Rubbish Power

On the news this week there was a item about the future of electrcity in the UK. The 'experts' say that if we continue using as much as we do now, then within 3 years we will experience power cuts and black outs as there won't be enough electricity to meet demand. My thoughts went to sitting in silence in candle light - no TV, no PC, no music, unless I sing to myself a capella - even the keyboard is electric. There would be early nights, no heating and having to find an alternative to boil a kettle for a hot drink. It all seemed quite dismal. It took me back to my childhood before we had central heating or a TV not to mention a computer. But at least then we had a coal fire and could boil a kettle or a pan of soup so suddenly those days didn't seem that bad.

Then this morning I was reading through 'Your Somerset', the South Somerset County Council Newspaper where they bring us up to date with the work the Council is doing in our area. There was an article entitled 'From Plate to Power - AD on its way'. Intriguing - I read on. AD stands for 'anaerobic digestion', which has nothing to do with the effects of aerobic exercise on our digestive system!  It is in fact, and I quote from the article, a 'plant that will create methane for electricity generation from 19,000 tonnes of food waste annually.' So the weekly recycling collection that takes away all our food scraps, peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells, as well as being used for fertilizer will now be used to create electricity. That made me feel a bit better about the future of electricity in this country.

It did make me think though, that how often we take things for granted almost until crisis point. We know the risks and dangers but somehow brush them off reassuring ourselves that things will all turn out ok. How much do I have every day that God freely showers on me in abundance and how often can I go a whole day without even saying 'Thank You, Lord'? He has given the stewardship of His creation to humanity and that is as much my responsibility as that of those in positions of power and government. We need to look after what we have in order to preserve it for the future.

 

Born to be Christian?

Whatever any personal view on the war in Afghanistan or the unrest in the Arab world, I find it disturbing, to say the least, the amount of killing that goes on in the name of God/Allah/Yahweh. It cannot be denied that religious wars have caused much suffering throughout the history of the world.

In no way do I condone any sort of terrorism or fanatical extreme views, of whichever side and I certainly don't agree with many practices of some religions, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women as second class citizens who are looked upon simply as possessions of the male population to do with whatever they please. But so do I oppose the outright hatred and intolerance shown by some sections of a 'Christian' population to anything other than Christianity. Some say we should 'give them a taste of what they do to others' but that just makes us the same as they are. It doesn't solve the problem.

 

 

Today I couldn't help thinking, 'what if I hadn't been born into a Christian home in England?' 'What if I had been brought up in a sincere Muslim family somewhere in the Middle East or if I had been influenced by a Hindu or Buddhist family life in Asia?' I know that as a child, I was taught the truths of the Christian Bible and taken to Sunday School and encouraged to spend my life for God according to Christian ways and beliefs. I'm sure that living and being brought up in such an environment has shaped me into who I am today, although I do appreciate that at least in this country I am free to change my ways, beliefs and allegiance if I wish. But I am equally sure that if I had been born into a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or any other religious way of life, I would probably at this moment be trying to live the best I can according to such teaching.

So am I a Christian because of accident of birth - that I just happened to be born in England of Christian parents? Maybe, maybe not! But it certainly makes me feel that I should be looking beyond face value of ordinary people who follow other religions. Maybe they are just doing the best they can to be the best they can and be faithful to what they believe is true. And maybe they are not as free as I am to change their point of view if they want to, without any real repercussions. God loves all of His creation, whatever our understanding of Him - and as a true follower of Him, so must I.

Dependent

I'm sure we've all had one of those moments when something isn't right and we suddenly feel 'Now what do I do?' Yesterday I had one of those moments. I had switched on my PC and then as usual moved the mouse to click on the internet access but nothing happened. I wiggled the mouse, moved it about and clicked, moved it again and clicked ... ... but all to no avail. Agh! Now what do I do? There is that moment when panic sets in before we start to think rationally about how to go about sorting out the problem. It is a cordless mouse and so I tried replacing the batteries with new ones. Nothing happened. I plugged in the old cabled mouse ... nothing happened. Oh no! What is wrong? I took out the batteries and put them in again but nothing. I was just sitting thinking and wondering what to try next when there was a small flicker of a green light on the mouse. It was back. What a relief!

