A Day of Visitors

We - well mostly Col, as he drove the Computer - did our tax returns today.   Aaargh.   But now they are done - and paid.   And strangely, it was a day of visitors too - and lots of phone calls.   Frances and Ella came by just before lunch with flowers and the C.O. talk for us to listen to.  And Mick and June came in the afternoon.  They sat me down with the Bible and a brochure and we talked about the Paradise earth to come.  He read the verse from Psalm 37 that I had just been using in doing a bit of internet witnessing - all about how, if we endure to the end, we will have our "exquisite delight in the abundance of peace".

They also had a chat with Col about his Metal Detector finds.

And of course I talked to Audrey and Maggie by phone.

June brought over some of that lovely homemade marmalade, so I must make his Lordship some marmalade cupcakes tomorrow.

The Christian congregation really is a warm and loving family.   And I am so grateful for it, and hope to get back to the meetings tomorrow, and restart my door to door witnessing by Saturday.  People need to hear the truth so much - Christianity being called "the way of the truth".

They need to know that this is the darkest hour - just before the dawn.

“‘I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to you people of these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.’ - Revelation 22:16

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Nigel Kennedy

Another great trek last night - to see Nigel Kennedy in Brighton - his home town.  Col bought the tickets - very very expensive tickets - months ago.   Would I be able to go?   My afternoons and evenings are much easier now, plus we could park next to the venue and there were no steps.  So we went - us and Jacks.

Nigel and his musicians played - and played with - the Four Seasons.   And maybe it was something like hearing it for the very first time.  A wonderful evening.

Half his musicians were beautiful young girls - and were from all over the world - from Oz, from Poland, from the UK - there was a beautiful Vietnamese-Irish singer.  There was a Nigerian singer, who took over the stage at one point, and probably fills concert halls on his own.

Beautiful young girls...   as I am going to become 65 this year, I must remember to savour the last months of being a lovely young thing of 64.

Ten years lasts no time.  Its an immensity of time when we are young.  The years from 1 to 10, the years from 10 to 20, even the 20 to 30 years seem to take a little while to go by.  But after that!

It was as I was approaching 40 that i began to truly realise just how short our lives are now.

We have seven decades - hopefully - and a bit  - to be with the people we love and be in this lovely lovely world.   It was feeling the wrongness of it, and feeling more and more conscious every day of the beauty of the world, that made me begin to look for the Creator of it,  the meaning of it.

Was there any meaning to it all?

And then I found out the truth of Jesus words - that if you keep on seeking, you will find.  But keep on - don't give up.

And I must now get back to the meetings and the door to door preaching work, as I so much want others to know that we are being offered life, to time indefinite, in the restored earthly Paradise.

I don't think Nigel Kennedy and his musicians would ever get tired of music.  Or us of hearing them.

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The Trek

Captain Wonderful got me to the hospital on the Friday - a masterly feat of organisation.  We called in on Audrey on the way and picked up the magazines she has kindly saved for me.  It was a long long wait for the Top Guy, but we did get to see him.  I carried a pile of cushions around to make the chairs high enough for me.

My blood tests show that I now need a whole new - and (here is the rub) expensive - level of medication.  And the thorough examination of my joints proved the same.  It went something like this :

TG:  "Does that hurt?"
Me:  "Yes"
TG:  "Does that hurt?"
Me:  "YES"
TG   "Does that hurt?  Just scrape the patient off the ceiling will you nurse."

He is very competent, with a very kind nurse, so I feel that I can trust the diagnosis.

Kindness is so important when you are in pain, so thank you to all at Worthing Rheumatology.

However, while the government can afford billions to Shock and Awe, destroy and rebuild, various countries that have never done any harm to us that I know of, they can't afford this medicine for me unless I come back in a month's time, redo the tests, and get the same results.

Anyway, I am on steroids for the moment to try to make my life a bit easier.

They worked wonderfully well yesterday afternoon, but I have regressed overnight.  Just taken my second dose and am hoping for another comparatively pain free afternoon.   And I go back in a month, hoping to pass the medication test.

Some people worry about what they will do with themselves in retirement.  To which, at the moment, I can say, don't worry as medical matters will take up most of your time and energy.  But its frustrating when you have lots of things you want to do.

However, I mustn't whinge too much as I can still type - so I can witness - and write - and do my studying.

And above all Jehovah sent his witnesses to my door to teach me the truth - Christianity being called "the way of the truth" - and I can hope for perfect health in the restored earthly Paradise.

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An Outing

I think its time I posted another poem, or verse...  I can't do much else.  The effort  of getting out of bed/chair and walking about the flat is exhausting me.  Through some wonderful engineering, Captain Butterfly managed to get me to the doctors for my blood test yesterday.  He piled up the car seat with cushions and pillows, packed me in and strapped me in and managed to extract me at the other end without the help of a Giant Tin Opener driven by the SAS.

