Ring Out, Wild Bells

 

 

 

 

 Ring Out, Wild Bells

 

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

 

 Alfred Lord Tennyson

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

Couldn't resist posting this!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

Having scoured Yeovil for tall cones, Andreas came up trumps offering me the remaining two that had been on a shelf for years, unsold.  The staff were intrigued as a man had been in a few minutes before asking for exactly the same thing! They wondered if there had been a demo on the TV...I bought the unbroken one and explained the craft idea I had. They want to see a photo of the finished result. Off to The Flower Shop next as it seemed the obvious place... The girl serving was "allergic to the dry Oasis" and not allowed to touch them, so my number was left and at some point the contents of a large box above our heads will be peered into hopefully revealing more of the same. I shall await the call!

So this is what I've been up to:

The pins are only needed at the start to place the wool into position. I can't remember where I got the wool from, either a charity shop or someone was turning out their stash of wool and passed me a bag, it's exciting when that happens!

Slowly wind the wool up the cone, trying to keep it as close to the previous layer as you can. At first I was just going to do one layer, but it didn't look as effective as you could see the oasis through the gaps.  It may have looked better if it had been green instead of grey.

You can see the difference with a double thickness, coming down the other way once you have reached the tip.  I left the tip bare initially as I couldn't wind the wool around.  Later I found a small length of yarn and pinned it into position.  I love the sparkly bits in the wool, perfect for that snowy effect!

I bought some artificial berries on a wire, cut them off and simply poked them into the oasis.

I used the wires from the berry stalks to make a star of sorts....cut it to shorten it into the shape...and voila!

Slipper de doo da!

 Having a frustrating evening which has resulted in me fusing the lights x2 by switching the iron on.....The iron has come out on strike due to the demanding week I have put it through following the recent big family celebration.  Having ironed my way through over 60 large linen napkins and about 15 linen tablecloths, some sheet-sized, the iron has downed tools as it were and said "Enough already!" So when do you think the 3 years extended guarantee ran out?  That's right 17th October....always the way isn't it!  So that put paid to my felt "paper" chain creations which were the next experiment on the Homemade Christmas agenda....and meanwhile I have no iron, although the dh is looking at reviews online as I type. As our irons don't usually last 3 years in this hard water area, it probably doesn't owe us anything...so tomorrow I will probably be testing the weight  and the handle etc and hopefully purchase a new one soonish.....then I will do a decoration blog.

For now though, here are my new slippers, SO easy to knit!  See link below for the instructions.  Also my first attempt at decorative needle felting around the edges to hide a seam and give it some colour.  I knitted it on 26 stitches with size 8 needles, but will make another pair on size 9s that I bought in a charity shop, adding a contrasting colour to make a more flecked design, next time. I also adapted the top by sewing a longer seam, as I wanted slippers that covered more of my foot.


http://blog.innerchildcrochet.com/?p=358

Home to Roost, chicken at the Christmas Fayre!

So she comes up to me, giggling in only the way she can when something has amused her greatly. From behind her back, she thrusts the item in my direction. "Something", she grins, "that couldn't be more perfect, an ideal gift made just for you!"

I have to say, I absolutely LOVED it! The chicken, the knitting needles with ball of wool, the vintage apron. It HAD to be bought, hardly a hesitation and now it perches (!) on my shelf for all to see, the feathers moving with the heat of the radiator below.

Of course, we have to view her from both angles! Absolutely brilliant purchase, I'm sure you will agree!

And the response from dh? "For goodness sake!" followed by a nod of approval. He likes it, so all is well and she stays on the shelf to be admired by some and despaired of by others!

Two minutes silence

On Radio 2 this morning, General Sir Richard Dannatt read part of a poem by Major Malcolm (Sammy) Boyle, from the 7th Green Howards who went to Normandy in June 1944 for the D-Day landings.

Life and Eternity

If I should never see the moon again
Rising, red gold across the harvest field,
Or feel the stinging of soft April rain,
As the brown earth, her hidden treasures yield.

If I should never taste the salt sea spray
As the ship beats her course against the breeze,
Or smell the dog rose and the new mown hay,
Or moss and primrose beneath the trees.

If I should never hear the thrushes wake
Long before sunrise in the glimmering down;
Or watch the huge Atlantic rollers break
Against the rugged cliffs in battling scorn.

If I have said goodbye to stream and wood
To the wide ocean and the green clad hill,
I know that he who made this world so good
Has somewhere made a heaven better still.

This bear I witness with my latest breath
Knowing the love of God, I fear not death.

Major Boyle never returned from Normandy. He was killed in action on 16th June 1944.


Nothing to add.....

Delphi in pictures.

The oracle spoke from beneath the temple of Apollo pictured below.

Half of it's original height, the ampitheatre just needed  2 actors to try out the acoustics with  1 musician and guitar accompaniment!

The stadium at the top, need to look up the length...apparently a Stade is a measurement.  The mountains would have provided a great backdrop and I can only imagine the cheers reverberationg around the site as the sounds echoed around.

Greece Days 1&2 in pictures

A little insight into the first few days!  Waiting for the ferry over to Evia to browse the market and enjoy a local taverna, no moussaka though...or stuffed tomatoes but the Pasticcio, a sort of baked pasta with bechamel sauce and mince was not a disappointing alternative just rather a huge helping!

No time wasting, the ramp is lowered before it docks!

The Olives at the market on Evia

Would love to grow one of these in my garden.

Not sure about one of these though, we tried one, too much effort for not enough eating delight!

Black olives against the blue sky...in the back garden.

Introducing Lisa,

and Connie ? basset/bloodhound cross,  rescued from certain death by  the roadside, starving. a bag of bones about 5 months ago.

and finally Elsa, leader of the pack.

