A Free Kryten ringtone

Robert Llewellyn has recorded this mobile phone ringtone in the style of Kryten (full name Kryten 2X4B-523P) from the brilliant Red Dwarf for anyone who wants it. I have edited and compressed in Pro Tools it so it is a little louder and tighter.

It is totally free and copyright free with the blessings of @bobbyllew


Download Kryten - Phone Message

A grumpy moan about TV

As regular readers of my Blog will know I have opinions and they are mine and I tend not to sit on the fence. Prime Time Terrestrial TV is a bug bear of mine especially Saturday night TV, I can't really moan as I refuse to watch that sort of TV programme....it is lowest common denominator TV aimed at people who don't want to think...X Pop Strictly Factor Big Brother Idol. I cannot understand why anyone would want to watch it, I know I am in a minority and lots of people get plenty of enjoyment from these programmes.

The problem I have with these programmes is most of them have the general public having a go... where I don't have a problem with people having a go, I do object to it being on my TV at prime time and then being asked to pay to vote for the act to go through or win? Sorry but that doesn't equal entertainment in my book. Oh how I wish I could get rid of this crap once and for all.

Hand Made Rain

This just blew me away when I saw it online. Please turn up your volume and just listen to about the first 2 minutes or so, the singing after that is great, but the first bit is just wonderful.

Walk on the Wild Side

I just love this trailer for Walk on the Wild Side, the version on You Tube doesn't work if you live outside of the UK so I have been a little sneaky and converted it and stuck it here for you to enjoy if you cannot see it on You Tube

Prisoners who are dying....what to do?

I have been discussing the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi who was released from jail as he has terminal prostate cancer with a few friends on Facebook, and like Kenny MacAskill believe giving someone a little compassion and Christian love is the way forward. I have been slated for believing this and saying so publicly.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi in many circles is believed to not even to have been the bomber of the Pan-Am flight but a scape goat for Gaddafi who wanted to enter the world market again. His accomplice was found not guilty and sent home again. The second reason is, I have been in a jail, not as a prisoner but as a teacher. Jails are horrid places at the best of times, inmates are on their guard 24/7. They are under threat of bullying, violence, rape and murder. Most have to share a cell and you don't choose your cell mate. Prison is a place of rehabilitation, a place to change peoples mindsets about life. Hopefully to make people accept society and conform to a way of life that is acceptable to the majority and not the minority. Prison can work, but it is far to overcrowded and people are just banged up and then let out, try as the education and work systems do there isn't enough time and people to make it work, so inmates go in and out most without changing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is dying and has little or nothing to gain from being in prison, he has little time left and is a very long way from his home and his family.

Anyhoo back to the decision to send Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home. In the possible 3 months left in his life what would keeping him in a Scottish jail achieve? I don't think it will achieve anything. He has a short time left and this will not be good for him at best. He will have a lot of pain and will for the most of it be under very heavy sedation. Sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will give him time to think why? if he really did the murders and planted that bomb, he will have to face God very soon.

Showing a little of Compassion and Gods love now and letting him die with dignity will afford him a little comfort in his last days. Lets hope Libya has the palliative care we offer in the UK.

If you want to look at it in another way, sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will save the UK taxpayer a heck of a lot of money, it costs roughly £3000 a day to keep and inmate in jail who is healthy, once they become ill and need to go to hospital that can easily go up to and over£10,000 a day as he will need transportation, 2 permanent guards and his own room at the hospital, plus all of the medications.......

Questions

I am a Christian, I am proud to say I follow Jesus and his teachings, I am really crap at it, but I do try and that is all that is expected really. Over the past few years I have had my faith tested to breaking point on a few occasions, and that is where I am at at the moment. Things happen I don't understand, and I see people hurt so bad that it makes me cry and question why? I know there are no easy answers, I know God has never said we wouldn't suffer, he did say he would be with us in our suffering.

I really don't understand why certain things happen, why people hurt each other or why people are taken early? I don't know why accidents happen or incurable illness's take over peoples bodies....I know at the moment I am again questioning...........

Tesco!!! and V.F.M

Yesterday I popped in to Tesco for provisions, nothing unusual or remarkable about that really I do it a few times a week. Yesterday was slightly different though, I had my clubcard vouchers...all £20 of them, so I went for a little walk first and had a look at the wine...they had a few very nice Spanish reds on offer...so off I go and exchange £20 of vouchers for £40 of wine vouchers...I bought 8 bottles of Spanish red reduced from £10 to £4.99. I also got a discount off that of a further £2 for buying over 6 bottles...if they reduced them anymore they would have had to pay me to take them away!!!!

So I was very pleased with Tesco yesterday, I really felt we had had Value For Money. When I told Mrs EB about how we got all of that good Red wine from our vouchers her answer was "Well I'm having a large Red wine tonight then!!!" She didn't, she had a Mojito hahahaha

London Trip August 2009

We spent 2 days and one night in Kensington London.

We went down on Tuesday the 4th of August, the main reason for going down on the Tuesday we had be bought a food experience and we chose to dine at Peridot at the Bentley Hotel.

