This photo records a rare event... Sasha is not a lap-cat, she loves to run around, chase red dots or feathers, supervise the printer or watch TV from the safety of her radiator bed, but sitting on my knee is very rare.  And it does't last long - a couple of minutes if I'm lucky.  So the fact that today she sat on my knee long enough for me to take this selfie is pretty impressive!

And of course, it meant that I sat down and still for a few minutes too - you can't type or write or do much of anything with a cat on your knee.

Yesterday the text I was assigned for Uni Chapel prayers was from 1 Thessalonians 3, and the exhortation not to be idle!  I reflected, ad hoc, that in the run up to Christmas, and at the end of term, there is no chance of idleness!  Instead of telling my congregation to 'do something' I told them to 'do nothing' to take five and simply be.

Yesterday afternoon, after yet more business, three of us sat down and shared a cup of tea and some chat as we waited for the rush hour traffic to pass.  It was a rare stop in a busy, busy time for all of us.  And it was good.

Five minutes with Sasha... an important Advent reminder that sometimes what is needed is not to do more, not even to do better, but to stop, put the kettle on and take five...

In the interests of equity, here is one of me with lap cat Sophie!