As Fi Bows to Peer Pressure

This story was linked to on the front page of the BBC news website, my new homepage and usually an excellent source for important current events. *Thanks* to BBC for bothering to publish this . . .

A New Zealand clergyman has been dubbed the “knicker-vicar” for coming to the aid of women in his town who found themselves with a brief problem.

Concern was raised when the only clothing shop in the small North Island town of Inglewood stopped selling women’s underwear.

So the Reverend Gary Husband proposed starting a regular “knickers-run” to the nearby city of New Plymouth.

“We get all the essentials here - apart from the ladies’ essentials,” he said.

The first run is planned before Christmas and, if successful, could be become a regular monthly event, he added.

‘Positive response’

He said he came up with the idea after the problem was brought to his attention by women in his congregation.

“Someone came up with the point that it was a bit difficult that ladies essentials were not able to be bought in Inglewood,” he told National Radio.

“So we’re going to have what’s been called a knickers run.”

Volunteers will take anyone without transport the 20km (12 miles) from Inglewood to New Plymouth.

Rev Husband said the scheme was open to all, regardless of faith.

“This is for the community… the response has been positive, we’ve had one (other) denomination get in touch with us, so it’s spreading.”
 

Given that many of my Passfield buddies are also BBC news website fans, I think I shall have some explaining to do. I’m a little lost as to why the BBC is covering this.

This is better than the Hungarian Prime Minister.

Meet the NZ Ministers of Health and Economic Development, Pete Hodgson and Trevor Mallard.

I said goodbye to my mum and dad yesterday. We had lots of fun wandering around London together for 2-ish days and then they headed to Chicago. I miss them!

I will tell you about my last week’s adventures soon, when photos get sorted :o) 

I have just made a decision to stop listening to NZ radio. Just because I can does not mean I should. Apparently it’s going to pour with rain tomorrow, somewhat unconveniently as my parents are coming to town for 3 days. I’m really looking forward to seeing them! [UPDATE - No more pouring with rain, just a little rain, YAY!! AND I've found a UK Christian Radio station so I'm now happily listening to that]

I went on a big adventure this weekend, I spent all Saturday studying and doing boring things so I could spend all of Sunday adventuring. I left Passfield (located at the top of the map) just before 11am and arrived at Holy Trinity Brompton, which is just off the left side of the map, at 4:50pm. En route I visited St Paul’s Cathedral, the Millennium Bridge, the Globe (kinda), the Tate Modern, South Bank, Westminster and Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park Corner. You can view ALL my photos from this funtastic adventure here.

Next I walked over the Millennium Bridge, which is still vaguely wobbly, to the Tate Modern and the Globe. I took some photos of the Globe, but didn’t go in, and then spent an hour wandering around one floor of the Tate Modern. I like art, but it’s definitely something I can have too much of!!! You can walk down the South Bank of the Thames from the Tate Modern to the Westminster Bridge (back to Westminster/Big Ben) so I headed that way and got caught up in a Sunday fair-type-thing. Lots of street performers and secondhand books and people with weird shaped balloons. There was also a guy making really big bubbles, which I managed to get a photo of. Lastly, there was a Macedonian street band performing so that was really cool, they sounded fantastic and I got a few photos of them.

Having finally made my way to Westminster bridge, past the London Eye and County Hall where there were masses of people, I crossed back to the other side and went to Evensong at Westminster Cathedral. The singing was incredible, although I couldn’t see the choir from where I was sitting. One of the easiest ways to get from Westminster to HTB was to go through Buckingham Palace so I headed that way and got caught up in the parade of crazy horsemen wearing silly costumes. Apparently people wait for hours to see these guys but I just happened to be there at the right time, perfect!

Lastly I headed past Hyde Park corner and onto HTB. It’s a big church, a huge church, but it felt really nice and I really enjoyed both the preaching and the worship. I shall go back there I think.

Having had a pretty bad day, I just had the best evening since I arrived. LSECU (Christian Union) has it’s main meeting on Thursday night and I felt I had to go along, no matter how bad I felt.

I was reminded by the speaker (Student pastor at St Mary’s) that God brought me, and indeed all of us, here for a purpose and he has great plans for our lives. It was something I really needed to hear again and be reminded of.

I got sorted into a small group, which will meet at another Hall close to mine one night a week, and then we went out to one of the closest pubs for food. It was a great evening, I met fantastic people who I got on with straight away, and I felt completely at home for the first time in weeks.

Say it with me - “I am here because God has a purpose for me here and an amazing plan for my future.” (it’s true!)

Apparently around 40 people are reading my blog each day (despite the fact that I don’t post everyday) . . . I love you all for caring!

I am the most unqualified person for my Masters. You would be amazed at the group of people that I share a classroom with, they make up some of the brightest, best, and most altruistic of today’s world. Incredible! I am so lucky to be here. I think I come across as a mad woman who is shy half the time (I know . . . me . . . shy?????) and the rest of the time like a crazed New Zealand-obsessed maniac. I’m trying to be less crazed and shy but it takes a lot of effort when the people around you are so incredibly amazing.

I went to a lovely church called St George’s on Sunday. It’s 10 mins from my Hall and has a gorgeous building. I went to the 5pm service and really enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s the right church for me. The congregation consisted of 20-25 students and then maybe 10 other people, which was rather small in quite a big space. The students were awesome and so friendly but they’re mostly freshers and doing Vet or Med. There seemed to be a few SOAS students but the overwhelming trend seemed to be “students with scalpels”. A fabulous band, about All Saints size, but with a violin and no guitar, and we sang Mary Mary “Shackles”. It’s quite a fast-paced song to sing as worship :o)

The Vicar was a wonderful guy and he gave a fantastic sermon on God (part 1). Given the width of the topic, I thought he spoke to it really well and gave a mix of good and relevant stories to go along with the sermon. Not quite as much of the depth as I would have liked, but I think he spoke really well to the audience he had. The service was followed by pizza, biscuits, and coffee. Truly the best combination!

Overall I liked the church but I’m going to keep up the church-hunt and come back to St George’s if I don’t get hooked somewhere else along the way. Next week is Holy Trinity Brompton, home of the Alpha course :o)

Lectures have started and I’m working at not going to bed too late so I actually manage to get up in time. I’m doing a good job of narrowing my optional modules down and I have a FANTASTIC supervisor. I just need to organise actually seeing him before the end of the week so I can get him to sign stuff. YAY! Tomorrow is the post-grad welcome party and I don’t have a ticket yet so I need to work on that too . . . sigh . . .

Mostly I love the funnity that is life in London but I must admit that I have the odd down-day where I wonder why I bothered to leave Wellington where everything was so easy. And then I talk to Dave, or get postcards/letters/emails from friends and family, and I’m reminded that this is where I’m meant to be for now . . .