Dave Walker - Cartoonist Extraordinaire

Something to lighten  a grey, wet January : Dave Walker's cartoons via the Church Times have brightened up my Friday afternoons for years now and his various cartoon blogs for even longer. Gentle, self-deprecating humour with a bite I call it. He has a knack of capturing those little details of life and behaviour, especially life in that marvellously unwieldy and idiosyncratic institution we call the Church and making us look at them (and us)  again...hopefully with wiser eyes - or maybe not....

If for reasons unknown you've been living on another planet for the last ten years (or simply don't read the Church Times!), meet the man behind the pen here in Being a Cartoonist a video by Michal Dzierza. Enjoy.

Epiphany continued...

Here they are! Our Wisepersons with their menagerie. Yes, the postponed House Blessings finally took place a week last Sunday. Don't you think that the glittery pine cone Christmas tree adds that final creative touch?

Though if we're talking creativity, I did get a teensy bit carried away. Of course the travelling magi were far too polite to mention it.  And the generous whaft of incense certainly made the house smell much much nicer than it usually does.  Makes a change from Parfum de Dog Pee...

It must have had an effect, as in a burst of yet more creativity I was inspired to take the scissors to my old school scarf  to make this  natty little jumper for GP dog II.  Just what's needed to take the chill off these frosty mornings we've been having.  Talk about creative upcycling. And there's still enough material left for a couple more outfits.  I don't agree with dressing dogs up like little toys, but like to think that our old Headmistress would have given me top marks for inventiveness.  

I guess that GP dog is relieved that I didn't save the co-ordinating scratchy, itchy powder-blue wool twinset and horrible corduroy beret. One can carry creativity too far.

Unspecified Number of persons

of a royal, sagacious, see-er-like persuasion from faraway oriental  lands who may or may not have been accompanied by camels. (a nod to yesterday's  great all-age epiphany talk which made me smile). Peter Cornelius's beautiful chorale is sung here by Winchester Cathedral Choir. Enjoy.

No visits from our Royal personages chez Greenpatches yet, however; house blessings have had  to be   postponed until next weekend.  Tch! I  don't know...I bet you the original magi weren't put off by a few drops of rain.

Though just as well they didn't take GP Dog II along for the ride.

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year from the GPs and menagerie. We've waved Ms GP off on her journey back across The Pond, Mstr GP is sleeping off last night's junketings and Mr GP is upstairs on his exercise bike. No stats or year reviews from me this year; I'm too busy trying to toilet train GP dog II, now a dead ringer for a Christmas angel after her beauty treatment the other day.  Doesn't she look adorable! Do pop over to Archdruid Eileen's blog though -  to see the weird and wonderful search terms which have brought bemused cyber travellers to the Moot House door.  (Churches could do well to  take note).  I don't have  such complex analytical packages myself; the only stats I'm able to access and which I won't be making public, having to do with tape measures, bathroom scales and post-menopausal pimples caused by overmuch festive chocolate chomping. 

Right...must go....Happy New Year Everybody....." GP doggies...Wee-wees!!" (No, this isn't my Word for The Year in case you wondered...)

Three Kings

...from Persian lands afar....

Yes, the Wise Men are back. Listen to their wise words over at Spiritually Directed. Thanks, Roberta!

Merry Christmas

to all my readers, if they're still there!  Many many reasons for the lack of bloggery this Advent, some of which I'll not go into. Others...well...chief of which you can see in the photo; the arrival a fortnight ago of GP dog II. Here she is with her faithful companion, GP dog, starting as they mean to go on. Let me recommend adoption of a rescue dog as a sure fire cure for insomnia; since she's been with us, I've fallen asleep almost as soon as my head has hit the pillow! Such a sweet little thing, but hard work. Being ex-breeding, she's missed out on so many of the socialisation experiences  that should have been hers whilst she was a puppy. It's been a busy few weeks. (Well, that's my excuse for putting off Christmas prep) Yet even in the short time she's been with us, it's been wonderful to see how love, kind words, and most of all the company of GP dog, has changed her. She does still hate being left, which has limited our movements somewhat: no midnight mass this year and DH and I took turns to do the Christmas shopping. Takes me right back to when the children were little and hurrying back to let the babysitter go home! Never have the arrival of our two, now adult children been so welcomed!

Posada

This Advent we had some visitors to the GP creche: a knitted Mary, Joseph and Doogal the donkey, who made their home with us as  part of their journey round the parish. Each lucky host filled in their 'passport' with an account of their adventures. From what I read, they had a great time on their travels, which culminated with their arrival in church this morning. We certainly loved having them. Here are some more pics of their adventures chez Greenpatch.

Well, where else to take a donkey but to see a long-lost relative at the Christmas market.  A kind lady agreed to pose with our hairy friends. The original plan - to have reindeer had to be changed, when Rudolf jumped over the fence and made off  at top speed down the road.

Our holy family even got to take a trip on the train - down the line to take part in our Franciscan small group's Christmas meeting. 

What else? Mr GP and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas concert at church a couple of weeks ago and and last weekend I did manage to get to Nine Lessons and Carols. It never ceases to weave its magic for me. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it..." We all clutched on our candles as they burned lower and lower. Would that frail  wavering light last out until the end of the penultimate carol? It was a near thing. But 'light and life to all he brings..." we got there at last - to the final triumphant "Hark! The herald angels sing. Glory to the new born king!" I kept my candle stump -as a reminder to myself of that light and hope.

And - unexpected bonus. I may not have been able to go to midnight mass myself  this year but an unexpected call early on Christmas eve from a fellow sacristy helper who'd been taken ill meant I spent a quiet time that morning counting out hundreds of wafers, wine and assorted altar linen. All to the accompaniment of the childrens' groups rehearsing for the crib service next door. OK - maybe 'quiet' isn't the most apt word to use! Magic all the same. Although - I do think our church's children must be exceptionally well-behaved compared to most. It's the first time I've ever heard kids that age singing "Gabriel's Message" without trying to sneak in the "alternative words!"

Then on to  a local rest home to visit a very  elderly church member. 

It may not have been quite what I'd planned for the day, but the best laid plans....

Advent - Expectant

O come, O come, thou swallow small,

   responding to your infants' call,

   fly far and wide across the earth

  and end with hope our winter's dearth.

        Rejoice! Rejoice! A tiny bird

       shall show a truth that seems absurd.

        - Jim Cotter from Expectant - Verses for Advent, Cairns Publications