2018 and Fliss resurrects her blog after several requests!

Hi everyone 


After 4 years I have decided to come back to the blog as have a feeling the Lord is asking me to write a book. !!"I am not joking, but in the last 25-30 years I have had around 300 people telling me to write a book and as I will be 60 next year this could be a good time - or not! Let's see. 

So what on earth has happened in the last 4 years! Well the Lord is still continuing to take me all over the world and in August I went to Indonesia kicking and screaming! I was absolutely adament I never wanted to go there or the Philippines ( apologies all you wow people from there) but in December I felt the Lord say Fliss Indonesia to which I replied "You have to be JOKING LORD"! Anyway I asked him to confirm it and He did with more than 50 confirmations in the MOST incredible and amazing way through really wacky things. My final one after 49 was Lord just one more and what did He do? I was in Kings Langley after lunch with the wow Pat and asked this young girl about train times as my phone battery was down. Guess what but she turned out to be Indonesian AND gave me a wow church in Jakarta for me to visit which turned out to be awesome! Lord HOW do you do this kind of thing!!!

SO getting the cheapest flight ever ( £499 London/Jakarta) including 4 internal flights and in tears a week before I went because I did not want to go, I flew non stop to Jakarta with Garuda ( confirmation of the right airline when that wow programme This is Us, mentioned Garuda as a Sikh guy in a hardwear store was called Garuda!. It was truly amazing and met the most wonderful people, saw fab scenary in Bali, ended up praying with loads of people and God gave me specific words for them and went to Singapore for 24 hours to visit Joseph Prince's church. That TRULY blew my mind as again God gave me golden opportunities to pray with Philippino sisters and a young couple next to me. I felt the Lord say she needs encouragement and after praying I turned to the people behind me. In an auditorium of 4000 the guy behind me had the name of the lady next to me tatooed on his arm because HIS WIFE sitting next to him had the same name as the lady I had just prayed for! Wow Lord such a picture of the Lord tatoos our names on His heart. 


The people were absolutely amazing and some of the kindest. In fact I would put them as in the top 3 in the world out of 40 countries visited. 

Last Sunday two people in my Connect group have  links with Burma as her relations on her mother's side were missionaries and think they know the wonderful author Liz Anderson who I met several times and which ended up being one of the most remarkable meetings of my entire life. I still miss her. 





School continues to be crazy but we had the most phenomenal results in the summer at GCSE once again and that was good as it was a new course and we had no help from the exam board. 

This the wonderful Ali and Val ( married to the wonderful John and Ian respectively ) and I are off to posh afternoon tea in London. Wow both of you we have been friends for 40 years. How exciting and what a complete blessing. 

I have also been prayer walking in Germany as in 2014 whilst in Taiwan I felt the Lord say I want you to go to LEIPZIG! I replied "Leipzig Lord I do not do Europe and Leipzig is not in Asia!! "Nevertheless I realized that it is J. S Bach's city as he played there and last June I went to the BACH Festival which was amazing as Maasaki Suzuki, Robin Blaze, Sir John Elliot Gardiner were all there and I met Sir John after waiting over 40 years. Wow. 

Now I have visited about 18 cities in Germany prayer walking and have just retuned from Mainz and Heidelberg. Both great and had THE most amazing lunch in Mainz which was ace. Still cannot speak German and one of their organisations sends me crazy as you feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall!!

So many amazing people continue to bless my life so much. Thank you does not even come near. It has been great to be in the "right place at the right time" with Shirley Williams and Joanna Trollope as well as many others particularly John Simpson and numerous others. Keep doing this Lord please as it makes the heart come alive. 

I must finish as stuff to do. I cannot remember how to save or put pictures on. 
Blessings to you all and any reading this who we have lost contact with do get in touch via Facebook under me of course ( London network)

Love Fliss x

Another year of life in all its fullness. An awesome year.

Hi you complete gems 

Wow how can it be 2014 already and as we are all saying where has 2013 gone to? What a year and I only hope that in probably one of the busiest years of my life the Lord is pleased with most of what I have done. I KNOW He is not impressed by business but only fruitfulness. 

So what have the wow points been of 2013? Undoubtedly the visit to Japan for the first time in February and meeting Masaaki Suzuki and Robin Blaze before hearing the remarkable and God inspired Bach Collegium who to quote " convey the heartbeat of God" with the wonderful Hana Blazikova, Gerd Turk, Peter Kooji ( who took the photograph of the 3 of us- one gracious man!). My wonderful niece at auntie's request bought me the last recording in the series which took 20 years ( number 55) and it is a taste of heaven. I LOVE it and I will be returning in February to hear them again before flying to London overnight arriving at 8 am and teaching at 10!!! Who cares?It is worth it. Hopefully I will be meeting the scientist ( an expert world wide in her field)who  I met on Tokyo station in Rome as I stop there overnight. Time will tell. She might have changed her mind as we only spoke for an hour and YET she is prepared to fly from Naples to Rome to meet. We will see. 