The meal was amazing, we both started off with "Maryland crab cake with sweet corn relish and red pepper aioli" these tasted wonderful and was just the right size for a starter. Mrs EB had Confit of duck with pear mash and ginger honey wine with a green side salad. and I had Lamb cutlet served with garlic mash, buttered baby spinach and red wine jus and a mixed side salad. We had a wonderful bottle Rioja Crianza to accompany the meal. Mrs EB then had Warm pear tart tatin with crème brulee ice-cream and I had a Trio of crème brulée with fresh raspberrys. The food was a delight, the service was wonderful, we were the only two people in the resturant for most of the evening.

We then went for a walk around Kensington and Chelsea which was a great way to let the meal go down, on the way back we stoped off at a pub for a swifty and it had to be, we had just settled down with our drinks and they rang the bell and were chasing us out of the pub!!!

Wednesday was my birthday and after we woke up we went to breakfast, I orded two soft poached eggs and Mrs EB went off helped herself to the the breakfast bar buffet...I waited and waited, and then waited some more. I then asked for my poached eggs...they hadn't been ordered!!! anyhoo after another short wait my poached eggs arrived I added some bacon and toast and they went down a treat.

Then we packed, OK Mrs EB packed, then put the luggage into the hotel locker. Then we went on a tourist trip, 1st to the Mac shop....I love that place, then we went to the embankment...that was wonderful. A guy called Bruce was doing a busking act, comedy and juggling, he pulled me out of the crowd I'll add some pictures later, well I laughed and laughed.

After that we made our way slowly to Victoria for the theatre, we went to the pub first then to Maccy D's for a cheese burger. The off to see Wicked....

Wicked

WOW what a show, it was just wonderful, I wont say too much because if you haven't seen and you may see it, then it might take the edge off it if I tell the story. I will say it is the back story of the Witches from The Wizzard of Oz. Setting the scene for the film. The actors and actresses were just amazing and the singing just blew me away. I shed tears with wonderment and joy.

Then we went over to Soho had a beer and then a massive chinese feast, softeshell crab, Seaweed, then Chicken with chili and blackbean and lobster with noodles before heading off to Euson and home. All in all one of the best birthdays ever.

Yay a look at the Next Dr Who

Hot off the press, here's a new preview clip for the next Doctor Who special, Waters of Mars:



This clip was shown earlier today at a special Doctor Who panel at Comic-Con in San Diego.

Amazing

I have been looking at this amazing video it makes me smile and is a real feel good video I have posted it on Facebook and various other places... enjoy it and see what people can do just for the sake of doing something.

Green Cars?

I am slightly confused, I follow Robert Llewellyn on Twitter and do watch the odd Carpool, a wonderful weekly show on his website please do go and have look.

He is really pushing electric cars as the saviour of the planet?

Now an electric car needs charging, to charge this car, you need to go to the national grid, which means power stations burning millions of tons of coal (fossil fuel) everyday to feed the grid, and this obviously sends millions of tons of carbons and other poisons into the environment just like petrol, being that they are both fossil fuels. Now there is an argument that this would happen anyway as they need to produce the electricity for the country to run...well they need to produce petrol anyway as cars need to move, it will get produced anyway as the petro-chemical industry produce Petrol and LPG, Propane, Oil, Diesel and other refined oils and various other bi-products anyway.

I am not against electric cars or even hydrogen powered cars as there is a 100% clean exhaust, but it burns loads of fuel getting the hydrogen too separate from oxygen to get at that fuel. Are there any other forms of alternative fuelled cars apart from Bio-Diesel? Don't say LPG that is just another bi-product of petrol.

I am against being told electric cars are the answer to all of our problems, they are not, they may be one small solution, but as making the electricity to charge them up is still causing massive pollution, how can it be the solution? it is just moving the pollution from the car to the power station it is not removing it. Wind farms don't supply enough electricity into the grid and everyone seems to be against having a wind farm near them...and no one seems to want nuclear power stations... there doesn't seem to be an answer...or does there? Am I being too blinkered to see it?

We live in a world that we are killing by pollution and greed...the alternative clean fuels like wind power, solar and wave power never seem to get above a small taster without locals saying we don't want that in our back yard it looks awful.......so what can we do?

Is there a clean answer to car fuel? I really don't know? kinetic energy seems to be one answer but how that would work? I don't know? You can't shake a car like you can a wrist watch..or can you?

Also what happens to all of the batteries from electric cars when they are no longer useful? a 2 - 3 maybe even a 5 year life span on the batteries seems to be the going life span...that is a heck of a lot of batteries to recycle...can you recycle the old new super batteries?

As I said I am confused about electric cars being the answer...maybe I can't see the wood for trees, I am open to being sold on them, I really am... but all I can see is moving one problem and creating yet another.

Michael Jackson 1958 -2009

I was a fan of Michael Jackson. not a die hard must buy everything fan, I like his early music, the Jackson 5 stuff, I loved "Off The Wall", Thriller and Dangerous. I didn't take much notice of his personal life, his Wacco stuff as it was called. I enjoyed his music and felt sorry for him. I cried when I heard he had died at just 50, Mrs EB and I were on our Narrow Boat, we had tea and put on some of his music and shed some tears. I have a few favourite songs, Ben, ABC, One Day the list goes on and on.
But this song being my most favourite song of Michaels. It was used last night at the Thanks Giving Service, I cried again. I also cried when Jermaine sang, when Marlon spoke and when young Paris spoke my heart broke for her and her brothers.

