Summer of joy :-)

I feel like I have to blog because I feel that I need to keep up with updates and that I've read so many great ones from various themes and I continue to do so fervently, that I owe it to myself and everyone reading to do a quality blog entry.

Right now there are a few things occuring in life - as there always are so I ought to get on with the show!!

Today is the last day of June, so now we're officially over half way through the year! Wow. We had a mentally hot day last week, where everyone pretty much melted but that was a rarity amongst a month of torrential showers and cold weather. Now we're in a warm spell and the days just seem to melt away. Its a mere 15 days until Keswick and I'm well up for it!!

We had the Planning Day in London on Saturday and it was wonderful to see all of the familiar faces and hear people's news and also meet new team members (that always makes me feel a little bit old, as they're all 18ish)! I also love getting to grips with a bit of the Bible and its nice to work with it in a child-friendly way, so its nice and simple in my mind!
I've been planning and organising my little bit of the craft over the last couple of days and I'm looking forward to designing my cave with actual stone being rolled away (courtesy of the very-hard-to-find butterfly/split pins).

Some of the highlights of Keswick for me:
Sleeping in the dorm with all the other girls; late night chats, deciding what to wear each day and doing everything as a group.
Sense of community: everyone eating together and working together, having team meetings and prayer meetings, going out into town-there's always someone to go with!
The town of Keswick: wherever you go you can see majestic mountains, lots of cute tearooms and unique shops, great features and attractions and of course the Convention!

This year for the first time I'm looking forward to actually being a conventioner as I'm staying, with Ruth, for Wk 2. Should be great to be able to attend the main meetings, the seminars, the young people's programme and to see more of the town and the wonderful Lake District!
Derwentwater, about a 10 minute walk from where we stay, is an absolutely beautiful lake and it is a fantastic - and semi-traditional - way to start the Convention, to go and see the Lake. Here's a picture of it:

So that's Keswick....now to the wonderful world of Beauport Park! There've been some highs and lows over the past couple of weeks and, not that you're really that interested in that, so I'll give you a little taster....
O A romantic interest
O A "I'd never work with her again - and I'm 100% serious" episode
O Family troubles far away
O New staff
O A few nights at the bar and a lot of gossip
O Mistakes to be corrected, dark moods to be appeased, rumours to be quashed, jobs to be done, office politics to manouvre and friendships to deepen and so much more besides :-)

Right now I'm watching The Choir that Rocks and I love the idea of Rock Choir, wish we had one near to me cos I love to sing and with no audition required it would be absolutely awesome. Its a shame that they seem to have completely missed out the county of East Sussex when deciding locations! Should they reconsider in the future, then watch this space....maybe I'll suggest it!! It would be so great to have it in Hastings or even in Eastbourne or just anywhere near me!!!

Today was just a normal day at work, but it was given a very nice silver lining by the fact that I got paid 3 times over the course of the last 3 days. Get in!

Linked to that is the sense of infinite possibility (can be likend to the feeling that Harry Potter has when he drinks the Felix Felicis) that you feel when you see your bank balance the day after payday. I just feel impulsively drawn to booking a travelling trip; I have the money, I'll most likely have the time (especially with the off season in the winter) and now I have to find someone to go with / somewhere to go and just a plan in general.
I've got to do something before I turn 24!

So what are you all up to??? Lovely people whom I'm lucky enough to call my friends - and you know who you are - I wish the very best summer ever!! I'll probably be back with a pre-Keswick (aka crazy, manic, pre-departure/preparation) blog for 2 weeks away (one of which will be in a tent)!

Here's to July!