Friday 27^th February

Got up about 9am and got ready before walking round to Sarah’s for 11am. We drove to Nanny F’s in Ongar and met mum there. Maddie was doing some beautiful singing in the car ‘Baa baa sheep, 3 bags full, one master, one dame, little boy lane.’!! We picked up Nanny and went to Harlow Garden Centre for lunch. It was very busy and quite slow, Mum started a conversation with the people behind us comparing Garden Centres in the area…riveting! Had a nice cheese and ham toastie and then we played hide and seek in the plant section and had a look round the gift section. Got back to car and Sarah realised she had stolen some metal hearts so had to go back and pay for them! We then went back to Nan’s and had a cup of tea and a biscuit while Maddie and Emi played quite happily for a while. Maddie made me empty my purse so she had cards and money for her till! We then went outside to hunt for worms, or ‘werms’ as Maddie calls them, it’s very cute! We found lots and Maddie was carrying them on her trowel to show Nanny Oo and then she would throw them back to ‘sleep’ and bury them! Left Nan’s about 4.30pm and despite our best efforts to keep Maddie awake with talk of yellow tractors, she fell asleep. She was very grumpy when she was woken up at home and snuggled on the sofa to try and sleep some more! Walked back to Lewis’s and it wasn’t long before we went out to church to meet the young people to walk to the Liberal Club for Aaron’s surprise-ish party! He was really pleased to see everyone there and it was a good night! There was make your own cheese and pineapple on sticks on the food table, Tom made me an awesome one, then Lewis outdid him! I put all the sticks on Lewis’s glass and a peanut on top and we played ker-plunk! He lost and had to scoop the peanut out of his lemonade! Left about 9.30pm and went back to make Lemon Meringue Pie bases with 4 packs of digestives and a rolling pin!

Thursday 26^th February

Lewis woke me up as he went out to see a client so I showered and dressed and then decided to make waffles. Except we didn’t have any butter and I couldn’t go to get any as I wouldn’t have been able to get back in. So I weighed everything else out and the second Lewis came back I ran to the shop for butter and an apple! Came back and made cinnamon and apple waffles, just about had time to eat them but left Lewis with the washing up before having to walk into town for my Specsavers appointment at 11.40am. It was a routine contact lens check but on checking my eyes they found an abrasion on my right eye and said I shouldn’t wear my contacts for a few days. The problem being that my glasses are back in Billericay and I can’t get them so have to wear my lenses which isn’t advised! Got to go back for a check up on Saturday morning. Walked to Sarah’s and we drove to pick up mum/Nanny Oo. Went to Sainsbury’s in Stanway and had lunch and did a bit of shopping – I bought Lewis a red nose for the front of his car and Sarah bought a Comic Relief whoopee cushion. I blew it up and put it in Maddie’s car seat before she sat down and she thought it was hilarious and kept saying ‘trump! trump!’ So then we all had to do it, even Nanny Oo! We then went to Go Bananas which is a big kids indoor play centre. When I was little it was THE best place in the world. Kinda looks pathetic compared to Tumbletown, but Maddie loved it! Went in the big kids bit for a while, then into Tiny Town which had different things to climb on, a bouncy castle, cars, a kitchen and a disco in the corner with flashing lights and mirrors, and when I went in there the tiny children were dancing to Kings of Leon ‘Sex on Fire’…hmmm seemed slightly inappropriate!! Maddie had lots of fun though and so did Emi in the ball pool! Came back and Sarah dropped me off at Lewis’s and I stuck the Red Nose to his bonnet so he would see it when he next saw his car. We had fish fingers and chips for dinner and then drove to ASDA to meet Wendy to buy the food for the meal on Saturday. When we got there the Red Nose had come off the front of the car so Lewis never saw it L By the time we had done the shopping and got back it was 10pm and nearly bedtime!

