pawprints

It was monsooning away this morning and I nearly wimped out from going on the doors, but I am very glad I didn't. I was with Jean, parked up OK, even managed to reverse so she could get out the passenger door. Quite a few people were at home, including a darling labrador puppy, who joyfully covered me with muddy pawprints. And then I delivered my precious cargo, if not exactly to her door, at least to Sainsburys, where she wanted to shop.

Town was busy.

The sun is shining now and the fair on the green is revving up. The big bonfire is all in place for tonight and I now need to go and make the veggie curry as Jacks is joining us for dinner.

a sea fret

A sea fret came up from nowhere yesterday. Suddenly everything was misty and we couldn't see where the sky ended and the sea began. It was lovely.
Heard from Helen - they are just about to move to Dorset and start their retirement and she sent us the new address.
The Captain signed up for the Gym yesterday, so he will be among the Gym Bunnies! And we are keeping up our swimming.
He made a sign for Audrey's door: NO TRICK OR TREAT THANK YOU.
Halloween has some troubling religious connotations so we try to stay out of it.
I might blog about it.

Perry (not) at Brandy Hole Reserve

I was out today with Captain Butterfly at the Reserve, we were looking for the rare Something Butterfly which has apparently been spotted there. We didn't find it, but at one point the Captain called out 'Its a Perry!", which had me fighting my way through the briars to see if it was himself.

But it wasn't. Not even a Perry. Much too small.

It was a beautiful Autumn afternoon. We sat by the pond for ages, watching the light on the trees and the Autumn colours, thinking how wonderful it is to be retired. And how strange it is that we are both in our sixties now.

We don't feel any different inside - just more and more fascinated by this wonderful world.

We swam this morning, and my day was absolutely made by a wonderful fellow swimmer who stopped to chat and told me that he didn't think I looked old enough to be retired.

'What a smoothie', said the Captain, when I told him.

Nice weather for ducks

Only two of us turned up this morning - it was very rainy. Ron and I managed to do about 40 minutes return visits, but then had to give up as it became too monsoony. You can't really keep people talking on their doorsteps in the pouring rain - also all the literature becomes soggy.

I asked Ron if he would take me to the flat of the young Eastern European girl who has taken some magazines from me this year. This time she was in, but sadly very firm that she wasn't interested any more.

No Butterflying for the Captain today, so we are both at our computers watching the waves thundering away on the Channel.

David

Maggie and Audrey came round yesterday morning and we watched the David DVD - produced by the Watchtower Society. It was even better than the Noah one (which was great) and left Maggie in tears and me rather misty eyed.

It ends with a depiction of the coming reunion between Jonathan and David in the resurrection into the restored earthly Paradise.

She of course thought of her husband, and I who have Captain Butterfly still with me (thank Goodness), thought of my aged parents, and of seeing them again.

Jacks came round in the evening, we had drinks and nibblies (inlcuding hot sausage rolls as it suddenly seems Wintery). And had a great evening with lots of laughing, which put our current troubles - and we all have them - into perspective.

Its very grey and rainy this morning, I can hardly make out where the Channel ends and the sky begins. And it is all beautiful and glorious and awe-inspiring, reflecting as it does the matchless qualities of its Grand Creator, Jehovah.

Waves on the English Channel

Quite a stormy day - I am looking out at big waves on the Channel. Winter is on the way.

I did some RVs on Sunday, on my way back from the Hall - had a long chat with Tony, and he has lent me a book to read and comment on - the Book of Enoch. And Audrey and I went out this morning - lots of tricky driving, so nervous about it that I dont seem to do too well on the doors - although there was no-one at home today. I did deliver a couple of magazines though, so I do have a tiny tiny magazine round now.

We had a trip to the hospital yesterday to see the Lung Lady. I did some more tests and they were OK apparently - but we now have to get the info about the first attack to her, which we hope to post today.