I pray the press will leave Michael and his family alone now, they need time to grieve and be a family. Rest in Peace Michael thank you for the all of the music you brought us, they joy you shared with us and the most amazing dances you danced for us. God Bless you and your family, I pray you knew Jesus as your own personal Lord and Saviour and you are dancing and singng for him now.

The Glass Harp

Via twitter and the QI Elves I have found this chap, he is amazing and a talented chap with a few wine glasses. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Qustions of Faith

My faith is my life really, I know that may sound trite but it is the truth, I try base how I am by what I believe. I am awful at it and in no way an example of a good Christian so please do not look at me and expect something worth looking at.

This is very hard at the moment especially when people I know and care for are hurting. I get angry with God for these people. I don't know why people get ill, I don't understand cancer or why people get it, but it does make me question my faith sometimes. This is no bad thing, when my two friends died in an awful car crash I questioned my faith long and hard. and because of it I believe I am a stronger and better Christian. A young Lady who is one of Mrs E.B's staff has a growth on her brain, why? she is in surgery Today after it being diagnosed on Sunday evening. I pray that God will look after her and after the surgeons and I pray that what they find can be removed with no damage to her brain and she will make a full recovery.

An amazing family I know, the wonderful wife has tumours in her lung and hip, they have two children and have spent many years working for God in the Mission Field in Mozambique...why does this happen? I pray the new treatment will work miracles and the tumours will vanish and she will be healed of Cancer.

I don't understand any of this, my heart is crying, my insides feel awful? I really don't want to praise God at the moment, but these are the times I will Praise God, I don't really want to go to Church or be involved with Church activities, but I will go and do them with even more vigour because I trust God, I am questioning God and this means I am questioning my Faith, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in God or that Jesus died for me, just why God gave man free will and with free will comes all that is crap, why cancer can take hold in his servants when so much work is left to do. Why take the Good and amazing people when there are murderers and evil people about???? I know I wont get the answers I want but I am allowed to question my faith.

Saint Georges Day or not

Thursday April 23rd is a good day really, it is my Brother-in-Law David's Birthday, it is St Georges Day the Patron Saint of England if you believe in Saints of that sort, personally I don't, well actually scripturally I do, as all Christians are Saints. I just don't Deiatify dead people, or pray or talk to them. The Bible says leave them alone and I do. I will let God sort out that sort of thing on Judgement day, it is his job not man's. (argue with me as much as you like, but the pope is just a man, he aint God, he is elected by men to lead a denomination of a Church, but he has no special powers or special direct line to God, he only has what any other Christian has, sorry to shock you, unless I am reading a different Bible to you?)

Anyhoo April 23rd was my Friend Matthew's birthday, someone who should be here to share a curry with me on that day, but he was called home with our friend Christopher on September 10th 2006. I still really miss Matt and Chris, but the pain is not as sharpe now, it still cuts deep, I still weep tears at times, but the momories make smile and chuckle. I have taken a few photos of my Cherry tree blossom, Matt loved Cherry Tree blossom, and I know his Mum loves it too.

Cherry Blossom for Matthew Milford Sellers and his family

Websites and Photos

Wow sorry I haven't blogged for a few weeks.. What's been happening? I have been updating my website I have had a website on www.thebaynhams.com for about 7 years now and it was looking very tired and needed pages taking down and other things doing to it. So I revamped for want of a better description. I have taken all of the old pages down now. I have my CV on there and some of the better photos I have taken that I think people may want to see, I am not saying they are great photos, far from it, but they are composed photos that I have enjoyed taking. I don't have an all singing all dancing megga camera with interchangeable lenses just a Fuji F810 and patience and sometimes I have seen something worth taking a picture of. I hope you like them if you go and have a look. There are several different pages. Underwater, Underwater 2, Animal, Bird, Panorama and General These pages are in an update phase and new photos are being added as and when I find them in my vast files of photos and edit them.

We have been to The Robber Button most weekends and had some fun with friends tootling up the canal. I have been enjoying Easter, the most special time in the Christian Calender, we have been to a wedding and Mrs EB has been working megga hard. I have had a few meetings but nothing I can really write about as stuff is in the air.

I found this on You Tube the late great Johnny Cash


That is about it really.

Weekend away with Church

We spent last weekend away with our Church at The Pioneer Centre, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. Well that was were I ended up after a trip across Birmingham thanks to O2.

I ordered Mrs EB's and my new phones after a deal was struck with O2 and they were to be delivered to me here Friday AM. 10:30ish my DHL delivery driver arrives and gives me just 1 box? I said there should be 2 parcels? he went and checked nope just the one? He said maybe another driver will have it. I waited until after 12 and phoned O2 to check both had been sent, they said yes and gave me the delivery number of the 2nd parcel. I phoned DHL I then had to phone the local branch... The wonderful lady there did a load of checking, it would seem the local guy who delivered my parcel wasn't telling the whole truth, he had had two parcels the other didn't have my house number on it, so he sent it back!!!

