Brailsford family updates

 This year we grew a pepper. We have previously had an allotment as well as growing a little in the front garden in veg beds. We had to give up the allotment as we found that we didn't have enough time to commit to it, especially as I became more unable. So we went down to just the veg beds. We had a great crop of strawberries and peas, not that Mark or I got to eat many of them, the small had most of them on the way to school or when he got back, turns out fruit and veg is more appealing when you've helped groww it and can eat it straight after you've picked it. So what does this have to do with a pepper. I'm led to believe by those who know about this stuff that peppers are tricky to grow, require the exact right conditions and lots of the right love and care. We did not plant any pepper seeds. Our tomato seeds came from one of those kits for children to encourage them into gardening that has a plastic tub to grow them in a compacted pad of compost that you add water

When I was little I had a comfort blanket. It was yellow and knitted to a lovely pattern. It had been knitted for my older brother when he was born two years earlier and was made as a pram blanket, in the days prams were prams. just to give you an idea of the size. When I came along I took a liking to this blankie, and one corner of it in particular that I used to 'blank' as my family called it. This means rubbing a particular piece of it with my left thumb and fore finger. It had to be my left as I sucked my right thumb. I wore this blankie around my neck. couldn't sleep without it. If I needed the loo in the night it came with me to keep me safe, not sure what I expected it to do!! I couldn't go to sleep without it, it went on play dates and sleepovers with me. I did not like it if had been through the wash as it smelt and felt wrong. Long before I met Mark I decided maybe it was daft for a grown woman to need a security blanket but i couldn't sleep without it, so

 I get the feeling this might be another rambling one, I apologise now, it was going round my head in the night last night and has swimming there since. Thank you to those who engaged in the last post either by direct comment or by getting in touch with us personally. We understand that not everyone is interested in our faith stuff but hope it is an encouragement when mentioned to those interested. This one starts with thoughts about something to do with church. When I am well enough I have the privilege of helping with a top up shop that is run at ST john's church on Caudlwell Halll Road on a  afternoon. They are given a lot of food that is near it's use by or best before date. Anyone that wants to can come and pay £2 and fill a bag up from whatever is available. In the middle of the night this had me reflecting on use by and best before dates. we have to follow certain protocols around these to make sure people that come know if something is likely to be near it's date. I