Come Outside

I have had the pleasure recently to sit and watch a classic programme from my childhood: Come Outside, with Aunt Mabel and Pippin the dog.

*This blog post is a bit of fun, and I truly love this show*

Now, growing up I remember this programme being quite educational, even watching the odd episode as part of the teaching aide at my Primary school. William, now 2 and a half, absolutely loves it and will often request to watch a specific episode. But Strangely it is not what I remember at all!! And after sitting through an awful lot of these episodes I have to admit that I have gone off the series, not because of excessive watching either, but due to the fact that I have several issues with Aunt Mabel, played by Lynda Baron.

Why hasn't anyone stopped her, STOPPED IN HER TRACKS!

Now, for you who read this who do not know of the show, here is a brief outline of it with a few added facts:

Come Outside is a BBC educational children's television series that ran from 23 September 1993 to 18 March 1997. The two main characters of the show are Auntie Mabel (played by Lynda Baron of Open All Hours), and her dog Pippin. They go on adventures in Auntie Mabel's aeroplane, which is covered in coloured spots. Pippin was a mixed breed dog, possibly part Tibetan Terrier, roughly third generation descended from the famous American acting dog Benji and was owned and trained by Ann Head.

There were two dogs who played Pippin and although the first one died in 2008 (RIP Pippin #1) the second dog to play Pippin, although now in retirement played the Bakers biscuits dog, in the advert and is still pictured to this day as it's main dog!

The general concept of the show was to find out how things worked or how things were made, at which point Auntie Mabel would shout "Pippin it's time to fly" and off they would go in their plane on their adventures.

OK, so I am hoping that those among you that didn't know of the show will be caught up with the general idea and concept.


So here is the bit that made me go why hasn't she been stopped!

She (Auntie Mabel, not the lovely actress Lynda Baron) is not a very good role model to young children and the way that the world works now a days i would question why she is allowed on T.V. Now I am sure the Auntie Mabel and Pippin fans out there are outraged by my comments but I am hoping that you will read the rest of this and either laugh at my comical thoughts on the show or agree with it and will never be able to watch another episode without thinking "oh yeah, Martyn is right there"

The very first episode I saw was A Rainy Day: In this episode it is raining hard, Auntie Mabel's guttering breaks and she and Pippin go out to fix it. Got to give the old girl credit here, going out on a rainy, slippery day to climb a ladder and fix the guttering, I'll be honest I was just thankful she came down without hurting herself! Pippin, as a good dog follows her outside. She fixes the guttering and goes in where she sings incey wincy spider. Lovely........Where is Pippin? Oh he's outside getting wet!! She only remembers him after realising her Papers wet and that Pippin would need to go and get a new one! Poor dog, but Auntie Mabel had a stressful day we can let her off, can't we??

Next episode: This one aggravates me more!
It is about clay, oh how interesting i thought, William might learn something here. Auntie Mabel has a Teapot that breaks and wants to replace it. "Pippin it's time to fly"  What to the local shop, quick yes, but not very green is it? We find out that the shop is all out and they would have to wait a week for a new one. This isn't good enough. So we fly to the factory, where we see them made and varnished. We sadly again find out that the factory has sold their current stock but if we wait and hour we could have our Teapot. Instead of teaching my son patience and waiting the hour, Auntie Mabel and Pippin fly off to another independent maker, where they are out of clay and they go to a clay pit. In reality.in this time frame, even with flying, this probably took longer than an hour. But at least Auntie Mabel got her Teapot, when she wanted it!!

Auntie Mabel's care for Pippin deteriorates through the series.

In the episode named "Holes" she loses Pippin, who we find is stuck down a hole. In "Buses" she leaves Pippin on a Bus, and instead of going to the bus station and waiting and reporting Pippin lost, she goes home, gets in her plane and flys around looking for him, hang on, she must have amazing eye sight to see Pippin from up there, or maybe she is actually wanting to kill the world, eventually the bus station phone her with her reply " it's OK let him ride the bus back to my house". In the episode "Recycling" she actually loses Pippin at the Recycling dump and goes home without him. (I hate this episode I will say why a little later)
We see that his real main diet is just made of Sausages, which might be a nice treat, but seriously can't be healthy, no wonder they needed to replace the first one! In the episode names "brushes" Pippin is allowed to run around a dangerous factory causing mayhem, messing up the production. And on my last account of animal cruelty or careless behaviour the episode titled "Water" we see Pippin needing to a bowl of water, poor Pippin waits the entire episode for his water, when Auntie Mabel quite happily flushes her toilet, runs a bath and drinks water herself when telling the "fun" children's story. She even mocks Pippin, calling her a "Silly girl" or telling her off for doing a poo! Even her finishing statement of "Oh Pippin" this is just sad.

