Back where we belong

I posted this photo on Flickr the other day  with the same title with  no other meaning than here we both were together in the great outdoors, in the fresh air, listening to the curlews courlee-ing, the staccato’d tuck-tuck-tuck of the turnstones in flight, notwithstanding the grating squawk-squawk- squawking of the black headed gulls…… after a short break in London, the City that never sleeps.

Then I started pondering where we really belong and a vision of Huw on the day he was inducted into the ministry at Penuel, Capel y Bedyddwyr, Casllwchwr sprang to mind....

Following on from that, last evening I attended the two-weekly meet of the Penuel Ladies Sisterhood and was captivated for a full hour by the actress and storyteller Debra John 

Then to cap it all a programme on TV with the ornithologist Iolo Williams

and a chance encounter with him....😍

Back where we belong.....

A LESSON LEARNED FROM A SPIDER

(An adaptation by me of something I once read in an email subscription )

I can't pretend to be too fond of spiders, especially those large ones that creep into our homes at this time of year, especially given that I  inadvertently trod on one in bare feet on my way to bed last night and squished it . Eeeeeew!  🤢 but I do believe in the sanctity of life which posed a bit of a dilemma..... and a matter of double standards being a pescatarian with the odd bit of meat thrown in 🤔

I digress.........

When we bought a new car a few summers ago, we found that a tiny spider had made a home somewhere inside the ‘doings’ of the driver’s wing mirror. Each day,Huw would meticulously clean the cobwebs off but the next morning and each morning after that, they would be back there.

That year we toured the winding uppy/ downy lanes of Dorset in the car for a whole week and the spider travelled with us, with Huw having to clean away a newly crafted web each morning. In one way, it was a shame to destroy such a work of art or a work of nature, but it made driving unsafe without the full clarity of the mirror. 

He......assuming the spider was an ‘Arthur’’ not a ‘Martha’ remained inside it. That is, until one very windy day, we were travelling full pelt along the M4 when Huw, noticed the spider being flung off into oblivion - or so it seemed.

We suspected that the wind had taken him. Ah! but not so, for the following day we discovered that he’d managed to hang on by the most delicate of threads, and had created another new silvery web overnight.

With hindsight, I suppose that puff of wind, which had seemingly blown him away, was a trial or challenge for the spider- and yet some kind of unseen windshield, as well as that delicate, almost unseen thread must have protected him.

We all get our emotional storms, winds, trials in our lives but likewise we also have our windshields. That may be our friends and loved ones, but most of all, as long as we wear the cloak or armour of God 

 When we hold on to this thought, we are secure. Should a puff of wind in the form of some kind of crisis come along and catch us unawares, whisking us off course for a while, we could be left floundering in hitherto uncharted waters. Yet if we hold on to, or allow ourselves to be held in the palms of God’s tender hands, we can face any trial hurtling our way no matter how big or small it may be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*sings, "When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed...".... ac yn y blaen..

Lle i enaid gael llonydd ?

Roughly trans:  a  place for the soul to find peace

Picture this: it’s a scene from Cardiff Bay. With Cardiff being the Capital City of Wales, you’d imagine it’s a hustle-bustle/skittle-scuttle-scramble kind of place, and it is.

It had also been that kind of a day, a very full day arriving lunchtime to meet with a friend, who allowed me to stroll at a leisurely pace in the warmth of the early autumn sunshine. A blissful and peaceful encounter. Happy.

As the day progressed however, I found myself amidst the throngs of people at an hotel where I’d booked in for the night.  Chitter- chatter, chitter – chatter. Idle chatter…….

After making my (polite, never rude) excuses, I scooted off to be alone with my thoughts. Just as I do. Often. Too often? I think not.

Much as I love life and fully embrace it despite its many limitations, I like my ‘quiet place’.

I found myself sat here on old Doris’s Bike, my blue ability scooter which with the Brexit palaver may get renamed   …. at peace in the City. How odd you may think, especially when you could start wondering why that yacht is sailing around in circles ………………

Oh no, not odd at all when that  still small voice speaks to you in the midst of it all.

You listen. You ALWAYS get your answer. Simples.

Peace in the City…Lle i enaid gael llonydd.

Who is Derek ?

An excerpt from my book ‘Stumbling Along - Journey with the Master of  Surprises ‘

"Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the MSer”

MS Fatigue is something I don’t think I’ll ever get a grip on and it seems to get worse as I get older.  You can take your Amantadine, your Modafinil [EDIT: no longer on the prescribing list, I believe ? ] your amphetamine sulphate even, but in my case, these make me twitchy and edgy.

‘Twitchy and edgy’ is what this old dear does very well without the added power of drugs. These days I take power-naps frequently during the day when I’m home. I read something about power-napping in the press recently  and it seems it’s beneficial to many people . 

However, there was a time when our Steff was younger, I used to take myself off to my sanctuary, my haven of peace and tranquillity which is my bedroom in the afternoons in order to gather some strength for the coming evening.

One day, a ten-year-old Steffan came home from school at 3.30pm and I was dead to the world on the bed, not in it.  I have to rely on him for the rest of the story… apparently, he knocked on the bedroom door and walked in (I have no recollection whatsoever of this) and I sat bolt upright and demanded "Where's Derek?”

It seems that I frightened the living daylights out of him because my eyes were on stalks but then I flopped back on the bed and he slunk out quietly and waited until I woke up.

When I eventually came to, he asked me if I had been dreaming.  I really didn’t know because it was such a deep slumber and I have no recollection of this whatsoever.  Oh, for total recall, eh?  He may have been winding me up but the look on his face later told me the reality of the situation.  I can’t begin to perceive how he must have felt to see his mum like that.  It’s something which I can hardly bear think about.

I'm still getting teased about it and we still don't know anyone named Derek.  Thank goodness Huw knows that I don't have the energy or the inclination to fool around; I could have lost myself a good husband there.

I also decided right there and then on that day that going to bed for a few hours was just not on - for me at least as I actually feel worse for it.  Daytime power naps - yes. Taking myself off to bed – no way José!

Eleven years [Edit : 24 years] after the event I still ask myself.....

    “Just WHO is Derek?”

I love the Moon, the Moon loves me....

“Speak roughly to your little boy

and beat him when he sneezes!

he only does it to annoy,

because he knows it teases!”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

There’s nothing I can emphasise more than to urge caution with your words to children. Take for example my very lovely and caring mam….

I was always a poor sleeper as a child and if there was a big bright moon shining into my bedroom window, it would keep me awake.

Why? You might ask. Was it too bright? Sadly no. As I’ve said, I was a poor sleeper- that’s all.

However she’d scare me witless with desperate threats of, “If you don’t go to sleep, then Mr. Moon will come and get you!” meaning well of course as mams did.... back in the 1950s.

When I grew old enough to read, I read countless books about The Moon and Planets , immersing myself in reading about Space. I was especially  engrossed when I was allowed to stay up late to watch on TV Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon on July 20th 1969. 

Cathartic? You betcha! And the reason why I’m so besotted with taking photos of it. Simples ! as long as you understand the principles of Catharsis. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~