Beautiful slow motion video of a kitten

This is a beautiful slow motion video of a kitten. It's fascinating to watch.

Aurora Borealis - it's not always grim up north.

Flickr

Following recent solar flare activity, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) may possibly be seen in the north of Britain. The further north you are the more likely you are to see the lights - so it'll be better for the Scots - but you never know I might get to see it here in north-west England. However, we need good weather (clear skies), which we don't always get a lot of in t'Pennines!

It's all dependent on geomagnetic activity, not many of us non-scientists are aware of solar flares and geomagnetic activity, so we lesser beings can keep up with alerts via Twitter: @BGSauroraAlert

The best times are apparently late night/early morning, but it's all dependent on that geomagnetic activity. This is a bit difficult for me because I like to be snuggled down in bed by 11pm...is it worth staying up? LOL :)

Happy spotting!

Bits n' Bobs

~Family~

I've not been to church this morning as Squidge was taken poorly last night with a tummy-bug. Poor little thing. She's quite chirpy this morning though and has eaten some breakfast, so she's recovered very well indeed.

I've just had a call from hubs' brother, all is well and baby is home and happy. Wonderful news.

Hubs' cousin who has been diagnosed with brain tumours is coming home from hospital, but we don't know much more.

~Books~

I've come to the end of the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke. I really enjoyed reading these books again and have fair whizzed through them all.

Chatterbox and I are now reading 'The Valley of Adventure' by Enid Blyton, we do so love our Blyton adventure books. We finished 'Five Go Off in a Caravan' and enjoyed it thoroughly - although it dragged a bit at first.

Squidge has a number of books on the go from the library. One we really enjoyed was called 'Frog and the Stranger'.

~Comment~

Hubs was given a Christian journalling book. It's simply a notebook with inspirational Bible verses on each page. He's been using it to take notes during the sermons at church. We were very surprised when we noted that it had been made in China. Well, I suppose we shouldn't really have been that surprised! But really, China, which is a country that persecutes Christians, making money out of Christians? Chuh!

~Teh Kittehs~

If there is paper on the floor Boots will go to sit on it. This causes great consternation if she strolls in with muddy feet from outside and then proceeds to sit in the middle of a treasured drawing or even worse homework! Pesky cat.

See how she observes me with disdain.

Hover-cat, like David Blaine she can levitate. Ha, ha, actually I took a picture of her sitting on the floor next to me and just at that second she decided to jump up and I got this funny picture.

Here she is, showing more disdain by refusing to sit on my knee and keeping her back to me. She looks a bit dusty there doesn't she? Lol.

Update

Hubs has just got back from visiting our little niece in hospital (a few hours drive away in Oxfordshire). She's doing fantastic, you wouldn't even know she'd been ill!!

She's being kept in until Monday.

Thank you so much for your prayers and praise God that she's so well.

Hugs and blessings!

Desperate need for prayer

My husband has just rung me from church. His brother's two month old baby has been taken into hospital with meningitis. Please pray for that little girl and for hubs' brother and his wife.

Many thanks.

Edit to add: We've since heard that it is suspected viral meningitis, which is not as dangerous as the bacterial type. She's being kept in for 48 hours for observation. Please continue to pray, but thankfully, praise God, it doesn't seem as desperate. Hugs!

For prayer

My husband has asked his blog readers to pray for his cousin Michael who lives in California:

Please Pray

He has had a stroke and been diagnosed with two brain tumours. Please pray for healing and for peace for his wife and children.

Tiny kitty

Isn't this kitty simply adorable? Tiny kitty - BIG stairs.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Happy Homemaker Monday

For more Happy Homemaker posts visit Sandra's Blog

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Heavy rain showers at first, then grey and murky. Temp: 9°C. Wind: direction SSW, wind speed 18mph, gusting at 52 mph. Roll on spring!

Things that make me happy:

When my children declare their love for Jesus. It's so touching and so real.

Book I'm reading:

Love's Unfolding Dream, Janette Oke

What's on my TV today:

We have a few things recorded on Sky+ - Top Gear, the new Hawaii Five-O (hubs was a fan of the original series, I don't really remember it), and Aircrash Confidential.