I know it sounds silly now looking back but it made me realise just how much we come to depend on machines. In that moment it seemed that my whole life revolved around a small gadget worth a few pounds. It's true that now-a-days I do so much on the computer - shopping, banking as well as keeping in touch with people, keeping records and accounts and finding out information. Life without it of course is possible but a bit more inconvenient and quite time-consuming. Even if you have a very expensive computer, without a mouse you can't really do much. That is unless you're not dependent on the old fashioned type like me but have a lap top or pad or smart phone. Maybe the problem really is that I'm just a bit behind the times?!

Computer of the future.

 

The Elephant Whisperer

Yesterday I received an email from my sister, telling me the amzing story of a man who rescued elephants and how they showed their love and respect for him when he died.  His books can be purchased online through a very well-known supplier.

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whispererbravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003 On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants. Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.  Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.

A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.  Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:  Walking slowly for days Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going.  The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honouring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home............  A truly amazing story

End of a Season

A weatherforecaster this morning said that because of the lower temperatures it could be said that summer is now over. I can't say that it ever came, never mind went! But that aside it seems to have been a week of endings. The week started with the sound of trees being sawed. Looking out over the back garden we could see that the garden adjoining our next door neighbour was having work done on the huge trees that were near the fence.

The very large trees are at the back left of the photo

 

It took 2 whole days but the result was that the trees were no longer. Their shadow didn't affect us but I'm sure that the owner of the now visible house was glad to see them go and so be able to let some light into their over-shadowed garden.

Instead of trees, a now visible house

Yesterday it was last day for a particular Radio 1 presenter doing his long lasting show. Today a short slot called Odd Box on the BBC News channel came to an end after a number of years. And yesterday I received a letter from the supermarket that I do online shopping with, that their card system is changing and so I would not be able to continue using my present store credit card to do my shopping. I was assured that this was in my best interest and I could continue shopping with them as before. If I wanted to do this then I would need to apply for their new card. This would cost me an administration fee of £3. Somehow their changing system costing me money to continue doing what I have been doing doesn't seem to be in my best interest! (no matter small the amount). So now I am rethinking and have decided to do my online shopping with another supermarket whose store card I also have.

The birds that frequented the tall trees will, this winter, have to find another place to roost in safety and build their nests in the spring (maybe finally some might check out our bird boxes!) and I have to register for online shopping at the 'other' supermarket. Life is always changing and sometimes it takes us by surprise and we need to stop and rethink things through, take stock of where we are and which way we want to continue. I was reminded of the words of St Teresa when she said 'all things are passing ...' and I was comforted by the rest of that sentence '... ... God never changes.' Even when life continually changes and sometimes we change direction and need to re-assess situations, the one constant is God!

Paso a Paso

El repórter estaba hablando con el paralímpico irlandes Jason Smyth. Había terminado su carrera en 10.2 segundos para ganar la medalla de oro. Le preguntó si ahora lo iba tratar a hacer en menos de 10 segundos. Su repuesta fue rápida y definitiva - 'NO'. '¿Porqué no?' preguntó el repórter un poco asombrado. El atleta continuó a explicar porque pensó que eso no era una sugerencia realista, no porque no lo podría hacer eventualmente sino porque él pensó que la forma mejor de llegar a una meta es de a poco - un paso a la vez.

Jason Smyth

 

Para llegar a los 10.2 segundos llevó mucho trabajo y esfuerzo de entrenar. Dijo que para llegar a 10.1 segundos llevaría aún más trabajo y esfuerzo y eso sería su primer objetivo. Cuando ya lo había hecho eso entonces trataría de hacerlo en 10 segundos. Si llegara a ser posible a hacer eso entonces pensaría en tratar a correr en menos de 10 segundos. Su forma de pensar era que si trataba de lograr de hacerlo en menos de 10 segundos ahora, probablemente pensaría que no fuera posible y entonces cada vez que faltaba se creería como un fracazo y eso no le ayudaría en su actitud mental para llegar a su meta. Me parecía palabras muy sabias.

Se dice amenudo que para llegar a una meta lejana deberíamos dividir el proceso en pasos más pequeños. Cada vez que llegamos a un nivel con éxito nos estimula para seguir hasta el próximo nivel y luego el que sigue y así sucesivamente hasta que lleguemos a un punto donde podemos ver el objetivo deseado en nuestra vista, que ahora sí parece posible. Hay una canción que dice 'un día a la vez' y me parece que eso es el secreto. Algunas cosas es cierto parecen muy lejos y fuera de nuestro alcanze que sean los estudios, deporte, carrera, proyecto o cualquier otra cosa que quisiéramos hacer pero al dividirlo en pasos más pequeños y alcanzables, ¿quién sabe a que altura podremos alcanzar o que objetivo podremos lograr?

