What do you mean ...

... it has been a month!?

Where did it go?
A bit of this ... a bit of that ... choir here ... Mothers' Union there ... flowers to photograph ... fish to feed ... and suddenly from 19th April it is 19th May!!!
Pentecost!

Let the blogging return ...
... later.

Spot the Difference

This is always a popular quiz for young folk ... maybe older people like it too?
Spot the differences ... or, in this case, the one difference!

I'm not a great fan of graffiti ... now, the trouble is ... some of it has moved into the quality of street art.  Such pieces, if done by someone with a reputation, can be worth a tidy sum.  There are also a number or murals around the city that certainly qualify as "art" rather than "graffiti".  

But a large slogan on a hillside that can be seen all over the city ... no.  I don't think that it is art ... even if I were to agree with the sentiment.

This is where "Paint" comes in handy!

The offensive words can be removed very easily and, unless you're up very close, you'll probably not even see the join.

This raises another interesting question ... should one try to cover up something unpleasant?  Much in society that is wrong is more or less air-brushed away ... we pretend that all is well ... while the reality is a string of injustices, prejudices and shady practice.  The church too must play its part in uncovering all that is wrong and showing that there is a better way ... a way of holiness, a way where people respect one another, love one another and "don't speak ill of the dead".  

The ease with which I was able, in about four seconds, to change reality and make the landscape look perfect was a lesson in "cover up" and "pretence" and even the deeper questions regarding peaceful protest ... 

I don't have the answers ... but at least there are some questions.

Meanwhile ... the dog looks on with endless patience ... 

He even brought me a present from the garden ... a much loved and frequently buried bone!

I don't think that my appreciation was heart-felt ... 

Let's face it ... how would you react?

The amaryllis gave me a bit more pleasure!  It is now in its full "Bagpus" form ... and is a delight to see.

 The front window is clearly a good place for plants as the old poinsettia from two or three Christmases ago has begun to produce the red bracts ... amazing and so tender looking.

I'm rather pleased that it has not only survived but is also showing the colour of a rather pale poinsettia ... it may not be the vivid scarlet of those you can purchase at Christmas ... but it is certainly alive and not just green!

Thursday

"Thursday" ... what an inspired title!  Okay ... maybe there's a bit of sarcasm there ... but I can't think of another one.
Again, it's been a while since the last blog ... so "Catching up" might have been the alternative ... but you don't really 'catch up' ... time lost is gone and blogs not written are not written.  However, perhaps a few highlights from the past week.  I'll go backwards ...
An amaryllis is in flower ... one that reminded a friend of Bagpus!

That took me on a hunt for a video of this cult cartoon cat!  An amazing story of just thirteen episodes and yet generations have fallen in love with Bagpus ... if you create something really good it will stand the test of time and continue to speak to each generation.

Bagpus

Earlier in the week Mothers' Union/Ladies' Guild met to enjoy an afternoon of fun with The Singing Chef!

If you're looking for a speaker for a special event ... then Raymond is a good choice!
Mothers' Union took up part of Sunday as well.

This is from the Festival Service held in Saint Anne's.
Sunday morning was a farewell service in Saint Nicholas' as one of our families moves to England ... we'll miss them.

 The little lad gets a farewell kiss from another parishioner of the same age ... not sure he'll want to see this picture twenty years from now!

 But I have no doubt that someone will remind him!
Meanwhile the dog keeps a good eye on what's happening around the place ...

 ... where would we be without his vigilance!

That all doesn't sound very busy at all ... but the days are usually packed and the Blog is neglected.

The goldfish survived their little holiday ... and it has certainly inspired me to consider setting up the tank again.  It is very restful to watch the fish ...

 They aren't the easiest creatures to photograph ... at least Eliot will sit still for a moment!

You learn something new every day ...

There are some words that just "work" on a Scrabble board!
Telamon is one of them!  In the right place it gives 104 points!

For just a moment I felt sorry for my opponent ... the 'luck of the draw' in terms of letters and being able to place them all at one turn brings a bonus as well ... That little pang of regret soon passed with the memory of all the games that I've lost ... many more than those where I was victorious.
So, a telamon ... it is from architecture ... and is a colossal male figure in a column that supports a building.
Telamon is also a character in Greek mythology!
So, that's today's bit of 'useless information' but a handy word if you happen to have just those letters when playing scrabble!

Saturday night ...

Parish magazine "done and dusted"!  You can read a copy on the website ...

http://saintnicholasparishchurchbelfast.shutterfly.com/themessenger

There's always a certain sense of relief when this is ready for distribution ... and a huge thanks to those who distribute and to the "factory help" when the production line is working!  Thanks also to those who contribute articles regularly or who submit the occasional piece ... it all goes towards making sixteen pages of information and reflection.
Many cups of coffee are consumed in the desktop stage ... but that's okay!

Today's big joy was to officiate at a wedding in Saint Simon's ... the church had been vacant when the Schedule was obtained so I was the named officiant ... since then there's been a rector appointed and it was good to share the service with Raymond.
Here we are with the couple after signing the Schedule.

The church is beautiful ... one of Belfast's red brick buildings ...

 The RISE installation at Broadway is just a little further down the road.

 All round it there are seating areas ... if we had a warm summer that would be a lovely place to be to watch the world go by.

During the service there were the quiet solemn moments ...

... and times of laughter too.

It was a happy occasion ...

... and no doubt the young couple will remember that day for the rest of their lives.

Of course, this all means that Eliot hasn't seen a great deal of me ... but he appears to be quite happy to go to his bed under the table and dream exciting dreams!

I think he's missing Angel ... so am I!

Right ... I'm back!

So, Good Friday ended with the Tenebrae ... the gathering shadows were a stark reminder of the agony that Jesus faced.

Just one candle returned to the table after the thirteen were extinguished ... the white candle was brought back as the soloist sang, "Were you there when God raised him from the dead?"
It wasn't long until Easter ... and the little garden in church was transformed into a glorious riot of colour to celebrate resurrection.

 The cross still stands ... but now in a garden of hope and joy!

 An empty tomb bears witness to the miracle that happened ... and the folded grave clothes are all that remain.

Christ is risen!  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!
What a triumphant shout as we celebrated the day of resurrection ...first with a "dawn" service, then breakfasting together before the celebration of Holy Communion.  The fact that it was also the weekend of the clocks going forward meant that we might just have been a tad tired by the end of the day!
So, a couple of days of doing very little ... watching goldfish (babysitting them) ... that's restful.

And playing with the dogs ... that's maybe not so restful!

 It appears to be rough ... but they are very gentle with each other.

 Angel doesn't think twice about playing with Eliot's bone.  While he's not too sure about this ... he simply watches until she drops it and then he scampers off to hide it somewhere else!

It's more fun to watch them than to sit gazing at Fionn and mac Cumhaill!  There's only so much that fish will do!

  But they are pretty!

It's a bit like a treasure hunt with Angel here ... I found a turtle down the garden this morning ... the poor thing had been out overnight!

 There's still some frost around!

Angel didn't stay out for long!  Neither did I.  

It was much warmer looking out at the frost from the comfort of the front room.

 That's where I had breakfast (still using up the bacon from the Easter morning breakfast) and it felt a bit like the man on this coaster that I was given ... two dogs in my case, both keeping a close eye on every mouthful ... both hoping fervently that something would drop from the plate!

That's life in the rectory during the week after Easter when I ought to be working on the Parish Magazine and not watching goldfish!