Saturday 29 February 2020

In Theory

As I am trying for 10 blogs a month, I need one more before February ends   Once again, I note how this year is racing past - how this millennium is racing past.   The Thousand Year reign of Christ, during which the earth and obedient mankind will be restored to perfection will go by in no time - full of happiness and satisfying work.  If I am there, I hope so much I will see my parents again.

And then.... well, who knows?  Let us hope we are all there to find out.

We are soon having a congregation "do" - an evening's entertainment - and someone has suggested that I could read one or two of my poems.   I feel very dubious about it.  They are short at least.  But the best ones are a bit on the serious side. And the others seem much too slight to be read out at an occasion.

Here is a lovely article about our new facility at Chelmsford - which is now finished.  It begins:

"Walking round the site of the new Jehovah’s Witness (JW) headquarters buildings in Chelmsford, Essex, is a bit like being in a promotional video for what the industry should be like. You can imagine kids watching it and thinking “Yeah, that looks a fun place to work.”
It’s difficult to say what is most shocking: the demographics or the diversity. There are a lot of young people on this site. Lunchtime in the large canteen, one of three sittings, is a bit like being back at university. Walking round the job, there are almost as many women as men, with a woman smiling from the wheel of most pieces of construction equipment..."

I would love Captain Butterfly to come on a visit now its finished.

Rainy all day yesterday - rainy and stormy this morning - Storm Jorge I believe.  And we have just seen some startling scenes of flooding in Yorkshire - in Staith, which seems to have turned into Lake Windermere.

In theory, Jean and I are going out on the preaching work this morning - and in theory Jacks, who can now hardly walk, is coming round for a fish and chip supper tonight.

Friday 28 February 2020

How Worried Should We Be?

Watching the News, I am minded of the Betty McDonald title "The Plague and I" - about her encouter with TB - which was and is a very infectious disease.  Coronavirus is now headline News as it begins its march around the world.  So how worried should we be?

It seems it is already having a powerful economic effect, which is going to impact us all, especially the poorest.  And I know that people like myself, along with the very old and very young are vulnerable - as we are to the different flu viruses that seem to sweep through every year.  And of course we are not vaccinated against this one.   I guess the next few weeks will tell us just how bad it is likely to be.

In the meantime, Captain Detectorist's alarm clock went off about 5.30 yesterday morning...  and he disappeared into the Hampshire wilderness clutching his metal detector and his box of sandwiches.  It was raining quite hard, and I felt very tired, and did not want to go out on the field service - but I read the Daily Scripture, and my conscience smote me.  And I went.

This is what it said: 


Thursday, February 27


If you observe my commandments, you will remain in my love.​—John 15:10.
Jesus told his disciples not only to be in his love but to “remain in [his] love.” Why? Because living as a true disciple of Christ year after year calls for endurance. Jesus stressed the need for endurance by using forms of the word “remain” over and over in the brief passage recorded at John 15:4-10. How do we show that we want to remain in Christ’s love and keep his approval? By observing Jesus’ commandments. Simply put, Jesus tells us, ‘Be obedient to me.’ Yet, Jesus only asked us to do what he himself did, for he added: “Just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love.” Jesus sets the example. (John 13:15) By carrying out Jesus’ command to go and preach, we too show our love for God because Jesus’ commandments reflect his Father’s thinking. (Matt. 17:5; John 8:28) In response to our expression of love, Jehovah and Jesus keep us in their love.


And this is the command Jesus left for all his followers:   
"Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit,  teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”" - Matthew 28:18-20
The present wicked system of things on the earth has not ended yet. That command still stands, and the Kingdom preaching work is so vital and urgent.
And I had a lovely morning with two of my siblings who took me with them on return visits.  It was lovely not to be the one driving.   Later I got some washing, ironing and a bit of light dusting done - plus my studies - and of course the Captain's tea - chicken veggie soup.  He brought us back a trifle each and a bunch of lovely tulips for moi.

