Too Much Information

Karen at Kinesis wants to know about the contents of my bedside table...not something I am specially proud of, but in the interests of integrity and transatlantic frienship, I'm prepared to play!
The table itself is rather sweet...came from my parents-in-law when they sold huge country house for retirment flat...it's antique, fairly pale wood with fine inlay, and opens like an old-fashioned school desk. Apparently it would have had compartments inside for sewing materials in its hay day..but has now fallen on hard times (and I never dare keep anything inside it, as I've soo much junk on top I could never open it anyway).

Atop this unsuspecting table there stands, in no order whatsoever...

1) a lamp....Woolworth's cheapest ceramic, cream coloured..

2) alarm clock: very small, digital...cast off from middle son, on whom such things are wasted, as even the Last Trump has no effect if he needs to sleep

3) too many books, including elderly copy of The Practice of the Presence of God, which I bought at a booksale at my vicar-school; Michael Ramsey The Christian Priest Today; L.William Countryman Living on the Borders of the Holy; Rowan Williams Silence and Honey Cakes Richard Holloway Dancing on the Edge; Sue Monk-Kidd The Mermaid Chair

4) an invitation to Osca's Summer Soiree (Osca is a cat,- offspring of my daughter's Chloe, and sister to my own handsome Tallis)

5) Affirming Catholicism News and Views

6) yesterday's earrings (silver stars with amethyst centres) which I've not got round to putting away

7) handcream

8) mug "Jesus is coming, look busy" from this morning's wake-up cup of tea. This is sitting on

9) ceramic tile, with geometric pattern in sludgy green, produced by youngest son in art lessons: he even stuck a piece of green baize on the base, so that it wouldn't scratch the table, bless him

10) 2 biros (neither of which will be there next time I need to take a phone message)

11) phone (green...rather larger than is right for the table, but hey...I never have time to notice these things)

12) very special icon of the Nativity, brought back by L. from a school trip to Russia last year...it is small (3"x4"), old and very dark...so much so that indoors it can be hard to make out what is happening....but I took it on ordination retreat with me, and in the sunny gardens of the retreat house it was suddenly beautifully clear. Parable, anyone?

13) print off of a specially encouraging email from a friend, just before I went on retreat

14) post card from wonderful Bishop, telling me he was praying for me and hoping I was still on
a high from the ordination (answer in the affirmative!)

15) hair elastic (not even mine....but they never seem to find their way home to my daughter's room)

So now you know...the unvarnished truth of the domestic chaos of the Curate's House. Maggi, Serena, are you still sure you can face staying here??