Holding the Phone

Just trying a post from the old iPhone - learning a new trick every day . . .

It's post-Thanksgiving and Breda is back from a visit to Ireland, accompanied by the mudder-in-law. Stella loves coming over here and spending time with us . . . Especially with her granddaughter. If ever there was a woman crazy about her grandchildren, it's Stella! In the meantime, Riro and I are readjusting to company in the house. The kid has to sleep on the floor in the loft, which of course she loves.

For my own part I'm experimenting with the concept of early rising! I've been getting up at 5 AM for the past week. It's been easier than I thought it would be, especially seeing as I've always thought of myself as a terminally late to bed, late to rise individual. Anyway the theory is, go to bed when u feel tired and get up the same time every morning. Not having a lot of discipline to retire early, I'm a bit tired right now! But I think one feeds the other - the more tired u are the more likely you are to hit the hay a bit earlier. So I will try it for a month and see if it is habit forming. Seems to me it is the kind of thing that ought to be a lifetime habit. So far what I've found is this: I can get to the gym every morning, I get a whole bunch of time to get stuff done with very little interuption, I watch less television, I feel more on top of things generally. And that's after only one week!

So now I'm going to bed . . . At 9 PM!

Long Lost Cousins?

We're here in "Sunny San Diego" for Jesse Hopp's wedding. We came a couple of days early to make a mini-vacation of it. Got up at 4 AM yesterday to make an early flight. Since SD airport is practically downtown we were here in tme for lunch!

Anyway, the afternoon saw lots of walking around and exploring the "Gaslamp District". I don't think I've ever seen so many restaurants on one street. Every one you pass the hostesses (and the hosts who are hostesses!) are practically pulling you in off the street. All those restaurants, all those different cooking ethnicities from around the world . . . but we were dogged and determined in the face of temptation and Breda's blisters from her new shoes. We were going to 'Lou and Mickey's' because we had read that Lou and Mickey's last name was King! Originally from Minnesota, the family made their fortune here in seafood processing and restaurants a hundred years ago and we planned to check it out!

Three miles later there we were, and our long lost cousins only too glad to see us. Dinner was, as they say here, awesome dude, and we left $$$ lighter but full of oysters and fish. Ah . . . the oysters! Six different kinds from all over the US! Very decadent . . . melt in your mouth!




Of course, we could not leave without a family portrait. I don't know, but there could be something to it. See what you think!


Due to the aforementioned blisters, walking back was not an option, but one of many young men with rickshaws attached to bicycles and really strong legs was only too happy to let us hop in and take us back to the hotel by the 'scenic route'. Now we have only been heree a half a day but we already are oriented somewhat - pretty sure there were easier routes home . . . but it was novel and romantic . . . until an SUV pulls up beside us and there are Mike and Mary LeRoy waving and grinning at us in the street. So busted!

So was my pocket after the $30 fare. But the guy did work hard and managed to get out of the way of the train just in time . . .

Get an earcut!

I finally got the old blog sorted out with the right address etc. in the wee small hours of the morning. The first post is an edited version of the original opening post from LAST OCTOBER! Deleted the other three of four old posts and resolved to try again! Me and blogging are mutually exclusive, I think, but what the hell!

Yes, here is a lovely photo of my left ear. See that finely manicured haircut around it? I went for a haircut today at my favorite Mastercuts salon - location to remain nameless . . . you will soon see why!

Young Haley - beautiful girl - sat me down for a haircut, engaged in casual chit chat etc. Then I felt a twinge on the edge of my ear - I figured she accidentally scraped it with a fingernail. However, at the sight of blood she stopped and closely examined the suspicious appendage. Thankfully she did not faint, but got a band aid and administered first aid on the spot - as you can see in the photo. While outwardly cool I cannot imagine that she was not mortified at this fateful (at least not fatal!) slip of the sissors. Poor kid was politely apologetic and continued to give me a pretty decent hair cut. It was just a nick, really.

No more blood was spilt and she made it up to me by not charging for the cut (either of them). So Haley, don't worry about it. I'm twice your age and still mkake mistakes on an hourly basis, in both personal and professional spheres, even if they don't require First Aid. Keep cutting . . . just leave the Demon Barber of Seville stuff at the movie theater! :-)))

And thanks for the free haircut!

Peace!

Welcome To The Fold!

To some people, Kingsfold is the name of the melody to a church hymn, 'I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say.' To others it is the town in which they live: Kingsfold, in Surrey, England.

Actually, those two are related in that Ralph Vaughan Williams actually named the tune after the village!

To my wife and I, the "Kings", it is the name of our little company. We chose the name because of it's link to church music (our profession) and also to the fact that the same tune is expressed in the Irish tune 'Star of the County Down' (we're from Ireland and Irish Music is our 'other' profession).

But apart from encompassing our musical schizophrenia, it also encapsulates our 'philosophy'. All that we do is about people. Whether they are the people we minister to, the people we drive to drink on an occasional Saturday night (I guess that is a kind of ministry too!), or they are customers, students, friends . . . we think of them as being part of our "Fold" - our family, our court, our fortress, our dear ones. They are the folks who make life worth living and make our lives possible. If you are still here on Paragraph 4, then you also qualify to be in the King's Fold.

Come back, cross the fence, and visit every now and then, if only to see if my actions are capable of living up to my procrastinations! They say that one person's boring life is another person's ambition, or at least their entertainment. Otherwise, why is Reality TV so popular?

Well if that is true for you good luck to you and God bless you!

I'm thankful you bothered!

Till the next time, friends!