!

I have ended up designing the service sheet - fortunately I enjoy doing that sort of thing and the undertaker is very impressed!

Now for today's prayer....


Bless the work we do,
the words we say,
the love we share
and the grace we show,
on our daily walk
through this beautiful
and precious world. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

You will be well supported from your church family Cynthia. Well done for designing the service sheet for your husband's funeral on Friday. Ongoing thoughts and prayers from us all on this thread X

Heavy rain again this morning, may everyone experience showers of blessings all day today.

<3 <3 Cynthia <3 <3

<3 Cynthia <3

<3 <3 <3

Good morning :-)

Another day and another check through what needs to be done. It seems never-ending.


Today is Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day

“Shrove” is the past tense of the verb “shrive” – “to obtain absolution for oneself by confessing and doing penance”.

Today is a day of celebration as well as penitence because it's the last day before Lent. Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Giving up foods: but not wasting them.

In the old days, there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent: foods such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods. So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going off.


My OH was the pancake maker - it was about the only thing he could cook.....not sure what I am doing yet but I do like them - just sugar and lemon for me!

Love to all

Cx :-)

Hello all

Ongoing support in prayer Cynthia as you work though another difficult day.

Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day today and it's the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins.

Feast and then Fast. Enjoy your pancakes everyone.
Sugar and orange juice for me please.

My thoughts are also with Cynthia at this time <3

(((hugs))) for Cynthia and family

We still make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I make the batter, we each cook our own but OH always tosses his ......... with success. Too many of mine have hit the floor or even the ceiling when I tried to toss the, so I turn them with a spatula.

We're in our second year of experimenting with making pancakes with Gluten-free flour as well as soy milk! I was in pretty bad shape after physio earlier in the day, so OH made the batter under instruction from me, and cooked all the pancakes. Interesting time because I'm still adjusting our new "recipe"!

Sugar and lemon juice only for both of us.

If there's any batter left over, OH will have pancakes for his dessert the next day ....... sometimes with lemon juice and sugar, sometimes with jam or marmalade, fruit syrup, or maple syrup.

<3 Cynthia <3

Psalm 139 : 14

Good morning :-)

I made pancakes yesterday - not sure that they were up to the standard of my husband's though. :-(


And so Lent begins.....today is Ash Wednesday. For the next 40 days, we will be journeying with the Lent Course set by the Archbishops. This is their message to us...

"This Lent, we hope both adults and children might engage in God’s plea for us to “Care for Creation”. It is an opportunity for us to rebuild our relationship with our planet, and in turn with the God who is Lord of everything."
So, grab a coffee and off we go....??


On Ash Wednesday, many Christians begin Lent by receiving the sign of the cross in ash on their forehead. The words spoken – “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return ... ” – echo the words in Genesis which describes God forming Adam “from the dust of the ground”.

This image is a timely reminder that human beings and the earth are closely linked. Everyone and everything is part of the community of creation.

A suggestion....Give up something to help the environment.

During Lent we remember that Jesus spent 40 days going without food and comfort in the wilderness.
Could you give up something this Lent that would save electricity, plastic, waste or water?

If you have any good ideas or thoughts on this, please post them here.



I am going to give the '40 days 40 items' challenge a go. Each day you put something you no longer need, use or wear in a box and then take it to a charity shop at the end of Lent. Any other ideas?

Cx :-)

<3 <3 <3

Hello all

Ongoing prayerful support for Cynthia and family as they approach the heartbreaking funeral on Friday.X

I hope to go to the Ashing Service tonight. Always very humbling and emotional for me.

I will be putting one food item into a box each day during the Lent 40 day period and then hand these to our Curate Sarah who helps run the local food bank

Hello all

Ongoing prayerful support for Cynthia and family as they approach the heartbreaking funeral on Friday.X

I hope to go to the Ashing Service tonight. Always very humbling and emotional for me.

I will be putting one food item into a box each day during the Lent 40 day period and then hand these to our Curate Sarah who helps run the local food bank

Tonight my thoughts and prayers are for a friend
of my grand daughter who died today Aged 22.
Rest in peace sweetheart <3

oh, Emma ....... that's far too young

RIP to her

Good evening

Oh Emma, how sad. RIP young friend


I have made a start, at long last, by buying a small reusable bottle/flask for each of us. We will fill them with tap water so we no longer buy bottled water in plastic when we go out. I also intend to sort out some cupboards and send as much as possible to the charity shop, along with a few extra items for the food bank. But I was thinking that none of this is much of a sacrifice on my part and tried to consider what could I give up that mattered to me but could help someone else. I am a book hoarder and love my books and seldom give any up, so I am going to make myself donate several to charity where they might raise a few pounds and give others pleasure when they read them.

Thinking of all those affected by the flooding and sending (((hugs))) to Cynthia.

Good morning :-)

That is just so sad Emma....... :-( <3

I like your ideas Vera and kandj - I will be doing something similar - hopefully.

For today:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth … Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his …


The accounts of creation found in Genesis, in the Psalms and elsewhere in the Bible convey a central truth: God is the ultimate creator of everything, the source of all goodness, a God to be worshipped and feared.

Each Sunday millions of Christians recite the Nicene Creed: “We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth … ” But do we remember God as creator enough elsewhere in our worship in church or our own prayers?

Thank God for making the world
The Bible shows us that God is not only concerned about the people he has made but about the whole of creation. Thank God for giving life to everyone and everything – perhaps find a hymn or a song to sing.


Cx :-)

Hello all

I went along to the ashes service last night, we had two other churches join us, so a nearly full church.

I spoke to a friend last night and she is putting 40p into a jar daily throughout the 40 days of Lent and plans to hand the money over to help the homeless.

Aww Emma, my heart goes out to the young girls family and friends. May she RIP, God bless her.


Bright but bitterly cold this morning with rain forecast for later today. Keep warm and keep well everyone.

Ongoing prayerful support for Cynthia and family X