A Skein of Swans?

A skein of somethings flew past our window this morning.   Were they geese?  Or were they swans?  They came and went so suddenly.   The early morning sky was still quite grey and cloudy and they shone white against it - so graceful and perfect.

Another reminder of Paradise - the Paradise the earth was always meant to be, and will be.

How beautifully Jehovah made it all.

A handy pile of chairs (not)

The pile of chairs turned out to be an Important Sculpture, and I was just stopped in time from demolishing it and sitting on one.  It was our trip to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy again.  Bea and Jacks were with us this year.   It wasn't as packed as usual, I suppose because of the troubles in London.

Seeing this years Tracey Emins was very inspiring as they have given me an idea for an entry next year.  I am planning a roughly torn old bit of paper with "This is obviously just what the selection committee is looking for" scrawled on it, and I shall sign it "Tracey Emin (not)", and then all of you who choose to go to the Exhib next year will be able to admire my work.

No sitting on it please!

It was fun though, as it always is. And there were some lovely paintings and photographs.  See the Captain's Log for a couple of our favourites.

And there were two glowing vivid paintings by Stephen Chamber that made me want to buy a penthouse flat - overlooking the Thames - and decorate it round them.

Dan and Gabi left on Friday morning - wonderful they made it down and hopefully they will come again now they know where we are - and Tom, Jill and Jackie came for dinner last night.  I made chile beef with a selection of small small things, and we started with Lidl's smoked salmon on brown bread.  And finished with carrot cake and ice-cream.   Bea left this morning for Brighton, Col chauffering.  He took a packed lunch so I think he will be out there on the Downs for most of the day with his Captain Butterfly hat on.

Its strange now everybody has left. Its always melancholy saying goodbye to family.

I feel so tired I don't know what to do with myself, but don't have to do anything, beyond the washing and catching up with my studies.

The Return of the Return of the House of Three Milks

Once again we are the house of three milks.  Girly goats milk and soy milk for me and Bea, and Big Boys milk (from the cow) for Captain B.  Apparently the riots moved North last night, but London was comparatively calm.   I really have seen "the increasing of lawlessness" the Bible warns about in my lifetime.  Riots and looting on the streets of Manchester...  Its a different world.

And I feel guilty that I won't be getting out on the doors with my Bible this week.  People need to hear the truth so much.

David and Shirley joined us for lunch yesterday - chicken salad with some hot dishes - and we all seemed to have a good time.   Dan and Gabi should be joining us tonight, if all goes to plan.

A weekend

Hard not to think this weekend - with parts of London burning and, apparently, looting going on in broad daylight - of the Bible's warning of the increasing lawlessness at "the time of the end".  The end of this present system of things on the earth, not the end of the lovely earth itself.

And if we are heading for another financial crash as bad, or worse, as that of the great depression, that is going to trigger some awful things.

Where is all the money vanishing to?

Did it exist in the first place?

However this is supposed to be my internet diary not The Thoughts of Chairman Sue.

We had lunch with the cousins at Linda's on Saturday. She provided us with a wonderful lunch and some homemade chocolate cake to take home.  It was delicious, thank you Linda.   Sunday was the meeting at the Hall, with a talk about the importance of the witnessing work.  And I did manage a couple of return visits on my way home.  Then I did a load of washing and shopped.  

Bea arrives today, David and Shirley for lunch tomorrow, Dan and Gabi tomorrow or Wednesday and Tom, Jill and Jackie for dinner on Friday.  I am going to make chile as I can expand that depending on how many people are here then.

I sometimes think we should have bought a bigger place for retirement, as we have only two bedrooms.

A quiet day

Though not for Captain B.  I hardly saw him during the day.   For me it was studying, dusting and polishing, doing two loads of washing, answering emails and climbing Paperwork Mountain  of which I never seem to reach the top.    Oh and I made us a vegetable soup for this evening.

Last night was the meeting at the Hall, which was wonderful as always.  It was a hot sticky day, as if it was going to thunderstorm, and I noticed most of us were very tired.  I had a blood test in the morning and a trip to the Opticians in the afternoon.

Is the world economic system finally imploding?   How do people cope without knowing the truth?  (Christianity is called "the way of the truth".)

The congregations worldwide are studying the Book of Acts at the moment, and the Book of Psalms.  And this week we reached Psalm 90.

"In themselves the days of our years are seventy years;
And if because of special mightiness they are eighty years,
Yet their insistence is on trouble and hurtful things;
For it must quickly pass by, and away we fly. "

And how quickly it does fly by.  A year hardly seems to last a month these days.  If I make my threescore years and ten, I have 6 more Autumns ahead of me.

However, the Psalmist also shows us what we must do.

"Show [us] just how to count our days in such a way
That we may bring a heart of wisdom in."

If Jehovah remembers us we will live again, with Autumns "to time indefinite" ahead of us.  So it is wise to let ourselves by taught by Him.

The Tuesday field service

Audrey and I shopped first and then went to the Group and then on to do some of our August magazine route.  Its better to do many of mine at a weekend when I can find them in, but it looks like a busy month with lots of visitors so I thought I had better get them delivered asap.  We did find two people at home, and they were welcoming and glad to have the magazines.

I am highlighting the Learn From God'sWord article in The Watchtower this month, as it includes this question: Why do so many religions claim to be Christian?

We heard from Dave and Maggie today - they plan to visit the UK - first time in 4 years - so we hope we will be seeing them.  We still have some of their stuff here, including two coats.  They ask if we want anything bringing from Bangkok, but we can't think of anything.  A crate of wonderful Thai mangoes would be nice, but hardly reasonable.

Didn't seem to do a lot yesterday beyond housework and studying.