You never know what will go wrong. As I have never been a smoker, I never expected trouble with my lungs. Although I did grow up in the smokey Fifties, and in a city that was at that time the Steel centre of the world. The stones of the city were black with smoke back then. It was amazing when they began to clean them for the first time, revealing an almost honey colour under the black!

We also went through the aftermath of the Gulf War, when the air was full of smoke from the burning oilfields in Kuwait, so I suppose my poor old lungs have had quite a lot to put up with.

I am really beginning to feel the force of the Biblical warning that 'death reigns as king over us'.

But I also have the wonderful assurance that it will not do for much longer.

"With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." And the One seated on the throne said: "Look! I am making all things new." Also, he says: "Write, because these words are faithful and true.""

Faithful and true.

If am sitting watching the waves coming and going on the Channel a million years from now (as I hope to be), will I remember sitting here now, writing today's blog?

Sultana muffins

Was out on the doors this morning with Sue. Had a real struggle with myself to make myself go, but am very glad i did. We did some return visits and we did our share of the current map.

Captain Butterfly is much better and we managed a walk to the pier and back with him only having to rest once. So he is off for the day tomorrow and for the first time in ages I found myself making a lunch box.

Which is why I had to find a sultana muffin recipe on the net, so he would have some cake with his cheese and chutney sandwich. They have turned out rather well. The recipe I found also used up Bea's soy milk.

He is going to make some more chutney as we have opened the last jar. We do have Linda's on standby though, but it has to wait till next month before we are supposed to open it.

I finished my Ruth Rendell - an early one - 'A Wolf to the Slaughter' - a good read. I did guess how did it, but not all the details and it was fun getting there.

another quiet day in Autumn

A beautiful Autumn day - with the Channel as calm as calm. We swam in the morning, and took Audrey out to buy a heater this afternoon - plus did some shopping ourselves.

I found a Ruth Rendell I hadn't read in the Oxfam shop.

No sign of Perry.

Where is Perry?

No sign of Perry. I hope he hasn't gone and flown out of one of the windows, as its getting a bit cold out there now.

Two things of interest from the lovely Scottish Colourists Exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery

"A Vase of Pink Roses" (my favourite painting in the Exhibition, above) by Samuel John Peploe had this quote from him written underneath:

"There is so much in mere objects, flowers, leaves, jugs, what not - colours, form, relation - I can never see mystery coming to an end."

Yes. Sometimes I come across people on the doors who will say that they wouldn't want to live forever on the earth as they would be bored.

But even with things as they are now - subjected to futility, the 'original serpent' still in the garden - life is endlessly fascinating, full of wonders. The older I get, the more interesting it all is.

So what will it be when Paradise is restored?! Never boring, that is for sure.

Then there was a bust: Eastre, a Hymn to the Sun, by John Duncan Fergusson.

It was described as a "homage to the so-named Saxon goddess of Spring."

Yes. Eastre, Easter - the Saxon goddess of Spring - originally Ishtar, the Babylonian fertility goddess? - who has a festival with the attendant eggs and rabbits.

Is that something a Christian can celebrate? And in any case the Christian Greek Scriptures ask us to memorialise Jesus' death, not his resurrection.


Bea left today - the Captain ran her to the bus stop, and she has emailed to say she has got back safely and settling down to a boiled egg supper. We hope to see her again in November.

We have had a quiet day - I caught up with my ironing and studying.

The Scottish Colourists

We - Bea, the Captain and I - went to the Scottish Colourists exhibition in the Pallant House Gallery yesterday. Well worth a visit. A small and beautiful exhibition that lifts your heart and makes you want to paint, paint, paint.

If only I could.

I took these notes, from the blurb under a painting and a sculpture:

Ah - well I will have to blog them later, as the Captain still has them, and he is still asleep. He had rather a disturbed night and it is only 6 a.m. So I am hoping he will sleep in a bit.


Jacks had us all round for supper - one of her wonderful roast lamb dinners. And we watched her wedding video! All brides are lovely of course, but she was lovelier than most.

And we saw all the children, when young... where does the time go?