Why hasn't anyone phoned RSPCA on her? Everyone knows her, they all know and address her as Auntie Mabel, so obviously they know her fairly well, but everyone seems to be blind over her treatment of Pippin! What does she have over her community?!

The last point I will mention in the episode named "Letters" Auntie Mabel writes a letter to her friend who she has stayed with because they left Pippins bag at her friends house. Now, knowing Auntie Mabel's lack of love for the environment we would assume that she would jump on a plane and go get the bag. No! She rides in a post van, and then disturbs the post office and then rides the post train, where she then arrives at her letters destination. At which point she then gets Pippins missing bag and abuses the post service for the return journey home. What a pointless episode.
Oh and the Recycling episode mentioned above, does anyone else think it slightly redundant that Aunt Mabel flys to and from the recycling plant (twice) when the episode is about trying our best to save the world and reduce our carbon footprint!

So, in conclusion, this woman needs to be stopped. Poor Pippin.

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p.s  I would love you guys to pay attention to the blatant pretend dog in the aeroplane with the robotics moving!

Who do you think you are?!

I was listening to a talk at Holy Trinity Church, Twydall, about saints, being All Saints day.
It really got me thinking, so decided to write about it.


There has been running, for a few years a historical genealogical programme called Who do you think you are? For those who don't know, it traces the family tree of celebraties. It can, at times,  be quite interesting.


The main reason of the show is to remember the important roles that the possibly insignificant people of their time had on the family and friends around them or after them.


Is that  true meaning of saints (with a small s )?


There are so many people in this world who do so much for the people around them, and actually the majority of the time the recipitent is unaware fully of what a person is actually doing! I am fully aware of the fact that I have friends and family who do so much more than I am aware of.


There are so many saints in the world, Christian or not, these people will be remembered for their works to others, even if it is just one person.


This really got to me. The thought of me dying, quite understandably, goes through my mind a lot. Not because I am scared of death, oh no, but what is left behind after I am gone. The "inheritance" of my life. I want to be remembered for the good i do or have done, not for the sins that have shaped us. I try to be a good man and do my good deeds but am constantly aware that I could do more and be more, so am always trying to help people and have a purpose to be remembered by. The thing that makes a difference. I suppose even to be a saint to someone.


I recently took a friend to college in Canterbury, and when do I usually wait round for several hours. I thought I would go and visit a church that I always wanted to visit when lived down there. When i turned up, there was a man laying in the church grounds; due to its uneven path I couldn't get to help the man. Banging loudly on the church door, some ladies (afternoon tea) came out. After explaining that this man needed help, they straight away explained "that he was probably a drunk and don't worry" It took a lot of arguing to convince them to check this man. He was drunk and homeless, and on checking he then went of his way and refused any assistance. It really shook me how people could act like that, and this time I'm talking about the Christians and not the homeless man. I was truly ashamed of how unwillingly these people, these Christians, were to help, especially when you consider the modern similarities of the good Samaritan.


I honestly believe we can help and shape people lives and that kindness is the way to do it. Being saintlike is far from easy, and I am definitley not the ideal model, but I try, and think that is important.


At school i had a wonderful R.E teacher Dr. Dean, she was possibly my favourite teacher. She spent time with my individual care and learning, she even inspired my way to faith, probably unknowingly. I pray and wish her well even to this day, because her kindness to me showed me a person of God. A real saint in my eyes.


But as it says in Matthew 5v9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.


So, who do you think you are? Humbly you are no one, and that should be the way, as I have said before don't be a "Here I am person". I say be the peacemakers, bring peace through kindness and shape somebody's life, try and be a child of God and be a saint to someone.

What do you see?

If any of you are aware of the Alpha courses that go on around the world, I hope that you all agree that they are a fantastic evangelistic tool for the world?

