A Shameless Bit of Self-Promotion

Or I could have called this Blog: Please Buy My Book.

Here is a link to the Kindle version of "Old Playgrounds":

http://amzn.to/HNbdaN

There is a lovely Captain B photo of the Derbyshire Dales on the front cover. They too were our childhood playgrounds, although none of us has written about them:

Users of ipod/iphone/ipad, Mac, Windows PC and Android devices can download a free Kindle app available here: http://amzn.to/bEgLcE

We plan for a Paper Version to be out soon for us old-style horse-drawn readers.

For some strange reason, Hollywood hasn't contacted my agent yet for the movie rights...

I hobbled off to the meeting last night - with every elderly snail in town hurtling past me - but had to be chauffered there and back by Captain Gallant.  I did make it to the field service group on Tuesday and managed over an hour doing return visits and route calls.

Bea is kindly reading through my as yet unpolished - though finished - and unpublished dive thriller.  It did briefly find an agent. 

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Is it later than you think?

This was the special talk delivered world wide in the congregations on Sunday.  I took some notes and will re-create as much of the speech as I can from them.  My knees were hurting a lot and my hands were not working brilliantly, so please don't expect a brilliant re-creation of it - just the general idea.

The speaker started by quoting 2 Peter 3:4:   "Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers feel asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation's beginning."

Are there times when we feel like that?

He commended our continuing faithfulness, shown in the Memorial attendance on the 5th which showed how much we appreciate the love that Jehovah and Jesus show for us.   "But God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

The speaker then talked about the sign that Jesus gave to his followers when he asked them when Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed, and also how they could discern the time of his presence.

We read Mark 13:1-4:  "As he was going out of the temple one of his disciples said to him: “Teacher, see! what sort of stones and what sort of buildings!” However, Jesus said to him: “Do you behold these great buildings? By no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down.”  And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives with the temple in view, Peter and James and John and Andrew began to ask him privately:  “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are destined to come to a conclusion?”"

(A little digression from me here. Apparently, the Jewish historian Josephus recorded that when the Romans came up against Jerusalem they had no intention of destroying the Temple - too much trouble - massive building - great big stones.  They just wanted the Temple gold.   However they did destroy the Temple. And that they would was also prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures, in the 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel, which warns that after the Messiah is cut off in death "with nothing for himself", "the city and the holy place the people of a leader that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood. And until the end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations." Daniel 9:24-27)

We then looked at verse 8 of Mark 13: “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be earthquakes in one place after another, there will be food shortages. These are a beginning of pangs of distress."    And the Speaker asked us if we are seeing this fulfilled in our days.

He discussed the number of dead from the wars of the last century. Unfortunately I didn't get all the figures down.  But I have jotted down that it works out at over 100 people killed per hour round the clock for the last ninety years.  How much worse can it get?

He then discussed earthquakes.  I didn't get the figures down - arthritis very bad today.*

Food shortages - my notes say that 1 in 7 people do not get enough to eat.

The Speaker then read Luke 21:11: "And there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences and food shortages; and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs."   He then talked about "pestilences", but once again I don't have the figures down.  They were chilling though.

He then spoke about the "increasing of lawlessness" that the Christian Greek Scriptures warn about at the time of the end.  He defined it as an increasing disregard for God's laws and principles.  I have certainly seen that in my lifetime. And Biblical standards on sexual morality are becoming more and more Politically Incorrect by the day.

We then read 2 Corinthians 5:20:  "We are therefore ambassadors substituting for Christ, as though God were making entreaty through us. As substitutes for Christ we beg: “Become reconciled to God"".   And the Speaker pointed out that we don't know for how much longer this offer of becoming reconciled with God will be held out.

What must we do?  2 Peter 3:11,12 says:  "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion,  awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which [the] heavens being on fire will be dissolved and [the] elements being intensely hot will melt."

We must keep this day in mind - every day.  And we must all ask ourselves this:  Do I really believe that the time left is reduced?  What does my way of life show?

The Speaker then read Revelation 22:17: "And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearing say: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free."