Because I wasn't able to straighten my arms, getting the blood was a bit difficult and I now have two bandaged arms.

It was a cold wet misty day, with the occasional flake of snow. But it was lovely to be outside again.

Its grey today with a wavy Channel, but not cold considering its mid Winter.

I got some lovely emails yesterday.  One from my sister in law in Bavaria, and one from Aunt Bea.  And lots of phone calls from my siblings in the congregation.  And we heard some good news about Janet's brother!

Anyway, to the poem.  It's very short so no need to panic.  It was written many years ago, on a very different sort of Winter's day, when we were staying with friends in Thailand.

  

FRANGIPANI BLOSSOM

  by me

 Frangipani blossom in a plastic cup

 And the sprinklers singing

 In the cool morning air

 As the sun revs up.

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Sherlock - spoiler if you haven't seen it.

Watched the last of the current Sherlock episodes. Did any one else?   Wasn't going to, as the first ten minutes of the first one annoyed me so much that, disappointed, I stopped watching. But I am very glad I saw last night's episode.  Wow!  Great!  Hope there will be another series.   John Watson's military heel click as he turned away from Sherlock's grave in that wonderful churchyard still gets me all teary eyed.

And Sherlock standing right on that edge.  With Jim Moriarty right behind him.  Although of course I should have known Jim was too posh to push.

Still frozen up, but get slightly better towards the evening - better every day - but so far a night of pain always follows with me barely able to walk by the morning.  Its one tottery step forward to several steps back.  Audrey, Maggie and Frances rang me. And Danny. And poor Captain Headcold was at home all day looking after me.

Started on the figures for the tax returns - and also am progressing the Poetry Book.  Ken sent an amazing poem about a hospital experience, and Dan and I decided we would put his Granddad's poem if everyone else OKs it.

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Butterfly matters

At least I can do something.  A whole flight of butterfly memberships arrived on our doorstep yesterday and I am working away at them. The computer stuff is done - and I now have to make up and address all the membership packages. Poor old Captain B will have to take them to the Post Office though as I doubt I will be able to go out tomorrow. I have had to cancel my blood test as I simply could not get there this morning, I could neither have walked nor got myself into the car.  Let alone out of it again.  Bea skyped and Jackie and Audrey phoned, all doing wonders in the way of cheering me up.

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Another bad night - and my Everest Climb

Another bad night - disappointing as I thought i felt quite a bit better yesterday.  Poor Captain Sleepless.  Every other minute it seems I was moaning and groaning as my knees locked or my shoulder locked or my hands locked. And I had to get up twice - a business akin to climbing Everest at the moment.

A bulletin re my proposed Everest Climb:  I am planning to be the first to reach the top by stairlift, as soon as one is installed.  You can sit in comfort, have lots of flasks of hot tea, and read a good book during the boring bits.  The subsequent best seller will be called "Into Thin Stair".

Its a good thing we have such a wonderful view from our flat, or I might be going stir crazy by now.  In fact, that is a retirement tip I am now qualified to pass on.  Retire to a place with interesting windows.   Because you never know.

Also, a very strange thought.  IF the Specialist can't get this under control at my imminent new medication appointment, maybe I have made my last trip North?

That is something I can't get my head round.

I am watching a calm, but rather ominous, dark grey Channel at the moment, with lots of cloud above with the risen sun coming through in patches.  And the valiant dog walkers are out on the Green.   And when the sea is stormy I can watch the waves crashing and crashing on the beach.

Obviously I am asking Jehovah for help and keeping up with my studying and even managing some witnessing, as I have been talking to people via email. Bob L from the USA had sent me an interesting site just before we went oop North, and I have had an interesting challenge in talking to him about that from the Biblical point of view.

And help came the other day in a wonderful way.  I rang up Steve to ask how our Bible student was doing - and got an update.  He has been taking a different brother and sister every week, so Mr.Student has been getting to know the congregation.  Plus he has been being taught by much better teachers than me.  And now he is talking of coming to the meetings.

It reminds me of me in my early days as I began to understand.

So it gave me such a feeling of joy, which is exactly what i needed. Jehovah is called "the God of all comfort".   I was talking to Audrey on the phone and saying that all our calls on Mr.Student over the last couple of years are starting to bear some wonderful fruit.

Thanks to Jehovah and to his spirit, which He is obviously giving to this Bible student, as you can't understand the Bible without it.

An example.  For many years I thought that the Bible said the aim for Christians was to get to heaven.  Even when I stopped believing, I still thought the Bible said that.  Yet, all the time, the Bible records that Jesus said the meek would inherit "the earth".  The earth, not heaven.

It wasn't till I began my study, nearly 25 years ago now, that I began to understand.  I so much hope that the student will continue, and will start to come to meetings, and will seek the true Refuge from the horrors of this present system of things.

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