Crib & Child

Resting in the hearth of the front room, amid tea light candles; Mum's crib and figures. The crib is quite new, replaced by one of my younger cousins (Gregory); the old one as I remember was nowt but a box (very fitting for a stable). The figures though must be over 50 years old, I remember the year poor Joseph lost his head. No such thing as super glue, so he was put together with some rubber solution - seems to have worked well though.
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Outwood bound

An afternoon walk across the moors found me the other side of Ugthorpe mill (above). The mill is pictured a few blogs ago withh all it's sails; today it is a converted dwelling. As I drew close on the moor road so many years ago, I would shout "I can see the minwill".

I took with me my new spotting scope and later headed towards the water, here I found a Redshank, some ducks and geese. Perhaps nothing spectacular, but I enjoyed the walk and oh yes, the scope works fine.

Note to evening office; Take a walk on the wild side (often).
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A Journey a far

My wanderings have not taken me far recently, though I feel I have been a million miles from where I should have been; have you ever felt like that? We are close to Christmas too (or when you read this it may be all over); such hype and fuss. Today as I walked past the railway station and I over heard adults speaking in strange tounges, about Star wars, Dr Who and Ben 10 figures; DS and Wee; and would they be able to get any? What is it all about, I wonder? A simple message on the Drop-in centre window - "One light, in the streets" and a single candle cut out in crepe paper and white card. So many lights in the town, flashing colours and a strange blue that defies a name, you know the one. We used to say psychedelic, but it is not even that. I do love Christmas, really; it's just that it seems to bring stress and pain instead of peace and love.

Exercise is still on the agenda and evening walks up into the village despite the wind and cold. I listen out for the owls and have not heard them for some time now. Last weekend (Friday) I was on my usual route and came down past the bungalows for the elderly. As I came round the corner I heard in the distance a dull sound, there seemed to be a rhythm to it but the source confused me (I had passed the pub earlier). It became clear as I got got closer, an elderly gentleman had got himself a karaoke and was indulging in a Country and Western sing along. He was obviously on his own and enjoying every minute of it; I chuckled to myself and wandered on.

Santa Clause has for many years visited the friary when all is still and brothers asleep, leaving gifts of clothing, food and drink. I have indulged this year in a telescope and I am under instructions to wrap it up and open it only on Christmas day. The difficulty is that the sky is quite clear at the moment and sure to be cloudy by Christmas. I think I would be about 12-years old when I got my first telescope for Christmas. Quite a basic model and though the pictures on the side of the box showed Saturn's rings and large craters on the moon, I didn't experience any astronomical marvels; in fact Eston nab beacon was about the best I could get. Still, things must be better - more powerful these days? I love to read and look at pictures of distant galaxies, planets and stars; but to see these things with our own eyes, to pull them into focus and in the centre of the eyepiece, must be amazing! I am looking forward to connecting a camera so I can record the images of light traveling towards my telescope, of distant stars so long ago. Watch this space for developments.

Note to evening office: Faith is found often without seeing, but how our faith grows when we see. Such a simple thing as a piece of glass, which in itself - we need to look through and not at.

Lots of love
Every blessing for this Christmas time, receive Love - Peace - Hope.
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