1st June 2012

I suppose you might call this ‘ruling the roost’. So then, no slacking for Dave even on a dull grey day like today; yes it was straight back to my walks around Kedleston, though today I was accompanied by a friend. And we soon spotted Mr Heron watching over the locals as they quite serenely paddled their way along, almost as though they were on parade. But not being a wildlife expert I haven’t a clue what was really happening, though I do find such behaviour rather fascinating. Why do so many ducks and ducklings of different breeds queue up in such a long line? Where were they all going, and why? It was almost as if they were just out for their morning exercise, a bit like me and my friend I suppose, though there were only two of us.

There were hardly any people about today though farm animals and wildlife more than compensated, we saw sheep with hundreds of rapidly growing lambs; and geese with many dozens of goslings… all learning how to make a mess across the fields. And they all seem to be thriving, perfectly suited to their environment. That’s exactly what I need to be doing now I’m back home. Thriving and adapting to my new reality. That’s the challenge. And I’m getting there, learning to live as a joyful positive widower, living in the favour of God. A couple of weeks ago I broke a tooth, not something I’ve done for decades and this morning was my appointment to sort it out. I had a filling, again my first for maybe twenty years and was pleasantly surprised at how painless and incredibly speedy the whole thing was. Technology has presumably moved on apace in dentistry, so I receive that as a blessing from God. What next?

Deuteronomy 28:13 ^‘If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.’ (NLT)