We then heard an experience of a Jamaican brother who, until he accepted the invitation to "take life's water free",  led a violent and immoral life, financing his lifestyle by robbery.   His mother began to study with the local JW congregation, and he was impressed by the changes he saw in her.  And he began to study the Bible himself.

The Speaker then made a plea to all those who have become inactive, reminding them how precious they are to Jehovah, what a high price he has paid for them - how much he wants them back.

"For you were like sheep, going astray; but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:25

"I have wandered like a lost sheep. O look for your servant, For I have not forgotten your own commandments." - Psalm 119:176

There can be various reasons for no longer attending meetings or doing the preaching work.  One is that we may have been stumbled by the failings of others.  We may have been badly hurt and it isn't easy to forgive and forget.


The Speaker then read Jeremiah 33:8:  "And I will purify them from all their error with which they have sinned against me, and I will forgive all their errors with which they have sinned against me and with which they have transgressed against me."

He once again reminded us how precious we are to Jehovah, and asked us what we would do if we had a precious vase in our house that had become stained. Would we just throw it away - or would we carefully and patiently restore it?

We can work hard to get rid of any bitterness towards any of our brothers.  And the Speaker then discussed the experience of a brother who came back after being inactive for 25 years.    He said what a warm welcome he got from the congregation.

The speaker then reminded us about the constant attacks from Satan, who, the Bible tells us, is the ruler of this present world system of things.  We read Jesus' words at Matthew 11:28:  "Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you."  We can find true relief from all these pressures within the Christian congregation.

Jehovah is using his annointed servants to remind us all that it is much later than we think.  So we must support the whole association of brothers, be zealous in the preaching work, and pay more than the usual attention to God's word.  

Our closing Scripture was Luke 21:34-36:    “But pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth.  Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”

An ever more urgent warning is being sounded worldwide.  It is later than we think.

*While typing this talk I am hearing news of a double earthquake off Banda Aceh.  I can only hope and pray the people there are not going to suffer the horror of another tsunami.

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Bank Holidays, and lurkers from Waitrose

We have had some rain (much needed) in the night - and more promised for tomorrow.  Bank holidays are so reliable weatherwise.

Yesterday we were out on the work, on our last few houses, when a car stopped and Jackie leaped out and out gave me a hug and a kiss.  It had been a lovely morning on the doors and that ended it on a very happy note.  The only downside was/were my knees.  We did over an hour and a half and i began to think that they wouldn't carry me back to the car.

I couldn't get up the stairs of the flats, so the two sisters I was with had to do the upstairs doors, while I did the ground floors.  I am grateful we have so many young ones in the congregation, otherwise how could we cover our territory.  As the Bible tells us, this is an urgent work.  "Preach the word, be at it urgently in favorable season, in troublesome season, reprove, reprimand, exhort, with all long-suffering and [art of] teaching." - 2 Timothy 4:2

Will this new med kick in, so my knees start working properly again?  And will I stop showing everyone the bruise from my first attempt at injecting myself?  Its a horror.  So everyone will be very grateful when I do.

In case anyone from Waitrose is lurking, I recommended your lime and coconut ice-cream to Jean, and she asked me to drop her off there so she could get some. And for supper last night I gave us it for dessert, and now Jacks is a fan.  So if the Lime and Coconut ice-cream freezer keeps on emptying, you will know why.

Mind you, Jill's home made orange ice cream and my mother's raspberry ice cream, from freshly picked garden raspberries, are still tops.  My mother's ideal ice-cream remained the one from her childhood days in Cornwall, when they used to buy ice cream from the cottages. It was made from that yellow Cornish clotted cream with some sugar stirred in, and frozen.  And the cream came from real organic milk - and, as we say now - it was "locally sourced" - probably from the field at the back of the cottage.

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The Memorial

It was the Memorial of Jesus' death last night. It was held all over the world, after sunset.   We all arrived in good time, the Hall - our borrowed Hall - was full to bursting. The Captain and I had seats right in the front.  The flowers looked lovely, the bread and wine were on the table in front of us and were duly passed round. There is no-one in our congregation who takes it - we are all hoping to live "to time indefinite" on the earth.  The Speaker gave a short, clear Bible-based speech explaining why we need the ransom sacrifice, what it will accomplish, and who partakes of the bread and wine and why.