DHL Lady said it was with a driver who was prepared to have me drive to where he was and collect it from him as long as I showed ID and proof of address. I phoned him, he was in South Birmingham, I was in North Birmingham and was I needing to head to West Birmingham across the city? So I drove to a very dodgy looking estate where lots of houses and flats were boarded up, and saw this white transit van all on its own that was like a beacon to all muggers and ne're-do-wells in that area, the guy jumped out thrust a parcel in my hands ,I signed and off he went. Anyone witnessing this must have thought a drug deal was going on!!!! I certainly didn't stick around in case I was mugged or the police came and stripped searched me. What fun on a Friday afternoon. To get to the Pioneer Centre would normally take about and hour, it took just over 2!!!! As I had to drive through Birmingham City Centre on a Friday afternoon to drive all the way down the Hagley Road to Kidderminster and beyond.

I was looking after the sound and when I got too The Pioneer Centre, time just vanished and I was busy doing various sound and I.T things. We had Phil Collins as speaker for the weekend, he has spoken at our Church as is a great person who always challenges you and makes you really belly laugh. Saturday afternoon was set aside for activities, Mrs EB did the rope slide and other daredevil things and I did archery. I have to say after some coaching I really enjoyed it and I got to be OK. The weather was wonderful and we had a wonderful time of fun friendship and fellowship.

Trace Bundy

A good friend of mine Andy has invited me to a gig I think it's at DeMonford Hall to see this guy, Trace Bundy, he plays an acoustic guitar ..... no that's not quite true, he REALLY PLAYS the acoustic guitar like no one I have ever seen or heard, enjoy this video.

A Catch up

Well in just over 10 days I can rejoin Facebook. To be honest I have missed some parts of it and I haven't missed other bits at all. But it will be good to see some old friends again.

Our phone contracts are up!!! and last night I did a new deal for two new phones which should be arriving tomorrow morning all being well. I am having the Nokia 5800 and Mrs EB is having the Backberry 8900. Both come with unlimited interweb and loads of txts and minutes each month which is good. Tomorrow is the start of our Church weekend away at The Pioneer Centre I am really looking forward to spending some time with friends. The last church weekend away was excellent and I will be remember my friends who I spent much of the last weekend with.

Last weekend was spent on The Robber Button with Mrs EB's sister Liz, we had a wonderful trip to Wolesely Bridge and back with an over night on the cut. We really would like some good weather this year to enjoy some good times with friends on TRB.

After my last cooking exploits at Church cooking for Alpha I have been asked to cook again!!! April 29th thats 4 weeks time I am guessing for 50 people again.

You Tube and copyright

You Tube has removed one of my videos, saying it breaches copyright? I don't really know how it can, it played everyday in Las Vegas and all I have done is to film it and redub the same music in time with the original played so it sounds like it did in Las Vegas. Ho hum. Anyhoo here it is now on my blog.

Blacking a Bottom

For the past 3 days I have been very busy Blacking the Hull of our Narrowboat The Robber Button. I have never really done D.I.Y on the boat before but I had a go. There are a few blogs here about it.

Apart from that not a lot has been happening.

People come People go

Life is strange, or maybe my life is strange. You have contact with people you make friends then they drift out of your life for various reasons then: Hey presto they are back again for short while. Over the years I have had friends from church who have moved on for millions of different reasons. One chap just drifted away, came back into our lives for a short time then drifted away again. I didn't see or hear from him for years and years, then I bumped into him one evening in my local shopping mall. We hugged and chatted for a few minutes, then I gave him my mobile number as he didn't have his with him. That was about a month ago....and nothing.

I received an email from someone this week who I made contact with again via facebook, we have been friends or over 20 years, he and his lovely family are in another country and work in the mission field, he is leading a hard but rewarding life, I was really blessed to read what he is up to and it is a privilege to pray for them. They have moved to a knew town in a different part of the country, they have new jobs teaching in a seminary and their daughter is in a new school. I'm looking forward to keeping in touch via blogs and emails and one never knows....

The 3rd and final ones are a few new people in my life I guess, I have 3 blogs, this one, one about the mission I took part in Mozambique and one about our Narrow Boat. The narrow boat community is a lively one and a lot of narrow boaters have blogs, I really enjoy reading about other peoples lives on the waterways. Their blogs range from the very informative, the technical to the musing of every day life. Life on the waterways is usually a friendly and helpful place and boaters in general enjoy the community and social life (usually involving pubs and grub) I feel after 18 months of owning a narrow boat we have been excepted into the life of our marina and that of narrow boat blogging world and community. Our biggest problem is we don't get enough time to enjoy our narrow boat.

Feeding of the 5000 less 4950

Yesterday was a completely different day, I spent the day cooking a meal for 50 people. As a Church we cater for many events one being Alpha and Alpha+ on a Wednesday evening. So armed with a small budget and knowing what the last few weeks meals had been I went to Tesco Tuesday afternoon. I had decided to make a beef and redwine stew with goose fat roasted spuds and a Apple crumble.