Wednesday 25^th February

Well a lazy day in today. Lewis was working while I was writing and folding and stuffing newsletters. I made him listen to my Mamma Mia album on repeat, pausing it every time his phone rang! Spent a while on facebook and then about 3ish we went into town. Went to Tesco to get paninis for lunch and then to New Look to show him my cardigan dilemma. He wasn’t especially helpful so I don’t know what to do! Then went to Boots to have another look at the Soap and Glory stuff…all on offer!!! So I bought what I wanted and saved £10! Went back to Lewis’s and had cheese, ham and pineapple paninis with salad cream and watched Waterloo Road. I then went round to Sarah and Matt’s and helped with bathtime and bedtime and we had pitta breads and crisps and chocolate and watched Lewis’s Michael McIntyre DVD…its still so funny second time round, I was crying with laughter! Wendy and Lewis picked me up after their meeting and we went back.

Tuesday 24^th February

Got up about 9am, downloaded the Mamma Mia soundtrack (hurrah!!!) and then went to Lois’s for about 10.30am. We sat for a while trying to work out what to do and then decided go into town. She had a £10 voucher to spend in New Look and I had my £15 one so we went there and spent ages looking at things and took a few things to try on. We were both totally rubbish and didn’t buy anything! Then went to Boots for Lois to get some blister plasters but they didn’t have any. I had a look at the Soap and Glory stand, having got 2 Boots giftcards to spend and a £2 off Soap and Glory voucher. Spent aaaaages working out what I wanted and calculating on my phone what I could get with my voucher…then decided to buy nothing much to Lois’s annoyance! Went to Superdrug and got the blister plasters and then went to the milkshake shop. Lois had a chocolate brownie one and I had a Jamaican ginger cake one…it was REALLY good, best yet! We then went to Tesco and spent 5p on lunch. I had a £2.50 clubcard voucher so we decided to get it as close to the value as possible – hot dogs, rolls, milkybar chocolate and a lemon! Went to the library and spent ages choosing a DVD, eventually settling on The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I’ve seen it before but love it! Went back to Lois’s and ate hot dogs with cheese and ketchup and watched the film…it’s a feel good ‘aaaaw’ film! We were going to make pancakes but didn’t have time. I left at 5pm as Lois had work at Cineworld at 5.30pm. Walked home (as in home, home) and arrived just in time for Neighbours! Mum and I then had soup for dinner, walked to Somerfield with Luke and bought some flour and Rainbow Drops for Lewis. Made pancakes (with the lemon purchased at lunchtime)…I’m not the greatest pancake maker, it was pretty disastrous, but yummy! Then watched Holby City…finally Joseph told Faye about Jac…but he was wrong…aaargh! Lewis came to pick me up and we chatted for a bit with Mum and I gave him his Rainbow drops but he wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped, then we went back!

Monday 23^rd February

Was supposed to be going to Nanny F’s with Mum today but Mum’s not feeling well so we didn’t go. Instead I met Sarah and Matt, Maddie and Emi in Sainsbury’s Car Park at 10.45am. Emi had to go to the doctors because she has woken up with a swollen eye – she looked like she’d been in a fight poor thing! Doctors recommended she went to St John’s Hopsital just in case so we went over there. I looked after Maddie, counting fish and trying to stop her using all the soap and going in the bin while Emi was being looked at. She was in a cot and there were 2 doctors and 3 trainee doctors looking at her and she thought all the attention great! She was giggling and wriggling and just being really cute, everyone fell in love with her! The doctor said it wasn’t anything serious and gave some drops to be put in her eye 4 times a day. We then drove to the multi storey and went straight for lunch in acanteen which was quite expensive but nice! I didn’t have to pay because Matt and Sarah are so lovely! I had a bacon and egg bloomer and it was really nice! Maddie had expensive Apple Juice that she didn’t like, but we weren’t wasting it!! Then had a wander round Chelmsford, I was the only one that didn’t get anything! Matt bought 2 CD’s with his HMV voucher from Russell and Becci, Sarah got some bits with her Accessorize voucher from Russell and Becci, I didn’t get anything with my New Look voucher from Russell and Becci! Emi got a new coat and a book, Maddie got some tights and an art case. Drove back to Sarah’s and I walked back to Lewis’s via the DVD shop to get out Ghost Town. We had pancakes with scrambled egg and bacon for dinner and then watched Ghost Town which was really good! Lewis was giggling before anything funny happened just because he finds Ricky Gervais so funny! Had a hot chocolate and went to bed!