The year has been full of meeting about 12 new people and that is been brilliant as well as getting to know other dear friends better. I think that of those 12 at least 4 will continue in the coming years. Unfortunately the wonderful author Liz Anderson died in August only five days after I really felt prompted by the Lord to phone her and I am SO GLAD I obeyed that prompting as I would have regretted it. Ironically the last time we met we had a remarkable lunch in Cookham and then went to the church where we prayed and lit a candle. A perfect lunch with great wine and the prayers in a very old church. Awesome and God given I think. Here is me with her book at her home. 

There are loads of fabulous films I would like to see. I went with friends to see Philemena and really loved the combination of Judy Dench and Steve C but I also want to see the Railway Man, Mandela and some others.  Films are great ACCEPT when pop corn is eaten. WHAT possesses cinemas to sell it. Barking mad. 



I also have had the great pleasure of meeting Baroness Cox again as one of our girls came 4th in a competition. I still think she is a remarkable lady who has been in so many situations which would make most of us run a mile and this has gone on for nearly 30 years.  I have also loved reading and listening to Anne Graham Lotz Billy Graham's eldest daughter who has the same grace and humility.  Also found Christy Noekels a Christian singer who imparts the heart of the Lord. 

Open House went well recently and it has been good to get to know other neighbours in my road. I still LOVE my little house and last year had a stream of people through it for coffees, tea, cake, breakfast and lunch. Thanks to all those who have sampled my efforts at learning new receipes and I will persist. I loved doing the Open House and even though over 70 could not come about 30 did come and any more would have been difficult to fit in. A friend also suggested a little fire which has imitation logs and after turning my nose up at the idea I LOVE it and it was only £50 from Ebay and free delivery and it is new. Wow. 

School continues to be mental and it is appalling what is happening in the Education system. However it is still the best job in the world and the girls are brilliant. Unfortunately lots of wow colleagues and some of my favourites have left over the last 6 years of being there but that is to be expected. I still miss many of them but have enjoyed getting to know new ones. 

North Korea continues to have my interest and I have a sense I will go back within the next 2 years. Time will tell.  This is the first time I have not been to Burma since 2001 and I miss it loads and think about it probably 3- 4 times a week. I have not forgotten all you much loved friends there and I pray that the Lord will open this again this year for me.  Great outfit from ASSK above. Very clever of her to wear my favourite colours. Wonder if I will meet her - think I will. 

Tomorrow I am organising a meal for the 50 + and still aspirational group in London. I have been going for about 16 months and have enjoyed the meetings. I really like the home of Sir John Soanes in London - bit strange but had real atmosphere. 

Praying for Michael Schumacher, Sudan and North Korea. I have not really got the energy to write much ( January always a funny old month) but already little shoots are beginning to grow in the garden. I painted the fences in Wild Thyme and love it. Friends said it would take ages and sure enough they were right. It took me 13 hours to do ten fences twice!!

Tomorrow one of my oldest friends is coming to lunch and we trained together. Gail and the Ritz Friends - Ali, John, Val and Ian have been friends for over 34 years. Awesome and still full of richness. Also I met an ex- student in London at the Marconi building and guess what? The statue there was made by another friend's mum in law. I found that out about 2 weeks after going. Amazing!!
Yesterday I had a remarkable meeting with a guy on the way back from the tube and felt the Lord say he was from Nepal. We ended up praying together as he had just had news of the death of a friend that day in HK. How humbling in every way. 

I know it has been a VERY difficult year for many and I hope you know I am praying for you. 
May you know His strength, love and grace in 2014. 

I will try and put photos on or leave it till another time. 
Blessings to you all and my life continue to bring us kindness, love, joy, peace and grace. 
Hope to see many of you in 2014. Much love, FLiss x

The Bach Collegium, wow moments, some of the kindest people on the planet and life

Hi you complete gems and wow people 

It has now been 3 months since I returned from Japan and I absolutely loved it and fell in love with the people after 12 hours. They must be one of  the kindest people I have ever met in all my 35 years of travelling and they totally won my heart. More of that in a moment. As I had never been to Rome I stopped off on route to Japan, but on the way to Rome ATALIA ran out of wine on the plane! I kid you not. It felt like a joke but no REALLY! I did cheekily remind the Lord about water to wine but .... I loved walking round Rome, got prayed for and prayed with two nuns, had wow hot chocolate and pastry for a song £3.50 for both in the middle of Rome and then took the flight to Japan. 

Everyone knows the trains are awesome and all in all I travelled for 25 hours over 2. 5 weeks and EVERY train was to the minute on time.  Absolutely awesome, no mobiles, no pushing and shoving. Bliss. I stayed in Tokyo for 2 nights and had the great pleasure of meeting a young friend from Burma who I had not seen for 8 years who was married to a Burmese guy who is training to be a pastor in the Philippines. We had dinner together and that was awesome as I had no idea she was in Tokyo as thought she was miles away in another part of Japan. 

