Assumptions

I've noticed a lot of assumptions today.

Firstly, a confession. I went to a different church today because my normal church is having a reduced Sunday programme during August (assumption number 1: people don't want to do church in the summer).

So, we went to an Anglican church. I say we, I mean me and Terri, a long-term friend currently residing with us. She is looking for a church. She's Anglican. So it kind of worked us both going.

We were approached by a friendly chap who turned out to be the Lay Reader who later on ran the shebang, or whatever you're supposed to call the 'please turn to page 9' thing that the Anglican church do. That, by the way, actually turned out to be pretty easy to follow, and I quite enjoyed it. Saying a proper creed is always a bonus.

But anyway, Mr Lay Reader asked us if we were the couple who were there because our banns were being read out today. Not a bad assumption. He didn't know us from Adam and Eve, so we'll let him off. But it was amusing, although Terri may well have been offended that this stranger thought she couldn't do better than me.

Then we sat through the service, which moved along at a good pace. The sermon was based on 2 Corinthians 3, and the guy speaking did a good job exegeting it, linking it in with the faded glory of the old covenant with the prophecy of a new covenant in Jeremiah.

And then we had a cup of tea afterwards, during which time a few people told Terri that this service wasn't like their normal service which was usually "much livelier". Which was unfortunate, because Terri likes the liturgy and the collects and the Anglicanism of it all, and had quite enjoyed the service which ran through the 1974 revised prayer book. So, telling her that 'normally' it was qute different wasn't really going to sell her on the church.

It's been a useful experience really. It's left me wondering what assumptions I make about people.

Also a big shout out to Roger who reads this blog and was church warden for the day when we turned up. He greeted us very warmly, despite knowing who I was. So thanks for that, Roj! (He ended up having to read out one Scripture passage too, but that's another story...)

Orange blush

Yeah, right, "a co-incidence" say Britvic. But then this is Tango, and I wouldn't put anything past them.

Tango can spells out obscentity (The Sun)

On the very same day...

Talking about Crusader youth camps, Ruth followed up her comment about becoming 'the' fat designer by asking another colleague whether she ever asked people if she could borrow a padded bra.

So... one of us is fat, another is flat, what will I be?

Salad dodgers

In breaktime today, we had cake to celebrate the fact that a colleague didn't die in a horrific road accident that wrote off his car last week. (Strange, I know.)

Matt, one of our two graphic designers, refused to have a piece of cake, as he's dieting. This caused his cake-eating compatriot Ruth some consternation. "Oh, no," she said, "at this rate I'm going to be the fat graphic designer."

"Er, thanks," said Matt.

For those about to...

We salute you!

When I lost my head at Alnwick Castle...

Nah, this guilloutine looks perfectly safe - *thunk*

Fight the power

Yeah, yeah, I hung with Mark Thomas. (And he loved my t-shirt!)

Guess the book

At book group the other night this is how I reviewed a book I've recently read.

"Not wanting to sound like a paedophile - and I realise that's a terrible way to start a sentence - but I did kind of understand what [the author] was driving at..."

Can you guess the book?

Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island

Northumberland Sky