Sunday 22^nd February

Got to church for 10.30am. Good service with Steve Smith from Clacton-on-Sea preaching. Lewis and Stephen had a music practice after church so we went to Tesco to get sandwiches and crisps and I sat listening to them rehearse for the A2J Fundraising Soiree on Saturday. Left church at 2.30 and drove back to Lewis’s. Watched a bit of TV and before we knew it, it was time to be back at church at 5pm! Steve preached again and lots of people went forward to be prayed for. The service didn’t finish til 9.30pm and we worked out we’d been in church for nearly 9hours!

Saturday 21^st February

Lewis and I left at 9.45am and drove down to Burgess Hill near Brighton to see David and Bev and the boys, arriving there just after 11.30am. We had a drink and a chat and then they took us into Brighton. It was a gorgeous day, didn’t need a coat which was such a nice feeling! Meant Brighton was packed! We had a walk along the front and down the pier, took some photos and then headed to Wokmania for lunch, a buffet Chinese restaurant. Food was really good! We then had a wander round the lanes and roads in Brighton and stopped for a drink in a place called Bills. Was like a small warehouse, walls full of organic produce – chutneys, sauces, fruit and vegetables, chilled goods etc. The tables were big wooden ones and you queued up on one side and were seated when there was space – on tables with other people. It was noisy and had a real market feel to it, it was great! The cakes were layers of fruit and cream with flowers on and they served all kinds of juices. I had pineapple, coconut and apricot which was really good! Lewis, David and Bev all had a chilli chocolate tart. We wandered back to the car and drove back to Burgess Hill the pretty route. Had another cuppa and Lewis and David talked geeky design stuff for ages! Left just before 9 and got home about 10.30pm, unfortunately going through the tunnel before 10pm so having to pay £1.50! Was a really great day and it was really nice to see David and Bev again and chat with them.

Friday 20^th February

Well Rachel was supposed to be picking me up about 9.30am, but she text me to say it would be 10.15…needed more time to pack! In work for about half 10 and spent the next 3 hours printing out my newsletters, folding them, sticking labels on envelopes, bit of facebook and trying to not distract Rachel from filling in her application form! We left about 1.30pm, Rachel took me to Billericay train station and I got the train back to Braintree, changing at Shenfield. Arrived in Braintree at 3.45 and Lewis picked me up and took me back to his house. Spent a couple of hours sorting out some more of my newsletters and then it was time to go to Youth Alpha which Lewis and Wendy led and it was really good!

Thursday 19^th February

Well we had a slightly reduced day today in aid of the trip to Blood Brothers in the evening! Was in the office til about 1pm rehearsing the Gospel Lesson with props and then we left. David was going back to Wales and Rachel and I had getting ready to do! Spent from 1.30pm til 4 showering, shaving, moisturising, straightening hair, make up-ing, perfuming, and getting dressed (whilst watching Neighbours and Murder She Wrote!). Rachel picked me up at 4pm and we went to Billericay station. In the short walk from car to station, Rachel stopped twice to readjust her shoes and decided they were too big and could possibly be annoying. Oh understatement. Sat at the station waiting for the train and got given a customer satisfaction form to fill in at a later date and send off. The train arrived and I got on. As Rachel got on her shoe fell off between the train and the platform, landing next to the tracks. We jumped of the train as the doors were beeping and found a nice man to rescue her shoe with his grabby stick thing. We laughed a lot. Got the next train into London, went to Boots to buy some plasters in an attempt to make the shoes fit better. We used the self service machines and I sneakily put my advantage card in. Rachel then pressed the advantage card button thinking that it put the points on my card, instead it paid for her plasters with my points! Very funny. Then got the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road and the Northern Line to Charing Cross where we met Ryan. He then said we needed to get to Tottenham Court Road! We got back there and Rachel finally gave up on her shoes, took them off and walked barefoot for the rest of the evening! Ryan had no idea where the Theatre was so we walked round for a bit, then found a bus shelter with a map. We had time for a McDonalds and then went to the Theatre to pick up the tickets. Having booked them on lastminute.com we had no idea where out seats were. Stalls A4,5 &6. Front Row!!!! Very excited…until we got to front row. Knees against stage, Ryan had a speaker in his face, I couldn’t see over the edge of the stage. So we kept an eye on some seats behind us and as soon as it started went to those, which had slight restricted view but meant no neck ache! The people behind us got annoyed but no one told us off! The show was great, Nicky from X Factor 2007 played Mrs Johnstone and was fantastic! The only problem came at the end. I knew there were gun shots but forgot the policemen came down the aisle. I was on the aisle. The policeman was stood inches from me with a gun. I was terrified! I was huddling as far away from him as possible without being on Ryan’s lap, tears were streaming down my face because I got so worked up and jumped so much when he fired! The end is just too sad anyway so at the end we had to have a toilet trip to check makeup! No real drama’s or excitement on the way home, except when driving from the station car park, Rachel got flashed by a speed camera even though she was only doing about 20mph!

