Hymn: The Old Rugged Cross

The Old Rugged Cross Hymn On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain. Refrain So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary. Refrain In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see, For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, To pardon and sanctify me. Refrain To the old rugged cross I will ever be true; Its shame and reproach gladly bear; Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Music that I like

I hope you do too :)

A strange story from the Daily Telegraph - what do you think?

here's a strange story, boys - what do you think?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/9497382/Mum-of-five-turns-her-house-into-a-nursery-for-50-fake-babies.html
Mum-of-five turns her house into a nursery for 50 fake babiesMaternal Alice Winstone, 39, feeds, changes, washes, sleeps with and clothes 50 'fake babies', which has even forced her husband to move out.

Ms Winstone, who suffers from a life-threatening anaemic condition, can't work but spends 24/7 caring for her fake family.
Her babies - named Reborn Dolls - are made from a spookily life-like vinyl material and can cost up to £1,200 each.
Ms Winstone's obsession gets her noticed in the street as she takes the babies shopping in prams and straps them in baby seats in her car.
She even takes her favourite to the zoo and buys 'him' expensive UGG baby boots and was once stopped by the police for having four of the life-like dolls on the back seat of her car.
A medical problem meaning she could have no more children made Ms Winstone crave neuturing but kittens and fostering was not enough because she had to "say goodbye".
In seven years, Ms Winstone, from Cardigan, Mid Wales, has filled her family home with dolls despite the fact some of her children, aged 12 to 22 still live there.
She said: "I saw my first doll, who was called Emily, on the back of a magazine and I fell head-over-heels in love with her.
"My husband Chris took some convincing to let me have her but eventually I ordered her, and paid £180 for her. I was astonished to feel such a close bond to a doll."
Ms Winstone was told if she had more children after her fifth that her pregnancy and delivery could be unsafe due to her having pernicious anaemia and a red blood cell deficiency that causes blood loss as it does not clot.
As a born mother, Ms Winstone felt a loss once her children became more independent and she longed for something she could care for.
She said: "I tried taking in kittens, and even fostering children but I couldn't bear the part where I had to say goodbye.
"I began looking after the dolls like I would my own babies - they are so life-like and I feel such a close bond to them.
"It's the best of both worlds as well - I get to dress them up, do their hair and wash their clothes without the endless dirty nappies and sleepless nights!"
Since then, Ms Winstone has bought more than 50 of the dolls - who are each looked after in the same impeccable way.
But, while she enjoyed being a full-time mother, her relationship with Chris began to suffer.
She said: "Chris didn't understand why I treated my dolls like real babies - he just didn't get it.
"I tried telling him how happy they make me but he just thought it was a stupid obsession.
"They soon started to affect our sex life as I would want some of them to come to bed with us, but Chris refused.
"We were arguing about other things in our relationship, but the dolls really didn't help - he said they freaked him out because they looked so real."
Ms Winstone became very protective over her dolls and worried about her children being near them, or the cat sitting on them if she wasn't around to keep an eye on them.
She moved the dolls to her bedroom, and bought cots for them to sleep in.
Eventually Chris moved out as he couldn't cope with Ms Winstone's love for the dolls any longer.
She said: "I wouldn't have given up my dolls for Chris - we come as a package.
"I like them close to me, and I'm never far away from them for long.
"After Chris left, I down-sized my double bed to a single and turned our room into a nursery. I didn't need the extra space and it meant there was more room for my dolls and their stuff."
Ms Winstone has all of the equipment you would expect to look after real-life babies with, including cots, prams, baby bouncers and hundreds of tiny outfits.
She said: "I've spent thousands on my dolls - but I also go to doll fairs and swap them for others when I've had them a while.
"Rhys is my favourite, I like him to sleep with me every night.
"I recently took him to Chester Zoo - loads of people came up to me and told me how cute he is, and they couldn't believe it when I told them he was a reborn doll and not a baby.
"I buy him Next clothes and UGG boots as I want him to look nice."
Ms Winstone's reborns are so realistic, she was once stopped by police when she had four of them on the back seat.
She said: "The police officer told me I needed to get car seats for my children as it was dangerous for them to travel without them.
"When I told him they were dolls, he wouldn't believe me - I think he thought I was crazy!
"Once he had seen the dolls close up he realised they weren't real babies, but it shows how much they look like real children - that's why I love them.
"No relationship will ever come between me and my babies, and I wouldn't give them up for my children.
"It's me and the babies - they're everywhere!"
Ms Winstone has even become friends with a reborn doll maker Caroline Blackburn who created her favourite doll, Rhys.
MS Blackburn, 53, said: "Reborns live on forever and make someone really happy.
She makes the dolls by buying blank kits, which she then paints with the appropriate skin colour before baking the vinyl to build a skin tone.
She then roots all of the hair by hands with a needle - a process which takes hours as only one or two hairs can be sewn at a time.
The doll's eyes are then applied before its head is sealed to make them feel the weight of a real baby.

Trip to Barrow from Lindal :) part 2 from Abbey Road to the Town Hall

Trip to Barrow from Lindal :) part 1 Lindal to Abbey Road

Pictures I like

Click on any of the pictures to see them larger, OK?

Animal Farm audio book - listen along boys :)

Here you go boys, why not listen to one part each evening with Mum?

Mural in Ulverston

Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-westEngland. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay and neighboured by Swarthmoor, Pennington and Rosside.
Ulverston's most visible landmark is Hoad Monument, a concrete structure built in 1850 to commemoratestatesman and local resident Sir John Barrow.^[1] The monument provides scenic views of the surrounding areas, including Morecambe Bay and parts of the Lake District.
Ulverston Canal, which is no longer navigable, is claimed to be the deepest, widest and shortest canal in the United Kingdom at 1¼ miles.^[2] The canal was once a vital component of the town's economy.^[3]The town is home to many shops and pubs, some of which are located on the stone sett (paving) main street, Market Street. At the head of the street is the war memorial to local soldiers who died in World War I.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulverston