REST

The garden continues to come to life after it's long, cold and wet Winter rest, something new everyday

Rest

There is no music in 'rest', but there is the making of music in it.

In our whole life melody, the music is broken off here and there by 'rests'

and we foolishly think

we have come to the end of the tune.

God allows a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans,

frustrated efforts that make a sudden pause

in the choral hymn of our lives,

and we lament that our voice must be silent and

our part missing in the music

which forever goes up to the ear of the Creator.

How does the musician read the rest?

See him beat the time with unwavering count and

catch up the next note true and steady

as if no breaking place had come inbetween.

Not without design does God write the music of our lives -

but be it ours to learn the time

and not be dismayed at the 'rests'.

They are not to be slurred over nor to be omitted,

nor to destroy the melody, nor to change the keynote.

If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us.

With our eye on Him,

we shall strike the next note full and clear.

50th Anniversary Continues.........

High Tea for Two. Wednesday we continued celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with high tea for two, a gift from a friend. We had waited until now to use our voucher at Mulberry House (a Christian Retreat and Conference Centre) so that we could also enjoy the grounds in the Springtime.


A Georgian House in beautiful grounds and only a 25 minute drive from home

The newly landscaped entrance

The back of the house with conservatory restaurant

The Pastoral Centre - front

And Back

Now come walk with me around the grounds - it is sunny but cool and Spring is sprouting everywhere

Almost Monet - except for the Water lillies

More lakes

Not seen chickens with 'pom poms' on their heads before!

There are a number of these 'quiet' cabins around the grounds where one can sit, pray, read, contemplate.

He was pleased to be there I assure you! First course sandwich fingers

Followed by Scones with Clotted cream and preserves, fresh strawberries and cakes and Assam tea.

Very pleasant and relaxing afternoon - Thank you Brian and Ann

And on the Seventh Day...........

And on the seventh day the planes came back - well not too many as yet but the odd drone in the sky. As we heard the first one I ran like a child to the window - sad! With aircraft and staff in all the wrong places, and the back-log to clear, it is still going to be quite some time yet before people can get home. Many are still taking boats, coaches and taxis to seaports in Europe in the hope of getting a ferry or train back to the UK.


Reminds me of our time in 1961 when we tried to get to a town North of Barcelona taking 2 days by taxi, coach, plane, train, coach. This was because we were going to a place not yet on the tourist map. Our son is enjoying his time in Tangiers planning to get a ferry back to Spain tomorrow for a much hoped for flight next Sunday. So in the end some people are having adventures but for most it is a traumatic time.



We had a pleasant but cold day celebrating Bekah's birthday last Friday at P*aradise Park. A Zoo where children can get up close to the animals as well as enjoy so many different kind of play areas and activities. I am not going to bore you with lots of pictures of animals etc. but thought the above funny. Unfortunately the birthday girl was a little under the weather and slept in her buggy for most of the visit but Oliver was having a brilliant time. He was so pleased to get a hole in one on the first tee playing crazy golf. Neither his Dad nor Grandad managed that.



A majestic family

Not sure what this one was called

I do not know a child that does not enjoy a ride on Thomas

Springtime added to the enjoyment for me

Bekah feeling much better back home later in the day. Think this is precious.

Continuing Silence with Views from My Garden

It is now our 5th day of silence in the skies. As time has gone by we find there are more and more people that we know who are stranded somewhere in the world as far afield as Europe, India, the USA and New Zealand. For all the advances of man, the forces of nature can still have the final say. An act of God is the familiar term. How glad I am to know that God is still in control whatever happens.

In saying the above I do not trivialise the reality for those caught up in it. For many it is a very difficult situation - people with young children, the elderly, the sick, those who have run out of medication, those that have run out of money and not to mention the people back home that may be relying on them.

For people like my son who is stranded in Southern Spain - he has been able to take advantage of the situation and has taken a ferry over to Morrocco and settled himself into a hotel there until he can get a flight back. Goodness knows how much overtime he will have to do to catch up with his work when he finally returns.

My daughter and family turned down an invitation to a wedding on a cruise ship in the Carribean where my son-in-law had been asked to be best man. Janie decided that it was not feasible to take a baby and toddler on a Carribean cruise. How glad she is now with the wedding party stranded in Miami for the last 5 days.

Those that can are doing everything in their power to get home. Some are making their way to sea ports and finding berths on container ships and several celebrities have hired taxis costing thousands of pounds. It has got to the point where the Royal Navy are in talks about using war ships to evacuate stranded people. What an unusual situation this is.

One friend who is stranded in Mallorca has written a very interesting piece about the situation where she is and has posted it on her blog. Go HERE of you are interested in reading it.

While all this is going on I am enjoying the continuing blossoming of my Springtime garden (as well as doing some hard work in it)

This tree is actually in my neighbour's garden but overhangs mine and I just love the contrast of the brown leaves against the white. I wish I could post the perfume to you.

I am enjoying the blossom in my local neighbourhood park too. Oliver calls this "Grandma's Park" as it is only a few hundred yards from my house.

The above are Ornamental Plum, the above being a pink one contrasting with the white. Now that the ground has dried out I am back walking the perimeter most days which is far nicer than walking the paths.

The Silent Skies

There's a strange silence in the air. Unusual for us as we live close to several international airports, aircraft from London City airport take off over my house, we are under several flight paths and a stacking system.

The cause of this, as many will know by now, is the erupting volcano in Iceland. It is not until the aircraft noise stops that one realises just how different it is without it. All UK and many European airports are closed and airspace over the UK, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Poland are closed. Hard to imagine -no planes in the skies.

Apparently the volcanic ash melts when ingested into the aircraft engines and can seriously upset the navigation instruments. Thousands upon thousands of people are stranded and at a particularly busy time at the end of the Easter school holidays.

Shows just how easily man made systems can be thrown into chaos when nature intervenes.


Nearer to home it is dear little Rebekah's first birthday today. Seems like yesterday she was born. Tomorrow we will be joining her along with her Mum and Dad and Oliver at a fun Wildlife Park as one of her birthday celebrations. Yes one, she will behaving three! So........... I guess there will be photos of Grandma with lions or something next week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBEKAH

P.S. I had forgotten than my son is in Spain. He is one of the lucky ones - he is staying at a friend's house so would have no problem with accommodation if the ash is still moving over the weekend keeping the planes out of the air.

Catch-Up

How nice to leave behind the coldest Winter for over 30 years and have a taste of Spring with some colour in the garden. The extremely wet and flooded conditions mean that I am way behind in the essential early Spring maintenance so there is a mixture of enjoyment and hard work out there at the moment. I am interspersing this with bouts of Spring cleaning indoors. Both of these tasks I have always found satisfying but I am noticing there is less energy as the years pass and this I find frustrating. I am having to learn to take breaks!

Easter was enjoyable and Janie and her family stayed overnight as her central heating had broken down leaving them with no heat or hot water which was initially trying in the beginning with a baby to keep warm as at that point it was still hovering around freezing over night. It was the first time I had my young Grandson Oliver come and jump on me to wake me up. That was precious although I am sure his Mum and Dad are not so keen on that early morning activity.

Life has been busy, and the weeks seem to fly by and it is the time of year when I look at the list of things that I was sure I would have completed over the Winter and have not done so. Motivation, application and concentration seem to be in short supply over the Winter for me. I am fine with physical tasks but many of the mental tasks, of which there are many, are still awaiting my attention.

Did you know that Blackbirds love fruit. They finish off all our apple cores and the grapes that are past their best. Spring Greetings to everyone.