9am Wednesday I was peeling my many, many pounds of spuds, and an hour and half later they were pealed and cut and were washing off, then I was peeling my many lbs of apples, then onions and garlic. As I walked past one of my trays of goodies I knocked a box and broke a bottle of wine!!! then my mum phoned me, to see where I was as I wasn't at home? I told her I was cooking a meal at Church on my own for 50 people, I said I had just broken a bottle of wine. She phoned me back abut 20 minutes later to say she was going to pop down and give me another bottle and she also wanted to help me...

So about 30 minutes later my Mum was in the kitchen pealing the rest of the onions then making my crumble pastry, I was starting the cutting of the joints of meat then frying that off then frying off the garlic and onions. By 3pm the basic stew was slowly cooking with a bottle of red wine. I had started the vegetarian meal, of Mediterranean Roasted veg (they were roasting) in a spicy fresh passata I was reducing the tomato with garlic and fresh chilli. About 4pm my Mum had finished making the crumble and that was slowy cooking in the oven,I had done the first few batches of washing up, and we had called my Dad to collect her.

I had par boiled the spuds and they were going in the oven, the veg's had roasted and had a wonderful flavour and I had chopped the olives and all was well. I had no problems all day apart from the bottle issue... At 7pm I was serving up the meal into bowls to put on the tables. Mr and Mrs Church Administrator helped with the serving and washing up and I was home at 9pm.

I had a few compliments and I was very happy overall by the food I cooked, if I do it again there are maybe two things I will do differntly...so all in all a sucksess.

Boats and Food

We had a really nice weekend, Friday evening we arrived separately at The Robber Button, I arrived about an hour before Mrs EB and I spent the time cleaning the boat and getting it nice and warm. When Mrs EB arrived we drove up to Stone and had a wonderful curry. Saturday was far to windy to go out so we stayed at the marina, I helped Jon and John move a couple of boats and made us all bacon and egg sandwiches.

Sunday I couldn't get out of bed as I had a horrid migraine. Today I went to the dentist ...all very good mouth wise. Then I went to Tesco to do a shop and I also looked to see what they had for a large meal I am cooking for Alpha and Alpha+.

Cooking for Alpha and Alpha+ means cookin for 50 people... I haven't cooked for that many people for many years and I am a little anxious, I went to have a look at the kitchen this afternoon and to see what ingredients they have in the kitchen... they have nothing... Oh well I have a budget of £2 a head and I have 3 or 4 Vegetarians. All good fun.

Facebook

Well I haven't been on facebook for a few weeks now and to be honest I haven't really missed it, I do miss the funny comments I read on the front page but apart from that ...not so much. I guess come Easter Sunday I will log back in and turn my account back on...but there again I may not.

I phoned o2 I was supposed to be able to upgrade my phones today, I phoned o2 and no.... not until April 13th... ho humm so next month then.

Passion

I am one of those people who likes the TV on in the evening, but I also surf whilst watching it with one eye. But recently I have stopped watching even with one eye when the soaps are on, there is something so unreal about east enders and coronation street that I have lost complete interest even with one eye. I used to love The Bill and I do enjoy watching that but that seems to have come off the boil... maybe its the budget cuts or maybe I have changed?

I have loved watching Heston Blumenthal's new cooking programme on Channel 4, he is a genius and I love his way of solving a problem... A layered drink... click this link and enjoy I am one of those people that really do want to go his restaurant and try the tasting menu. There are people everywhere in all walks of life who are just natural brilliant people from social workers to brain surgeons, preachers to chefs, we all know them, we have seen them , heard them or watched them they stick out a mile at what they do, Heston is one of those people. It isn't a secret ingrediant that he or they have, it is just a passion for what they do. The greatest of all Passions is about to happen again, the Easter Story, Christ's Passion for Man.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It is the commemoration of Jesus's death and his rising from the dead, also known as the resurrection. It comes at the end of Lent. The week leading up to it is called Holy Week.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Crowds of people came out of the city to greet him, throwing down palm branches on the road. Many churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross.

On Good Friday Christians remember when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper. Since then this meal has been symbolically re-enacted by many Christians as a way of drawing closer to God. This is called the Eucharist or Holy Communion, which means 'thanksgiving'. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind and is also a part of many services throughout out the year.

The Bible tells us that, later that night, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. After his arrest, Jesus was brought before the Jewish high priests who found him guilty of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. They handed him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

As was the custom at the time of the Feast of Passover, Pilate gave the crowds the choice as to which of the two prisoners should be freed: Jesus, or Barrabas, a notorious criminal. Ironically, the the same crowd who had welcomed Jesus with palm branches a few days earlier now chose Barrabas to be released, and Pilate condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion.

On Good Friday, many churches hold services meditating on the events leading up to Christ's death: his interrogation, flogging, the mocking by the Roman soldiers, and his journey with the cross to Golgotha, the place of his death. Finally he was stripped naked and nailed to the cross, where he hung in agony for three hours, jeered at by the crowds, before he died. This is the day when people traditionally eat hot cross buns, because the cross on the bun is a reminder of the cross Jesus died on, and a reminder of the Christian belief that Jesus died to save us all.

