People who have known me a long time know that I have a red suit for 'special occasions' - usually it gets worn at Christmas, often at Pentecost, sometimes at Easter and, significantly, was worn for my Induction to the Gathering Place back in 2009.  For the last of these, I also bought a pair of red shoes to complete the outfit.  As I approach the tenth anniversary of that date, I already had it in mind to buy a new pair of red shoes and wear the suit to symbolise the recollection.

This morning I came across this and find that I am in excellent company.

This week I'm washing the covers of the two settees - something long overdue to be perfectly honest!

Sasha came and snuggled up to me on the older of the settees this evening, a very rare event indeed.

After another busy day of service prep and admin, it's good to relax with the kitties.

Today was my monthly visit to the care home.

It's always a busy morning with as many as two dozen folk to visit in a two hour (or thereabouts) session.  Today it felt quite demanding, mostly because there were a lot of new people to see, and also one of those I had come to know and love had died since my last visit.

It's taken a long time, but I am getting to know the names of the long stay residents, and a few of them, even with a degree of dementia, are starting to recognise and remember me.

Today:

A lot of smiles were shared, and a fair few prayers.

One visit was however long it takes to pray the Aaronic blessing,

Another a long chat about historical fiction - and  a couple of book recommendations!

Mostly it was visits to women, but there were also several men.

Some of the staff now make a point of saying 'hello' and asking me to visit people.

I left pretty tired, but knowing that, in some small measure, God's love has been shared -

and I have glimpsed God in everyone I met.

Yesterday I took the covers off one of my settees and washed them.  Today I wrangled them back on... a far fropm simple task, especially when helped by a couple of cats.

It feels like there ought to be a sermon in there, if only I could find it.

At least one settee now has clean covers, for a while at least!  Better psyche myself up to wsh the other set then...

I remembered that I had a M&S gift token I was given for Christmas and thought I really ought to get organised and spend it!  But first, I thought, brunch!

The photo is of my eggs on toast at the MacKintosh tea room on Sauchiehall Street - a treat to myself, and very tasty it was too.

Then it was off to M&S where the voucher was put towards a new dress *with pockets*!  Nowadays I by almost all my clothes in charity shops (it's greener, cheaper and helps good causes) so it was quite a treat to buy something actually new.  Just hoping we get some suitable weather to wear it now!!

Next, it was time for more mundane matters - the ironing.  Which prompted me to tidy out my chest of drawers.  Which revealed that I have sufficient pairs of black tights to survive a Brexit Apocalyse and then some, as well as enough socks for a small sock shop.  This phase ended with a trip to the charity shop with assorted bits of costume jewellery and bric-a-brack that had been hiding in my drawers for eons.

I am rather too pleased with the now tidy drawers - they weren't horrendous before, just had way too much stuff and a bit disorganised - and I am discovering just how it is the case that the more stuff I clear out the happier I am.

It feels like a day off well used, a nice blend of fun stuff and necessary stuff.