This is such a cool cube, I want one… but it’s a shame it’s only a concept and not going to be commercially available.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T’was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
We have already come.
T’was grace that brought us safe thus far,
And grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my home secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

On Saturday night, Annie and I went to see The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which is based on a book by John Boyne. It’s definitely not a book or a film you want to read or watch if you’re after something funny or light.

The story is basically about Germany during the second world war, and set from the perspective of a 9 (in the book) or 8 (in the film) year old boy called Bruno. His father is well respected in the Nazi regime, and the family has to move to a house next to the Auschwitz concentration camp, so that the father can do some work there. During their stay, Bruno befriends a boy called Shmuel who lives on the “other side of the fence” and wears “striped pyjamas” all day, just like everyone else on the “farm”.

It’s quite a sad tale, and there was deathly silence in the cinema when the credits rolled, so I really wouldn’t go if you don’t like anything to do with the war and concentration camps!

It’s been a while since I’ve had a session of worship like that, and I certainly haven’t worshipped like that since I’ve been in Reading. The closest that it’s ever been is whenever I go back down to King’s in Portsmouth.

Which, (yay!), will be again this weekend.

They stayed all day, but for most of the day were involved in the Jesus Culture events. Ruth and I met them for lunch, and again for dinner. Over dinner I had the random idea that I could travel back down with them in the minibus, and go to King’s (and the free student meal that was being put on!) the next day. As a bonus, Annie wouldn’t know I would be in Portsmouth, so I could meet her at the train when she got back from visiting her friend in Exeter on Sunday afternoon. So that’s what I did! I stayed the night at Sarah, Sarah and Paul’s house (Paul was away so I nabbed his bed), then went to King’s with them in the morning, had the student lunch, and toddled off to meet Annie from the station. It was so cool to be standing on the station as she got of the train, and to watch her face when she realised I was there.

Sunday evening consisted of King’s again, followed by a DVD night at the church. Unfortunately I had to get up at 6am the next day in order to catch a train to Fareham from where Chris could bring me into work, but that didn’t stop me having an awesome weekend.

I love it in Portsmouth. It really is my home…

Now it seems to run a fair bit faster, and can happily run even the biggest programs like Photoshop and Illustrator side by side. Wahey!

On a totally different note, it was 4.7°C when I cycled to work today, there was loads of frost on the ground and it was so misty you couldn’t even see the fields. That’s cold… I don’t like being this far north!

And just for the record, the computer on my bike registered 7.3°C this morning. That’s cold.

But not as cold as it’s going to get, I feel…

There were plenty of bets placed that day, but I must admit that I didn’t place any. George and Phil gave a talk in the Cisco Briefing Centre about how to place bets, what the “tote” was, etc, yet those two both came away at the end of the day down by a fair amount… But, as they say:

In betting, there are two people: a fool and a thief.

I definitely wasn’t the thief, and I was determined not to be the fool! I don’t know how many of us actually came away up from what they started, but it wasn’t that many.

Once Ascot was over, Chris kindly gave me a lift back to Portsmouth where I had a meal with some family friends on the Friday evening, which was lovely. So good to have a proper cooked roast again! Saturday I met Annie’s family, and they seemed nice, and apparently they liked me too which is always a bonus. Saturday evening was the meal for Ruth’s 22^nd birthday, and the BBQ for the students at King’s was good on Sunday afternoon!

Didn’t really want to come back to Reading, but I enjoy the job and it’s got to be done… So here I am, back again. But tomorrow Annie’s coming up, which makes Reading quite a lot more enjoyable when she’s here!

But… on Saturday I get to see Annie, and meet her family, Karen and Alan (and maybe Amy, though I don’t know if she’ll be coming). Annie’s been staying with them this week, and they’re bringing her back to Portsmouth at some point on Saturday. Chris is kindly giving me a lift home after Ascot on the Friday evening, where I’ll have a meal with the family friends Celia and Alan, then on Saturday travel into Portsmouth to stay with Annie!

Saturday is also Ruth’s 22^nd birthday, so we’re going out for a meal in the evening, then back to the Sarahs’ and Paul’s house to chill until we all get tired! Looking forward to that, it’ll be good to see everyone again.

Sunday is also busy - well, I expect I’ll have a lazy morning with Annie, but in the afternoon is the Student Welcome BBQ at Blade’s house, for all the students going to King’s this year. Obviously I won’t be going to King’s, but I’ll be going along to the BBQ nevertheless, as I’m sure Adam wouldn’t mind! It’ll be good to see everyone there, as well as meet the new people. It’ll also be really strange, though, to see everybody getting excited about King’s, knowing that I won’t be going there this year. I’m really going to miss it - I miss it already, and I haven’t really been away that long. I’m really really looking forward to the service in the evening, even if I do have to cut it short to catch a train back to Reading ready for work Monday morning.

It’s quite depressing to think that every Monday to Friday between now and Christmas Day I’ll be heading off to that office at around 8 and returning at around 5… But I guess that’s what having a full-time job is all about, eh? I’ll get used to it one day. Don’t get me wrong, I do really enjoy the work, and the guys I work with make it a laugh. But going to the same place all day (practically) every day could get tedious!

I just hope I can get settled into the church here, give me something to do in the evenings. But it’s nowhere near as handy as King’s - it’s quite a way from the house (you couldn’t walk it, for example), and it didn’t seem anywhere near as friendly or welcoming, so there seems to be less opportunities to get involved.

This coming year will be interesting, to say the least.