Thursday, November 30, 2006

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Yes, you are indeed an observant one... this is the 100th post on the Teapot!
In hindsight I have considered that it might have been rather amusing to blog about the loo rolls as an underimpressive 100th post... but no, that one has the unremarkable position of no.99.
So, in honour of 100 "random thoughts in a tea break" I bring to you some significant hundreds... beginning with Kevin Pietersen's fantastic test cricket Ashes maiden century!! (Er, boys... could we have a few more please?).

"In the fifth and final Test of the Ashes at The Oval on 12 September 2005, Pietersen did not contribute significantly in the first innings. In the second innings, however, with the stakes at their highest (England would regain the Ashes for the first time in 16 years if they could bat the day out) Pietersen scored his maiden Test century with 158, securing the match and the series for England."

...and I have that on DVD... might have another watch later.

And moving on to the Top 100 UK Adverts.
I can't say I was very inmpressed to see those bloomin' irritating Duracell rabbits going "on and on and on..." at number 32; but Maureen Lipman as Beattie with her wonderful 'Ology' is in there at number 14 - one of my all time favourites! And here it is (click twice in the middle, but not a double-click):



Back to sport now for the England footballers who have made it to and beyond 100 caps. No-one's bang on 100 at the moment - but the ones who have topped it are the greats: Peter Shilton (125), Bobby Moore (108), Bobby Charlton (106) and Billy Wright (105). David Beckham was approaching his cap century but looks like he won't be making it now - David Beckham (94).

There are some highly amusing entries on the Top 100 April Fool Hoaxes! Pick a favourite... I am somewhat amused by number 3, among others!

It wouldn't be right to have a top 100s here without considering at least one rundown of the Top 100 UK Bloggers. Glad to see that Dave's made it in at no. 43, Annie at no. 49 and Diamond Geezer at no. 59. Well, at least the one little link from the Teapot added a drop in the ocean to their popularity!!

Then there's the Greatest 100 Kid's Programmes, the Top 100 Books and the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.
Oh, and if you fancy a bit of shopping, Ebay can find you some "100th" items to buy (but you'll have to search for that one)!

And there you have it - 100 posts on the Teapot and 100 of a few other random type things for your latest tea break! Time to put the kettle on again I think...

Monday, November 27, 2006

Lovely Loo Roll!

Ok, so don't tell me there's no variety round here!
A couple of weeks ago I received a thank you gift of a £20 M&S voucher. That was very nice and I decided to spend it on some nice foody bits as a treat (M&S food being beyond my budget generally, and some treats are always appreciated considering the strict gluten-free diet I'm on). So today I trotted off (if you can trot in a car) to the giant M&S near us and picked myself some tasty (GF) pre-prepared salads and potatoes and nice meats, as well as TeenSon's favourite treat. While I was wandering around I remembered we needed some loo rolls and deciding there was no way I was venturing into the packed huge Tesco next door just for loo rolls, decided to get those in M&S too. Well, I was quite pleased with the white ones with cute little shoals of blue fish swimming along, so decided that extravagent loo roll was in order seeing as it was all a treat type thing! (Little things please little minds, as they say!). Anyway, that was me quite satisfied with a bit of 'luxury' shopping, so I headed home.

Now, as I put it all away, another thought struck me. My mum has been asking me for ages what I'd like for Christmas... I'd managed to eventually decide upon some lovely new DMs... admire them here (which I can't wear 'til I've got them back and unwrapped them on Christmas Day!). But I hadn't been able to think of any little bits when asked... so, I thought, hmmm, what about the lovely loo rolls! Feeling rather efficient for a change, I phoned my mum before I forgot again, explained my little shopping trip, and said that it would be lovely if she wanted to get me some more cute blue fishy loo rolls from M&S for Christmas! (You know - something I wouldn't normally buy for myself).

(A little bit of background information at this point... I am a Christian as you have probably picked up already if you've read the Teapot before, the only 'active, church-going' Christian in my immediate family, and I try as best I can to live according to certain considerate values and try not to get too sucked into the consumerism of our time. This is something I just try and do, I don't go on at my family or anything - just explain my actions when invited to).

