Indulgence

INDULGENCE

There is something simply delicious
About a book shop
The smells, the sights, the sounds
Glossy print, a hint of ink
A feast of colour piled high -
All displayed to please the eye
Tempting crackle of new paper
Seasoned with crisp binding
And a reverend hush
As partakers of the banquet
Whisper and admire.
Each course is sampled, savoured
The best ones chosen
And the diners
Leave the building content
With a doggy-bag of delight.

© Sheena Conroy, (2000) "In Praise of Poets", p. 19, Anchor Books: Peterborough

Random thoughts.........

Immediately after my computer recovered, I suddenly became very busy. Various reasons - waiting to see if my work contract was being renewed, writing assignments for my CWC course, suffering with a sore throat and taking our Tasha to the Vet.

Sadly, Tasha has heart problems - she is quite elderly - in human terms she is approaching 105! We take her back to the vet on Monday to get her checked over again, and to collect some medication.

Joe and I celebrate our Wedding Anniversary on Friday, Sarah will be spending Saturday afternoon with us and our middle grandson, Stephen, will be 7 on 11 December. I know we all say it, but time passes so very quickly!

The last couple of Sundays, I have just felt so blessed to be part of my wee Church!! There is such a sense of family. A week past Sunday I was struck by how many folk were quietly ministering to those around them who needed a hug or a kind word. Last Sunday we were blessed with a real sense of worship and, again, that sense of family - I understand that some visitors so felt this that they have said they will be back.

There has been much discussion of what the Church is, and what it should be doing - should we be seeking to 'do' Church in a different way, so that folk who are not from a Church background can relate to what goes on in Church, especially during Sunday services. Most of the discussion has been at a level that I struggle to fully understand, so I have not often contributed. However, I think that the last couple of weeks at my Church may have provided part of the beginning of the answer........

Finally - to bloggers more experienced than I - other than by leaving comments, how do we know if anyone is reading our wee posts or not? Seems such a waste of time otherwise............

How wonderful is this!

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

Pandas

Joe and I recently watched a programme about the Panda Centre in Fengdu, China and their very successful breeding programme. Reminded me of our visit to the Panda Enclosure at Chongqing Zoo. Here's a picture of one of the babies - he was sooo cute and we were very fortunate to see him!

You're as young as you feel!

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve just fallen for the hype! Somebody out there has decided that we should no longer think of our age as our actual age – '60 is the new 50', or some such phrase – but rather, we should laugh in the face of advancing years! We should still be doing everything we ever did, look better than we ever did and see life-long-learning as an essential! We should work hard and play hard - our social lives should be a whirl. We will, of course, look absolutely wonderful as we gallop around taking on exercise, voluntary work and new challenges whilst still managing to whisk through the housework, prove ourselves indispensable in our jobs, and be perfect spouses, parents and grandparents!

Now, I’m not against any of this – I’m not yet at the point where I want to retire to my armchair in front of the fire, watching “Countdown”, whilst sipping a nourishing milky drink and smelling of lavender water. There isn’t anything wrong with any of these things – I just haven’t reached that point yet. I do want to go on working and learning and exploring – I want to continue to dye my hair, listen to some modern music, and try to keep up with technology!

However, I sometimes get tired – more tired than I used to – and sometimes I get wee aches and pains. I would like to be able to say this, to say it without feeling guilty that I’ve somehow ‘let the side down’!

Computer Problems.

Did anyone miss me? My computer stopped working last week, just after I posted my last blog. However, thanks to Stuart (a scholar and a gentleman) I have a healthy computer once again!!

Beauty

One day last week I was walking from work and the sun was shining and, although there was a wind, it was pleasantly warm. A kaleidoscope of coloured leaves was blowing around the carpark and, because there was a lack of traffic noise, I could hear a bird singing. Work had been calm and straightforward, and I was heading home for a coffee and something to eat. Sometimes there is such a moment ....... a sliver of time when everything seems to fall perfectly into the place that was specifically designed for it, and the result is a momentary sense of absolute beauty and peace..........................