Emily's wedding

Its time for another posting.  I do seem to have re-started up dating on this blog.  Between this post and the last one. The High Holy Days have come and gone and so has Emily's wedding. High Holy Days first, this were OK/Good I enjoyed being a congregant at FPS and am now used to the Liberal HHD liturgy so all in all not bad.

I made a brief visit home. And will probably be going again this coming weekend. But the big thing that has happened between this blog entry and its predecessor is Emily and Renee's Wedding which was a lovely day. I conducted it, it was the first wedding I've ever done, I had a co-celebrant which was good because I was very very nervous maybe even more nervous than the brides themselves.

Emily brought me a new suit for the day so I looked very dapper even if I do say so my self.
They put so much thought into the day, which really showed in how unbelievably wonderful the whole day was, the booklets were stunning and the Harry Potter theme worked really really well. (I've kept both the booklet and my wand as a momento of the day.)


 I'm still doing (or more accurately trying to) teach some classes at FPS it was only meant to be three classes but even so health wise I've had to re-schedule a couple of times if I'm just not well enough on the day. Again still talmuding with both Tina and Francesca and that I think brings us up to date.

A general update (Friends and Family)

I hope this post will be lighter on medical details than the more recent ones. Basically nothing has changed I'm no better but no worse either. The medical appointments continue and different specialists get added.

I'm still basically not working or rather not working at all. But trying to stay positive and succeeding (some of the time).

Olive (our cat) is a joy albeit sometimes an irritating one, when she wants food or attention but she makes my life so much better.

My thoughts are turning to the HHDs, but as I'm not working I don't have anywhere where I'm leading so will need to sort out some place to go to attend synagogue.

Back in June I had a very pleasant summer holiday with mum in Dunwhich and got to spend a little time with my big sister Rosie which was great because I don't get to see that much of her.

I'm paying more visits back home or at least trying to.

And this weekend just got I got to spend some time with Laura and her husband Stefan when they were visiting London, its wonderful to see Laura and great to meet Stefan who is lovely, witty and charming.

So this is an up-beat post, which makes a change from how this blog has been for the last four years. I'm still struggling health wise but if not getting better I'm not getting any worse. And am coming to accept the new situation.

I'm also continuing to study Talmud both Daf Yomi (and the regular (daily) study is certainly improving my skills) and with my two chevurta: Tina and Francesca.

So all in all. Even if things are still difficult I'm feeling more emotionally okay than I have in a long while.

One of my very infrequent updates.

Once again I need to start with an apology about the now very spasmodic nature of my updates over here, and again justify myself by saying that this was indeed a blog about my journey towards ordination, which happened, indeed it happened really a long time ago now.

The theme of the last few years has been characterised by illness my memory problems and adjusting to life with Epilepsy, narcaepsy and other health problems whist trying to actually do some rabbinic work, I am not managing to do all that much but the little I am doing is right right on the edge of what I can manage.

I am now firmly based in London, but with regular trips back to Stoke.  One of the major changes is that in the flat its not just Emily and I anymore as we have been joined by Renee (who is Emily's girl friend they are getting married in about 200 days (194 but then who's counting).

We also have a cat (Olive who is simply lovely)

And is a real source of joy in my life. She is very affectionate and spends a lot of time with me, when otherwise I'd spend a lot of time on my own in the flat. 

I am doing a bit of work, I am part-time rabbi-ing at Hampstead two services a month and adult study once a week. I am enjoying it especially the adult study but it is right on the limits of what I am able to do. My memory which is dreadful, reading back I can see that this is a theme of my posts of since my seizures really isn't getting better. Okay I can just about manage but it really is just about on a more positive not I'm continuing my Skype Talmud study with Tina and have started an additional practice of Skype studying Talmud with a friend, Francesca. Both are very enjoyable and its a good balance because Tina is considerably better at Talmud than I am and I'm better than Francesca (I should be as a rabbi and someone who does a lot of Talmud) but its great because she asks fantastic questions.

I'm also not sure if I mentioned it but Rebecca has had another baby (although he's not a baby anymore) Solomon who's a lovely little kid.

I think that that has probably brought you all up to date with my life. And lets face it not a lot has really changed.

Party and Friday night

Yesterday was great. We had a party here at the flat, in part this was a very belated housewarming Emily and I had intended to have one it just took us a little longer to get properly settled into the flat and it organised than we had thought it. So it was good to do that, but it was also an early birthday party for me. (Organised brilliantly by Emily.)
It was quite small (around 11 guests) but really really enjoyable there were a few people from school. Including some of the new first year students. Some people who Emily knows thought work and I know though Emily and Mandy who is one of my friends though Ammadown. It was really fun and exciting evening with lots of drink and snack type food.  One of my gifts was a really rather pleasant signle malt, so as i had some of that and a couple of Canadian bears I was a little merry but not too drunk.
That said I was too tipsy to attempt to cut the cake, (again a big thanks to Emily) with our flats knives which are huge. But luckily at least one guest was still up to cake cutting. So that was one good thing. I also got to have a lie-in and relatively restful day which is good because we are going to a Young Adults thing organised by LJ, which ought to be fun but I wouldn't have wanted to go very tired.
The other positive thing that has happened is in Daf Yomi we have finished Tractate Barachot, which feels like a big steep.
Nevertheless I found the first week back at school some what challenging. And there is already a lot on my plate. But feeling pretty happy after such a good and upbeat start to the weekend. And I think part of how hard I found the start of school was the lag of the High Holy Days which was really positive but also very tiring.