D, man of the soil, getting stuck in!

and into the raised bed in preparation for the spring bulbs.

Over to me for the planting bit...

Tulips and crocuses beneath the olive tree.

Consultation on matters botanical....

and I knit and watch and listen.... and smell the fragrance of thyme and oregano on the breeze.

View to the right.

and the left, the sea in the far distance.

Mum's biscuits!

By popular demand, here is the recipe!  Thanks Mum, you didn't know the recipe would one day be available for the whole world to enjoy!

Mum's biscuits

1 cup* SR flour
 1 cup  dessicated coconut 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup rolled oats
4 oz marg (1/2 pkt)
1 tbsp syrup
1tsp bicarb
1tbsp boiling water

* I use a small mug

Melt marg & syrup in a saucepan.
Add bicarb to water
Mix everything in together
Roll in small balls (approx golf ball size)
Flatten slightly with a fork (they will spread more as they cook)


Makes 20-24 for decent cookie size!


Gas Mark 3  325F or 170 C for 15-20 mins. (Best to check after 15mins)


Don't know how long they keep for.....never last long enough to test!

 

Behold the Man, behold the similarities.

Been reading Zechariah this week and came across these verses this morning which led to much flicking backwards and forwards and cross referencing.  Thanks Vicki for the idea of those narrow little "post it" tabs for the tops of pages, haven't got it quite as organised as you yet!

I had just finished the first 8 verses of chapter 6, thinking "God, what the heck, what are you saying here....divine judgements etc"  It was a little early in the morning to get my head around. Another sip of tea followed, the page was turned over and I continue to read on from verse 9....when, helloooo this is sounding familiar:

I read it in the New International version, but actually I think I prefer it in the NKJ below:

Zechariah 6:9-13 (New King James Version)

⁹ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ¹⁰ “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:

      “ Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
      From His place He shall branch out,
      And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
       ¹³ Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
      He shall bear the glory,
      And shall sit and rule on His throne;
      So He shall be a priest on His throne,
      And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’

Apparently the Jews regarded verse 12 as referring to the coming Messiah, The verses above describing the crowning and reign of the Messianic King-Priest.

Isaiah 11

The Branch From Jesse
 ¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
       from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  ² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
       the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
       the Spirit of counsel and of power,
       the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
 ³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
       He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
       or decide by what he hears with his ears;



The words "Behold the Man" stood out to me. I turned to this New Testament passage where I remembered reading that phrase before:

John 19 (New King James Version)

John 19

 ¹ So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ³ Then they said,^[a] “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.
⁴ Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
⁶ Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

A different crown, a purple robe, "Behold the Man".

No wonder they were furious, I bet they saw the similarities...or perhaps I am reading too much into it! So what was the charge?

 Matthew 26

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests, the elders,^[g] and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ⁶⁰ but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.^[h] But at last two false witnesses^[i] came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”
⁶² And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Interesting comparison to the Zechariah verses re: the temple (build or destroy?) and the throne.

Finally I remembered the angel's visit to Mary:

 Luke 1 30-33

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

I get excited when these phrases pop up and get me thinking and questioning....

So anyway, I finished my cuppa and let the chickens out!

Here endeth the first lesson!

Autumn Days

Saturday in pictures! First the chutney in the mix, dh is at the other end of the kitchen making "freezer failure jam" which consists of a variety of soft fruits needing to be turned into something else, quickly!  The freezer itself is behaving at the moment, no sign of a flashing red light, but it is on a yellow card and we're watching...

No nutcrackers, so those that we were unable to prise open were crunched with a metal contraption retrieved from D's tool box.....I can't photograph it as he  has secreted it away again and I'm not about to go rummaging in the equivalent of "The Man Drawer".

I do knit other things apart from dishcloths! However I have wool to use up and I know I can knit AND talk with this easy pattern....such matters are important.

Shredding is under way!  Light is now filtering through the front rockery area, over
enthusiastic tree given a haircut.... a ruthless number 1 by looks of it!

Result!

Meant to do a before and after, but knew that if I came in to find the camera, I could get distracted!  You can see the tub filled with old tomato plants amonst other things.  The soil was AMAZING, so easy to lift....having Hattie on that site for a few years certainly paid off.  Hoping to do the same with the other girls when we relocate them to the end of the garden.  Hardly took any time at all, quite impressed.

Then of course I had to go and see the girls, camera in hand!  Don't always manage to get them all in one shot, so.... from left to right we have:
 Connie- Silver-laced wyandotte, our  shy introvert and bottom of the pecking order.
Xena or to give her her full title: Xena Fox Fighter Warrior Princess, (she lived to tell the tale...and we will never forget the night) top of the pecking order, into her 5th year now.  Shes a Light Sussex goes broody every May....but doesn't have a flounce now when we remove her from the next box and order her to "Eat something, already!"
Dolly: Cream Legbar (blue egg layer) Total extrovert and very nosey.  Sports a frivolous hairdo...
Gert (and she is, people think she is a turkey from a distance!) Blue Orpington, gentle giant.

and then there's Mabel who is our one remaining exbatt.  She has the "Acropalace" all to herself  but doesn't seem too lonely since we lost Hattie recently :(  She is able to see what's going on. We pop in to see her and chat, but she doesn't enjoy being touched unlike Hattie who was aways "in your face"!

I can't believe she kept still for long enough for me to take this.

A perfect pear..see what I did there.....

Not so perfect windfalls...got some work to do here....little by little!

and finally the jam that D made.  I cleaned them up and removed all the old labels ready for him to attach a description and date.  I can't bear old labels stuck under new ones.....it all has to look new and shiny. About such things I make my stand!