Tuesday 25 February 2020

The Showy Display of one's Means of Life

This  was one of the videos we watched at the Thurday night meeting this week.  it was from morning worship at Bethel, a little talk on 1 John 2:15, which says: "Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODPgmEvtMorningWorship/pub-jwbmw_201508_1_VIDEO

It reminded me how carefully Jehovah uses language. He warns us not to love either the world - the current world system - or the things in the world.   And the speaker shows how it is possible to detest the unjust and corrupt world system we live in, but still become too fond of some of the things in it. 

It is a salutary warning.

The following two verses (in 1 John 2) say this:
"because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever."

The showy display of one's means of life... isn't that a perfect description of the Designer Label culture we are all being encouraged to embrace?

But the world - the current system of things on the earth - is passing away. And so is its desire  - all the wrong desires it encourages.  But if we listen to our Creator, Jehovah, and do our imperfect best to do what he asks, we can remain on this lovely planet forever, with more happiness in store than we can now imagine.

Jacks made it round for supper - but only just.   We had chicken with veggies, and ice-cream to follow.  And Jean and I managed 40 minutes on  the door to door preaching work on Saturday. And we hope to be out again this morning, but probably doing return visits.

My interminable medical saga continues, but I am able to get about at the moment and am very grateful for that.

Friday 21 February 2020

Back to the Field?

I hope that, by the time I complete and post this blog, I will be able to say that I am back out on the Kingdom preaching work.    Its Wednesday morning and I just rang Jean and hope to drive over and pick her up in about half an hour - then on to another siblings to prepare and practise our little part in the Ministry School on Thursday.

Done. Dusted.  And it included a warm welcome from one of our householders - the other 2 were out, but at least we tried - and then a quick magazine delivery to a lovely Italian lady and her husband.  I then delivered Jean home and had a cup of coffee and a rehearsal with the sibling who I partner in the Thursday night school.  And Thursday I was out with another sibling - after yet another blood test.  We managed only 30 minutes, before we were driven off by the icy rain.   Then it was the meeting and my part as the householder.  Once again, no script - though I did not have too much to say.

And today I am so tired.   I shopped in the morning for Jacks - who is completely housebound now - and for us - I went up to the Clinic to get my new medicine, but it wasn't ready, will have to try again Monday.  I also made a big carrot cake to re-stock the freezer - my old reliable recipe that has served me well for years - I used to make it for the dive trips in Saudi.   But just doing that has left me drained of energy.

However, I hope to be out with the valiant Jean tomorrow morning. And Jacks should be round tomorrow night for supper - though she has been cancelling a lot recently.

As for what is happening in the world, well, as I said in my part on Thursday night, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is like a snapshot of the News.
"But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal,  having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness,  betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,  having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away."

But these are the last days - the last days of this current wicked system of things on the earth.

Tuesday 18 February 2020

The Recorders Conference - the 31st Biological Recorders' Seminar

Saturday was the Recorder's Conference - an annual event that Col and I always try to attend - so we both talked about how quickly the years are flying by as we drove there through the current storm - not too bad en route, a bit worse on the return.   It was my first outing since  I was able to drive to the Kingdom Hall on the previous Sunday - and that ended in another violent arthritis attack, which went on for the week...

I am shattered now, and feel drained and depressed as if I have been through a serious illness. At times I was quite delirious with the pain - I could feel my thoughts were disordered but could not catch hold of them.   Anyway, I not only managed the Recorders, but also got to the Hall on Sunday - the waves had scattered half the beach on the sea road! - and then had a very quiet day at home Monday, resting, resting resting, without - so far! - any more flare-ups.

Anyway, the Recorders Conference.  Michael and Clare (Blencowe) presided with their usual efficiency (and fun).   It was all well- organised and to time.   I was able to say a brief thankyou to Clare as she flew past.  And Nigel joined us - lovely to see him again.  The highlight speeches for me were "Potters on the Heath - the ecology of the Heath Potter Wasp" by John Walters, and "The Spiders of Sussex" (aarrgghh) by Graeme Lyons.