Wednesday 18^th February

Opti-Weds! Steve Tinning (who used to be Lewis’s fieldwork tutor for CYM…small world!) took the session on Matthew 5:21-48, which was good. Lindsay had to leave at lunchtime so we did worship, personal time and share and pray slightly quicker than usual and left a bit early! Went back and did a bit of printing and packing for holiday then Rachel picked me up at 4.50pm and we went to her local Chinese, arriving as it opened at 5pm, ordered food and took it back to hers to eat off our laps in front of Neighbours and Home and Away with a glass of wine! I then got to choose a film from her extensive collection of films that I really should have seen but haven’t. We watched ‘Never Been Kissed’ and it was great! How I love Drew Barrymore! We then went to look at her dress collection to choose her outfit for tomorrow night and chatted a bit, then she took me home just after 10pm!

Tuesday 17^th February

More gospel lesson rehearsing interspersed with facebook, emails, newsletter, general catching up on entertainments news etc! Spent the evening writing lots of blog entries, and watching Holby City!

Monday 16^th February

Was far too comfy and cosy and asleep when my alarm went off, took a lot of effort to get me out of bed! Felt tired all day. In the office today for the first time in a long time! Freezing cold upstairs, but nice and warm in the meeting room where we rehearsed. Spent the day between the cold and the hot, blocking the rest of the Gospel Lesson and going over it several times, some time on facebook and emails and downloading images for my newsletter. Suzy (previous Envizage Actress) and her husband Simon (previous Taste bassist) came to visit so we all went over to the Bistro for drinks and chat which was nice. Rather long lunch break…and then ate lunch after! We decided to leave at 4.35pm so was home by 5…lovely! Had a cup of tea whilst chatting to Julie and then watched Neighbours and Home and Away, unpacked and tidied up, painted my nails, had dinner, had coffee, printed out my essay, wrote some blog entries and will have a bath before bed!

Sunday 15^th February

Up at 8 to be at church by 9.30am. Lewis was leading so I sang which was nice! The service was really good – William preaching on James 2: Don’t just sit there, do something! Chatted to a few people after the service and Lewis and I went to Tesco to buy lunch and took it round to Mum and Dad’s. We had Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato soup with Tiger bread and Apple Pie and Custard. Was nice to see Dad and catch up with Mum! Then back to Lewis’s to pack and for him to do something on his laptop. Round to Sarah’s just after 5. Maddie was most disappointed to see me when I walked through the door and was looking behind me saying ‘Lewis?’ who had gone to buy petrol. When he did come round she got excited… ‘Lewis! Cake!’ – her and Sarah had made him a birthday cake earlier and she wanted to eat it! Lewis also got a remote control helicopter from them…*sigh* boys and their toys! Sarah and Matt went out for dinner to celebrate their anniversary while Lewis and I babysat two very tired, incredibly cute and very well behaved girls! Left there at 10.50 when Sarah and Matt came back and Lewis drove me back to Billericay…was in bed at 11.57pm!

Saturday 14^th February

Aaah Valentines Day. Commercial rubbish. Up at 8am, had bacon rolls for breakfast then went round to Mum and Dad’s to pinch some buckets then over to the Baptist Church for A2J’s fundraising car wash. This happened between 9.30am and 4pm, there were about 15 of us washing cars of anyone brave enough to let us!! It was really good fun and we raised £220 to go towards the fund for the Gathering which was fantastic. In our ‘Youth Leader Break’, Lewis, Wendy and I went to the new milkshake shop (a shakeaways rip off) and I had a Kinder Bueno milkshake mmm yummy. I also fulfilled a life long ambition – I had a pineapple burger from the burger van outside New Look, yay!!

