Organised chaos

It's a good job I'm a big strong girl. It means I was able to carry two new sun loungers from the front of the house, around the back, up the steps, and into their position.

They're only plastic so they weren't heavy, just cumbersome. Our chairs also arrived but not the adjustable chairs although Amazon thinks they have.

All our garden furniture had cracks and splits in it so it was time to buy new but it's very difficult to find sun loungers in the big garden and DIY stores where they'd normally be. They've been replaced by posh rattan patio furniture, which needs care and covering, and we're not good at that. So plastic is best for us.

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Writing group took the whole service in church today, with me leading it. First Sunday of the month is cafe church, when we're in the hall, and sit in groups around tables. Apart from it being a bit rushed as a result of me trying to cram too much in, it went well I think. Apart from the chaos.

After the writers had done some readings I led the church in writing a psalm. That means I gave them topics and they had to, in their groups, write an appropriate piece. So, one topic was, what do we want God to do for/with the church?

The idea was that I'd ask each table for a one sentence response, they'd have a few minutes to discuss and write, then we'd go around the room, and Kim, my lovely assistant, would write them on a flipchart. That fell at the first hurdle. 

Instead of single sentences people had written whole paragraphs, sometimes in verse. By the end of the session I was collecting paper at random, not having a clue who had given me what or what it was for. Thankfully Kim, who was a schoolteacher, took it all in her stride and worked methodically through it.

And I haven't mentioned the noise. Forty or fifty people sharing ideas, disagreeing, getting bored, and discussing football (I don't think anyone did but they could have done for all I know) and me trying to make myself heard. "Could we um . . . hm-hm . . . can you listen . . .?"

I had to ask Kim and Monty to shut people up. Both were teachers so good at it. 

So now I have eight sheets of flipchart all filled to bursting, and I have to make a psalm for the church out of it. It'll be fine, I tell you, it'll be fine.

On the plus side, everyone was engaged with what we were doing, and only two tables asked for clarification on one question that I'd deliberately left a bit vague because I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted from it.

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Back with the garden furniture we now have several very large boxes that I have to keep because children will want to play in them I'm sure. Husband suggested putting children in the box, sealing it up, and seeing how long it takes them to get out . . .