The Heath Potter Wasp is a creature both wonderful and terrible, it makes its darling little  claypots, but then stuffs them with live caterpillars as food for its wee'uns.
https://twitter.com/JWentomologist/status/1174230375209590787

And spiders...  amazing little creations, such variety  I have a horror of the poor things now, but what we see is nature in a very disordered state.  It will not return to the loving harmony that prevailed in Eden until God's Kingdom is ruling over us, and then I will be able to appreciate them properly.

If I have the priviledge of being there, I will be able to love and care for all of it. And I don't know how the charming little clay pots will work, but surely they will no longer be stuffed with live caterpillars!  Won't wasp babies be veggie then?

And talking of food - I ought to add that the lunch was another highlight. The Caterers - if I could find out who they are I would have given them a heads-up - put on some great tea/coffee/juice tables for all the breaks and provided an excellent hot and cold veggie buffet.  All very well organised so that there was minimal queueing.

As we live in a cruel disordered world system at the moment, I can't say that no caterpillars suffered to bring us our lunch - but certainly the caterers did the best they could in a fallen world.

And it is good to think that, in spite of all the diversions that Satan, the current ruler of the world, has provided, so many people still want to give their time and energy to try to care for the creation.  And counting and recording is a vital part of that care.






Friday 14 February 2020

The Flare-up Continues

Now its my left leg, rendering me barely able to walk, not able to get dressed and leaving me in a deal of pain.   What is happening?

I spoke to Jean yesterday and she, in constant pain herself, tells me she has been praying continually for me - which for some reaon I have not been able to do much - I feel so useless at the moment. So I think I must have Jehovah and Jean's prayers to thank for calming down and coping.  And I did manage to listen in to the Thursday night meeting.  Last Thursday I was in too much pain even to keep hold of the phone.

The leg eased off overnight, but, in the early hours my right shoulder started. so I fear I am in for more flare-ups.

The Captain was going to drive us to the shops after lunch, but he got a phone call from Tammy to tell him there is a seal basking away on the riverside at Arundel, and off he hurtled with me frantically making him a sandwich lunch. The pics of the lovely creature will appear in his blog in due time.

On his return we did get out, shopped, and delivered some shopping to Jacks.  We had never seen so many pebbles on the sea road - they were banked up everywhere!  Can't imagine how high the seas must have been.   And on the West Side of town we have floods.  Col said what was road is now causeway.

Apparently we are in for another big storm this weekend.

Wednesday 12 February 2020

Storm Ciara Rages - and so does my Arthritis

Its Sunday night as I begin to type this blog and Storm Ciara has been raging all day and is still going. I was driving through foam flowers as I drove back from the morning meeting at the Kingdom Hall.    The Channel was roaring away,  a  couple of waves had already made it to the road judging by all the pebbles.

The storm news from Lilac Tree in the North is that two of their trees were blown down!  Thank God no-one was hurt, but the first faller hit the roof of the neighbour's stable, with horse inside.  It turned out to be a remarkably stoical and laid back animal, thank Goodness, as Pen said they found it calmly carrying on feeding in the rubble, unhurt.

In  the meantime, Storm Arthritis continues its attack  - my shoulders this time, and the left knee.  And most worrying of all my right arm. I still can't straighten it.  Its awful.    Its now Tuesday, and I should have been taking Jean out on the Field Service.  Its a lovely day - sunny and blowy.  Apparently there is another storm on the way

The Oz branch reports that Sydney has had some rain - so much so that there was a report (unverified) of a shark swmming along the flooded end of their road. My bro and family have a reserved swamp area at the back of their house and he says all the little creatures in it are singing happily away now that the rains have come.

I mentioned that I had driven through foam flowers on Sunday and my friend did not understand the expression, so I was trying to remember where I got it from. And (after much banging of both brain cells together) I remembered its from "A Forsaken Garden", a poem I have always loved. But whether the poet, Swinburne, coined the phrase, I don't know.  He uses it in a lovely image - the rose petals fall, but the foam flowers remain - the permanence of the waves underlining the transience of our lives too




A Forsaken Garden

In a coign of the cliff between lowland and highland,
       At the sea-down's edge between windward and lee,
Walled round with rocks as an inland island,
       The ghost of a garden fronts the sea.
A girdle of brushwood and thorn encloses
       The steep square slope of the blossomless bed
Where the weeds that grew green from the graves of its roses
               Now lie dead.