Got back to Lewis’s at 4.30, time for a quick change and make ourselves look respectable before heading to Hockley, Southend to help out at Em’s Movie Night she was holding for the youth. Tastey boys ran the evening and it was really good! Included the Intro’s quiz, watched Step Up 2 and had a dance off! Got back about 10.45 after picking up some Chinese. I showered and got into my pjs, fell asleep on the sofa around midnight and stayed there!

Friday 13^th February

Rach picked me up at 9am so nice bit of a lie in! I wore my wellies so my feet didn’t get wet in the snow and we went to David’s flat in Brentwood. Spent the morning drinking tea, ‘admiring’ his DVD collection and learning the rest of the Gospel Lesson. We had lunch and watched 2 episodes of Rainbow…was oh so good! They just don’t make Kid’s TV the same these days… How can you get cooler than Zippy, George and Bungle?! We then went over to the Barn to go over what we’d done, block a bit more and choreograph the dance routine…oh cheese upon cheese! Worked up a bit of a sweat! Left the barn about 4.30pm and David dropped me off at Shenfield station. Got the train back to Braintree and met Lewis at the church at 6pm. Ate sausage rolls and crisps upstairs in the ‘youth leaders lounge’ as we decided to call it, before going down at the end of K4J to set up for Youth Alpha. Then 8-9.30 was the introduction session. Went really well, had between 15 and 20 young people which was fantastic! I ending up singing while Eun-Jeong played keyboard for worship which was a bit scary but good fun! We got back to Lewis’s about 10.30 and I had a shower and got into my pj’s, we drank hot chocolate and ate eggy bread and then I went to bed!

Thursday 12^th February

Alarm went off at 6.45…I was in a really deep sleep so it felt like the middle of the night! Diane picked me up at 8.05 – was a really cold walk to the bus stop this morning! Went into the office for the second Creative Arts/Evangelism Team meeting from 8.30am-11.30am. Lindsay ate 2.5 doughnuts. I had her other half and half a Belgian bun. Lots of interesting things were discussed, mainly about the possible structure of the theatre part of Viz-A-Viz from September…watch this space!

Then lovely Uncle Clive drove me to the Barn to meet David and Rachel and we spent until 4.45pm learning the next bit of the Gospel Lesson and blocking it and then rehearsing parts 1 and 2. I seem to be remembering everyone else’s lines for them which makes me look like a swot L. Rachel keeps picking on me!

Got home about 5.15 after returning a DVD and walking home IN THE SNOW!! Yay! Watched Neighbours – Bridget was forced to tell her mum she’s pregnant…what is she going to say?! Roast beef for dinner and mango sorbet for pudding…nice! This evening have been updating my blog, been on facebook, finished my essay, going to pack and then have a bath!

Wednesday 11^th February

Didn’t want to wake up – text from Lindsay saying she would pick me up at 9.15 so meant I could stay in bed a bit longer which was nice! Everyone was at Training today which was really cool! Very different atmosphere when everyone is there, but it’s good. Today was boy/girl day where we had Biblical teaching on Men and Women’s roles in relationships, looked at Women’s role in ministry, chatted about values in relationships and split up into boys and girls talked about issues raised in the previous sessions. We finished up with the boys sat on one side of the room and girls the other and asking each other questions, such as ‘Why do girls say ‘nothing’ when we ask them what’s wrong, when clearly something is wrong?’, ‘Why do boys always try to fix stuff?’, ‘Is it unhelpful for you girls when boys flirt?’. It was a good and interesting day, although felt ever so slightly like being 13 again in youth group! Did learn some stuff though about Women’s role in relationship which was cool. Got back home just after 3.30pm and had a cup of tea and then did some blog writing and other bits and pieces. Watched Neighbours and Home and Away (oh dear, getting into another bad Australian Soap!) and had dinner. George (Bob and Julie’s Grandson who is 10) was round for dinner and provided much entertainment at the dinner table! We talked about the proposed giant white horse in Kent…taller than the Statue of Liberty! Had a coffee, then have spent the evening catching up on emails, sorting finances, updating my blog, watching Waterloo Road and will speak to Lewis before going to bed!