I also travelled to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kurasaiki which I loved and the latter place had been given to me by Daniel on Trip Advisor who is a star in telling me about train times, places etc. Hiroshima had an incredible peace on it and I met some great people in Kurasaiki and even got a room for £4 as they missed off the 0 and it should have been £40 but they honoured it. What a wow room it was too. One of the highlights was a month before I had met Robin Blaze the counter tenor in London and had said to him that next time we meet I would be at the same concert as wanted to hear the Bach Collegium and to have him singing too was amazing. Sure enough on the last night after a fab glass of SB in the Park Hyatt, I had the fantastic opportunity of meeting Robin with Maasaki Suzuki the conductor of the Bach Collegium. Both were amazingly gracious considering they had been working so hard to finish the recordings in Kobe. Amazingly it has taken Maasaki S 20 years to record the Bach Cantatas and I was there on almost the last one. I gave them each a card in my best handwriting as they have truly enriched our lives beyond measure by the divine music.  DO GO and listen to Mr Suzuki's Bach on Radio 4 and listen to the Bach C and Robin Blaze on YOU TUBE as it is  AWESOME and the concert ( where I changed my ticket to get a front row seat) was a TOUCH OF HEAVEN. I then flew back to London that night and arrived in school the next day to teach my year 10's two hours after arriving in London! Wherever I went people helped me and one lady was an angel and came all the way across Tokyo to get me to the meeting of the above after I took the wrong train ( the only time I did). I cannot find her email but hope to. Obviously I am going back and it is all sorted. 

I have been celebrating my 54th birthday with fantastic and much loved friends - Val and Malcolm in St Albans, friends came over for a bring and share and Fliss was relatively calm ( sorry to those who could not make it) the Ritz friends and I had a great time in London last Saturday and this week I have been in 3 times to Hampstead, Dorchester ( wow service ) and freebies with a friend elsewhere who was celebrating her 50th.  Confusingly this is me at Ho C Minh's final resting place from Vietnam last year! Below of course is Aung San Su Kyi in London who I did not see but chatted to her son outside the Foreign Office and then went to a pub where we met one of the 1988 generation who is no longer allowed in Burma! We still must pray for the tensions there in this amazing land which I miss so much and will go back in His timing. 

However now I have run out of energy and no energy to do things that should be done but all will be well. I must sort out information for my trip in the summer but it will all work out. The flight and rooms are sorted but I am stuck on which area to go in one of the countries I am going to. More on the next blog. 

I have discovered Marcia Willet whose books I love and have read bout 8 so far. I am not sure if my photos will add on as they have changed the format and way it is done which drives me mad. Why can't they leave it as it was!  I am also reading Battlefield of the Mind which is also challenging. 

Life is amazing and I remain totally blessed with the much loved friends I have, meeting  new people,travelling the world,  divine appointments including one with a pretty famous scientist from Italy who happened to be standing with me on Tokyo station. On her site she is wearing a purple top too. Feel sure we will stay in contact and meet again in Japan, London or Italy. We will see. 

I love my home and everyday give thanks for it as it is me to a tee even to the PURPLE tree in the house behind and I have a green one in mine. The previous owners even had a passion flower and purple stones put in the garden. How amazing. 
Lots of love everyone. May you be blessed in all you are doing and those of you who I know are having very difficult times may you experience  peace, comfort and strength. 
Fliss xx

Fliss off to Japan, wow divine appointments and a wonderful home

Hi you wonderful people

I have had several requests to update the blog and UNBELIEVABLY it is 2013 so again it is a year since I wrote the last one. That is crazy but GUESS what I am listening to? Yes the Bach Collegium of Japan which I started 2012 listening to and in February I will be listening to them in Tokyo with my favourite counter tenor who I met for the first time two weeks ago. More later!!

So this comes with much love to all those people who still read it. I wonder how you all are and hope we can meet up in 2013. So what have I being doing in 2013? As many of you know I went to Burma in April and was there for the elections. I so nearly met Aung San S Kyi, gave a note and a few little pressies to one of her staff and I still believe one day I will meet her as I have already met her sister in law and her son. I can wait.  One of her officials at the NLD offices said " she had ambassadors to see and others" I said "look forget them they are all boring, forget Hillary C ( who I would also like to meet), forgot Barack O, I am here and I have waited 12 years". He was a real  sweetie and said that at any other time it would not have been a problem but.... I said" do not worry. I waited 12 years for my long green mac and I waited 12 years for my heart tea cosy ( he mentally thinks weirdo) so I will wait.""  For someone whose patience gene was missed out at birth there are some things in life I can wait for! 


However I did meet and got a photo with Fergal Keane a journalist I have admired for years. His report on Comic Relief ( Rwanda Hope 4) is still one of the best bits of film I have ever seen to the Gladiator Theme. It was great to meet him. I had to pinch myself that little old me REALLY was in Burma for the elections with a fabulous atmosphere. It was an absolute privilege although the world knows there is a long way to go and yet.....

I also had the great pleasure of meeting Jordi Saval the wonderful viola de gamba player as a friend and I went to this remarkable concert at St John's Smith Square - still one of my favourite venues.
I have been to some great  concerts this year and a couple of weeks ago I went to the wonderful hotel next to Kings Cross with soeone I hardly knew and then the wow Robin Blaze was in a concert at the Kings Place. I met him after and said the duet I in the 2nd half with Helen Jane ? WAS absolutely out of this world. I will see him again in Tokyo in Feb. What presence on stage and what a genuinely lovely guy.  Earlier in the year I met Philippe Herrewege who leads one of my favourite musical groups.

