Time flies by!! again

We are now getting into the swing of things at college, with daily offices and Eucharist and the induction programme. Tomorrow we learn more about our placements which I'm really looking forward to. One of my priorities when choosing a college was to find one which had a variety of placement opportunities and Cuddesdon certainly fulfills that need. I'll post more about that when I know more.
This first week has had its ups and downs- I'm sure its the same for most of us in one way or another. There is the joy if being here after such a long journey, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Then there is the opportunity to meet so many lovely people and to hear their stories. There is also the long hours and the adjustment to being in a new community in a new location and just getting used to finding your way around. Somewhere in the move I seem to have mislaid my memory - if anyone comes across it can you return it please! I find myself forgetting to complete tasks or forgetting sessions I should be at. I'm sure it will get better but at the moment its causing a few headaches. I've also signed up to join the college choir. I last sang in a church choir 30 years ago and may find its way beyond my capabilities now but I used to love it so much and hope it will help me if and when I need to sing parts of the daily office so will at least give it a try. I have also started to get to grips with what is expected of the MA students and as there are 4 of us this year we are going to get together regularly as a study and support group which should be immensely helpful. God is so good.
One of my prayers when I came here was that there would be other male spouses not at work full time and that has proved to be the case so there are others who k can relate to.
All in all I'm sure this will be a fruitful time of both pruning and growth out of which I will emerge ready for God's next step for me.

Getting started

Have now started the induction at the vicar factory. I have met the other 1st years and found 2 others who were at the same BAP as me. Also met up with another two bloggers who I've been reading for a few months. One in particular was like meeting a long lost friend. Looking forward to getting to know R more over the next few weeks. I've also received the details of the MA I'm supposed to start studying in the next week- and went Yikes as I read it. Am I really capable of all that is being asked? Do I really want to be able to put MA after my name!!! I hope that that part of the course will feel less frightening when we get started.
I'm enjoying the daily offices and Eucharist- its good to have the day so underpinned with prayer and to know that this will become a well established habit to support and strengthen ministry in the years to come. So with that in mind I'm off now to say Compline.

Arrived

Well we have arrived at Cuddesdon and have now nearly finished unpacking the boxes and finding homes for everything. Fudge our cat is not a happy pussy. Being 4 flights up and with an echo on the stairwell plus a nasty thing which buzzes every time a fly goes near she doesn't want to explore outside even in my company. I'm now rather scratched and have decided to give her a day off going to explore.
Our removal went extremely smoothly- hats off to Bishop's Removals we couldn't have asked for better help. However Wednesday night was a disaster. I didn't know that Travel lodge could happily over book and then decide to move you to another Motel. Arriving at 10.15pm having packed up the house and driven 200 miles we were not amused to find that they hadn't a bed for us. What infuriated us more was that they had taken the money from our account a month before. At first they wanted to send us 15 miles ( 30 minute) drive away but eventually found us a bed in another travel Lodge 7 miles away. We finally arrived at 11.15pm. Needless to say we won't be using Travel lodge again.
Next day saw us driving off up the motorway to lancashire to see my Mum and for K to attend a committee meeting. This time we stayed at Premier Inn and the differance was amazing.
Now its just one day before the start of term. I've been getting myself into the swing of things by attending morning Prayer - though at 9am not as it will be from Friday 7.30am. Its been a means of starting to meet others on the course.

Over half way there!

This will be my last post for sometime as we are awaiting the termination of our broadband agreement and won't have anything organised at the other end for a while.
Today saw more than half our earthly possesions packed into threee containers and removed to storage. Its amazing how little we can manage with over the next two years!. We had provisionally listed what we wanted to store but with space left in a container we kept looking for more and more to send rather than carry up 4 flights of stairs and fall over in a tiny flat. I have gone through periods in my life of wishing that I could get rid of everything and just live in a caravan- well I'm nearly getting my wish for the next couple of years. (To those wondering why I didn't do just that in the past it had to do with other people I lived with not having the same wish).
Now just a flurry of cleaning to do and also the final packing of clothes and kitchen goods and we will be on our way north.

A week to go

This time next week we will have arrived and be settling into our flat at Cuddesdon. After waiting so long, and starting packing 4 weeks ago it still doesn't feel real. I'm surrounded by boxes, have an almost empty freezer and food cupboard but most of me still feels as if I'll be sat here 6 months down the line. I've never experienced such a detachment for a move before. Seems even stranger when I think about how long this has been my dream- but perhaps that's the problem it has been a dream for so long that it still feels like a dream.
I'm also beginning to wonder how I'll cope with morning prayer 5 days a week at 7.30am. I remember when at Teacher training college a few of us from the CU set out to meet every morning at 7am for prayer- we kept it up for 2 years although not every one of us made every morning. Then again 30 years later I'm supposed not to need as much sleep so hopefully I'll make it every morning!

Back again!

Having had a lovely weekend away we travelled back down the M5 for what we hope is the last time before we move north again. I had forgotten just how beautiful Derbyshire was but having been back for the weekend have fallen in love all over again. I am hoping to return to Derbyshire to do my curacy. One of the reasons for being north this weekend was to meet with the DDO and other new ordinands for a service of blessing and supper. It gave us opportunity to meet those who will be studying at the same time as us and those who will also be curates in the diocese with us. It was an interesting evening with a short but inspirational service and lovely food at the vicarage. Everyone else seems to be studying at St Johns Notts either on full or pat time courses so once again I'll be out on my own.
Other than the evening with the DDO we also met up with a number of friends, worshipped with our church in Derbyshire and then had a lovely dinner at my sister with a very good friend of her's who trained at Cuddesdon. We are hoping to have a girly weekend later in the year at Cuddesdon with myself, sister and friend. K is planning to be away that weekend!!
Back today to try to finish the packing but there's so little I can do until next week but at least the weekend has given me a welcome time of refreshment.

New experience

Went to have my hair cut today. As we are going away at the weekend I had suddenly decided I needed to get it cut and so just went round town until I found a hairdresser with a space to fit me in. I explained I was moving soon and so wanted it cut fairly short so that if I was busy it would be a while before it needed cutting again. that led to questions about where and why I was moving. I explained about going to study and said it was to be a vicar. This led to the lady who was cutting my hair sharing about the death of her baby daughter some years ago and her own anger with God. It was a taste I think of what is to come. I've had conversations about God before but usually only after I've got to know hairdressers etc.
On the home front we are getting to the end of all but the pots etc that we will be using over the next two weeks along with clothes. It feels strange, I keep looking for more things to pack. Glad we are going back up to Derbyshire this week to meet with the DDO and to visit friends and sister before starting college. It will be a welcome break from the mess at home and I always love going to the church back in Chesterfield.
Two weeks today we will have arrived at Cuddesdon!!