This wood kind of puts our lives into perspective. It is 1500yrs old or thereabouts; part of Roslin Glen. A cool place for a hot day.
There is an agent in my soul which is perfectly sensitive to God. I am as sure of this as I am that I am alive: nothing is as near to me as God is. God is nearer to me than I am to myself.
Meister Eckhart
There was a timid knock at the door. I opened it to discover a diminutive child…..a little girl, a grandchild of one of the neighbours. She was visiting to report that our cat had been injured in a cat fight. I wish I could conjure up her vivid descriptions accompanied with eyes rolling and remonstrances against the aggressor. She could not be faulted, except in her recollection of Fox’s name. (Regular readers will know that Fox is a ginger tom, named after Fox Moulder of the X-Files.)
Diminutive child: And Wolf was bleeding….
Me: It’s OK, he will mend.
Friends from long ago called in unexpectedly yesterday – members of a previous congregation. How lovely to exchange news and views and to remember times gone past with gratitude and humour. I guess it is one of the advantages of growing older. The hard knocks are softened and the gracious moments are even more glorious.
After they had gone I opened the mail………. yes, I know it was afternoon by then, but there had been serious sun-sitting-out-in time to enjoy in the morning. There was a copy of the magazine from my last congregation. I can honestly say that it was the first time I had received, read and digested it without a sense of loss. In other words, there was a lesson in all of this about moving on. It may have been over two years since ill-health caused me to retire, but I am only now learning what is needed to live life to the full in gratitude and with humour.
The photographer on duty for my morning of falconry was Him Behind the Wheel, so thanks to him for the following.
Edinburgh, in contrast to the west of the country, was overcast and a bit chilly. I was having my lesson with an Italian couple; they claimed to prefer Scottish weather to theirs. Anyway, there was more than enough excitement to keep me happy. Just like this little chap……..a Mexican striped owl who is nineteen years old and cheeky with it.
He was pressed into duty when the Snowy owl claimed the rights of all birds not to co-operate. The owls and falcons are reared to a life of captivity and are well used to humans, nonetheless it is stunning when they fly and land on your arm to retrieve the piece of game offered. My first successful landing was with a Turkmanian owl. He was huge, called The Duke, after John Wayne, because he had a funny walk as a chick. (The owl, not the actor!)
It was a great joy to see the birds as close up. Surprisingly, I was not at all nervous, even with the Harris’s Hawk. However, one had the feeling not to mess with the hawks in comparison to the owls. The latter could be stroked and chatted up, the former were definitely not to be stroked and had an aristocratic air. Quite rightly as is their due, after all they are the acrobatic masters of the sky.
We had the pleasure of watching a kestrel dive to a lure at close quarters, then the “biggie” – some time handling an eagle. He was a Russian Steppe Eagle, so only half the size of our native golden eagle. A rather large armful and requiring an extra hand’s support. No chance of flying him……he would have knocked me over. So there we are…..a brilliant day’s activity. I guess there are some ethical questions about birds being brought up to such a life, but they seemed pretty content to me. Our instructor told us that birds are basically only interested in three things: feeding, mating and migrating. And once feeding has taken place for the day, (all according to the birds’ weights and needs) then they are happy to perch, doze and watch the world go by. Not such a bad life, especially when you consider that such birds in the wild may have a life expectancy of five or six years, whereas in captivity they live for twenty years or so.
Arrived safely back from the Falconry Experience to discover there has been progress. Such rejoicing – even better, we are told the joiner is here until the job is complete. Is it too gullible to believe him?
Today I am fulfilling one of my Things to do before I die…… Falconry. Now I am not sure whether to psyche myself up or try to be laid back. My suspicion is that the less tense I am the better.
A parable for much of life.
A friend called in unexpectedly, having been away to collect his new campervan. Much admiring went on and comments such as, Oh you’ve got this and We don’t have that and This is more or less the same went on, together with a lot of oohing and aahing. It is obviously that time of year. Him Behind the Wheel was heard to say that perhaps it was time to think of a change…….
I am just burying my head in the sand. I am only a very occasional driver after all.
God-Guardian,
I raise my eyes to the mountains,
shadowed against the sun,
and I hear your voice in the distance:
“Come, pilgrim. Climb to me.”
I’ve no great urge to be roaming;
too much to be done at home.
But you call – incessant, insistent.
So, grumbling, I rise and go,
The sun’s a blaze on my shoulders;
pathes slip out from under my feet.
But a cloud like a hand seems to shadow me;
failing, I do not fall.
You’ve been with my journey leaving;
be with me coming home.
Tr by Wm J O’Malley
Okay, okay……..I admit it. I have had the odd wee peek at Big Brother.
