Chicken of the Woods

Our April Calendar pic is a Chicken of the Woods taken by Himself some years ago.  I think it is sometimes edible - depending on which kind of tree it is growing on.  But I would not risk any kind of mushroom gathering this side of Armageddon. Even experienced mushroomers can make deadly mistakes. And not only am I inexperienced, but my eyes are not what they were.

"Mushroom? What mushroom?" "Tree? What tree?" CLUNK!! 

However, one of the things I imagine doing in the restored earthly paradise is wandering through woods on a beautiful Autumn day, trug in hand, picking mushrooms for supper.  Maybe with the odd truffle added...  

When you think how lovely an Autumn woodland can be even now, what will it be like then?

In the meantime, the News gets worse, and the pressures mount, pressures large and small.  On the small side, we have two cars, which seems sadly essential these days - and both of them are hors de combat. Mine was towed away on Wednesday and has not yet returned, and, just as we were about to set off for the Kingdom Hall this morning, Col's car refused to start.

It picked its moment perfectly given it was Easter Sunday, a Bank Holiday, with everything closed, to be followed by Easter Monday, a Bank Holiday, with everything etc.

The AA came out, again, always reliable, thank Goodness, and pronounced it to be the battery, which is apparently in bad shape. In fact the AA guy could not understand how it was still running until Col explained how much he drives it. Three times a week he drives it to - well judging by the time his alarm goes off - Timbuctu or thereabouts. So it is always being charged.  However, because of his bad cold and cough he has cancelled the last three detecting sessions, and the car has not been out for a week. And the poor old battery saw its chance and quietly expired.

While we are still in the Easter season, I wanted to get back to Jesus' words.  At the last Passover supper, "as they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf, and after saying a blessing, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said: “Take, eat. This means my body.” And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, saying: “Drink out of it, all of you for this means my ‘blood of the covenant,’which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins." - Matthew 26:26.27

And, as a Catholic Convent schoolgirl, I used to go to communion and take the bread, but not the wine. Now I take neither, but attend the Memorial (on the day of Passover) and watch them being passed round.

According to the Bible, we should either take both, or we should refrain and just observe. So it is extraordinary how we managed to do neither.  But what confused us was the idea that all good people go to heaven, when in fact the Bible tells us that it is the earth the meek will inherit, and can live upon forever. And then of course there was the strange doctrine of transubstantiation - which surely the church no longer holds to?

I hope to return to this subject in future blogs.

In the meantime, Col's knee is still painful and swollen, and my left ankle is painful and swollen. We would just about make one passable person between us. But we do have Col's car back. Thanks to the AA.  And we got our Waitrose delivery yesterday, so we don't have to go out.

And always always thanks to Jehovah for the gift of life, for the hope of life in perfect health in the paradise earth, and for the gift of the sea, which this morning is rather grey and stormy with white wave tops breaking and breaking.