What’s the Story in Dalamory

You know what it is like: a perfect Sunday. You go to church – somebody else is leading the service so that is even better. You come home and tackle the Sunday papers over a second cup of coffee. Break for lunch……. then, just as you feel the zizz coming on you decide it would be better to take the dog for her walk first. During the walk, she disappears and then reappears looking uncommonly pleased with herself and stinking to high heaven.

Yep – bathtime again. Trouble is that she looks a bit too hairy. It must be the thickening shampoo!

I am well into the world of spells and wands and horcruxes……. Yes, I am halfway through the last Harry Potter book. A bit too dark for my taste, but it is a children’s book after all, and therefore will have the great themes of good and evil. So I suppose it is indeed evangelistic, as one commentator has said recently.

Normal service will resume when I have either finished with it or become fed up with its lack of humour.

The morning has been spent making phone calls in connection with what used to be my working life. I am currently in locum parentis for an islands parish and have been trying to set up locum cover for next month. Everyone I have contacted is either away at the moment or already committed. Looks like I shall be dusting off the dog collar and taking to the pulpit myself. Let’s hope I don’t fall down!

In reality, there are able people who live much more locally than I do, so I guess my other alternative is to don the encouraging hat and try again. It is amazing the skills that people keep hidden for fear of not being seen as “good enough”. But then many a clergyperson suffers that kind of insecurity on a daily basis. In the end, we can only do what we can do. Is that a slight glimpse of the wisdom that comes in the elderyears?  I do hope so.

You have your shower, make sure you are wearing clean socks and turn up at the medical centre in plenty of time for an eleven-twenty chiropody appointment. The receptionist looks terribly worried. It turns out you are twenty-four hours early. Even worse – back home you go to check the calendar, which turns out to be correct. Even worse than that, two of you have made the same mistake!

Ah well……. it should be happy feet this morning.

Have just spent a couple of days visiting Son #2 and his family. Misty wasn’t sure if she enjoyed being one of the pack – (there are three other dogs) – though following the horses and the tractor around induced quite a swagger in her. Rather amusing in a such a little dog. However, she came to grief jumping down from the bonnet of the said tractor and tore a dew claw. This necessitated a hurried trip to the vet to have the claw cut off. Much squealing ensued, so I am told (Him Behind the Wheel had done vet duty.) Anyway, now that we are safely home, she is sleeping off all the excitement.

Not only did we have all the animals to play with……..we also had a go at tennis and ten-pin bowling on the Wii. What a wonderful way to get a little bit of gentle exercise. Something else to go on the Christmas wish list!  

Oh yes – and it was lovely to see grandchildren #1 and #2!

Yesterday’s puzzle picture was a model of a charcoal burner. It was the basis of a whole industry in and around the oakwoods of Argyll. and supplied charcoal for the iron furnace in the eighteenth century.

I think.

So – OK what is this then?

I know the language is sexist, but the sentiment is worthwhile.

The man who has a great God
is little in his own eyes
BUT
the man who comes to know God as He is,
becomes nothing in his own eyes.

Arthur Burt (and for information, we become nothing in our own eyes, not God’s

Told you it wasn’t difficult!

No prizes for guessing