So, having mentioned the nice loo rolls to my mum, she said to me... "Is it appropriate for you to have posh loo rolls with fish on with all the starving children in Africa!" So there's me thinking I wasn't being too greedy with my simple request to a question I keep getting asked... no laptop, or requests for expensive gear... just loo rolls - and that's what I get :D (my mum is lovely by the way - last year she kept asking what I'd like and I kept saying that a new set of saucepans would be lovely, seeing as mine were about 15 years old and falling apart - and it took me ages to convince her that that's what I really would appreciate!).
Anyway, I did reassure her that I was still doing and giving what I could to those (materially) worse off than me and pointed out that I wouldn't generally throw all my values out of the window by buying extravagent loo roll in future... I think she felt better then!

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Teapot Worship...

...and by that I don't mean the worship of teapots - but another little sing-along-a-God opportunity on the Teapot!! I've just spent ages trawling around YouTube (as ever!) trying to find a great version of 'This is my desire (Lord I give you my heart)' as it's a song that I love (because of the music as well as for what it expresses). There was of course the Hillsongs version, but if I'm honest (and I actually don't intend to pass inappropriate judgement here) I find that huge, performance type worship a little difficult. It's not the number of people present necessarily - I have been in places packed full to the rafters of people worshipping God - it can be awesome; and it's not the professionalism - I reckon God deserves our best; so actually, perhaps it's something as simple as preferring this one sung with a male voice? (And I'm thankful to them for some of the amazing songs they've written). So anyway, here is Teapot Worship Part Two - Chelley's Favourites!
(No offence to the lad singing, but I prefer to listen and not watch someone - which is why I liked the 'Blessed be your name' video with images of nature and all, but I haven't yet discovered where to find linkable or embedable audio-only's! As ever two clicks in the middle, but not a double-click!)

Monday, November 20, 2006

A Sense of Wonder

The conversation in the comments of my last post here reminded me of a sermon I heard - probably about 10 years ago! Now, despite my 'profession', I hardly ever remember sermons - perhaps enough to apply at the time (I'd like to think) what has spoken to me from a message, but not enough to be able to re-tell someone else what was said. But on this particular occassion, which was at a confirmation service, the Bishop who was preaching spoke about the sense of wonder that children have for the world around them - that they can delight in things like puddles and mud, among many other things; and he went on to say that it's so important that adults too should try not to lose their sense of wonder. And I think that the singing-at-the-top-of-your-voice-in-the-car conversation reflects a similar ability - keeping a hold on joy. I think both of these things - maintaining our sense of wonder, and keeping a hold on joy can be worked on by us, but they're also fruit of the Holy Spirit (that is, outcomes of the presence of God's Spirit in our lives) and as such, I reckon he must delight in seeing evidence of them. So, I'm certainly not going to 'grow-up' and stop enjoying myself - even if the result is a bunch of raised eyebrows from other 'sensible' adults!

Friday, November 17, 2006

A Window On My World!

I have been pondering again... teabreaks, I find, are good for that! A while ago I bought myself a cheap and cheerful digital camera - partly so I could bung piccies on here whenever I felt like it, and partly because I am impatient and love the instant factor of digital photos. Anyway, this camera of mine also takes videos (albeit silent ones) and so I've been starting to think, "aaahhhh" (yes just like that with the eyebrows raised slightly) what can I video????
Only a few minutes ago, TeenSon and I were prancing around the lounge to the Scissor Sisters classic, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" - now that is just the kind of thing that there is no chance of me ever videoing, bunging on my YouTube page and embedding here for your extreme amusement, but if you have any other suggestions then please feel free to suggest them! The bollards have been getting a bit bored in the garden, they might like to star in a video...? (Hmmmm... bollard jousting perhaps...?!).

In the meantime, give yourself some Scissor Sisters therapy, bung this on and prance around like an idiot... it's good for the soul! (Same as usual click the middle box twice, but not a double-click):

Monday, November 13, 2006

Soap and Lather (Palavar?)