Tuesday 10^th February

House phone went off at 7.19am. Alarm went off at 7.20am. Stayed in bed til 7.50am before forcing myself up and to shower! Decided to have a bit of a slob day clothes wise and put my hair in plaits with a hat on! Seems the rain has had some effect on the area – flood warning in Chelmsford and parts of the A12 and the A127 closed. So meant traffic was horrendous and we didn’t get to the barn til 9.30am. David had a meeting with Ollie and then took him to the office while Rachel and I attempted to learn the first couple of pages of ‘The Gospel According To Envizage’. David came back and we spent until 4pm (with an hour for lunch and several breaks for drinks and custard creams of course) learning lines and blocking. Quite tricky to learn – lots of information to learn and lines that need getting exactly right! A few entertaining slip ups! Got home and sent some emails, updated my blog, watched Neighbours and Home and Away, had dinner – Pasta and sauce, cheesecake and blueberries. Then rang my mum, watched Holby City and am now writing my blog and going to write down some thoughts for my essay.

Monday 9^th February

Alarm went off at 9am and had the luxury of snoozing for half an hour before getting up. Showered, got dressed (wearing two of the 3 odd socks Sarah bought me for Christmas!) and had breakfast. Looked up Indoor Playcentres in Basildon on the internet and found Tumble Town near the offices. Printed off info and directions then went to do my hair and makeup and Sarah arrived with Emi and Maddie just before 11am. Horrible rainy weather so we went straight to Tumble Town which was brilliant!!! They had a small climbing frame bit especially for under 5s which Maddie went on first, then we got a drink and then Sarah and I could contain our excitement no longer so took Maddie and Emi into the big bit which was 5 levels of amazingness! Slides, ball pools, things to climb over, under, through, rope bridges, dark bits, spinning bits, tunnels…we loved it! Played hide and seek and went down the slides, including the long scary snake in the pitch black which Sarah didn’t like at all! We had lunch there – baguettes and crisps and Maddie has cucumber and mini sausages and cheese and grapes! Had a bit more of a play – Maddie found herself a boyfriend to run around and go down the slides with, and then we left about 1.30pm. Drove into Basildon, parked and ran in the rain to the shopping centre where we had a wander round while to girls slept in their buggy. Found a stall selling 4 Pashminas for £5!! I got a brown one and a green one and Sarah got a stripey one and another patterned one.  We had to wake Maddie up so took her to the Early Learning Centre to look at the toys. We then went to Boots and then had a drink in Costa before it was time to go back to the car. Got home about 4.30 with very wet feet! Had a lazy couple of hours watching Friends, Hollyoaks, Neighbours and the News then had dinner (Pie, Potato and Veg and Vanilla Cheesecake with blueberries and raspberries), read the Times Style magazine – trying to tell me that £2,500 for a vanity bag is a good investment. Yeh… then have spent the rest of the evening planning my time over the next couple of weeks! Going to get ready for bed and watch last week’s Holby City!

Sunday 8^th February

Alarm went off at 8.20…I stayed in bed for as long as possible, getting up about 8.45. Showered and dug a dress out of the black bag in the top of my wardrobe. Lewis arrived at 9.45 and I painted my nails and then we drove out to Herongate Methodist Church. Very cute little building and a small congregation but everyone was so lovely and welcoming! Julie was leading the service and preaching and it was really good! I knew 2 out of the 6 hymns sung and also learnt a bit about the way Methodist services work. The service was finished by 11.35…when is church ever finished that early?! We stayed and had a drink and chatted to some people then came back to Bob and Julie’s, cooked, well put together, dinner – Jacket Potato, Cold Ham and Salad followed by yummy chocolate Ice Cream. We then went to Norsey Wood, remembered the wellies in the back of the car and went for a walk in the muddy snowy woods! I had a guide and everytime we reached a number I read out what it said in my guide, much to Lewis’s annoyance! It was really exciting though – there are world war 1 trenches and Bronze Age Burial mounds and everything!

Went back via Blockbuster and had scrambled egg on toast at home. Then we watched ‘Vantage Point’ which despite the guns was actually really good! Lewis and I chatted and prayed for a while and then he went home at 11pm and I went to bed!