So how else are we supposed to find out what is going on?  I went along for my coffee morning at All Saints Paulton today at around 10 past 10. There were few people when I arrived but about 20 when I left. First stop was George who is the caretaker and warden and ‘anything that needs to be done’. We discussed his mower and its performance. Bits keep on falling off so he will just go on using it until the life eventually ebbs out of it. He said it was too early in the day to cut the grass due to the dew and the damp in general. I said that he needed a really sharp blade. He agreed, but retorted that it was blunt but …we will get there somehow..

In to the coffee room itself. One of the bell ringers is trying to persuade me to join the bell ringing team. We need six minimum. Brian – you look like the sort of person that would be able to do it. We practice Wednesday evenings. Our services are 9.30 and then at 10.30 for 11.00. No way am I going to commit myself to a daily Sunday morning ritual, enjoyable though it might be.  To get your peals right you  need a certain sort of mathematical ability and although I probably have it I do not find even the thought satisfying so I made my excuses and moved on.

A lady was talking about a sermon that had been preached the previous Sunday. She protested that it had lasted 40 minutes. People were getting restless. I asked her what it was all about and she replied that she could not remember.  I said that good preachers are few and far between. I would listen to a long sermon if it was interesting.

She said that she has just about got used to children running around during the sermon but last Sunday there was a couple chatting away at the back during prayers and they did not even notice. How rude. Where are good manners?  Can someone ask them to shut up?  Also there was a child shouting its head off in the play room at the back who could be clearly heard. It was either that or hearing the sermon.

Another topic was rats. A couple have had squirrels in the loft. The rat-catcher has come twice but has not succeeded. He has not charged but the problem remains.  I said I had a rat that ate the rat poison but did not oblige by dying.  I also complained about cats pooing on my lawn. We discussed devices that emit frequencies.

I discussed the local Italian Restaurant with George. He went on a Monday for munch not expecting many people but seven tables were taken. He said the food is good. They have seven fixed 2 or 3 course menu which with drinks came to about £20 per head which George described as ‘not bad these days’.

With someone else, the state of their house and the fact that we have too many possessions. The day after you throw them away, you need them. I asked the husband if he had any antiques (reference a valuation event to take place in the church hall) and he pointed to his wife. She said ‘I should have seen that coming’. Laughs all round.

A very sweet but boisterous child of three ran in and out, pursued by his doting grand mother. He was very shy – almost too shy to say his name. This type of event goes with the territory.

Of course, the weather was on the agenda. The morning was sunny with clear blue sky. It was only about 6 degrees C, cold for the time of year.

Unusually, we did not have a medical report. Normally someone comes up with something concerning their latest ailments plus complaints about how long it takes to get a doctor’s appointment.

Back home to clear out the garden. Tomorrow the tree surgeon comes . To Sainsbury’s to buy some cheese. I look at the newspapers to see if there is anything worth reading. Decided against buying one. My main use of newspapers to light bonfires. I was impressed by the number and variety of new advertisements for local events. Spring is upon us.

Just been watching a film about why people leave California. 280,000 per year. More lining up. Shocking and a warning for all places. Greed vs. community spirit doesn’t go.

An evening meeting as is usual for me Tuesdays. This time we met in an AirB&B place owned by one of the members of the group. We read from Romans chapter 8. When Jesus preached he did so mostly to the Jews, for whom he must have been quite a challenge to put it mildly. I realised that in my spiritual life I had not focused on Jews at all.  I asked the others why Jews pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. If they were happy in the faith, why spend time wailing? Is this for public display?

The authenticity of the Western Wall has been confirmed by tradition, history, and archaeological research; the wall dates from about the 2nd century BC, though its upper sections were added at a later date. Texts explaining the survival of the wall vary; one suggests that God saved this fragment for the Jewish people, while another holds that Titus left it as a painful reminder of the Roman defeat of Judea.

Maybe I am being anthropomorphic. I suppose this place is regarded as holy. Well, it should be since it has been around for the best part of 2000 years, so deserves respect at the very least.

Do Jews believe in Jesus? How do they regard him?  Tricky one, this.

For some Jews, the name alone is nearly synonymous with pogroms and Crusades, charges of *deicide and centuries of Christian anti-Semitism.
Other Jews, recently, have come to regard him as a Jewish teacher. This does not mean, however, that they believe, as Christians do, that he was raised from the dead or was the messiah.

*deicide noun de· i· cide ˈdē-ə-ˌsīd ˈdā-ə- 1 : the act of killing a divine being or a symbolic substitute of such a being 2 : the killer or destroyer of a god.

I am not sure if Jews are actually hostile towards Christians.  One thing is clear – they regard themselves as God’s chosen people. Their presence in positions of power is wildly disproportionate to their numbers so do they feel they should be ruling the world? Is that their service to God?

There is a lot I have to do to understand this topic.

And so to bed. Must be up early tomorrow to welcome the tree surgeon.