I was laughing with TeenSon the other day about some of the more bizarre outcomes of being brought up in a single parent family (he has given me permission to tell this story). It's been he and me since he was 2 1/2 (though he's always spent lots of time with his dad and they're very close). But anyway, I was remembering with him all those role-modelled things we learn as we grow up, and we got onto the 'learning to shave' one. One day when he was a little boy he said he wanted to shave like a grown-up so we got him a comb (a good alternative razor!) and some bubbly stuff and having filled up the sink I stood there to let him play 'shaving'. Of course I expected him to slather his face in bubbles and start scraping it off with the comb... but no! He rolled up his trousers and started doing his legs (it's hard to type and laugh at the same time you know!). Of course, that's what he'd seen mummy doing, so I stopped him and said that when he was a man he wouldn't have to shave his legs (lucky boy) but he would shave his face. So we bunged a load more bubbles there and I attempted to show him how to shave his chin with a comb! Later on, I made a point of telling daddy that next time the boy was there it might be a good idea to shave together!!
(I won't even start on 'how to pee standing up' - TeenSon said that there are some limits to blog-sharing!)

Friday, November 10, 2006

Pat and Ernie

I thought I was a person well able to resist the influence and lure of advertising... but it seems not! While I was listening to Chris Moyles on Radio 1 the other morning (and wow, there is someone who can ramble on even better than me!!) there came an advert for C Beebies! Now, I admit, I haven't watched much C Beebies - we didn't have Freeview in the not-too-distant days when I was a childminder, so our little bits of TV together were usually on BBC1 or BBC2, but I'm sure we'd have watched it if I had it!
Anyway, someone in this advert (I can't remember who) was waxing particularly lyrical about Gary Linekar taking on the very special role as a London Underground tube driver. This delight comes in the form of 'Underground Ernie'! Well they got me! I'm going to have to go and find Ernie now and see if he can in any way compare with Postman Pat, who (as you may or may not know) I think is the best bloke on tele and should win awards... I mean, who else can deliver all the post, rescue a cat, entertain sick children, mend a roof, hold the community together, do the schoolrun, find lost property and humour Granny Dryden all in one day? Underground Ernie has a lot to live up to.
I think it's very healthy to wander off every so often and find our inner child, so I will be parked in front of C Beebies for my teabreak today. Not to worry if you can't manage that... I also discovered you can while away a few minutes playing 'Where's Woolly' on the website... very therapeutic!

It has just occured to me that Ernie has one quality over Pat... Postman Pat has never played for Spurs!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Ah! So That Was It...

It has been brought to my attention by Andy from 'Teapots Teapots Teapots' that the thing I was going to blog about the other day, that I completely forgot (here) and so couldn't blog about, was in fact to do with how great his blog 'Teapots Teapots Teapots' is! Isn't it amazing that he remembered and had the decency to remind me... otherwise it could have remained a mystery for ever!

Who Broke the Teapot?

Ok, what's going on around here? Yesterday I had the same YouTube video embedded in my blog with no problems at all. Then this morning Blogger was not functioning, and when all returned to 'normal' the Teapot's layout was messed up with the sidebar crashed to the bottom of the page. It wasn't me, I didn't change anything - but I've had to fiddle around with the size on the video to make it fit and get the sidebar back.
Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate having this free net space to call my own, and I know I have no idea quite how much work goes on behind the scenes, but I don't like putting the kettle on and finding the teapot's handle has fallen off... or some such bizarre metaphor!!
Anyone got some Superglue?

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Amazing Song

I find there are some songs that send a shiver down my spine when I listen to them, and the one below is definitely one of them (click twice in the box to play, but not a double-click!). I love what this song expresses and would hope that I will always be able to make these words my own.
The recording of the song is accompanied by images that reflect what is being sung... moving from images of the beauty of the earth to others reflecting the agony of the crucifixion.

Every blessing you pour out
I'll turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in Lord,
still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious name.