On the menu for dinner:

Spaghetti Bolognese

On my To Do List:

Clean kitchen;
Clean fridge;
Continue beginning of spring cleaning (starting in the kitchen);
Take girls to dancing (for those who don't know, they do line dancing and ballroom);
Work (also for those who don't know, I do 2 hours a day in the kitchen at my girls' school - yes, I'm a dinner lady!);
Church group tonight.

In the craft basket:

Pin cushions.

This week, Mum and I are going to the local wool and needlecraft shop to get some knitting needles and wool. Hubs has expressed a hankering for an extra long scarf in the style of Tom Baker's Dr Who.

BBC

I would also like to try my hand at crochet. It's something I've wanted to do for years but never got around to.

Looking forward to this week:

Our visit to the wool shop - small things please small minds! ;)

Tips and Tricks:

Use hob cleaner (I use Hob Brite) to clean tiles and shiny things - like a chrome kettle. It removes grease splashes and difficult to clean marks without scratching the surface. When rinsed and buffed, it shines up lovely! NB: I've never used it on silver or copper, etc., so don't risk it on delicate metals - always test in a hidden spot first!



My favourite blog post this week:

This from Tina at The Quiet Home, where she shares the sacrifices she's made to be a full-time homemaker:

Contentment bubbling over...

Quote: "We enjoy the simplest of pleasures.....a crackling fire, a mug of tea, pancakes warm from the stove, new library books, a glowing sunset, the sound of birdsong, the smell of damp earth, hot chocolate, fresh bed-linen, watching snow falling, candlelight, a soapy bath.....life is so rich, who needs stuff?"

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
I have three!
A Sheltering Tree
Time-warp Wife
Meditations and Memories

No words needed (favourite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):


Lesson learned the past few days:

That I really can't do everything, and that's OK.

On my mind:

That my hyacinth smells gorgeous! I can smell it from here.

The lost. Friends and family of ours who don't know the Lord. It's so painful, some family and friends are very anti-church. So we are praying and praying, it's all we can do. Pray for the wisdom to speak when it is right to speak and to hold back when it's right to hold back. It's so hard.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

And he [Jesus] spake this parable unto them, saying,

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:3-7

Our Pastor preached recently that we should always keep an eye out for the lost sheep. We naturally gravitate towards people we are friendly with or comfortable, but he reminded us that Jesus' heart was for the lost, the lonely, and the sick.

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:31-32

Happy Monday!

Springtime beauty

I adore spring flowers. Tulips are my favourites, but I love snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and hyacinth too.

My hyacinth, which when I purchased it last week looked like this:

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Is now blooming with a vengeance:



The flowers are so heavy that I've had to add some props to hold them upright.

They give off the most delicious fragrance.

Happy days.

Dancin' the Irish Way

We were watching a dancing competition on television today when a beautiful little Irish dancer performed.

Immediately Squidge was up and dancing...





Then in from the wings came...Chatterbox

Things got very lively.

I wish I had all that energy. :)

Me resistant oven glove

I have a gift. In our married life I have set fire to two pairs of oven gloves and now I have burned right through the third pair.



I put the glove directly onto the grill element and it burned right through to my finger and left a weird brown burn/stain.

In despair my dear husband has bought me some 'indestructible' oven gloves. "Well, they haven't met me!" I challenged.

Allegedly they are flame resistant, high heat resistant, non-slip, 'safe grip!. We'll see.



They also make my hands look huge. Like those pointy sport's fingers you get at big sporting events. I did suggest I could wear them at church for some very noticeable hand waving during worship. ;)

Note: If you set fire to oven gloves you will have to leave the house. They give off the most toxic smoke. More toxic than a grill handle, but that's another story. The most recent oven glove didn't set on fire, but I did render them unusable.

I'm quite the chef/pyromaniac.

Oh my paws and claws!

Picture from: Flickr

Thus Would I Live

I would crave wealth, not riches as I live:
The wealth of learning with a quiet heart.
An open mind with leisure time to give
To poetry, to music, and to art;
The time for children's laughter, time to learn
The wisdom of the sages of the past;
The time to watch the stars - a candle burn
In sacrificial fire to the last.

~

I would speak gently though the din be loud,
I would move softly without hurried haste,
I would be inconspicuous in a crowd,
I would conserve the energies we waste;
I would see beauty in each common task,
Each bird, each tree, the clouds that light shines through.
This is my heart's desire - the thing I ask:
To daily grow as God would have me do.
~
by Grace Noll Crowell

Found here: Home and Heaven
Picture: Flickr