The fields fall southward, abrupt and broken,
       To the low last edge of the long lone land.
If a step should sound or a word be spoken,
       Would a ghost not rise at the strange guest's hand?
So long have the grey bare walks lain guestless,
       Through branches and briars if a man make way,
He shall find no life but the sea-wind's, restless
               Night and day.

The dense hard passage is blind and stifled
       That crawls by a track none turn to climb
To the strait waste place that the years have rifled
       Of all but the thorns that are touched not of time.
The thorns he spares when the rose is taken;
       The rocks are left when he wastes the plain.
The wind that wanders, the weeds wind-shaken,
               These remain.

Not a flower to be pressed of the foot that falls not;
       As the heart of a dead man the seed-plots are dry;
From the thicket of thorns whence the nightingale calls not,
       Could she call, there were never a rose to reply.
Over the meadows that blossom and wither
       Rings but the note of a sea-bird's song;
Only the sun and the rain come hither
               All year long.

The sun burns sere and the rain dishevels
       One gaunt bleak blossom of scentless breath.
Only the wind here hovers and revels
       In a round where life seems barren as death.
Here there was laughing of old, there was weeping,
       Haply, of lovers none ever will know,

Heart handfast in heart as they stood, "Look thither,"
       Did he whisper? "look forth from the flowers to the sea;
For the foam-flowers endure when the rose-blossoms wither,
       And men that love lightly may die—but we?"
And the same wind sang and the same waves whitened,
       And or ever the garden's last petals were shed,
In the lips that had whispered, the eyes that had lightened,
               Love was dead.

           Or they loved their life through, and then went whither?
       And were one to the end—but what end who knows?
Love deep as the sea as a rose must wither,
       As the rose-red seaweed that mocks the rose.
Shall the dead take thought for the dead to love them?
       What love was ever as deep as a grave?
They are loveless now as the grass above them
               Or the wave.

All are at one now, roses and lovers,
       Not known of the cliffs and the fields and the sea.
Not a breath of the time that has been hovers
       In the air now soft with a summer to be.
Not a breath shall there sweeten the seasons hereafter
       Of the flowers or the lovers that laugh now or weep,
When as they that are free now of weeping and laughter
               We shall sleep.

Here death may deal not again for ever;
       Here change may come not till all change end.
From the graves they have made they shall rise up never,
       Who have left nought living to ravage and rend.
Earth, stones, and thorns of the wild ground growing,
       While the sun and the rain live, these shall be;
Till a last wind's breath upon all these blowing
               Roll the sea.

Till the slow sea rise and the sheer cliff crumble,
       Till terrace and meadow the deep gulfs drink,
Till the strength of the waves of the high tides humble
       The fields that lessen, the rocks that shrink,
Here now in his triumph where all things falter,
       Stretched out on the spoils that his own hand spread,
As a god self-slain on his own strange altar,
               Death lies dead.


   Probably, I have put this poem in my blog before, as it always makes me think of my parents, just engaged, so young and so very much in love, in Cornwall, in the 1940s.  For me this garden is in Cornwall - which was a wild, desolate and beautiful place in the 1940s.   

    Like the imagined lovers in the poem, my parents now sleep in death, knowing nothing of the years going by over their heads.  And I hope so much that when the time comes, and it will be hundreds of years from now, Jehovah will awaken them. If so, maybe they will next open their eyes in a garden on a wild Cornish coast, in an earth that is truly at peace.   





Saturday 8 February 2020

A Case for Inspector Morse?

Morse was a great solver of puzzles.  You really had to concentrate when watching Morse on the telly.  Lots of twists and turns.   And if he were here now I could ask about this puzzle.   My flare up started in the early hours of Tuesday morning, in the right knee, very painful, back on my zimmer, housebound, but able to get myself around.   It then flared up in my left foot - agonising - and crippling me, confining me to both bed and bedpan...  though more than enough has already been said about that...