(Matt Redman)

Awesome!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Blimey!

I've just had another visit via a Google search referring to the Temple Curtain. This time I decided to see for myself and toddled off to Google... Having Googled 'Temple Curtain' I was pretty surprised to see that the Blessed Teapot came up as the fourth result! That took me by surprise somewhat - coming after: bright.net, a family Christian website describing itself as "a Christian ministry to spread the gospel," bsw.org - Biblical studies on the web and bible-history.com which directed to a page on the Jewish Temple. Then of course came the Teapot, before such worthy-sounding sites as bibleresourcecenter, orthodoxresearchinstitute and Wikipedia!! How about that then!!
By the way, I haven't provided links to them as I haven't had a look at all the sites. And by the way II - this still isn't the phenomonal post that I forgot from earlier!!

Blogger... What Was It?

I thought of something I wanted to blog about today. Unfortunately I didn't write the thought down straight away... this was a very bad move! I remember thinking to myself, "Ooh, what a good idea..." and now it's reeeeeally bugging me what it was.
If I remember then I will of course come back pronto and blog it... but, you know, don't get too excited it was probably something totally random (as usual)!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Well I'm Really Not Sure!

Despite the fact that I commented in my last post on how I didn't think 'Animated Analyst' was really me... I am still analysing the results of that personality test!! So yes, I do admit that I have slightly analytical tendencies but the summary for my 'Benevolent Idealist' result did feel more like me. But then I started floating the mouse over that lovely big colour DNA box thing and discovered it has decided I am Slightly Functional. Now is it me, or could another way of saying that be "Ooh, she's verging on disfunctional!"? Because I am suspicious of the possible outcomes, I am not going to carry out a survey among people-who-know-me-well... just in case! And then, there's a tiny little dark slither at the bottom declaring Low Openness. I've got a blog haven't I... I share the innermost reflections of my world, don't I? Ok, well maybe not quite the innermost deepest ones... but I did tell you about my traffic island bollards and that I support Spurs - that's quite open wouldn't you say? And then there's the Very High Extroversion. I'll definitely admit to extrovert tendencies... I do have a habit of thinking out loud (which in some circles is called 'talking to yourself') and I do start to bounce off the walls slightly if I have to work on my own with no conversational interruptions for any length of time... say, ooh, about 5 minutes! But then I also have a significant hibernation point where I need to withdraw into my little introverted place and ignore other humans for a while. My Myers Briggs type cottoned on to this by putting me just into the 'E' but not too far along the seesaw! Very High Extroversion indeed!
I suspect that had there been a nice coloured blob that said 'Very High Attention to Analytical Perfectionist Argumentative Pedantic Detail' then I would have agreed whole-heartedly... well as long as it was a blue square anyway!

Oh, and I still want to know what 'Agency' is?!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Personality



I've done this twice before and both times came out the same (Animated Analyst)... but when I read the accompanying description it didn't sound that much like me! So I've done it again - but this time I did it faster and hopefully with more gut reaction and accuracy!

It still amuses me to come out with 'Very High Femininity'! Only yesterday I was out with a good friend - one of those properly feminine types who has beauty treatments and paints her nails, and who laughs at me clomping around in my DMs and shouting at football matches. Oh well, quite a turn up for the book that!

Oh yes, and can someone tell me what 'Agency' is please?!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Kasabian and Questions

I am sitting here listening to the absolutely bloomin' fantastic Kasabian - it's a good job I don't have a webcam for you to watch and hear the delightful phenomenon of me singing and chair dancing along!! Loud is good! I am also stuffing my face with those moreish dried pineapple chunk type thingies - lovely!
Other than that totally, lets face it non-blogworthy piece of information, I really have very little blog inspiration today - so I'm going to take Steve's great suggestion and offer to answer any random questions you might want to throw in my direction via the comments. Virtual truth or dare... er... well, without the dare*! So, over to you!!

*I reserve the right to veto any particularly dodgy type questions!

Me and TeenSon are now air guitaring to 'Shoot the Runner'... awesome!!