As I was in Saigon in 2011 I really felt the Lord say you will be back in Vietnam next year and will go to Hanoi. Sure enough in August I went out to Vietnam  going to Saigon, Hue and Hlong Bay. I met some fabulous people and got some brilliant photos as well as having an outfit made. The food is wondeful and the price remarkable. I had the best coffee I have EVER tasted at the ETHNIC Museum and will try and find it. It was one of those amazing moments, sunny day,  brill coffee and chocolate cake. Heaven!

Unfortunately I have had terrible problems with the right arm and have averaged 4 hours sleep a night for 16 months so exhausted. This week I managed 3 days of sleeping all the way through. I am getting treatment now from someone who dealt with my back about 15 years ago so that is interesting. She said another few sessions and will probably take 2 years in total maybe!

The Ritz friends and I met in London again and thanks to so many of you wonderful people who have come out to lunch, coffee, cake, films etc. It has been brilliant to spend time with you all and long may this continue as it really is a gift from God. as is my wonderful home. Everyone who comes loves it and so many have said about the peace on it. A guy came this evening for a charity and he walked in and said "wow what a peace in your home". I think so too and will always be eternally grateful for the Lord providing for me. I did an OPEN House in Oct to celebrate a year and surprised myself by catering for 25 at lunch as not my strong point. More came in the afternoon bringing cake and 60 could not make it which was not a bad thing as space limited. Thanks to all those who came. I loved doing it.

I have been to the Grove so many times this year for coffee and shortbread with so many people as it definately has the wow factor especially on a sunlit day. I had the most wonderful glass of white wine Good Hope Winery with a friend who has got engaged so wonderful to celebrate at the Stables with her. Only one other person has managed to choose wow wine ( red) at the Grove who I no longer see but still feel one day I will again.  I can wait. Time will tell.  I still think their lilac jumpers simply DO NOT WORK!!! I suggested deep purple waistcoats. I have to say the Grove at Christmas  was utterly magical.

Would like to recommend Marcia Willets who writes well. Also had wow divine appointment in my street with someone who is a nephew to someone famous linked with my wow place but will not say anymore.

As my armis beginning to ache I will stop now and add tomorrrow. Our girls have 1 GCSE paper tomorrow so I will go in on my day off. I will tell more on the Japan trip tomorrow and put photos on.

Lots of love for now and thanks to all you wonderful and much loved people who have continued to enrich my life beyond measure. You are complete gems.

Will add photos now if I can or they can wait. This is an old picture but photos playing up.
Every blessing for 2013 and much love x

An ordinary life - an extraordinary God!

Hi you amazing people and complete gems

Can it REALLY be a year since I wrote the last blog? Incredible and scary. Here I am listening to the wonderful Japan Collegium with Masaaki Suzuki " A Bach Choral Year" so it seems fitting to be writing this as I am

listening to Singet Dem Herrn Ein Neues Lied from BM190 for New YEAR'S Day. It is a privilege and exciting to be here for such a time as this and I long for more adventures this year.May 2012 be a blessed year for you individually in all you are doing and may there be many wow moments, of stepping out, of vision and minutes when time stands still.

Christmas was great spent with amazing people - sister, boyfriend and niece. Young Fran took this picture of me and passed her maths. We are so proud of you for persevering and sis thanks so much to you both for brill hospitality. How DO you make it look so effortless with

brill colours and food? You are a star!

So what has been happening in Fliss's life? I have moved twice and been away 4 times but more about that later. Yesterday I went to see the film The Lady which I confess made me cry and

is SO like Rangoon it was amazing. I could almost be standing near Sule Pagoda and all the places I recognised were there. Despite the critics comments, I think both Michelle Yeoh and David

T did a great job. Her humanity was much more in evidence

and when she mentioned her 3 main failings I thought ouch!!! That sounds like me!! It was also exciting as I was only in Rangoon in October so it made everything more real. I would urge you to see it as I loved it and will be seeing it another 6 times with different friends so if anyone else wants to see it then I will come as it has the wow factor for me.

For someone who has not been to Europe for about 12 years, I had the opportunity to go to Finland for a conference with a friend. So EXPENSIVE!!! As she told me the previous Sunday that she was going I immediately felt the Lord say He wanted to me to go but I thought "ridiculous Lord that cannot be You, I am working". However sure enough it was Him and 5 days later I found myself on a flight to Helsinki only 3 days after moving to a flat as I had to rent for a month.The flat was His provision and had wow views of Watford ( YES REALLY) with incredible sky lines so thanks to all those amazing people who helped me move stuff up 7 flights via the lift!!! You were wonderful.

