For those who know my situation, the latest news is that I am single again. My partner left the weekend I was away. I won't be publishing the details, but those who know me privately will know.

I have so many pictures to upload, I might just make a new folder for NEW pics, and that will make it easier for folk to see what is new, rather than having to go to each folder individually. After a month perhaps, I'll move them to their respective correct folders to make room for new pictures. (getting so organised! lol!) Heres one of my sunflowers to break up all the writing, if you look at the garden folder, you'll see how much it has grown in a month or so!

As you can see, its higher than the roof! 

I just have to tell you all how kind some people have been to me. The Mennonite folk I met at the end of May have been super, and really supportive to all my problems. Sometimes just having someone to talk to on the phone helps. I don't really have much contact with my family, as most don't approve that I had children outside marriage, and my boys have never had grandparental support. Its a shame for them I think, as we all have things to learn from other generations. I have rare contact with my sister, but she is the only one who talks to me.

I was supposed to be meeting up with the Mennonites here in the UK, as at the May meeting, we agreed to try to meet up once a month. There was a house meetup at the end of July which I had hoped to go to, but up until yesterday, I hadn't been receiving any benefits since Colin left, so we were absolutely desperate for funds for electric and food etc. I just couldn't find the wherewithal to go to Sevenoaks to meet up, or justify spending that money when the boys at home had nothing.  As a total surprise, one of the couples of the group, offered me the petrol money to be able to come. I felt so blessed to have these friends who I had just met, being so lovely to me, enabling me to be able to go. You can't say that very often these days! Just a day after they deposited the  money, I had a letter that the council were coming to see the house, to take photos to see if we had kept to the court order to keep tidy. Well, I couldn't leave at all now, as we had so much work to do! Since my partner left, I had cleared out several cupboards and the loft, to sort out all his stuff to return to him, and other clothes and toys that were too good to be thrown. I am planning to do a car boot sale with it all, to try to raise some funds for bills. Well you know when you do a huge clear-up, it looks a whole lot worse before it looks better, and that was the stage I was at when I had the council letter!  I would never have started such a huge clear-out if I had known we were getting a visit! Typical! The house has been tidy for months, and the one time it isn't, someone is coming round!

Well, I phoned my friends, and told them that I just couldn't leave the house now, as I couldn't expect the boys to work if I wasn't here. (If fact, I hardly get any work out of them when I AM there, but thats another story!) When they told me to just keep the money, I burst into tears! It has been soooo long that I have had anyone do anything nice for me, I just couldn't stop! They even rang up the day of the council visit to see how it went!  I know I have always tried to help people if it was at all in my power, but I have rarely met others who do the same, until now. Praise God that he led me to this group, and may we continue to meet in His name for a long time to come.

Here is my little tent from the camping trip where I met all these lovely folk, and the inside with my camp bed.

It says its a 4 man one, but I think they must have very small "men" to measure with! When the camp bed is up, there is no room either end of it, and there wouldn't be enough room to put another bed up either, so its quite snug, but cosy! To think, if I had not got up my courage to go away for a weekend by myself, I would have never met these wonderful people. God really does plan things for us!

I'm going to do some uploading into the new folder now, but I may write more later.

Blessings to you all in Jesus' name, Paula x

  Hello dearest friends!

I have written my item list today, and made out a tick sheet for packing, (I'm a right one for writing lists!)

My memory gets so bad sometimes, I think it's the MS that makes it worse, but the way I try to cope with it is to write lists. I hardly ever forget things when I follow a list. (Remembering to put everything I need on the list though, that's where the problems can occur!!)

Anyway, back to the packing! I have a huge bag (  pink of course!) with wheels and a pull handle, that I have never used yet, and I do so love having a new bag! Because I use a crutch, I have to be able to carry or pull just one bag, so I have the other hand free for leaning on my stick.

Here's two pictures of the lovely new bag:

Cute isn't it! I think it should be big enough for 2 days camping? I never take many clothes, maybe because I have so few modest ones at the moment, but I do normlly take lots of  "things to do!" My Bible, knitting, cross-stitch, puzzle book, my DS, and I'm hoping to have my new plastic canvas set arrive by then, that I ordered from ebay.  Considering I will be out from 11am to 3pm at the service and meeting, then I'm meeting my new friend Malgosia for tea, you may wonder when I will have time for all these crafts! I don't sleep well because of the pain, although I do sleep often, and I sometimes need to take my mind off the pain by concentrating on my knitting for example. So when I wake, if I can't get back to sleep I'll try knitting or reading for a while.

My night spent in the new tent was really good, and not as cold as I thought it would be, and I found that the solar charged light we got is bright enough to read by, and I can sit on the bed and knit. Unfortunately it's not tall enough to stand, but as long as I can sit somewhere I'll be OK.  Rich stayed in it last night, and he said it was cold for him! Tonight it's raining though, and it is due to rain both nights I'm away, so I might go out there again tonight and sleep to see how many covers I'll need to take! I'm hoping to get a cheap sleeping bag, as our old one has no zip. I tried to use it, but I'm too "cuddly" to fit into a mummy shape bag! Shame!

I'm going to sign off now, and maybe I'll do some more later. Bye dear friends, Paula x

I have been talking about my garden on occasion, and I have finally taken some picture of the bits that are growing under control, as there are lots of bits that are growing under their own steam! (And usually much faster growth than mine aswell!) This is my dwarf poppy, in front of the mini greenhouse. It was inside the greenhouse while it was small, but it's now out in the open.

This is what's left after the slug attack. 1 feeble tomato, 1 spring onion, and something that I thought was another sping onion, but which now seems to be a grass that has grown from a flying seed! The 2 huge green plants, are normal onions that were in the fridge, growing shoots, so I thought I would grow them on in here, and collect the seeds when they flower. Unfortunately, they are the only thing that is flourishing!

This is the sunny wall outside my bedroom. 

Here I have 2 sunflowers, and 2 tomato plants. There is another sunflower a bit furthur along, but I had to plant it the other side of the window, so it wouldn't grow up and block the light!

All these things, (apart from the fridge onions) have been grown from seeds, by my own fair hand! You may not see this as a triumph, but I have never grown anything from seeds before, and I'm so pleased! 

Here is a picture of the dwarf poppy in bloom. I was so lucky to get this pic, as it only lasted for a day! If you go to my albums, you can see its progress opening up. I went back every half hour and took another picture!

I have typed so much today, what with transferring my old blog, so I'm going to stop now, and have a sleep. If I wake with any energy, I'll do some more later.

Blessings to you all my dear friends, Paula