We at Seminary don't get out much (yet)!

Today was a clear indication that we are starved for entertainment at SMMS at the moment - one of the guys decided to rotate the tyres on his car, and twelve of us took part! Imagine what would have happened if something really exciting was happening?!

Anyway, it's also days like today that make some people become industrious in strange ways. My wife and I spent the morning out shopping for groceries, and let me tell you, it was a harrowing experience trying to come in on a greatly reduced budget to what we are accustomed to! I'm quite ashamed to say that in my corporate days we used to fill our trolley giving little thought to the cost. There's nothing like a reduction in income to make you more careful with your money, not to mention more appreciative of what you do have.

Then it was home again to pack away said groceries, which can take as long as the shop itself. Because both of us are anally-retentive control freaks, packing away means that not only is there a specific place for all the tins, the packets, the bottles, etc. but we also (a) do a complete stock rotation (i.e. all of the stuff still in the cupboard from last month comes out, the new purchases go to the back, then the old stuff goes in front) and (b) ensure that everything is correctly displayed (all the English labels on the tins face the front; all the little tabs on the milk cartons face the same way; all the packets of pasta sauce are sorted, by flavour, in alphabetical order). Each freezer bag has exactly the correct quantity in it for a meal - right down to the number of Golden Smackeroos in each bag (there are 8).

Call it a bit OCD if you like, but doing it this way means that we always know where everything is and how many meals we have left for the month. We can go the last two weeks of the month without a brass farthing in our wallets or purses, but as long as there's food in the 'fridge, petrol in the cars, and the bills are paid, we're cool!

So what did I decide to do this afternoon after I had added my own two cents' worth to the cacophony of commentary supporting the wheel-rotation exercise? After stripping the two washing machines and giving them a good clean, then helping my wife load them up, my son and I re-enacted a scene from James Bond's "Goldeneye" as we pulled out the start knobs in perfect synchronisation.

Then I sat down on my annual quest to compress the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the year into a two-page format. I first did this two years ago as a reaction against lugging the Yearbook around with me, and made it available to others on my blog, and because people found it useful, I've done it ever since. So here's the 2010 version. If you have a fancy printer or copier that can print double-sided, you will end up with a one-pager which, if folded into three, will slot in nicely at the back of your Bible. I hope you find it to be of use. [To access the PDF document, click here: Lectionary 2010]

Finally, PLEASE pray that this year can fully get under way, so that we can get out more!

Now I'm off to make a jelly, while James makes us some "Bunny" (don't ask - it's a Jones "thing"!)