I also felt Him speaking to me about Saigon when I have never had the slightest interest in Vietnam at all. I obediently booked a flight and it was absolutely great. Yes I KNOW Lord you are OMNISCIENT AND

REALLY DO KNOW BEST!!!I knew I was meant to stay in Saigon or HCMinh as it is now and I loved it, the people, buildings, coffees, food, the place and ended up riding on loads of motorbikes to get around. I think I will be going back and will probably do the Hanoi/HCM train. Time will

tell. Cambodia and North Korea are also in my thoughts as well as European cities so I am unsure what to do at present so will simply wait. Thanks so much to all you faithful prayers as I would not do all this stuff without prayer backing and where would I be without you?

In May I celebrated my 52 birthday with 11 wow people who I love to bits and even

a lady I met in St Albans in a bookshop came too. You gem. Feel sure we will be friends for life so thank you for your courage. Fabulous to have you there. I had hoped for one other to be there but knew, even when I asked, the answer would be no but still worth a shot as 98% of the time this kind of thing works and remarkably people say yes!! I know you are all astounded!

In October I was due to go to Chin State which, for those of you reading all the blogs ( you need to get out more!!) will remember was the one state in Burma I wantedto visit for years

and it eventually took me 9 years! My guide had not been so we arranged to go as I had loved it, but the night before a flood and damaged a bridge, 100 dead and roads impassable. Change of plan took us to the new capital Naypidaw and to the

Delta. I did not enjoy the first but loved the Delta which you will remember was badly hit by Cyclone Nargis. There are so many wow moments and it was BRILLIANT to see dear Thuzar back to her usual best. Also two others stand out a random lady on a road which we stopped to take a photo of to find she was a Christian and we ended up praying together. The 2nd one was an afternoon when I was reading my Bible ( the Lord faints!!!) when this incredible wind blew up with darkened sky and trees blowing. I found it one of the scariest part of any of my travels as it was on the tip of Burma near Patein and with images of cyclone the imagination was on overdrive. I did pray and within 30 minutes it had blown over and we went down to the beach, found a motorbike guy and the two of us went down the beach where we saw the MOST EXTRAORDINARY sky line and sunset I have ever seen. Next morning at 6. 30 am I swam and took some photos and the one of the boy walking away is in my bedroom as I love it.

So what is my new home like?I absolutely love it - 2 bedroomed Victorian with lovely

neighbours and I have been given boxes of chocs, cards and a bottle of NZ SB but as you know I DO not drink so passed it on!! Lying of course and one of my favourite people on the planet and I drank most of it one evening as she came to visit my home. I have had about 30 plus visitors in about 6 weeks but it has been brill to have people here. I am thinking of a name. Thought it should be something to do with Haven as everyone says it is so peaceful but I am also thinking of Nahum's Spring as Nahum -the Old Testament prophet (not the guy with leprosy with a different spelling I think) means comfort and I want people to feel comforted and rested when they come!!!

So with Kim J 's death and events in Burma it is an interesting time. Will we really see history being made in our time? I cannot believe it is 11 years since I was first woken up about the above, as it will be 11 years in January since mum died. I feel sure she would have put her foot down about my going to Burma but feel sure that one day we will be discussing that and probably having a laugh about it.

Changes afoot at school and last term was difficult for lots of reasons in particularly travelling 3 hours a day in the last month. Also 3 of my favourite colleagues of 28 years all left in the same term!!! We also have a new Head. I would say that the farewell speech for his predecessor was great and captured her well, as far as she is able to be captured! She has so many great qualities-compassion, kindness, humility all come to mind and we as a school have been enriched by them and now it is time for others to be touched by them too. Long may others be so.

It goes without saying that I have been out to wow places to eat, enjoyed great wines, lunches, teas and that continues to be the wow factor of life with so many brilliant friends who have enriched my life more than I can say. THANK YOU THANK YOU and long may this continue. It has also been a joy to have got to know 4 new people this year including 2 colleagues from school who are great. Thanks to all those who have enriched in so many ways. You are priceless and I give thanks to the Lord for you.

I have also kept up with the author of the Burma book Liz Anderson and now a friend and I have just had afternoon tea with the cloth which I bought at the village in Burma where she lived. A recent email seemed to indicate that she would love to visit so would be great but know

how incredibly busy she is even though retired from being a GP but still living a frantic pace! She and someone else who it has been a joy to get to know this year ( Finland person) recommended "The Hare with the Amber Eyes" so may try it again as gave up after the first 20 pages as bored!!

So this comes with much love, many blessings and a hope that those of you who I have not managed to see this year will join me for lunch, glass of wine or tea one day. It is crazy that time is going so quickly but life is brilliant and opportunities are there to be taken. I emailed Hillary Clinton's office to say if she was ever stuck in London then she could come for tea and cake and get her driver to drop her off. The limo would reach the whole length of my road. Who knows. What fun that would be.

Every blessing and lots of love. Kate are you still reading this and wonder what you are doing? Be great to do that glass of wine one day. Still feel sure we will and I can wait. I have waited for things and people for years ( one area for 35 years and still waiting!!) as they are worth waiting for - tea cosies with hearts, Chin State, green mac, friendships to develop and now my home after 20 years of waiting. So tough at times but the Lord knew that in 2011 Fliss's wow house would come on the market!! Thank you Lord. For someone who is incredibly impatient ( one of my failings) I have patience in this area. Wonder why? Also over the last 6 months I have seen the old gramaphone player in Saigon, Burma, London, on films etc. It was called the Master's Voice and it is a sense I am not listening to Him in a particular area!!! Do tell me if any of you know!!! It is probably blinding obvious.