Step by Step

The reporter was interviewing the Irish Paralympian Jason Smyth. He had run his race in 10.2 seconds to gain his gold medal, a great achievement whether paralympian or not. He was asked if now he was going to try to achieve a goal of under 10 seconds. His reply was quick and definite - 'NO'. 'Why not?' asked the reporter a little surprised. The athlete then went on to explain why he thought that such a suggestion was unrealistic, not because he couldn't do it eventually but that he found the best way to achieve a goal was a little at a time - step by step.


 

 

 

Jason Smyth

To achieve even 10.2 seconds took a lot of hard work, training and effort. He said that with more hard work and effort his first goal would be 10.1 seconds and when he had done that, then he would try for 10 seconds. If that was achievable then he would think about under 10 seconds. His reasoning was that if he tried immediately to go for the ultimate goal, then he would probably feel that it was out of reach and any shortcoming would be felt as failure and this would not be helpful in his attitude to achieve his goal. Very wise words, I thought.

We are often told that in order to achieve a far-off goal, we should break the process down into small steps. Each time we reach the next step, we are spurred on to reach the following step, then the one after that and so on until we are within sight of reaching our desired goal. A now 'old' Christian song has the words 'step by step we're moving forwards, little by little gaining ground.' Another spiritual song says 'one day at a time' and I guess that is the secret. Some things do seem a very long way away and impossible to achieve whether that be in sport, studies, gaining a desired weight loss or reaching some other destination or goal. If we can break it down into smaller, more achievable steps, who knows what heights we can reach and what goals we can attain?

I saw this picture and thought of all my very 'crafty' friends!

 

Is The Grass Greener?

We hear many stories of how people overcome some terrible problems in order to give their lives some sort of purpose and direction.  Particularly at this time of the Paralympics, the focus is on many who have been born or suffered, through illness, accident or war, some disability and through sport have found a motive to take part in new things and have gained a sense of self-worth and achievement.  They haven’t just sat back and moaned because of their circumstances.  They have shown real courage and tremendous determination to do something with their lives.

Yesterday, I received (again – as I have received it before) an email with a link to the story of Emmanuel Kelly, a young man with terrible deformation of limbs, born in Iraq and with his brother was left in an orphanage.  He appeared on the Australian version of The X Factor and wanted to sing.  His version of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ really was very moving and inspiring, knowing his story.  If you haven’t come across this, you can watch it through YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/embed/W86jlvrG54o.
 

Emmanuel Kelly

We often think that other people may have a better deal in life than we do or think that if our situation were somehow different then we would be better.  The expression ‘the grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ comes to mind but often if we actually do get to ‘the other side of the fence’ we discover that things are not that different after all.  There is, however, another version of that saying.  It states, ‘The grass is not greener on the other side.  It’s green where you decide to water it, nourish and take care of it.’

Reading that and seeing some remarkable life stories of those taking part in the Paralympics and people like Emmanuel Kelly, somehow puts my little niggles and moans into a more realistic perspective in the big scheme of things.

 

Good Friends

I recently received an email from cousin Tommy that made me smile.  It shows animals that you would not expect getting along really well.  It also made me think and every now and again my mind goes back to those photos.  It is entitled 'You don't have to look like me to be my friend'.  I have copied a few of the photos below.

I couldn't help thinking it's a shame that humans make such a big issue of how people look, act and behave differently one from the other.  This is especially poignant this week at the start of the Paralympics.  I don't want to expand further but just ask you to consider what these photos could be like if translated into human terms.  Just think about it!  And thanks Tommy for sharing the email.

Life Changing

As part of an attempt to lose a few pounds in weight and get a bit more fit at the same time, my son and I have started going for hour-long walks.  Yesterday we walked along a street quite near to our home but realised that there had been some building work done that we hadn’t noticed before.  A whole row of new houses had suddenly appeared where once there had been some run-down flats and a few scruffy looking shops.

 

All around us things are constantly changing, no more so than in the gardens and parks.  The seasons change, although here somehow we seemed to have missed summer this year.  But the gardens show that nature continues its ever-changing appearance.  Flowers come and go, fruits appear while others are reaching the end of their season.  The cherry trees are already losing their leaves and the evenings are drawing in.

