A new year and a new innovation at St Andrew’s Church. Instead of attending church via a prerecorded service on YouTube we were able to access the live morning worship via Zoom. And what a difference it made. It really was only one step away from being there in person. A great bonus for us being able to access our church family from the comfort of our narrowboat. The informal evening Communion service was also accessible via Zoom and had a great sense of togetherness and warmth. Once again I marvel at the ingenuity of platforms such as Zoom that enable us to be together even though apart. Of course it doesn’t replace what we have lost in the past nine months but think how much worse our lockdowns would have been without the ability to enjoy virtual meetups.
We moved the boat up a pound to access the next watertap and were surprised by how much water we had used in just 48hours. We then parked up near to Waitrose where I had decided to shop from 3pm, thinking not many others would be there in the final hour of opening. How wrong I was! Obviously others had thought this would be a quiet time too so we were all queuing together! I had tried to book a click and collect slot but the earliest availability was 23rd January. Even I haven’t got supplies to last that long! Anyway I hopefully have covered all bases to not need to go to the supermarket again for a further week. Storage is a slight issue and although it is cold enough to use outside as a second fridge, I am not entirely sure how safe that is. Its very easy for a passerby to pick things up off the bow or stern whilst we are snuggled inside. I am feeling rather chuffed as I bought a chicken to roast in a bag (R didn’t believe the bag wouldn’t melt!) and we removed all the bones once cooked and made stock by putting the pan of bones and water on the wood burning stove. Far more economical than having a gas burner alight for a couple of hours.
Although we went out for a walk today unusually I didn’t take any pictures so I am sorry to say there is nothing to detract from the writing. All feels slightly flat. That feeling you get when a holiday is over and its back to the grindstone. A January of not quite knowing how things are going to unfold. I read recently anxiety is the result of feeling a lack of control with one’s life. That probably explains the high levels of anxiety all around. It also is a reminder that even when we think we are in control we never are because the unexpected can always happen. Trusting that God is in control may help us to relinquish our desire to preplan the future and just take life a day at a time, looking out for the things to give thanks for and to also show our gratitude. What made me happy today was going to a coffee shop we had frequented a few times when here in November and the guy recognising me and asking how the boat trip was going. Such a small thing, yet it made me smile!
NarrowboatTLC 