Harvest time

Yesterday was Harvest Festival here.  It`s one of my favourite days in the church`s year, when we give thanks to God for the bounty of food which he provides for us.

A Perfect Sunday Afternoon

This may look to be just a picture of sand, but it`s one of my favourite places to walk, and I went there yesterday afternoon.   There were lots of families there enjoying it too - some just walking, some playing cricket on the sand, a few digging sandcastles, some sunbathing, others picnicing - all enjoying the open air, warm sun and the space.   And - what joy - not the sound of a single person talking on a mobile phone!   There are just miles and miles of sand and its very peaceful.  It really is a place to feel close to God in creation

I walked for about an hour and then became aware that the sun was disappearing and the blue sky had an ominous black cloud coming up, so I made my way back to the car.

Leaving the car park a short time later, it began to rain, so we drove to another village where we could sit by the water.   Whilst sitting there, although it was still lightly raining the sun came out, and I found another delight.....

..... to my right was a beautiful rainbow - so I just had to get out of the car and take some photo`s of it.  It was a perfect arc, I could see both ends, but unfortunately it was too big to get the full arc on a photo.   This is the best I could do.

Bird Watching

Sitting on a seat looking out at the sea the other afternoon (not yesterday, it was raining), I saw a starling come and land on the ground very near to the seat.   I didn`t take a lot of notice at first, but then became curious when suddenly I heard the whirr of wings of a flock of other starlings coming to join him, just a couple of feet away from my feet.

I sat very quietly and watched them, and discovered that on the concrete edge and coming up from the weeds just below the edge were hundreds of ants - they`d found an ants nest.   I quickly looked down at where my feet were!, but thankfully no ants had come that far.

As I watched, they were quickly devouring the ants, then I saw one lift its wing and peck under it.  Watching them closer others did the same, and it appeared that they were picking up ants and putting them in their wings.  I wondered why?.   Although somewhere in my mind I seem to recall a tv nature programme about this, but I can`t remember the reason the starlings do it.  They seemed totally unaware of me sitting there, they were so engrossed in the feast they had found.

A Strange phone call

My telephone rang yesterday evening, just as I`d finished watching a television programme.   I looked at the number on the display and saw that it was my mother.   I answered it as normal, and heard her say "Is that you (and my name)?"  I said "Yes"
"it doesn`t sound like you" she said and then she kept repeating my name ...  I kept saying "Yes it is me"
"what the matter?"   - "nothing" I replied
"who have you got there"   - "no-one, I`m on my own" I answered
"you`ve got someone there who shouldn`t be there"  - "there`s no-one here only me" - I again said
"You`re not answering me" 
"Why won`t you answer me?" - "I am answering you" - I said

All the time, I was answering her, but she kept on and on repeating these questions over and over and she was getting more and more agitated and not stopping to listen or wait for a reply, I got to shouting the answers but still she didn`t seem to be hearing me or taking it in.

Then I heard her saying,
"what shall I do, I`m going to get someone to come round and see you, you`ve got someone there who shouldn`t be there"
"I`ll get the police to come round"
"I`m not going to bed until I know you`re alright"
And I just couldn`t get through to her that nothing was wrong, everything was normal.

I began to think that she was having some kind of fit or turn.  
I wondered what to do.   I daren`t put the phone down, because if she heard it cut off I sensed that she`d be even more alarmed.

Then I thought, the only thing I can try is to try changing the phone I`m using and pick up another of the handsets in the house.   So, I tried that, and it worked!  she heard me on that.   Thank goodness. 

So we then experimented and I got her to ring it again and I answered on the first phone I`d been using and she heard me perfectly.  So, what had been wrong, I`ve no idea.