Would like to meet the 4th person on my list as met the other 3 - Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Baroness Cox and have a sense that the 4th one will happen in the next 18th months. We will see. Also like to hear and meet the conductor above as this year I met Philippe Herreweghe after he conducted the Bach B Minor - one of my favourite pieces. So now Harry Christophers, above and Robert King of the King Consort so we shall see.

Bet you are all asleep and only I read this but never mind.

Much love as ever

Fliss x

Reflection, Annie Lennox and blessings galore

Hi you amazing people

Much love for 2011. May you all be blessed with love, joy, peace, wow moments,

new opportunities and much which lifts the heart. Here I am in a furniture shop as a friend was looking for a sofa and of course I had to get a photo with the purple and green one. I

even saw purple and green canoes on the lake where the Olympics is going to be! God bless the person who was with me for her amazing grace!!

We even saw purple and green guitars in the Burmese outback and Ye Ye bought one and guess what his guitar case had on it? GRACE!! Of course he needed that to go around with me in Burma. So purple and green is still in the forefront BUT my Purple and Green Society seems to have disappeared off the web. Must resurrect it!!

You will never guess what this sad person was doing on New Year's Eve? I always like to reflect on the past year and pray for the coming year on NYE and obviously have a glass of NZ SB. I know it seems sad but I love it. This time I was sawing a piece of wood as the slat on my bed had broken and I dyed a jacket for the 7 time as the style is me to a tee but not the colour. I can hear the violins out!!! It makes me laugh even though my sister and niece thought "how embarrassing"! Sister you have THE MOST amazing way of transforming a room and you and G's hospitality was brilliant. Thanks so much. You both have a real gift for it and maybe I will the first of many

Last Sunday a friend and I went to Hillsong in London at the Dominican Theatre and as her train was late I thought there must be a reason for that and at that moment a well dressed lady in her 70's fell into step with me and I commented on her wow outfit of red berry, scarf and earings. I asked her if coffee appealed, as I was just going myself, and we had a wonderful conversation in TCRoad before I went off to church with the friend followed by a glass of Wither Hills in Marylebone High Street at a very reasonable price. It has been a joy to get to know this person over the last year and I have been challenged big time by her life in so many ways.

Life is full of these divine appointments and I pray 2011 will be the same as it thrills

the heart so much. I have also written to 3 famous people in the public eye to see if lunch or a glass of wine appeals and received a brilliant letter from the wonderful John Humphrys as I had written to him about his fantastic book "In God we doubt" and said how great it was as well as how much I valued his heart for people The abundance of divine appointments leads me onto one of the most extraordinary meetings in ten years for me....

On Thursday I had lunch with the author Liz A. whose book Under Running Laughter:the hidden heart of Burma is wonderful. For those of you following the blog you will remember I wrote to her as she had published a book about her father who worked on a Burmese translation of the Bible. You may remember how I met her from another posting! It was only the 2nd time we had met but it definitively had the wow factor again and for me it was a perfect day started by listening to Buxtehude as the train pulled into the station where she lives. In case you want to know what it was go to Buxtehude 15 played on CD Review by the wonderful Andrew McGregor. The 3rd movement (the Amen's) is awesome. I also had the immense privilege of meeting her husband and daughter so that was great too. It will definitely be ONE of the wow days of 2011. Hope it was good for her too.

It will be FOUR years in February since I came to the school!! What a journey that has been and yesterday I was looking back at early blogs and saw the posting for me going to visit and the interview which still makes me laugh 4 years later. I cannot believe I have lasted this long and I bet the Head can't either. Mind you there is still time for a sacking! There are some

fabulous staff there who I love to bits but cannot help feeling that some of my favourite ones will be leaving in the next year which will be hard. Time will tell. There has been much to rejoice about and the girls are one of the great gifts of the job without a doubt. This year I have been fortunate enough to have 3 hours off in the middle of a day when I am not technically in school so can get to Harrow on the Hill and quaint tea shop with a friend in that time and back for the last

lesson.

Sorry amazing niece that the wretched maths has eluded you again. You are a brilliant

niece and there are more important things in life but I know you want to teach and you will be great so .... your perseverance, tenacity and refusal to give up are admirable. Lovely to spend time with you over Christmas and well done for showing us BLIND SIDE with the fabulous Sandra Bullock. It is a true story and her feisty attitude is great. I was told she had turned it down 7 times. Thanks also for the presents and the superb Bach's Choral Year which I love.

Talking about culture, just before Christmas a friend and I braved blizzard conditions to attend the Messiah with Harry Christophers at the Barbican. It was one of the best Messiah's I have heard AND THEY played that mesmorizing part "Death where is thy victory?"

which is rarely played. What a remarkable end to a brilliant year.