Jesus was taken down from the Cross and laid in a Tomb to be made ready for death, this couldn't be done as The Sabbath had started and it would be another dau before Christ could be made ready for a burial.

Easter Sunday marks Jesus' resurrection. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to make Jesus ready, followed later by some of Jesus' disciples. They discovered Jesus' body had gone and that the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to Mary and many of his disciples, speaking with them on separate occasions during the following forty days. As he left them for the last time, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit so the disciples would know God would never leave them. He then ascended into heaven. The Church celebrates this on Ascension day.

an Update

We had a wonderful time in a cold Barcelona, the Gothic Area is a labyrinth of back streets crammed with little shops and Tapas Bars, which we visited a few of. It was wonderful to get away and spend a bit of us time.
Arriving back in the UK we got home and planned to visit The Robber Button, when I woke Saturday, Mrs EB was already wide awake and had been up a couple of hours, the sun was shining and we set off for Great Haywood Marina. We set off for Tixall Wide and had a few hours there enjoying the peace and quiet.

Barcelona Update

Mrs Eb and I are in Barcelona at the moment enjoying a mini break, the city is a busy city and itis full of charm and has someamazing eating places. Last night we went out to look for somewhere to eat, it was drizzling and cold so we wrapped up warm and I put my sweedish style hat on, as we crossed Las Rambles a man looked at us and said "English?" and asked us to go to his bar...we declined. How the heck did he know we were Englsih?

Anyhoo we are having an amazing time exploring the back streets, finding little tapas bars and just chillin' out. This lunch time whilst at El Xampanyet a world famous Cava Bar, Mrs EB and I were enjoying some Tapas and Cava and my phone rings... a chap from Norway asked if he could buy a photo of mine taken whilst diving...yay I thought. We will see what happens.

It all ends so soon, be back home tomorrow

mini update

It would seem I am a nerd, someone who likes and knows a little about computers, I have been playing with some .ico files on some websites I look after. The ico files are the little picture or letter you see next to the http web address like the B on a blogger page. I have been making some of these but without a box around them so you only see the letters. This has been a challenge, but I have managed it:-)) to see what I mean have a look here.

STOP PRESS!!!!

Yay I am now Certified!!! I have passed my Health and Hygiene Catering Certificate. I can now cook at Church for Alpha, I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing for both parties involved LOL

Friday Update

Wow 3 days without Facebook and I am still alive!!! I have been very busy designing a website for someone, so all of my time has been spent in Photoshop and Frontpage. If/When it gets approval I will post a link. After the Church meeting on Tuesday I spoke to Mission Team Leader and mentioned that I don't have a current Health and Hygiene Catering Certificate and would that be a problem as I am cooking a meal for Alpha in a few weeks???? We went and spoke to Church Administrator and he said aaaaah. So I need 4 hours uniterupted and click on the link he sent to me. I will try and do this, this afternoon after I finish vaccing and tidying before Mrs EB returns from London.
Monday is Mrs EB's 40th!!! so we have things happening this weekend and I am not sure of we will get time to go to The Robber Button... Shame :-(

Lent and Music

We are now in Lent... a period of sacrifice before Easter. Traditionally a big feast before giving up Eggs and Dairy, I tend to give up something that I will find very hard to give up. In the past I have given up Alcohol (that wouldn't be problem the amount I drink now) Curry!!! that was a nightmare I can tell you, Chocolate, that had an awful backfire on me, on Easter Sunday Mrs EB bought me a huge Easter Egg I took a bite and found I had gone off Chocolate!!! So this year I have given up Facebook!!! not a drastic sacrifice some would say, but I tend to have it on the background and have 4 or 5 conversations going on all day long as I do various other things. So it will be quite quiet for me for the next 40 days. I am hoping it will give a chance to remember what Easter is all about, the biggest sacrifice of all.

I heard a programme on Radio 4 on my way back from a Church meeting last night on a new website called Spotify a new way of listening to music???? "yeah right", I thought, then I heard the guy talking about it and some record company moguls and I thought, "OK I'll give it a try," they said they have access to all the albums, you can listen for free..and get the odd 15" advert beween a few tracks or pay £10 a month for unlimited access and NO adverts!!!

So my tried and tested test is an Album called "Original Sin" by Pandora's Box an album that is just not available anywhere and is Jim Steinman's first ever work on Album , I believe it was aa demo of some tracks that have appeared on many other albums. over the past 30 years. It has it!!!! I was very impressed until I looked up Mike Oldfield...... only a couple of his works...there again it was only launched last week here in the UK.

an update

I have been a little busy so no blogs sorry.

Last week I was here there any everywhere but didn't seem to achieve an awful lot. This week has been very different. The weekend started well, after Friday evening/night Mrs EB was singing at a celebration for 2 years great work by two friends who run support groups for Marriage, Marriage prep and divorced people called Foundations. We went to The Robber Button for the night, when we woke up the weather was good so we went out for our first proper trip of 2009, only a short trip to Tixall Wide, but it was just so nice to get out of the marina.