However, while I can understand the foot flaring up, the knee is an implant - an artificial knee.   What is it that is hurting and flaring up?   All very worrying. Unless they make these knees so realistic now that they can include a touch of arthritis...

Anyway, it seems a mystery worthy of a great detective. And Inspector Morse is on my mind as I am just reading the books for the first time.  On Monday, my only day out this week, I walked into town and browsed a charity shop or two (we have a lot of them, this is not Mayfair) and found a couple at 50p each.  So I thought, why not?  And how grateful I am for them today.

I am really enjoying "Last Seen Wearing".

But our Watchtower study tomorrow is about hard work,  especially about working hard at the Christian preaching work - which is making me feel very very guilty, as I have done nothing to speak of this week.  And Jean and I have so much to do. We all have.

I managed to get a load of washing in the machine and hung up to dry this morning - and made a batch of cakes for the Captain's packed lunches - with a couple of pieces for Jean - and got us some supper. But I have spent the afternoon asleep on the sofa in spite of the Rugby roaring away on the telly (being watched by the Captain).  And in my waking moments I have been reading Morse.

The promised storm has certainly arrived in Scotland!  They were playing in what looked like a monsoon.

Hopefully I will be back to my routine tomorrow.   But if the forcast is right I will be driving to the Kingdom Hall through that monsoon.



Friday 7 February 2020

A HORRENDOUS FLARE-UP

Just as my right knee was coming back on line and I could move without my zimmer frame, my left foot went - swollen up, SO painful, I could hardly bear to touch it to the ground.   Col was out all day yesterday so left me in bed with a mug of water within reach, along with - and this may come under the heading of Too Much Information - a bed pan and a bucket (to empty said bed pan into).  And of course the zimmer frame.

I could just, agonisingly pull myself up on the frame to do the bedpan thing and then fall back gratefully into bed. I was longing to sleep, but couldn't because of the pain. 

He also left me breakfast and lunch ready in the kitchen, but I couldn't even take one step away from the bed to get it.  Not that it mattered as the last thing I felt like doing was eating.

It was lovely when Col got back. He brought me some supper through but I couldn't eat anything. I gave the poor guy another rather sleepless night, but I do feel so much better this morning.  I can get slowly about on my frame and take myself to the loo.

It feels like liberation!

By the way, the Captain did, very nobly offer to give up his day's Detecting and stay with me, but much as i wanted to say, yes, please do, I thought if he doesn't go, this will be the day they find THE HOARD (and then how will I ever forgive myself). And, as it turns out, there was nothing he could have done for me had he stayed, beyond what he had already done.

Monday 3 February 2020

Brexit February

Jean and I actually got to the Field Service group on Saturday - up the stairs (without Sherpa support and oxygen) - but it was a close thing.   Then I felt a bit mean for volunteering us for the first call work.  However, it turned out well as were given one side of a small road, and completed it, having two lovely calls on the way.   Both of the guys who answered the door said they were not interested before we even spoke (they clearly knew who we were) but we happened to get into a conversation both times and they both ended up taking the current magazine.  And it is Jean who is the conversationalist, not me.

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-no1-2020-jan-feb/

The territory was right by 5 return visits of Jean's and 1 of mine, so we did them all.

And I was back in time for lunch with the Captain - chicken vegetable soup.  He had a lovely afternoon in front of the Rugby, and Jacks came round for fish and chips later.

Apparently the Romans, during their long occupation of Britain, called February "February Filldyke" - and so far it has lived up to its name - but then it rained pretty much non-stop in January too.  Had all this fallen as snow, the country would probably have come to a stop.   And of couirse they needed all this water from the sky in Oz.

I was just talking to my bro and family - they are back from what sounds like a wonderful tour of a Wintery Japan to a humid and somewhat smoky Sydney.

Well we have now Brexited and are no longer in the EU.   And I hope that perhaps people won't be so bitter and angry about it all as its a done deal.   We need to make the best of it, now we have it.