If you are unaware, the course is run by local churches, helping the community to explore Christianity and faith. Their opening tag line is usually "Is there more to life".

I have (as some of you may know) attended quite a few Alpha courses and have learnt and experienced many different things on the way, different people views on Christianity, Jesus and their own battles in life, I have even seen people come to God through it (Like i did) But Ultimately the main reason that people go on these course is because there is something missing or not quite right in their lives and they are on a road in search of a truth.

On one of the course titled weeks "The Holy Spirit" the church which I have attended spent it in a day of talks and gathering, and at which point we ask for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives.

With Alpha courses starting up around the country and the fact that we are following the course as part of our home study group these up rooted questions that Alpha offers have been swirling around my mind.

I decided to pray about it, and whilst reading through one of my note books i came across a talk that I had noted from Malcolm Duncan and it just seemed to "fit" with the ideas in my head. So i thought I would share:

The truth in life is a question that everyone looks for and asks; Ultimately, we as Christians only need to acknowledge one truth, that whatever the scenario that God ultimately wins.

In a lot of my recent post i have described some stories of Jesus and how He sees us as creation differently, and we once we have seen Him see creation differently.
Many Christians can still be sceptical with the gifts that God presents, I am. I have never witnessed healing, I want healing, i Know God can heal me, and that He will heal me either in the life or the next. But What the talk by Malcolm reminded me is that I have already been healed. When i saw Christ, when I felt and met with Him, I was healed because He gave me new eyes, eyes to see life and creation differently.

Now, many of you know that our Body is only theoretically a few years old, our skin grows and flakes off, to show a fresher layer of skin underneath; which makes are skin usually around 14 days old. Our hair grow and we cut it. We get new teeth in our youth, even Wisdom teeth later on. Our Blood cells are about 120 days old. Even our bones are constantly changing with our bone cells being around 10 years old. I am sure if we investigated it more and more that we would see that our body changes to create a new us.

What about our eyes? You only ever hear or people getting worse eye sight. Scientists are baffled by the age of cells in people eyes, and can not determine an "age". Malcolm points out that our eyes are very much the key to seeing Jesus and then therefore creation differently, but how many of us who pray, pray for new eyes? Like the rest of the body, we get a chance to slither out of our old skin and become someone new, but what about our eyes?

Don't become lethargic in life and faith, do not become stagnant in what you see, ask God for different eyes.

In Ezekiel 8 you can read time and time again about God talking about SEEING.In verse 6 "Son of man, do you see what they are doing"

AND again,
12 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’" 13 Again, he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable."

If you study and look over that chapter you will constantly come across see, seen, saw and seeing!

"Son of man can you see" three times He says it, 3! do we not then assume that this message for sight is an important one?

Our we as a society to caught up in being seen, which i have covered before in other blog posts. The HERE I AM culture that we all seem to be living in. How about the culture of seeing, can we see God?

Isiah 6
"I saw the Lord - Here I am"

We SEE it again in Job 42

I have heard of you, no I have seen you.
Have you seen Him?

Psalm 46
Take a look at you God

So, have you seen Him. I know people who say they have a greater connection with God when they are at church. The "find" Him there. I always smile when i hear this. I find Him there.....Just as if we are playing a massive game of hide and seek.
But if it is true and so many people find and see God in churches, then what do we SEE when we see a church?

Do we see the Church as an army, an army ready to invade the darkness? or as it says in Ezekiel are we looking at the darkness in the church?

And finally, the end of this post (Although there will be a part 2)

How do you SEE yourself?

Do we pray to ask God to help us have new eyes to SEE ourselves better?

Numbers 13
"we've seen ourselves as grasshoppers in our own eyes"

Grasshoppers.

What do you see when you look at yourself? would you describe yourself as a small creature, a lowly insect?

Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel small apart from you"

So do we pray and ask for new eyes to see us as God sees us?

God made us perfect, it was us who changed.

I said above about how we SEE church, then I went quickly into seeing us. But that is the amazing thing about the Truth that we have when we come and meet with Jesus. Of course we find God in church, He is probably the only one who has ever attended EVERY meeting, because the truth is He is everywhere, living amongst us at every point, with everyone.

He is always SEEING us, so we should start trying to see ourselves.