Perry's diet

Perry fluttered down onto the Captain's porridge yesterday morning. I was wondering what he was finding to eat, and hoping it wasn't our new wool carpet. I was even wondering if I would have to go out and buy a ball of the finest wool, cut it up, and leave it out in saucers, to tempt him away from the carpet just in case.

And I was touched to notice that Captain Grumpy has left a little saucer of honey out for him - on the kitchen window ledge, as he is favouring the kitchen window at the moment.

I only hope he doesn't try to fly out as I think it will be too cold for him now, plus there are a lot of birds out there.

The next step is obviously going to be a visit to the local pet shop for a Moth Hutch.

And talking of diets Bea took us out for lunch at the local yesterday. We all had fish and chips - excellent it was too. And in the evening we grazed on the left over puddings from our Sunday lunch, when Jacks came round.

Bea Redux

Bea arrived at lunchtime. We had quiche and leeks, carrots and potatoes. Audrey and I were out on the doors this morning - David gave us some Not Homes and we found quite a few at home. Most unusual. We had a good morning out.
The Captain planted out our winter pansies and heather, and while the balcony looks lovely, his back suffered for it. We are all watching Strictly.
Our verdict so far? Costumes not as good as last year.

Perry returns!

Perry the Plume moth put in a brief appearance yesterday - in the lounge. Hopefully he is tucked away somewhere safe for the Winter. We had a tiny gecko that lived under our kettle when we lived in the Middle East, and an enormous lizard that looked like a little dinosaur that lived under our a/c unit in the garden.

We started our swim regime this morning with an hour at the local pool, then picked up Audrey and took her to Currys so she could order the stuff for her kitchen.

The Captain has gone off to his Metal Detectors Meeting tonight! So he is definitely feeling better, but still far from a hundred per cent.

Sweet Georgie Fame and sons

The Captain, Jacks and I went to see Georgie Fame on Saturday night. He had his two sons playing with him, and they were good. A fun concert. Some lovely jazz and blues, and some old favourites. He is 66 apparently.

It only seems just yesterday... the usual refrain...

We are doing a series of studies about the promise of everlasting life on earth - the prospect that was held out to and rejected by our first parents, but which Jehovah is still offering to us.

So sixty six is really no age at all, if you think that we were originally made to last forever.

It is chilling how the truth has been turned on its head. The Bible speaks clearly of the prospect of living forever on the earth. For example, Jesus told us, simply and clearly enough, that the meek will inherit 'the earth' - not heaven.

And also there is the way hell has been pictured as a place of torment, presided over by Satan, a pantomime figure in red tights. Yet, according to the Bible, hell is simply the ground, the grave, where the dead sleep in complete unconsciousness, awaiting a resurrection into the restored earthly Paradise.

It is a place Satan never was, never is, and never will be.

Its raining today - a gentle rain, the Channel is a bit wavy. And our geraniums are blazing away on the balcony - the grey weather seems to make them shine out. A little glimpse of the Paradise to come.

Captain Cook redux

Jacks came round last night - after a bit of a harrowing day - to a chicken curry cooked by the Captain himself. I did the rice and had provided the chicken. It was leftovers of a rather disappointing chicken stir fry I made last month and froze. He turned it into a splendid old style British chip shop curry. With enough left over for lunch for the two of us today.

We are lunching to Bargain Hunt at the moment.

We had grapes and the choc mints left over from Sunday afterwards - and a glass of two of wine.

Another disturbed night, but he is feeling a lot better. Its sunny day, with a breeze putting tiny ripples on a blue-grey channel.

A lovely clearwing moth has come to live in our kitchen. He sleeps on the side of the oven. The outside of the oven, or we would have been having roast moth last night.

He is a miracle of artistry and engineering, and I would like to invite Richard Dawkin round to take a look at him, and try to explain how he can believe that it is just a random and meaningless event.

That moth tells us of its grand Creator without even speaking.

It may of course be a lady moth. But it seems to have a boyish personality somehow.