On the news yesterday morning there was a report about how in the southwest there have been changes along the coastline.  Some cliffs have broken off, landslides have occurred and in one place one lane of the road had disappeared.  It seems that the earth itself is changing its form.

All of life seems to point to the fact that things are constantly changing and moving.  The old is done away with and the new comes into being.  And yet we humans have an ability to try to keep things established as they were in years gone by.  Things that once were classed as movements have become institutions bogged down by tradition and often losing all the sense of the driving force that they once had.  Too often we echo the sentiments of the close disciples of Jesus when they said ‘Let us make three tabernacles’ as though the spiritual experience that they had just had, could in some way me immortalised in stone.  It’s the desire to ‘bottle it’ and keep things as they were at that wonderful, awesome moment and keep it just like that for posterity when the Spirit moves and keeps moving.  If only we could learn from God’s creation the important lesson that God is always on the move and who knows what wonders we are missing because we want to hang on to what we’ve got instead of allowing ourselves to go where the Spirit leads?
 

Expectations

We are hearing a lot about expectations at the moment.  Even before the Olympics had started, there were reports of how many medals Team GB were expected to get and in particular how many gold medals.  There were sports celebrities who were mentioned by name and the expectation to achieve gold medal status.  I felt sad for some whom on the day of their particular sporting final, weren’t able to deliver on the expectations that other people had put on them.  There was little acknowledgement of all the hard work, practice and discipline that they had put in for years, just a sense almost of failure

You can see that same weight put on some children to achieve academic excellence in their exams.  Some parents seem to have the future all mapped out for their offspring without apparently giving much thought to what they would like to do with their lives.  This is true not only in the academic field but in the arts or the entertainment business also where pushy parents almost force their children into a particular career path.  In later years this often leads to maladjusted adults with many mental or emotional problems.  They carry with them the weight of others’ expectations throughout their lives.

There are some individuals who, not through any expectations of others, seem to expect too much of themselves.  It’s as though they want to be all things to all people – an impossible task!  I shall always remember some wise words spoken to a church leader many years ago.  He had spent himself doing everything above and beyond what he needed and the result was that he ended up in hospital totally exhausted and suffering mental and physical breakdown.  His pastoral visitor wisely said that God doesn’t ask us to do what is beyond our capabilities.  We cannot give God more than our all.  God did not make him ill but his unrealistic expectations of himself did that.

Goals and ambitions are good and sometimes people do need a little nudge to help them to keep going when things get difficult but there is great danger in putting too much weight onto the shoulders of others when God is not actually asking them to do that or go along that path of life.  We need wisdom to distinguish between what we should be responsible for and what God is not asking us to do or be involved with.  That is not always easy.  I need to learn from Solomon that sometimes the best prayer is to pray for wisdom to know what to do and what to leave undone.  Maybe some things are someone else’s responsibility, not mine.

Negative to Positive

I have been aware this week of friends who have had to face (and still are facing) terrible tragedies in their lives through terminal illness in the family and untimely deaths of family or close friends.  It is difficult to come to terms with such situations, if we ever can.  It seems sometimes that all we can do is put on a brave face and somehow try to appear as though we are coping.  How do we pick up the pieces and carry on?  Is it possible to turn things around so that the awfulness of something that has happened can actually be of some help or benefit to someone.  It is often not until years have passed and we can look back that we see just how life has transpired since the dreadful situation pulled our world apart.

It is exactly 15 years tonight (at 1am) that the doctor who visited my husband at our home affirmed that I was now a widow.  Things would, could never be the same again.  I had overcome many difficulties in my life up to that point but this was something new that I had to face.  On many an occasion I thought that I was doing ok when suddenly from nowhere a terrible cloud seemed to engulf me and a great sadness enveloped me.  There was nothing I could do to stop it.  In time and with great gentleness, God, through friends and family guided me into some sort of life again.  Over the past 15 years, as I look back I thank God that out of the darkness and negativity gradually I saw positive things beginning to emerge.  I moved to the other end of the country after retirement and made a new life, travelling to many parts of the world and becoming part of prayer teams encouraging others in their journey with God.

