Hot ice cream

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis

The little girls on the 25th:

Me.   "Do you like turkey Eleanor?"
Eleanor:   "No."
Me;  "Do you like: roast potatoes/sausages/trifle/chocolate log/fruit salad/strawberry ice-cream?"
Eleanor:  "No times 6"  with a slight pause when she asked what a chocolate log was.

She made a hearty lunch off the despised items.

Me:   "Do you like Uncle Colin's homemade ice-cream Beth?
Beth:  "No. I don't.  Its cold, and it tastes of strawberry."

Not sure if that counts as a success or a failure.

My bro in law had a small stroke on Boxing Day - but is now out of hospital and perking up. Thank goodness.  And Captain B nobly took me to the park today - me clinging on desperately as we skidded over ice. He wanted to show me a Kingfisher in the snow, and Dippers in the snow.

First pond he got me to - there was a Kingfisher as bold as brass. I could almost have reached and touched it.   It posed for a while and Col kept his camera going. Then we staggered across the road into the next park and saw three Dippers - and one had a ring on that Col has not seen before.

Pen is coming over on Thursday, weather permitting. But all other outings are off.   The snow is still lying everywhere and its frozen hard.

We enjoyed the new Mapp and Lucia last night.

A Large Furry Bird

Extraordinary amount of snow fell in a few hours Friday evening - the front path was blocked with snow-flattened trees.

I saw little wren type birds scuttling along the strip of snow-free ground outside the dining room window as we had breakfast, so I threw some of the grated cheese left from our supper (a fry up of all the leftover veggies) for them.   Keith joined us for lunch on Friday, and we had turkey soup yesterday, so all the cold stuff is pretty much finished now.

Then Ollie was clamouring to go out the backdoor.  I let him out for toilet purposes, and the next thing was that I saw a large furry bird round the side of the house snuffling up every morsel of cheese.

Someone had left the side gate open!    Or perhaps the snow has brought it down?  I have no boots with me and can't go to look as yet.

Sunshine this morning - lovely light on the snow.   The valiant Captain Butterfly and his sister in law have hitched Ollie to a metaphorical sledge and taken him off for his morning walk in Endcliffe Vale Park.

A Generation is Coming

Dipper, Cinclus cinclus

I feel a bit translucent today, as if I hardly exist.  Is it the feeling of time, and fading away?  We spent yesterday with the grandchildren and their families.  The eldest grandaughter is thinking about applying to Newcastle University when the time comes.

That is where Captain Butterfly and I met and did our courting, all those years ago. And yet its only a few decades ago.

Anyway - we managed to get the turkey dinner and all the trimmings to the table on time and still hot. Excellent. And it was followed by a wonderful dessert trolley.  Nute had made a fresh fruit salad and Helen provided ginger cake with ginger cream filling, trifle, and a chocolate log. She is a brilliant baker.

I was on Eleanor duty for a lot of the morning. We hunted all over the house for Scooter, who, wisely, did not let herself be found till people were leaving. Eleanor kept wanting me to carry her, which made me realise just how old and arthritic I have got.   The little girls all got on well and seemed to enjoy themselves, although the baby had a meltdown which mean the poor parents had to eat their lunch as a relay team.

The Captain and I are going off dipper-hunting. I hope to add a photo or two to the blog later.

The Berlin Wall - the Rules

The wall between beast and beast at the bungalow has changed, and so have the rules.   My sister and her husband have - or had - three rescue animals - 1 dog (Ollie) and 2 cats (Daisy and Scooter).  None of them gets on with each other, and so the house is divided by a Berlin wall between living rooms and bedrooms.  Cats one side, dog on the other.  The door must be closed during the day, but open at night, when Ollie and his basket are locked away in the lounge.

And, as Scooter and Daisy don't get along either, they have another dividing door, and so we share our bed and bath with Scooter when we are staying.  Our door must remain shut and she clatters in and out into her own bit of the garden through her catflap at various times during the night - usually just as we are dropping off to sleep.

However - the rules have changed!

Since our last visit, Daisy, sadly, has died (old age).  And Ollie the dog became very ill and was allowed to spend the night in the bedroom, in his basket, with my sister and her husband.

He has since refused to sleep anywhere else. AND he sleeps on the bed now.

As he and Scooter still don't get along, this requires a whole new set of rules about which doors must be open/closed and when...

