Monthly Archives: August 2007

Cartwheeling on beaches…

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The other day, at work, we were talking about God, our heart, His heart. Somehow the talk about feeling liberated and free came up, and I said to my colleague…

“You can never feel fully free until you’ve cartwheeled on a beach“

She asked me to explain, and I began to tell her how one of my little quirks I was pretty well-known for in Aberdeen was cartwheeling down beaches. Any sunny day (and you can’t take sunshine for granted in Scotland!!) I’d be itching to find someone to go to the beach with so I could cartwheel down it. It was so liberating, and silly, and you couldn’t help but giggle and smile when you did it!

“Did you used to do lots of gymnastics at school then? I used to handstands…“

No. I didn’t. The thing is, I really can’t cartwheel to save my life!! But I don’t care. I just do it anyway.

If you haven’t tried it…I urge you to. Once you start, you won’t care how silly you look, or what other people walking on the beach might think. And I really think God enjoys it when we stop trying to take ourselves so seriously, when to him we’re his children.


Why I was late for my first day at work…honest!! (no, the dog didn’t eat my homework)

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So, after being asked by certain members of my smallgroup to share my embarrassing moment in Tesco’s car park I’ve been encouraged to share yet another story which made people giggle. Good to know that the mundane events in my daily life provide entertainment for you all!!

On Monday, I had my first day at my new job. Now, the journey from Corstorphine into the City Centre of Edinburgh usually takes approximately 20-25 mins (depending on traffic). But knowing it was festival time, I decided to leave an hour before I had to be at work – you know just to be on the safe side…I didn’t want to be late on my first day, did I? No.

So, I go along to the number 26 bus stop. The number 26 is like one of the best bus services ever. I’ve never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for a bus. But on Monday, that was not to be! 12 minutes later (after walking to the bottom of Drum Brae) a bus FINALLY came along. On I got. I still had plenty of time to get to the centre….all was well.

We reached Haymarket, and suddenly the traffic got reeeeaaaalllllllllyyyyy sssllllllooooooowwwww. 20 minutes from Haymarket to Shandwick Place. Yes, that’s right….20 minutes to go between TWO bus stops!! Then we just came to a stand still. I was in a backwards facing seat, and suddenly realised everyone on the bus was looking at goings on in the street. What are they looking at? I thought.

So I looked round…

…a car was on fire in the middle of the road (not majorly), and there was the fire brigade, blocking off traffic in 2 lanes. Eventually they got the car moved. We got to the West End bus stop.

And didn’t move for another 10 minutes.

Why? Well, when the bus got to the traffic lights at Lothian Road, I saw why…a Citylink coach had broken down (I presume) was devoid of passengers and a driver, and stranded across both lanes at the opening to South Charlotte Street (which is the only route for traffic heading south or east on that part of Princes Street). Traffic Wardens were directing traffic (badly) and we sat there for a while trying to get past all the silly people trying to queue jump…

By this time, it was 6 p.m. and I was supposed to be at work.

So I got off the bus just before Castle Street, and ran along Princes Street, across the road, up the Mound – knocking tourists out the way and the ones who deliberately dithered and got in my way when they saw I was in the hurry got some huffing and puffing in their direction (I managed by God’s grace only to give 1 dirty glare between Princes Street and Potterow!) and just reached the centre minutes before Liz’s client was to arrive. I was 20 minutes late, bedraggled and with a stitch in my side.

So that’s how I was late for my very first day in my new job.

A car fire AND a broken down coach blocking a road in the city centre of Edinburgh in the same hour….what are the odds of that, eh?!

A malteser moment inspired by NOOMA

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After work, I decided to stop off at the 24hr Tesco store in Corstorphine as I realised that I had nothing for breakfast in the morning. Tesco at nighttime is always fun, always some interesting characters, and more annoyingly abandoned trolleys.

Abandoned trolleys really get on my nerves, because the roll around and bash your car. Grr. Anyway, I came out of Tesco (after failing to find a wee bottle of evian – grr) and there in front of the car next to Cassie was a shopping trolley. And it even had some litter in it – a half eaten sandwich and an empty carton of juice. Not only was the trolley in the way of both cars, it was just poised to scratch my car.

But a few weeks ago, after a lovely Sunday lunch at the Grants house, we watched the newest NOOMA DVD with Rob Bell called ‘Store’. It talks about not bottling up anger, and uses a wee sketch of a guy doing his grocery shopping. It’s one I think everyone can relate to. I know I do. At the end, he moves a shopping trolley out of an empty car parking space into one of the wee trolley park things.

So, inspired by this I thought. I’m going to put the trolley in the trolley park. So I did. And went back to my car. Just as I was getting into Cassie, I hear a voice – it’s the driver of the car next to Cassie who is packing his shopping in the boot.

“That was my trolley” he said.

Unfortunately, God did not answer my prayer of making a hole in the ground to swallow me up right there and then. I apologised profusely, as the guy went to the trolley park to retrieve the rest of his sandwich and full (not empty) carton of pineapple juice. I would have much preferred if he’d gotten angry, given me an evil glare, but instead he quite obviously was sniggering trying to contain the laughter building up inside him even as I reversed out the parking space to drive home.

So the moral of the story???

Make sure the trolley is abandoned before you return it to the trolley park.