The Imaginary Cats

Janet's cats, adopted by my sister in the wake of Janet's death, were and are very shy.  They are seldom seen if Nute has any visitors, there is just the odd tail whisking around a corner or disappearing through the catflap.

However, they bonded to her straight away.  She did not even know they had emerged from their room until she sat down to her breakfast on their first morning and found two cats had materialised one at each side and were lapping away at her porridge.

They are now known as "the imaginary cats" or "the imaginaries" - and have become very picky and difficult about any food Nute is not actually eating herself.  Here is their latest Foodie adventure, from Nute's facebook:

The Imaginaries are beginning a new stage in their psychological warfare. If I could just work out what they want, I could save us all a lot of time by capitulating.

Today, all food was spurned, but I spent the first hour of the day tripping over squeaking Imaginaries. In the end, I found that what they wanted was some stale IAMS from the back of the cupboard and their dishes put in separate places so Abra could drift between the two locations spurning as she went, and Tabs (who is very pretty but short on brain power) could walk in little circles squeaking until I picked her up and more or less put her face in her dish, so she could get on with spurning as well.

Thursday was a day of phone calls.  Phone calls with the sister whose householder I was at the Thursday night meeting; a chat with Jacks; a chat with another sister about rearranging our next week's Zoom session; and then talking to my Bavarian sister in law in Zoom.  I got a glimpse of their lovely Autumn garden too.  I was thinking of our trips to Bavaria in our expat years, which included a trip to one of the loveliest places I have ever been, the Italian Tyrol. 

I am sorry my travelling days are over, this side of Armageddon. If I am there on the other side, there will be all the time in the world to see this lovely planet, and who knows what else, given the amazing universe we are floating in. IF...

And in the evening I Zoomed in my part as householder at the Ministry School meeting.  It was the return visit and it revolved round Job 26:7. Speaking of our Creator, Jehovah, it says: "He stretches out the northern sky over empty space, suspending the earth upon nothing."

The Book of Job was completed in 1473 B.C.E. at at time when people had all sorts of strange theories about the earth - that it was flat, that it was balanced on something - on several giant animals in one strange theory. It was centuries before we understood about the force of gravity.

Yet here the earth's position is not only explained perfectly, but also in the simplest of language, so that you do not have to be a scientist to understand that the earth floats in space. The prophet Isaiah also described it as a round earth.

And while science did come to deduce the accuracy of the Bible's description in time, it is us who have been privileged to see the earth, the round earth, floating in space, like a blue and white jewel, hanging upon nothing, when the photos taken from space began to be published.

We really can trust Jehovah's inspired word. And we need to pay it careful attention. Which is why we offer free Bible studies, on-line or in person, to all who want them.

In the meantime my cough/cold persists - my ribs hurt from coughing, my back hurts from coughing - but it isn't flu - no temperature - nor does it seem to fit any Covid symptoms. Unless of course it is one of the new varieties they have been promising us. Anyway I am still alive - so far. And I am grateful for that.

The clocks went back on Saturday night - I had forgotten till I saw the computer clock! - and the bonfire was still burning on The Green on Sunday morning.

But there was a tragic headline in the papers that morning where the cult of Halloween and the cult of Celebrity met, with terrible results:

South Korea was plunged into mourning as it attempted to make sense of the deaths of at least 151 people who were crushed and trampled to death in a narrow alley during Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, a packed nightlife area of Seoul.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/29/dozens-of-people-crushed-by-large-crowd-at-halloween-festivities-in-south-korea

It is suggested that the stampede may have started over rumours of a celebrity visiting a local bar.  But who knows?  Crowds are volatile things. What does seem clear is that most of the victims are distressingly young, they had so little time here.  I hope they all sleep safe in "the everlasting arms" and that when the time comes they will be woken from the dreamless sleep of death and see this lovely planet again.