Emmaus South Lambeth

Hello again,

Into every event-filled life a little dullness must fall, I suppose – but this week wasn’t Emmaus South Lambeth’s time for dull at all! Whilst I occupied my energies stirring blackberries (see last week’s effort), apples and sugar into jam last Saturday, my fellow Companions beavered away in the shop and Superstore warehouse to smash our previous ‘best trading day’ record to smithereens, so thanks to them all for their marvellous efforts!

Sunday was the Open Day at the allotment, and a couple of Companions joined me at the bar-b-q and then did a magnificent clearance job which would have taken my piteous strength several full days, so thanks very much for that too, guys!

On Monday Mike, Chris and Companion Kevin had the treat of going to a gig at the University of London Union at the invitation of ‘Anti-flag’, and a very good time was had by all (though we had to shout at them all for a day or so afterwards!) That was the day another new Companion, David, joined us – and he has won our hearts by offering to cook both lunch and evening meal for us on a Saturday, when microwave ready meals are the norm.

Nor was ‘dull’ the first adjective that came to mind on Tuesday when our landlords came for a 6-monthly inspection and decided our kitchen was STILL not meeting its standards, and that further amendments would be required…. in due course. This was lucky, because one of their experts and our Deputy John (who has been dealing valiantly with repairs and maintenance issues since we moved in) are now both on holiday, and the potential for misunderstanding what repairs were needed to which area are just infinite!

Wednesday WAS in fact reasonably uneventful, then on Thursday there was a Trustee Sub-Committee meeting – and the good news is that AT LAST our new warehouse has received planning approval, so we’re having to think of the uses for the workshop area.

I had a visit to Battersea to see my sister on Friday, which was enjoyable, and that brings us to this bright sunny (now THAT’s real news this summer!) Saturday morning : I’m waiting for the local Horticultural Hall to open up so I can buy some brassicas to plant. It is possible the onions will be ready to lift next week, and that really will exciting – I have absolutely no idea whatsoever where we might put the strings once I’ve strung them!
Further next week, I dare say.
Take care till we meet again, Elizabeth

OLYMPIAN EFFORTS

 

‘Tis a triple Olympic winner who writes to you today.  Admittedly they are the West Norwood Olympics, rather than those in
Beijing;  and it is run by the EOC (
Elizabeth’s Olympic Committee, which meets in the bath…) rather than the IOC, but just WAIT till you see the Medal Table :

                                 

Stretch and Bend beside blackberry bushes                  Gold

Heavyweight lifting of full boxes of blackberries         Silver

                   (it was done in two sessions)

Getting Scratched and Stung                                            Bronze

 

I wondered whether I should have a cross-over category:

Staining of hands                                                              Purple Heart Commendation

 

- but the Committee decided that that might have just a hint of nepotism, so it was decided to stick to the official Olympic medals.

 

Well, with that little crow over with, I must mind my manners, and welcome two new Companions to Emmaus South Lambeth – Jose and Steve.  Their arrival has made Scott, who arrived last week, feel quite like an old-timer.

 

I have been doing the cooking most of the week – and poor young Scott has had a bad time of it, as he’s not a great vegetable eater and I h-hmmm don’t do chips except in emergencies.  Watching him pick out the every bit of carrot, courgette, swede and beans from the Spaghetti Bolognese on Monday night was positively painful!  However, I was ever so pleased to see him actually serving himself some cabbage by Wednesday – just as well because on Thursday I did a lamb and rice salad for lunch– with courgette, tomato, lettuce, spring onions, cucumber, radish, celery, chives….  (fortunately, nobody’s let onto him about herbs yet!)

 

Cooking most of the week…?  I should explain that I work a theoretical 4-day week on account of doing Companion Assistant duties :  for non-Emmaus readers, perhaps I should explain further.  On  two (occasionally more) nights a week,  I am ‘On Duty’, ie check windows and doors are locked at night, sort things out if fire alarm goes or give Companions their spare key if they lock themselves out of their rooms, make sure supplies of tea, coffee, sugar etc are kept topped up – and generally try to ‘oil the wheels’ however I can.  Somehow, though, I find my days off are spent enjoying ‘work’ :  in the allotment or  repotting plants at the house– or picking blackberries/making jam/baking scones or cooking a meal at weekends – or doing admin I’ve not found time for during the week.    The only complaint I have is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day – which makes me one very lucky person, I’d say.

 

All that – AND three Olympic medals;  who could ask for more?

