Can you hear the joy of the saplings as they grow into magnificent giants?. The sound of the mighty forest is silent thunder. The road invites me to enter this eternal sanctuary. Please join me on the journey. Listen to the silent words as the Redwoods speak to you.
Why is there a feeling that things are falling apart in these uncertain times? Do we sense that anarchy is increasingly eroding law and order? What has happened to ethics? Is there a centre that is falling apart? What is that centre? What is your centre? What is my centre?
Scroll below picture on your phone, please.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
Opening to The Second Coming – W. B. Yeats, 1865 – 1939
Watch this precious moment when a young wagtail is fed cheese by one of its parents. We were privileged to see this, this morning in Port Elizabeth South Africa, outside our kitchen. Enjoy.
Today, my grandson sent me this beautiful picture of fog on the Gunpowder river in Baltimore. The water in the river is very cold and is reacting with the extremely hot air. It is very hot in Baltimore at present.
The Gunpowder river is where my Granson enjoys fly fishing.
Enjoy.
Has 2020 been a year in which your basic assumptions have been challenged? Have your basic assumptions changed about yourself and the planet in which we live? My guess is they have – for you and for millions of people all over the world. Are you disturbed by what has happened in 2020? Should you be?
Dr. Ian McCallum of Port Elizabeth, South Africa has written about these challenges to our assumptions in a very important “must read” article.
To see the article click here.
Dr. McCallum is a psychiatrist, psychologist, award winning author and poet. He is an adjunct professor at the Nelson Mandela Graduate School of Business in Port Elizabeth. He is also an honorary lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town. In his youth he was a Springbok Rugby player (he represented South Africa).
Thank you.
The Kudu prepares to jump and then jumps. See the two pictures below. Taken in the Addo Elephant Park. South Africa. Such power and grace.
The African bush in the Addo Elephant Park in South Africa, suddenly became silent. It was the silence of expectation. It was the silence of respect. The elephant family was waiting, tenderly surrounding one of its female elephants. The gift of new life was coming. And then it happened. A baby elephant was born. Let all the African Bush trumpet with joy!
There are 2 pictures. Please scroll down. Thank you.
How privileged we humans are. We did not see the actual birth but we did see the family cherishing and protecting the new born. The first picture shows the family protecting the baby. But where is the baby elephant? Look to the right of the young elephant. The tiny elephant could not walk properly and was still pink in places.
The last picture is of the baby staying close to what can only be its mother.
Words cannot describe how grateful we are to have been close to such a joyful occasion in the glory of life,
To God be the Glory
Thanks to our two good friends who made this viewing possible.
Hi. I am Frederick the Meerkat.
Here are some pictures of my beautiful garden. I hope you enjoy them. The pictures were taken in the late afternoon sunlight. This garden is where friends of John live.
Please scroll down. There are 10 pictures.
Thanks for coming to the site.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm 150:6
What a joy and blessing it is to have these faithful little friends in our back garden, every day
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN – THERE ARE 13 PICTURES
1
The table is bare.
Lets prepare breakfast
2
For breakfast? Cheese, orange, apple and wild bird seed
3
Looking good
4
Wild bird seed – always a favorite
5
The cheese is on the sea saw
6
The rest of breakfast is ready to put on the table
7
The start of breakfast
“Did you hear what happened?” Gossiping while enjoying wild bird seed
8
“Look what I have!” A mouse bird with apple in its claw
9
“My apple! Watch out for my sharp beak!” – An assertive mouse bird
10
“Did I hear a mouse bird coming?” White eyes love oranges
11
“What happened to the cheese?” – A worried rock pigeon
12
Doves and a rock pigeon eating seed thrown on the grass
13
That beautiful rock pigeon again
Praise the Lord
A friend recently reminded me how much he loves the Cotswolds and how pleasant it would be to live there. There is so much to enjoy. The small villages with interesting shops. Gardens that look like pictures in garden magazines. The yellow/brown stone houses which are super photogenic. And the area is full of history, monuments and old churches.
Our family took us there last year. We had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures, taken in the Cotswolds.
Please scroll down – there are 8 pictures.
Thank you.
The pictures speak for themselves.
Bourton-on -the Water
A Burford Garden
St. Edward’s Church, Stow-on-the Wold
“Did I hear something?”
How old are the two yew trees? Who knows. Apparently yew trees grow for a very, very long time. And the Church? We are told that people have worshiped on this site for over a thousand years’ Welcome to history in the Cotswolds!
One of the many interesting shops at Bourton-on -the Water
Stag at Broadway-Middle Hill in the Cotswolds
More of the Stag
Spotted in the car park in Burford.
I cannot describe the magnificent roar she made as she pulled off.
And yes, the owner was justifiably very proud of her!
That beautiful Burford Garden again – It is next to a nursery!
johnbartels.com 