Sunday Mrs EB was singing at both services and I just enjoyed the services. Monday I asked my Dad if he would help me to sort out a couple of little problems on The Robber Button, I had fixed the leak on the Central heating but I wanted my dad, a retired Plumber to give it the once over, also I wanted him to use his power plainer to shave some wood off a plinth so we could fit a fly screen over our side hatch. This caused so much saw dust it is a joke and it will take forever to clear up. After that wonderful morning with Ronnie. I had to do our weekly shop (urghh). Tuesday was a day of meetings, I had a meeting with the Church Administrator to update me on a meeting I had missed in Mozambique. Then Team Leaders son asked I would do a further training session on Pro Tools with him, I enjoy those as he is very keen to learn and he has specific questions he wants to know answers too, or if I can set something up so he can then do something.

Yesterday I went to the Heart of the Black Country an amazing part of the West Midlands where they speak in their own dialect and it is often mimicked as a thick Brummie, it is wonderful and not dull and thick. Sorry...mini rant over. I went to give some I.T Support for a Christian Organisation, setting up a notebook and laptop and making sure that they were working and all the software was OK. I then went to sort the phones and two other PC's at the office, a very long but very rewarding day. and that is about it really.

Another week

Well I seemed to have had a migraine most of last week...which was a real pain. I woke this morning and it still there, but it isn't as bad. We popped up to the boat on Saturday, that was brilliant. The marina was frozen solid. We grabbed mugs of hot coffee and had a walk around the basin. There is something so beautiful but sad about a frozen marina... Nothing can move and boats are made to move, but it so peaceful.

Anyhoo I spent a bit of time doing boat things, like checking the oil, the coolant/anti freeze, water levels and eating bacon sandwiches. We also programmed the heating to come on a 2nd time in the night as the weather forecast for this next week is awful, and we really dont want any sort of burst on-board.

Mrs EB was out on Saturday night so I had a chinese takeawy and really enjoyed it, I watched QI XD on BBC2 its an extra 10 minutes and it is extremely funny. Sunday morning I went to Church and felt awful, my migraine had returned and I just wanted to go to bed, my Mum and Dad had invited us out to lunch and we went to The Speckled Hen a brand new pub in Mere Green. It was a training day and we had a free meal, it was wonderful, but I really couldn't do it justice, but I did try my best.

When we got home I went to bed and stayed there for the rest of the day, and that really was my week... ho hum.

New Season of Torchwood

The BBC has just released a new trailer for the upcoming season of Torchwood...Yay!!!!! This season will be on BBC 1 and each episode will be shorter than the 50 minutes of season's 1 & 2 ho humm but at least there will be a new series and then before we know it the next episode of Dr Who will be on at Easter.

Snow

Snow... England has a bit of snow and yep it grinds to a halt?

The whole of London didn't work yesterday? The UK's capitol ground to a halt, no bus's the trains not running? I really don't understand. The rest of Europe has snow, Sweden has so much of the stuff they even make Ice Hotels...yet we grind to halt.

Now I can understand schools closing, hundreds of kids and snow can lead to broken legs, cold wet kids could lead to hypothermia, Teachers have enough to worry about as it is, and having less 4x4 mums on the road can only be a good thing. But London on shut down? I am sorry but that is just pathetic and what does it say to the rest of the World during a recession?

Sorry we can't cope........ leave a message after tone and once the snow, frost, rain, sunshine, wind has gone we will call you back.

A prayer from Celtic oral tradition

As readers who follow me in the blogosphere regularly will know a few things about me. 1 being I am a committed Christian. I believe with a passion 2nd to none that God created the World and all within it, he sent his Son, Jesus to redeem our Sins and I am saved as I have accepted his love and try to follow him as best I can. I also love following blogs and down the side of all of my blogs (I have 3) you will see some of the blogs I follow. 1 such blog is from Media Chaplain (Tony Miles) who has a wonderful ministry. I have copied this prayer from his blog. This prayer really spoke to me this morning and I really believe it would sound amazing set to a piece of music and used in worship.

You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart’s eternal spark
You are the door that’s open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me still
You are my Love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.

A prayer from Celtic oral tradition (1st millennium)

a quick update

I have had quite a busy few days....

Saturday I spent at Church I was there from 10am until about 11:20pm. Geraldine Latty was performing a gospel evening (fantastic evening) and someone from Church needed to be there all day really. I offered as a member of the sound team, it sort of seemed obvious really. I knew a couple of the band and had a good time catching up. Church Administrator sorted out the Vineyards small lighting rig, which I put up, I also dug out the follow spot from another lighting rig that we borrow. All in all a great day and evening.

Sunday I was on sound...I needed a very strong coffee to get going in the morning...

Monday and Tuesday I have been doing a few bits for Cube...

An update

Well the last few days have been a little hard, I have been quite nervous and on edge. Today I went into hospital and had a general anaesthetic while my nose was examined. My consultant Mr Trotter did tell me something that it was clear, but I don't fully remember what he said. I will have to wait a few weeks until I see him again.

We wont be going to the boat this weekend as it's our good friend Skip's birthday and he is having a birthday Balti on Friday and on Saturday I have to be at Church for 10:30am for a concert that is happening that night, and I am on sound Sunday.

