dom de de de de

dom de de de de

dom de de de de… (continue for about another 24 seconds, pitch gradually getting higher)

ba dum

ba dum

diddly um

boh!

That’s a very poor attempt at describing the Countdown clock from the TV show. If you have never seen it (where have you been?) here’s a link to a website that contains far too much information about the show (haven’t they got a life?). Countdown is based on a French show that I remember watching while I was staying with a French family on an exchange visit (trying in vain to improve my French language skills before my ill-fated A-Level (grade ‘E’)). To my surprise I was brilliant at it in French, perhaps because I was studying words in isolation rather than speaking fluently. I’m no good in English.

Actually my French vocabulary was severely hampered by errors. On my final day with the family we went swimming and when we got back to their house I hung my swimming shorts on the washing line to dry, and forgot them. After arriving safely at home I wrote a thank you letter and asked if they could kindly send me my shorts. Now I had always been taught that the French word for ‘shorts’ is ‘culottes’, so that is the word I used. Apparently the word in common usage for ‘shorts’ in French is ‘shorts’. The word I used is generally applied to (hem, hem) ladies undergarments of a French persuasion (cue blushing). My erstwhile hosts apparently found it hilarious that I had innocently used that word for my shorts. It does explain the ‘E’ though!

So, what’s all this about? Well the countdown has started for me. Hopefully in a week’s time I will be travelling into London to a hospital in order to be checked in for an operation the following day. It’s nothing life-threatening and I am very keen to have the operation.

What is so touching is that I am already getting messages of support and assurance of prayers from friends. That is great to have. Perhaps (following on from the blogs of the last two days) people will remember to pray for me when they watch Holby City or Casualty (?!) or if they see a hospital trolley… Prayer support is so encouraging and is something that we can all offer each other. I long for that to be more of an obvious aspect of my life and of the life of our church. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be known as the church that prays a lot?

A man went to his doctor with a pain in his chest. The doctor immediately had him sent to hospital in an ambulance where he was seen by a consultant.

The consultant checked him over and with a serious note in his voice told the man that it was terminal.

“How long have I got?” spluttered the man.

“Ten”

“Ten what?” demanded the patient. “Years, months, weeks??”

“Nine, eight, seven, six….”