 

Take care,

Elizabeth

 

 

 

 

 

RETURN TO WORK A hot summer’s night; the steady rain helps to ease the muggy sultriness and it is nice to have a light breeze coming through the open windows. This is the Sunday evening at the end of my holiday, and I’ll be back to work tomorrow; I’m feeling pleasantly weary after an action-packed weekend. Luckily the traffic is light, and for once there’s no loud music from the flats opposite, no alarms or sirens and I drift peacefully to sleep around 11pm. Five hours later, however, it is a rather different story. It began with a burglar alarm, shortly followed by a Vespa idling at the lights – then the cat choking on a fur ball. I could have gone back to sleep relatively soon had I not begun to puzzle – was that the SHOP alarm…? No, surely not…– but then, along came the police siren : is the Vespa the get-away vehicle? Does the alarm belong to the Moneygram shop? Best leave it to the police to sort out, I’m not burglar-catching material and they’ve come in response to the alarm. Debating whether it would all go silent again, or should I give up and make myself a cup of tea, the issue was decided when the 5.03 train (the one with the squeaky wheels) pulled up – or was it when the crows started a fight over the contents of the bins?…. As I pad downstairs, I’m conjuring up a scenario where the Vespa’s passenger has bashed in the Moneygram shop window and cut the alarm wires, then has ridden away with the cops in hot pursuit having scared away the crows by the time I return, so I can FINALLY GET ENOUGH QUIET TO GET BACK TO SLEEP. Whatever the scenario with the alarm and the cops really was, truth dawns with the rays of the morning sun on return to my room: the Vespa – any Vespa - was not, after all, involved. There was no scooter of any kind, in fact – it was the sound of snoring drifting across the dawn air; Welcome to South Lambeth, new Community Leader! So began my first day of work at the shop, which went very fast; we have another new Companion and one of the founder Companions left to return to the Showground. We held a b-b-q to celebrate Mike’s arrival on Thursday in traditional ESL fashion – organised it all, then stood and watched him get ‘stuck in’ by leaving him to be Chef! It ended with a sing-song around 10pm – and by some miracle, all 5 hours from lighting the charcoal to completion of clear-up were free from rain! We were happy to play host to a dozen or so Business Managers who came here on one of their regular meetings earlier in the week, and it was good to know that both Preston AND Colchester are soon to open. Sheffield’s opening in January lost us the ‘Newest Emmaus Community’ status – but it’ll feel like we’re Really Old Hands to be fourth-youngest! As for the allotment –we received an amazing phone call following the news about our allotment expansion I mentioned last week. “I have two televisions to donate….. address, etc… and I have some fruit bushes available if you’d like them”. It was lucky the call was taken at the office and not by me direct – I’d have deafened the poor man with my whoop of joy! So we’re off to pick them up in a couple of weeks’ time.
Take care till we meet again, Elizabeth

 

So a nice long week of relaxation over – and I’m looking forward to work next week for a necessary rest!

 

I had a wonderful visit to see long-time friends (we’re all at a Too Sensitive age to call them Old Friends…) in Mossley – with the finest weather the North West has had so far this year.  Having passed Piccadilly and Hyde Park to go north, I passed Piccadilly (Manchester) to get to Hyde Park where mine host was helping out at the Pennine Rangers stall, which was hot, happy and successful.   His brother was also visiting, and the four of us had a lot of Heavy Duty crosswording and discussions, 5-star food, massive hospitality and relaxation!  Including a teensy weensy 5.2 mile amble over the Pennines , passing a dead sheep which they wouldn’t let me take home…;  apparently that was taking recycling just a LITTLE too far!

 

Back home, cycle ride to Battersea and back to see my sister, then back home to a scenario that is just begging for a Bernard Cribbin ’s sketch writer to perfect. 

 

Take one comedic Bright Shiny New Community-Leader-to-be;  add a washing machine, tumble drier and a designer-challenged Community Leader’s flat.  Add two companions and assemble for installation of machines.  Yep, the results were utterly farcical!

 

I was appointed Door Opener in Chief, which entailed my standing against an open door advising everyone to mind my feet.  The items in question were to go into a cupboard about 4” wider than they are, which had all the piping and wiring ready for them.  The washing machine went in with room to allow plumbing in to take place – and yes, you’ve guessed it – the job successfully doused Community Leader-to-be to the point where he left it for the experts to complete!  Not helped by pair of Companions absolutely laughing their socks off whilst he mopped up in very confined space and alas broke the mop bucket…  “So there I was, digging this hole, hole in the ground, big and sort of round it was…” kept coming into my head at the most inappropriate moment!  Meanwhile, it was realised that the tumble dryer could not go on top of the washing machine until plumbing in has been successfully achieved, so it is now having an extended holiday on the spare room bed!

 

Saturday;  various staff members having cried off because it ‘looked like it might rain’, four Companions set off on an extremely enjoyable bike ride, via Manor House (to see the Snuff Mill), Beddington Park and Mitcham Common.  We had several (dozen) stops on the way because it’s Blackberry Season again, and alas I hadn’t taken any boxes to bring them home in, so we just had to stay and graze.  Here.  And There.  And Over There.  And a little way past…  You know how it is!

 

Then Sunday, the Allotment Group had a Work Party and Bar b q, which a couple of us attended.  We were greeted by terrific news – we’ve been allocated another half allotment – and bestest of all, (from a selfish point of view)  it is the one currently belonging to the gentleman who has been giving me such good advice and tomato and cabbage plants, and keeps an immaculate site!  He has decided that the age of 94 is a really good age at which to reduce his commitments!  

 

He was very glad to hear we would be taking it on, as he was anxious (as were the Committee) that it would go to someone who would be sure to care for it, and we were judged so to be, which is nice.

Elizabeth