I have enjoyed GMS on Radio 2 on a Sunday morning as Aled Jones has had some great people on. Today was Michael Meacher and I look forward to checking out his new book on the

Universe which sounds great. At the moment I am reading Lioness Awake by Lisa Bevere about women in God, Margaret Forster " Private Papers" one called the 19TH wife about the Mormons and Brigham Young's 19th one, Desmond Tutu Made for Goodness written with his daughter.It is not easy to find books that keep me reading but the author's two books above definitely did so.....

I STILL cannot believe I went to North Korea and Burma twice last year. If you want to see the photos of the last trip they are on FB. I was really ill for 2-3 days on the last trip and not been so since Calcutta in the 80's. However it was awesome and I think the photos are very good. One memorable day was praying with a pastor high up in the hills in a remote village and leaving my 15 year old hockey shoes with him, still looking amazing and in brilliant condition, but YELLOW!!!I also visited the Defence Museum in Rangoon that I have been trying to get into for 5 years as it is always shut. It was fascinating.

It has been so brilliant to see so many of you this year for lunches, exhibitions, Ritz for drinks, tea and shortbread, Royal Academy, lunches with friends who have known me for 34 years.There are too many events to mention but you know who you are. The Lord is amazing the way He continues to bless me with wonderful people. Long may it last. It has also been amazing to get to know 4 new people this year and 1 other much better, as I had thought at one time it was never going to happen and I would be resigned to been kept at arms length and we just talk about the weather!! I do not like to know people for 10 years and not know them any better at the end of it, but there we are.

Every blessing you amazing people those I know and those I do not. Just ordered Annie Lennox The Collection which is great, after hearing her Christmas one at my sister's. What a voice. How could I have missed what is right in front of my eyes? Felt Him say that in another area too! Felt Him say that He would be giving me keys to situations which I have been praying for for at least 25 years. We will see. Hope He makes it clear as I can be clueless in this.

I feel excited about 2011. I wonder what the Lord has in store for me. Thanks to so many of you for your amazing grace.

Much love as always

Fliss xx

PS On the draft all the paragraphs are fine. On final thing it shifts and I have saved it in different colours and it keeps changing to black. Any wisdom John if you are reading this you computer wiz and gracious guy. Love to you and Judith.

Fliss's North Korean adventure and the richness of life

Hi you wonderful people

I do hope this blog finds many of you amazing people rejoicing in life and enjoying so many wow moments, sunlit days, wonderful company and all the things which make life so rich and worthy of celebration.

As many of you know, I went to North Korea in August which seems wacky but I absolutely knew it was right. In the last 7 weeks of school North Korea kept "popping up"

from being in a bookshop in St Albans and a book" Nothing to Envy" almost jumping out at me, seeing it in the Guardian ( which I never buy it is too cynical) hearing the author on the news, talking to a BBC journalist about it in London when I had really gone to hear someone talk about Burma and then one day coming back from school late and feeling exhausted I felt I was to get off the train in Ricky. Feeling pretty annoyed I obeyed that inner prompting and would you believe that someone sat next to me from Korea! The day after school finished I was having a quiet time when I felt God say I would be in North Korea the following month. At first I thought Lord that CANNOT be You but I just knew it was and of course the rest is history. The Saturday after I got back I knew I had to pop over road at that moment to get bagels. I got in step with a mum and two girls and guess what they were from South Korea,were Christians and had thought of coming to my church. Awesome and so exciting when I said you know this time last week I was in Pyongyang !!

I was told to fly to Shenyang so I sorted it all and then got a flight to Shenyang as I was told to pick up the visa from there. The authorities then changed this and Air China would not let me change the ticket, so I thought there must be a reason why I am meant to go hundreds of miles out of my way.Sure enough in the airport I had THE MOST remarkable conversation with an Italian and we ended up praying together. I thought wow hundreds of miles out of my way for one person but worth it. Feel sure we will do lunch in London sometime as she lives in London with her guy and works for a well known company. How amazing. The one person is always key in His agenda. Wonderful. It is great He is into the individual. Awesome.

After 30 hours travelling and 3 flights there I was having a glass of wine, hair washed, showered and looking amazingly human and

I opened the China Daily to see DANDONG under flood water, the North Korean border shut and 90,000 evacuated!! Ah!! This was taken Sunday and today was Monday. Slightly scary but I just took another gulp of

wine, thought hold on a minute Lord you told me I was going to North Korea and I have no doubt it was YOU. I texted loads of friends and said please pray. Sure enough I took the coach the next day to Dandong and all was well. You can see it if you google it! I could see North Korea from my hotel window which was awesome. Totally unreal.

I met the rest of the group in Dandong and I have to say they were brilliant.

There were 8 guys and two females. Three of the guys were in their 20's and worked in Shanghai and one went to the local grammar school to me, one was an Aussie and one American, 3 were in their 40's and lived in China with their families and the other female worked in Seoul. The combination worked amazingly and they were great. Jimmy Carter was in NK too of course and thought we might see him.

So what is North Korea like? I cannot write too much so those of you who are interested will have to wait till we have lunch together but I can honestly say I loved it, it is beautiful and I know I am going back. It is far more mountainous and fertile than I would have expected. Unfortunately we could not take photos on the 5 hour train journey from Dandong to Pyongyang which was a great shame as I missed so many wow photo opportunities. We had to wait 3 hours at the station whilst paper work was processed too and our bags were searched.

