Maisie

10.00am we received a phone call to tell us that Maisie had just died. We went to the hospital where a few of the church members had gathered, together with Maisie’s only living relative, a brother named Charles. It was great to see how the church members rallied around Charles, but my heart goes out to him. He is an 84 year old bachelor, and has always lived in the same home as his sister. When she got married, he moved in with her and her husband. She has been a widow for the past 11 years, and the 2 of them have taken care of each other. See photo of Charles ringing the Knollcombes Chapel bell. Later in the afternoon we went to visit Sandra Peters, in whose home the Monday night Bible study was held. Her home is in Longwood/Deadwood – on the other side of the mountain from where most of our church members live. We had a good visit. Decided to change the study night to Wed. As it is a ladies’ group, I will be leading this study, while Graeme takes another group in Half Tree Hollow at the same time on Wed evenings.

Garnett's DVD's

Went to Pam and Geoff in the evening to watch their DVD’s. I chose a tongue in cheek animated nursery story with a “who done it” twist – “Hoodwinked” This was followed by Graeme’s choice – a sort of war/history story. I enjoyed both the DVD’s and the company. Pam and Geoff have a home that does not allow one to feel stiff or formal – you can just “be” with them.

Sunday Drive

My first drive along the dreaded Sandy Bay road - it should be called a “twister” rather than a road. We forgot the Agenda for the upcoming AGM, that had to be handed to the members after the Sunday service. So, while Graeme started preaching, Hazel drove home to fetch the papers, and got back in time to hear the last point of Graeme’s sermon.

On the Sandy Bay road, I spotted a bright red finch, hanging on to 2 grass stalks over the edge of the road. I could not get a photo of it, but my son John, gave me an ornament of the same bird, and I have attached a photo of that.

Graeme has started preaching through the book of Ruth. It is amazing how different preachers get different lessons from the same book. Strange to say, but I am enjoying hearing the same sermon repeated to me every Sunday. By the third hearing, I KNOW what I should be getting out of the passage. Graeme also adjusts the message slightly to suit the congregation that he is talking to.

I started taking photos of the church members so that we can start a church directory. See 2 couples - Elaine and Anthony Hopkins, then Vince and Vilma March

Blue Monday

Monday is floor cleaning day L. I drip sweat while I perform this delightful task, and am usually not in a good mood. I tried to improve my mental attitude by playing happy worship songs to work by… decided to stay miserable. I was a BAD example today. Thank God that Jesus is not self absorbed like me.
3.00 pm Went to visit our dogs. Felt even more sorry for myself. The little dears hardly play with us any more.
5.00pm is time to water the pots that we planted our litchi pips in. A few of them have germinated and have tiny little shoots that have appeared above the soil. When I checked them, I found that 3 of the shoots had had their tops pecked off, and one had shriveled in the hot sun. I decided to move the pots to a spot under an extended piece of roofing where they would be more sheltered. As I was bending down, I suddenly felt wings swooshing over my back, accompanied by shrill screeching!! The *#! myna bird was dive bombing me!! He sat on the garden wall just above me, and continued to shriek at me. I told him what I thought of him, and bent down to pick up the next pot. The little so-and-so repeated the performance from a different direction! I am convinced that it was him that pecked the tops off our seedlings, and he was now objecting to having them moved to a spot that is less accessible to him. I know mynas are very territorial, but this is ridiculous. In a strange way, this confrontation with the myna cheered me up…. Perverse human that I am …
In the evening, my son, John, “chatted” with me via the internet. It was good to have contact with him, and be reassured that he is doing well.

Blue Monday

Monday is floor cleaning day. I drip sweat while I perform this delightful task, and am often not in a good mood. I tried to improve my mental attitude by playing happy worship songs to work by… decided to stay miserable. I was a BAD example today. Thank God that Jesus is not self absorbed like me.
3.00 pm Went to visit our dogs. Felt even more sorry for myself. The little dears hardly play with us any more.
5.00pm is time to water the pots that we planted our litchi pips in. A few of them have germinated and have tiny little shoots that have appeared above the soil. When I checked them, I found that 3 of the shoots had had their tops pecked off, and one had shriveled in the hot sun. I decided to move the pots to a spot under an extended piece of roofing where they would be more sheltered. As I was bending down, I suddenly felt wings swooshing over my back, accompanied by shrill screeching!! The resident *#! myna bird was dive bombing me!! He sat on the garden wall just above me, and continued to shriek at me. I told him what I thought of him, and bent down to pick up the next pot. The little so-and-so repeated the performance from a different direction! I am convinced that it was him that pecked the tops off our seedlings, and he was now objecting to having them moved to a spot that is less accessible to him. I know mynas are very territorial, but this is ridiculous. In a strange way, this confrontation with the myna cheered me up…. Perverse human that I am …
In the evening, my son, John, “chatted” with me via the internet. It was good to have contact with him, and be reassured that he is doing well.

Bookcases

Graeme decided that he needs to work on his fitness levels, so we took a walk into town, and the foot of Jacob’s ladder. I popped in to the museum, while Graeme climbed 100 of the 699 stairs. He was not even breathless!!

Back home, we realized that the shelves that we were going to put the National Geographics on, would be too weak to hold their weight. I now have to remove books that I unpacked onto the bookcase in the entrance hall, and pack them back into boxes, in order to make place for the National Geographics…Grrhhh! Graeme was offered some wood, and he plans to build a big bookcase that will hold all his theological books. Until this book case is built, they will have to live in the boxes that they arrived in.

See photo of the front view of the manse, and a close up of the bougainvillea plant that grows in the corner . A lovely splash of colour.

January 1st

We have been on St Helena for a full month. It does not feel so very strange as it did at first. We are getting to know some of the people - each one has a story to tell. We are also getting to pick up more of the history of the island, and why things are done they way they are. My health has improved slightly. I think it is because of the lack of polution - at times, one can almost taste the clean air. I still miss my family, and the easy contact I had with them via cell phones. My peace for 2010 can be summarised in the words of the song "I know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future..."

3.30pm Went to the Terry’s for afternoon tea. About 12 other Saints were also invited, and we enjoyed an interesting afternoon interacting with them, and enjoying Maureen’s excellent catering. When all the other people left, Graeme and I stayed on for “a while”. We ended up leaving just before midnight. A good friendship is developing between Steve and Maureen and Graeme and me.