Today a New World starts

President Barack Obama

Today the World changes, today has been a long process, but one that I believe God will be smiling up on. Really it started with Rosa Louise Parks who is recognized as the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest to December 5, 1955 that reverberated throughout the United States. Her quiet courageous act changed America, its view of black people and redirected the course of history.

Rosa Parks
Look who is in the background

Because of Rosa's brave stand and that of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior today Barack Obama will become the 1st Afro American President and 44th President of the United States of America. This is an amazing day and I pray that God will truly Bless, President Barack Obama, may God be with him and may God drive all of his decisions for the next 4 years.

I have high hopes today, a wonderful day that shouts in the face of evil and that of slavery and racism. The late Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks must be having a massive party in Heaven today....

Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Junior

HOW MUCH!!!!

I don't normally care what someone earns or what someone is worth, usually the two never meet anyway, but today I am so annoyed with football. How can anyone be worth £90 million? it is obscene, But not just that oh no, plus £500,000 a week!!! a half of a Million pounds a week , that is £26 million a year salary!!!!!!!! COME ON, NO ONE IS WORTH THAT. Britain and the World are in a recession, thousands of people are losing their jobs everyday, firms, shops, factories are closing.... and Manchester City offer to pay that stupid mount of money for someone who kicks a ball around a field...It is just total bollocks..sorry about the language, but I am totally incensed... It is just so wrong. Maybe I am seeing things slightly differently having gone to Mozambique and seeing people living on nothing, catching the food they eat or not eating... I cannot see how Kaka can be worth that stupid amount of money for kicking a bloody football, I know he is a Christian and a he must be an excellent footballer, but £90million and a £26million salary, no way.

Another gripe I have with football is, I hate the way people bully each other, so called fans shout abuse at other footballers, especially if a footballer or manager should ever move team and that team should play his old team!!! he will be abused like no tomorrow... It is evil, if someone you loved moved work place and received that sort of abuse whilst he was at work I am sure something would be done about it.

I am sure in Heaven today tears have been shed for man's greed and total stupidity.

Monday update.

Not an awful lot has been happening, I have been up to our boat The Robber Button a couple of times and I have now fixed the central heating, well I have got it going again. Yay woop woop woop we should now be able go and spend a few weekends on the boat again without freezing to death.

I have now set up a separate blog about my trip to Mozambique, I had received a couple of emails saying that people couldn't find the posts about the mission, as they have archived into last years postings. So I thought it best to just have a blog about the mission trip. This is now up and all working. Feel free to pass on the link to anyone you think would like to read it.

Avenue Q and Dr Who

Avenue Q!!! what can I say. it is amazing, very funny, very rude in places, but it is an excellent show. Both Mrs EB and I laughed our socks off and really enjoyed the show. After the show we went to Soho for a Chinese, earlier in the day we had seen the ducks hanging in the windows and we both fancied some Crispy duck, the place we visited was wonderful the Duck was tasty, the Singapore noodles were hot and Mmmm and the seaweed just delicious.
London is one of those places, it is great to go and see and spend a day or so there but I would hate to live there. We spent the morning walking across Regents Park which was a great start to the day, after that we went to Harrods for lunch, they have a great seafood bar in the basement. I had the Deluxe Bullion and Mrs EB had fish and chips. We then spent time going around the food halls, both of us were tired and had very achy legs and headed back to the hotel for our luggaebag and headed for Euston.
We now know that the new Dr Who will be Matt Smith a relatively unknown actor, which will give him a big Mountain to climb, but the new head writer Stephen Moffet is a wonderful chap and he will not let Dr Who be a bad show. Anyhoo I spent a little time playing in my studio, I have the sound track from season 4. There was a piece of music that was written by Murray Gold called the Song of Freedom, it was use twice with a more pop feel the 2nd time in Saving the World, I have blogged about it before, anyhoo I have edited it all together to make a suite, added some video and stills...I hope you enjoy it.

New Starts for a New year

The New Year is here and it a blank sheet, with a lot of mysteries around the corner, I like a New year it is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. I will endeavour to be a better person and fail, but I will try. I will try to get a job, and I will try to spend more time praying and being a better Christian.... I have the best intentions but I am a week human and I guess I am doomed to fail, but I will try my hardest.

The New Year was celebrated with a few friends round at their house, it was a great night with a lot of laughter and just being relaxed and enjoying each others company. It was one of those nights where you just chat and have fun and the next thing you know it's 3:30 am..... So yesterday was just a day of resting for me. Mrs EB went to the cinema in the evening I just enjoyed watching TV and a new Jonathan Creek....worked out the bath thing as soon as they showed you the room!!! It was the only thing it could be. A great programme never the less. I also watch my favourite programme The Bill, a slow episode but a good one.

Mrs EB is off for four days after today and she is taking me to London on Monday to give me my Christmas present on Monday, which I am really looking forward too. Though she heard a track on her IPod the other day and it had a swear word in it!!! So it did shock her! I did say it was an adult show... LOL. Apart from that the world stays the same in my life at the moment. Health is still naff, I am still worried about my hospital appointment at the end of the month...I guess that's about it really.