Seen in Debenhams' window

Life without passion is unforgivable.

Discuss.

Now Open!

What should I do with a dream ticket?

As you may know, when looking for sources of funding for work such as Red Cafe, one place we don't approach is the National Lottery. But I have a dilemma...

In the post last week, an envolope arrived at Red Cafe from the National Lottery advertising a new game to help raise money for the 2012 Olympics. It contained a lottery ticket with a "Dream Number". All I have to do is match my 7 given numbers with the numbers drawn. The more that match the more I win. I can even play on-line. However, we don't do the lottery...

But I haven't bought the ticket, it just arrived in the post. Would it be wrong to go onto the lottery website just to have a look in case we've won? If we've won £2 perhaps we wouldn't take it but would we turn down £500,000? Or is it the principle? What if I've got a winning ticket and I never knew?

Kristina

The Quilters' Revenge

That'll teach me to cast aspersions on quilters: one just drove into my car!

It is quite hard to tell with Betty if any damage has been done. It appears to be just a broken-off thingy from the middle of the tyre um thingy.

Now I am waiting for some staging to be delivered and a pool table to be taken away. All in a day's work.

A summer of psalms

A mini-series begins this Sunday with our beloved Chris leading the thinking on God, our God.

The following week, we have God, our God - the Sequel.

Knowing how attuned Chris is to modern culture, the week after, we may well have God, our God - the Return or even God, our God - how it began. Watch this space.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Most of the classes have ended now. Only Thrive continues (because of the enforced break when Julian got knocked off his bike), and one last patchwork class. Then a hush will fall over Linden for a week before the summer playscheme starts.

Although that might be a quiet affair too: we've just discovered that Alun sent out posters and flyers advertising the playscheme but failing to mention its whereabouts.

So, if you're in the area and you know of any 5-11 year-olds, please tell them to come along to Linden each weekday from July 31st to August 11th, for fun, games, art, face painting, parachutes, badge-making. It's free but parents do need to register their children. Opening times are 10.00 am - 12 noon and 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm each day.

The only thing that is compulsory is fun.

Now I only have one question: where do quilters go in the summer when there are no classes?

Quilting conferences? Or Rehab Centres?

Food poisoning in front of your very eyes?

There's a free food hygiene training morning at Red Cafe this coming Saturday from 10am - 1pm with lunch.

It is being led by the guy who trains all the local restaurant staff: so will we get some good stories out of him? Maybe find out which restaurants to avoid!

He says it will be "interactive". Come and find out what he means - will we have a live demonstration of the typical effects of food poisoning?

If you want to help at the Summer Community Cafe or if you just want to be extra safe in the kitchen - join us. Call Kristina tel: 01792 362122 if you'd like to come along.

New cafe in Mumbles

From 25th July to 18th August, Red Cafe will be open to the public as a proper community cafe, seven days a week, from 11.00 am - 6.00 pm.

Call in for a cuppa!

Tell your friends!

Volunteer to help!

If you can spare a few hours, please talk to Maria or Kristina. Phone the cafe on 362122.

The wheat from the chaff

This coming Sunday will be a testing one for many in Linden.

At 11.00 am we have our regular meeting; at 11.30 am, the annual Mumbles Raft Race begins.

The Raft Race attracts competitors from all over the world (as far as Pontardawe anyway - and is there anything after Pontardawe?) and huge crowds of supporters, followers, drinkers. It's always a very jolly community affair: you can expect to see people you haven't seen since last year's race.

(Last year I saw not Ryan Jones but the other one whose name escapes me; this year it could be Gavin and Charlotte.)

So - that's odd, I can hear a banging noise coming from downstairs and there is nobody down there - should I investigate?

Oh, my, the difficult decisions that face a church administrator on a daily basis.

It's stopped. So, as I was saying, many people will have a difficult choice on Sunday. To help you make up your mind, let me tell you that Aly is our speaker and she's going to be looking at the prodigal.

And when you come to Linden, whenever that might be, see if you notice anything different.

Shiver Me Timbers

More reasons NOT to shop at Morrisons

British supermarkets have been asked to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, to help protect the habitat of the last 60,000 orang-utans in the world.

Morrisons have refused.

For more information, visit www.palmoil.org.uk

Noisy!

Friday was a busy day in work (making up for my day off on Tuesday) so I didn't have time to write about what's happening here tomorrow.

Alun is going to be speaking - quietly I expect - about noise. He knows a lot about that. But more particularly he's talking how noise gets in the way, gets between us and God.

At least that's what I think he's talking about. It was hard to get any sense out of him when he popped into the office briefly for a bowl of cereal and to check his emails.

You see, he and Dave are currently on tour of the Swansea schools with Shiver Me Timbers (as mentioned previously). With a school most mornings and afternoons he's only in the office for short periods in between times.

And, strange as it may seem, I do miss him. He might not be much but he's all I have - when it comes to the office environment. And he does make a neat cup of tea. Although I had to teach him.

We are very proper when it comes to tea in the Linden office: it's made in a tea-pot and left to brew, keeping it warm in its cosy, until ready for pouring.

Angelo, Alun's one-time sidekick, sometimes made tea in the mug and waited to see if I'd notice (I didn't but my excuse is that I was too busy/too polite to comment). Angelo isn't with us any more. We take our tea very seriously.

On Thursday evening, the leaders, and anyone else who is interested, are taking a trip to Porthcawl (as mentioned in a previous post). They're meeting at Linden at 6 and aim to be back for 9. If you'd like to go along and pray for areas along the South Wales coast (or eat candy floss) meet the others at Linden; if you need a lift, call Andy Dallas.

Other than that things are quietening down as the summer hols approach. Most classes have finished but Bigfish and Exist continue until the end of the school term.

Then it will be the summer playscheme - but more of that again.

This is Lucy Letters signing off, dear readers. Have a good weekend.

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