THE POST

The walk this evening was pleasant, one of these cold crisp nights that catch your breath. I needed to post a letter (I knew I would forget tomorrow) so I set off up the High Street. There is a post box some 300-yards from us but the notice on the box implied a late collection next day.

The moon was just past full and casting a glow on the parish church, still in the trees were Christmas lights; the glass reflecting the moonlight. Doors open and lights on at the public house but no sound of music or chatter. Someone heading towards me, head down and sending a text; which side shall I step, left or right? "Now mate" he said as he passes; I swear I do not know him. Now post boxes used to display the time of the next collection, but here again it just says Monday - Friday last collection 4.30pm. I am sure it would have been fine to pop the letter in the first box.

Photograph above is blending two pictures, the stepping stones and the viaduct. A walk into town through the woods one fine morning the other week. I was interested in the footprints laid ahead of me; one on each of the stones across the stream. Leading me on, even though it was a route I had already decided on.

Note to morning office: Lead me on Lord this day, however I may step; left or right.
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Come and see.

Last weekend we had a lodger, a four legged one roaming around the friary; intent on finding the cat. Situation resolved, the cat lived upstairs and Poppy lived downstairs; that is until bedtime. Poppy was used to sleeping in the bedroom so there was a little shuffling of doors, cat & dog until morning when the process was reversed. Brother Cyril was much amused and suggested leaving them in a room together for a few minutes. I needn't have fussed so much for when they did meet, apart from the noise there were no claws or teeth to be seen. She was good company and joined me on my evening walk through the village.

We have had snow, gales, rain - you could say we have had a lot of weather recently. Just the other night as I put the dog in the garden, our tawny owl was hooting for all he was worth only 15-yards away from me, silhouetted against the clear sky. The easterly wind has brought the cold and it is strange to see the waves coming in diagonal to the shore. Yesterday a flock of Lapwings were heading to the moors and the seagulls were charging around as if on a roller-coaster.

I am prompted by my friends blogsite "Awareness" when she uses John O'Donahue's words:-

"The Mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world waits. A world lives within you."

I seem to pop in and out of other worlds as easy as getting on a bus. My teacher used to say, "Boy! where in the world are you today"? Portal is a fascinating word, we are very familiar with Si Fi time-shifts, dimensions, warps and portals. TV programmes such as Stargate, Dr Who and Primeval. Computer jargon uses it - in fact, throw this word into a sentence and it will be regarded as impressive. Portal: The word meaning gate or gateway, doorway, entrance, particularly one of great importance; the entrance to a library, portal of knowledge. I see portals everywhere I look; windows, trees, music, art, words, people, emotions, candles. Each one inviting me to step through the doorway and enter in. I know they are there but my busy world causes me to walk right past; dare to pause for a while........


Note to evening office: Behold I stand at the doorway and knock - enter in.
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Bible Puzzle

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them?

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much; he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving; she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people however will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "the books are all right there in plain view, hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.

Enjoy the challenge; I did...
For those looking for answers - Here they are Bible answers

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Ask the expert.

It is surprising just how many thoughts, fly through this empty head of mine during the course of the week. Then it comes time to write a little and it is nowhere to be found! I believe I am not alone with this? I am not too good at giving straight answers and if you were to ask me a question I would probably first find you another one and then go away to check it out.

Imagine my embarrassment, I am in my element, spotting birds in the wilds of the North York Moors; equipped with my new hi tech scope and camera, when along come some walkers. "Hi, have you seen anything"? I clearly look like the real thing, an expert, with all the trimmings. It is at this time I wish my Italian was better, I could say something and they would just pass by. Yes I had just seen this amazing bird but I don't know what it is till I get back home and look at the book, quite common really, a redshank. What would it be like to be invisible?

I guess we assume great knowledge from those who have the gadgets and the dress. Priests, Doctors, Garage mechanics and Teachers; would we ask a man in the street, when is the next eclipse of the moon? Does God really know how many hairs left on my head? Yet, bump into an "expert" and out pop these questions.
Note to evening office: Give thanks for not being an expert, and not being invisible.

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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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