We got up there on Monday - a very easy drive traffic-wise, with a couple of stops for sandwiches and our flask tea - and Col rushed us off to Lathkil to see the dippers yesterday morning - no dippers, but they have been seen - and we shopped in the afternoon - with a nice pub lunch in the middle - steak and kidney pudding for the Captain and a veggie chile for Mrs.Captain.

The Tender Beauty of the Sunset

Saturday's sunset...   Jean and I were talking about it in the car on Sunday.  She said she was caught by the beauty of it as she came out of Waitrose.  We both said a heartfelt thanks to Jehovah.

What an extra lovely talk we had at the Hall yesterday.  It was given by a young brother. It was all about paying attention to Jehovah, to his inspired word, and surviving Armageddon - and coming through to the Paradise earth.

He started with an illustration, about a wonderful Japanese mayor who, having seen what a tsunami could do was determined to protect the people of his little fishing village. And in the face of great difficulty, protest, and scorn, he had a 51 foot seawall erected.   This was back in 1967.  The mayor died in 1997.  The tsunami did not come till 2011, but when it did, that wall saved the village.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386978/The-Japanese-mayor-laughed-building-huge-sea-wall--village-left-untouched-tsunami.html

Obviously we made the comparison with Noah, his obedience in building the Ark, and the warning preaching work he did.

It all underlined the importance of listening to Jehovah, and acting on what we hear.

Jean came with me afterwards to do four return visits I needed to get done.  Two were still not at home, will have to try again next year!   But two were in.  One was up a ladder, putting up his decorations(?) or something.    

Walking the Roman Road

We rode out from Sue's this morning, Jean and I. She came with me while I did my last three route calls, then we got to our territory to do a list of Not at Homes. We did find a couple of people in, and they both talked to us.

A beautiful sunny day - with the sun right in our eyes. It was hard to make out the names of the houses and we walked up and down several of the wrong drives.

I drove her home and we decided we would go out tomorrow after the meeting if the weather is OK.

Jackie was round last night for supper - turkey, ham and sage pie from Abel & Cole, with croquette potatoes, pumpkin and cauliflower cheese.  Mousse and chocolates to follow. We missed her, and its great to have her back.

I am still reading the Tomalin Hardy biography.  It wakes me up to what poverty was in the 19th Century.   And also the harsh ethos of the time.

Here is a lovely poem Thomas Hardy wrote about his mother:

The Roman Road
by Thomas Hardy

The Roman Road runs straight and bare 
As the pale parting-line in hair 
Across the heath. And thoughtful men 
Contrast its days of Now and Then, 
And delve, and measure, and compare; 

Visioning on the vacant air 
Helmeted legionnaires, who proudly rear 
The Eagle, as they pace again 
The Roman Road. 

But no tall brass-helmeted legionnaire 
Haunts it for me. Uprises there 
A mother's form upon my ken, 
Guiding my infant steps, as when 
We walked that ancient thoroughfare, 
The Roman Road. 

Thomas Hardy again

On Tuesday, after I had dropped off Cathy at the old co-op car park, I had to take Dave's December magazines and the butterfly paperwork to the Post Office.   The queues!   This time of year has become a real hassle.  But at least its done till next year.

But we had a good morning - doing some of our magazine route calls together.  Had a nice chat with a couple of people.  Was out again yesterday, with Joel and Mick.  And hope to be out again this morning, if I can get myself together.

Just emailed my very sick internet friend in the U.S.  He is having such a terrible time, and I am trying to get him to draw close to Jehovah, the God of all comfort.   He is not someone we can reach on the door to door work, as he lives in a gated community.   But Jehovah will always find a way if the heart is right.

After I had done the posting, I popped into the Oxfam shop and found the Tomalin biography of Thomas Hardy.  It cost me £1.50, and that is value for money.  I am enjoying it, though it is sad of course.  But doesn't everyone's life look sad in retrospect, cut off as we are from our Creator?

There is a lovely picture of his first wife Emma.   And, while I have always loved Hardy's poetry, the life does confirm my opinions about the dangers of marrying a poet.  He had two wives, neither of whom were happy.   Of course, its impossible to say exactly why. Both may well have been difficult women, and none of them were getting the guidance they needed from the Maker of marriage.

And Thomas Hardy loved the beauty and the glory of the creation, even though he was a Darwinist.

But I am happy to say that Captain Butterfly has never written a poem to me, or about me. And I am confident he never will. Which is a real comfort.