It was a very tiring trip as we left early, travelled a lot, went to the DMZ zone where I had my photo taken with one of the army guys (enclosed here) and that was slightly unreal. Do not know if he spoke English but I did say "thanks for your patience". He is also on Sue Lloyd Roberts report the journalist I met in London. We also went to see the presents given by world leaders and saw lots of other things. The Mass Games has got to be the most stunning visual spectacle I have ever seen with 100,000 people in it. Do google it and see it. The Metro is fascinating. Unfortunately I did not take a single good picture in North Korea the best ones I have are in Beijing which I expected not to like but did and the sun was amazing in the evening.

Coming out of Beijing Station I had not a clue which direction the hotel was as no map or number and the taxi guys were incredibly rude and unhelpful. Many people in Beijing do not speak English and at the airport I asked ten people before I found one! I do not usually think that everyone should be expected it and MORE English books as I had nothing to read!!Thankfully a young couple came to my rescue and I found the hotel which was a bargain at £17 a night, spotless and only a half hour walk from T Square and the Forbidden City. I met several people in Beijing, had wow tea in cake in the Grand Hotel in Beijing ( and had a snoop round others and got into conversations. I figured that 8 hours on a train from Pyongyang, a one hour stop over in Dandong followed by a 14 hour train journey

to Beijing I needed some decent tea and cake. I was in T Square on my niece's birthday and got into a conversation with a teacher who wanted to do coffee and cake with me but after an hour I knew I was meant to skip off somewhere else and have divine appointments which I did and met some lovely people and had many wow moments with classy places, sunlight on buildings etc. I will put on but at the moment it will not let me add. As I had no mobile in NK I only got the GCSE results on the train and thankfully my colleague and I were rejoicing at 55 A* out of 55 so great and thanks to all those who prayed for them all as well as all students at school.

It has been a shock being back as I have Thursdays off this year which is a complete pain. I know I should not be ungrateful but my social life over the last 25 years has revolved around Fridays so I am really annoyed and it is impossible after October to go to Burma early but I am actually going to Burma on 21st October as I booked it months ago and had no idea about NK trip. YES I know 3 trips in a year is excessive.

Nevertheless today I was in wonderful St Albans, bumped into 2 ex- students and had lunch with an ex -colleague who I have known for 25 years and love to bits. Val thanks you complete gem. We always find so much to talk about. AMAZINGLY Crabtree and Evelyn had the launch of IRIS in purple and green and the manager let me take photos and even took one of me for the shop. ( see below) What fun!! With offers on lunch too we did very well. The weather was glorious too and I also popped into the Cathedral which always has the wow factor for me, read the prayers and admired that wonderful window and the figure of Christ. Also took several photos of the sky and the greenery as that was great.

Last week I was in ST Albans again with another friend and realised that the book I was reading " Mountain Rain" whilst waiting for her, was about James Fraser who worked in Burma and China and I just read the bit where it says he lived in St Albans. Wow how amazing that kind of stuff is.

So many friends have been taken ill this summer and that has been very difficult and may they all be given strength in every way. Also still ongoing abuse from neighbours which

wears me out and it has gone on for 15 years but He knows. The MP, police and council all involved and MP asked if would go up to London to discuss which I said yes if decent coffee and cake. We shall see. I still want to meet Baroness Cox this year so time will tell on that too. I want to meet everyone I am meant to meet on trains, planes, places etc. I love divine appointments and they excite me.

You will remember from the last posting that I met an author and it was one of those extraordinary days. WELL she has agreed to meet for lunch again! How amazing and NO I am not paying her. How great. I feel sure it will be equally as amazing as last time. Mind you I had thought I would meet the author of a book in Beijing and asked her if lunch appealed but she was in Western China so it was not to be. I think I may have said about someone I met in St Albans at a bookshop and I will be interested to see if this friendship develops. Time will tell.

The day I came back from North Korea I found SACRED HILL on offer at Sainsburys. I have rarely seen that on offer so that was great. My hairdresser serves wine and coffee in a

cafetaire with biscuits. I was so busy thinking about other stuff that I did not realise how short my hair was, but I had told him I could not have it done until 2nd Nov so probably served me right. I have had loads of comments from both staff and students at school but not quite me.

I still want to put more theatre stuff into my life. I did take 57 to Les Miserables in June which was great even though I have seen it over 30 times. I rejoice in all the amazing opportunities I have been given in life, the wonderful people who have blessed my life more than words can ever say, so many great colleagues at school who I love to bits and of course a God who loves me unconditionally with all my wackiness, strengths and failings. How blessed and fortunate I am.

So much love and thanks you all you wonderful people for lunches, coffees and cake. Long may it last. I am having trouble with photo uploading. It only lets me do one and then freezes. Any suggestions? I saw a wonderful feel good film last week so will give details next time. What a month I am exhausted and the calender looks crazily busy which I do not like as life is not just about madly dashing here and there but quality time with wonderful people but also times of quiet, solitude and reflection.

Flissxx