And I had Captain Butterfly beside me to hold my hand during the final prayer.

I am wondering if there will always be a celebration on the Passover.  To his faithful apostles Jesus said: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) When writing to members of the spirit-begotten Christian congregation, the apostle Paul added: “As often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.” (1 Cor. 11:26)

Until he arrives.  So presumably once the Kingdom of God is ruling over the earth - after Armageddon - we won't memorialise Jesus' death - or not in the same way...  but will there be something on that day?

Well, lets hope we are all there to find out.

While the evening was lovely, yesterday itself was rather tense, due to butterfly matters.  So many new members have hatched out in March that I am struggling for supplies to put in the membership packages.  Its getting rather complicated. And I can't post anything till after the Bank Holiday.

However, my injection went a lot better this time - no pain! And no bruising to speak of. So I don't need to be supervised from now on.

With it being a bank holiday, I thought it would pretty much guarantee us some rain.  And indeed they have had deep snow oop North.  But this morning the sun is still shining here.  The Channel is calm.  And the Green is still green.  But for how much longer?

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When I was a student landlady

When I was a student landlady many years ago, I wrote this:

Look cats!
Here comes David
Our fourth year medic
Hurrying home
Run to meet him
Rush to greet him
He might have
bought you a liver
from that nice
dissecting room.


Urrrgh...  I couldn't write that now.

Done nothing to speak of today.  Waiting in until the afternoon for a call from the nurse who is coming tomorrow to supervise my fearsome injection.  Most of me seems to be covered in a bruise from my efforts last week, so I hope I can find somewhere to put the needle.

Did various bits of housework and studying, and chatted to Bea back and forth on the email.

Its been sunny here with a cloudless blue sky and a calm Channel, but its getting much colder.  The snow is coming down from the north, but will probably reach us as scattered showers sometime tomorrow.

Its the Memorial of Jesus' death tomorrow.

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The Zimmer Twins Ride Again

We managed an hour on the doors today - but only half an hour going door to door.  My twin (Audrey) had had enough by then, so we did some return visits.  I managed to place all my invitations to The Memorial on the 5th, which is a relief, as given the way my knees are seizing up I don't know if I will get out again this week.

Apart from the Memorial of course!  I must not miss that.  But my better half, Captain Butterfly, will be there to help me.

Col has been out all day taking photos of orange tips, which will soon be appearing on his blog.  Apparently there was a tiny sprinkling of rain over Arundel during the afternoon.  Either we didn't get it here, or it was too tiny for me to notice.   Its snowing in Scotland though.

Do I feel a snow poem coming on?

A JANUARY WASHDAY IN SHEFFIELD

 by me

Black trees rattle in the icy wind

Through gale-smashed panes the greenhouse sings

Tights, shirts, tea-towels, bras and knicks

Dance to welcome eighty-six!

As you see this was written a long long time ago, in the days when my parents lived at the bungalow, and my mother hung her washing out in all weathers.

Now they are sleeping in death, knowing nothing of the years going by over their heads.  But I hope that they are safe in "the everlasting arms" and have a wonderful awakening ahead of them into the restored earthly Paradise.

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In Arundel Woods

Captain and Mrs Butterfly were photographing orange tips in the woods near Arundel this afternoon.  Lovely fresh perfect orange tips.

male Orange-tip

I was wondering if, say, fifty years ago, the woods would have been ablaze with them?

The white something - I thought it was stitchwort, but in fact it is... wood anenome was blooming everywhere and the bluebells are just starting.  Horrendous traffic due to the roadworks.   It is a lovely day - perfect blue skies - not a rain cloud in sight (though we desperately need some rain) - but coldish.  Perfect walking weather really, if only I could walk.

Bea emailed to say she had got safely back home, and Audrey rang re our field service tomorrow.

I am trying to remember what happened at the weekend.  Captain B was in London on Saturday - wearing his dive hat.   I didn't get to the morning field service - too zapped by the new meds - but did get out for an hour in the afternoon.

Sunday was the meeting, with a lovely talk that I wish everyone in the world could have heard.   And at some stage I polished and dusted everything - and did four loads of washing.  The Captain did the ironing which was very noble.

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