With 3 other friends on a prayer team visiting the Pacific Island of New Caledonia

It is10 years ago today since the two young schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were murdered in Soham, England.  And now 10 years on the parents of Holly, Kevin and Nicole Wells tell about their heartache and how they have coped with such a horrific tragedy.  They were determined not to let the death of their daughter destroy what remained of their lives while at the same time not forgetting her.  Their son Oliver, who was 2 years older than Holly, was also instrumental in bringing the family back into some sort of home life.  Because of help they received through the charity Grief Encounter, they are now patrons of the charity and earlier this year Kevin ran the London Marathon raising £14,000 for the charity.  They were also instrumental in making sure that police procedure and the keeping of records was reformed.  They were determined that something positive should come out from their sorrow like the phoenix rising from the ashes.

Kevin and Nicola Wells with their son Oliver

It is very hard at the time to see how anything good can come out of such experiences.  It is how I like to interpret the words of Paul to the Romans when he says that all things work together for the good of those that love Him.  When we allow Him to show us the way through our problems, He somehow leads us from the negative into a positive outcome as we allow Him to use the awfulness of what has happened and turn it around so that through it the world becomes a better place.  He make the dark place light, makes the negative into positive.  That is the eternal message of Calvary.

Latest Project

This is my latest project for the garden.


Where do I start?

Hmm!

It's becoming clearer.

Finished and in situ!

This morning I treat myself to a mini-greenhouse for my poor tomato plants to see if a little TLC will help them to grow a bit.  At the front there is a panel that zips closed.  In the photo it is rolled up and tied so you can tend to the plants but they can be kept enclosed as in a greenhouse.  Another Wilkinson bargain at just £13 !  Where would we be without Wilko's?

Summer at Last

What a differnece a few days of sun has made to the garden.  Just want to share a few photos taken this afternoon.  It's good to see the bees and butterflies doing their work of pollinating.  (But didn't manage to get a photo of a butterfly)

That's Life!

After such a lovely weekend last week, this week has been quite a contrast.  It has felt as though everything was working against me.  I'm sure many have had that feeling when nothing seems to go right.

On Monday, the rain had cleared for a while and so I went into the garden to see if there was any fruit worth picking.  The cherries had been just about ripe, only needing a bit of sunshine to turn them a rich red.  I was surprised to see that there were no cherries there at all.  At first I thought that the birds must have been very hungry but then noticed that they must have been absolutely starving to pick them complete with stalks from the tree!  It seems that while we were out, someone had been been in our garden and picked them all.  Later that morning while doing a load of washing, the spinner stopped working.  So I was wringing out the clothes by hand.  I phoned to arrange a repairman to come.  They cannot come before next Monday. 

 I had arranged my journey and booked my train tickets to go to Bath on Thursday for a family funeral.  I was to pick the tickets up at the automated machine at the station.  But then they said that the station where I had to get the train did not have such a machine so on Tuesday I had to travel to another station to get my train tickets.  Nothing seems straight forward!

Wednesday was one of those domino effect days.  It began with an appointment at the hairdresser to have my usual 6 weeks trim.  My usual hairdresser was on the sick and so another one cut my hair.  She asked how I wanted it and I told her I like it short.  Not quite that short! 

She was running a bit late and I had a doctor's appointment after this.  The result was that those extra 5 minutes meant that I missed the bus I should have got so I waited for the next one that should have got me there just on time (with a bit of a squeeze) but that bus just didn't turn up.  (You couldn't make this up!)  The next bus got me there about 20 minutes late.

I apologised and explained everythig to the receptionist.  She said she would have to have a word with the doctor.  After a few minutes back came the verdict - as I was so late, I couldn't be slotted in between patients so I would have to re-book.  The next available appointment was on Monday ... but I couldn't wait until then as I would run out of some of my medication by the weekend.  I was advised to look online in the morning and see what was available.  When I checked, the only available appointments were early which meant that I would need to get the bus before 9 am and so not be able to use my Senior Bus Pass.  Well needs must, so I booked my appointmtent. 

On Thursday I set out for Bath feeling that surely nothing could go wrong ... ... except the train was delayed about half an hour which meant that I eventually got there just in time to creep in and sit in the back row as the service was about to begin.  But it was good to catch up with family we don't often see and be able to stand with them in their time of bereavement.

Hopefully things have taken a turn for the better.  This morning the bus fare was not as much as I had expected, I now have my new supply of medication and we have now had more than 36 hours without rain!  I guess it's a case of keep plodding on, looking forward to my washing machine being fixed on Monday and a new week ahead.  Hey ho!  That's life, as they say!