Category: Uncategorized

My goodness how easy it is to get out of the habit of my daily routine. I needed a holiday to realize that I needed a ‘proper’ holiday. I gave myself permission to do nothing and take the day over it.

I have just read a fascinating article entitled Good vibrations: how listening to the sounds of soil helps us monitor and restore forest health. I got some small idea of how healing nature can be by standing in the sea, listening to the waves and the birds, allowing the wind to blow through me. The wind blows right off the Atlantic and made Newquay feel cold even though the sun was shining.

We stayed in a BandB called St. Breca which I booked through Booking.com. I prefer them because you can change your mind up to 5 days before the event. We paid £288 total for four nights which included a decent continental breakfast. The average price of a chain hotel varies by the day of the week but don’t expect much change out of £100 room only.  Fridays and Saturday night are at a premium.

Cornwall has a good bus service. It is fun to sit upstairs and view the scenery. They would have to be subsidized as the £2 rule for a single fare is nation-wide in UK.  A visitor without a car does not have to suffer inconvenience as all major popular points are connected.  An area timetable, available from local bus stations and information bureaus, is a good investment. Do check the times of the last return buses which can be as early as 5.30 pm. It is best to start early if you are going to have a day out. Warning – taxis are expensive if you can even get one.

As for food, you will need a deep pocket. OK you can get some takeaway Fish and Chips for say £15 but anything else expect upwards of £20 for a main course. We saw an offer in one of Rick Stein’s outlets. 6 oysters plus two glasses of champagne for £50. To be fair there is a general difficulty in getting fish and indeed fishermen.   Who wants to work these days?  Yes there is unemployment in Cornwall but also work shyness. I attribute this problem in part to the work from home mentality acquired during Covid.

If you want cheap eats then tripadvisor.co.uk contains a good guide. Look under ‘restaurants’ in a particular town and you will see they are classified by price range. I found one in Newquay, Andy’s Cafe,  using this method. A good English breakfast for £4.95 plus drink. Cheerful service.

more follows…

Anyone worth their salt will know about associated subjects apart from energy meridians. Stacey was the mother of two with whom I immediately clicked. I strongly felt I wanted to talk about my stomach which had been seriously misbehaving in the last 24 hours almost as if it had been poisoned.

We went through my complete food routine and realised that the main problem was the eating of ‘sweet’ food after the main course.  This was too much for the acid balance of the stomach and it basically threw up the lot.

Empathy between the practitioner and the client produces a stream of inspiration a million miles from the formula approach which I dread so much.  Within 45 minutes we had reached an understanding, an agreement to move forward and a discussion how to share the content of the session. I got my value in the first ten minutes. A result.

A walk down the hill towards Bath city centre where I met a new friend Adrian which is electro-sensitive and with whom I spoke at a ZOOM call last night.  He is full on and refuses to  back down on matters of fact and principle.  Good to have him on board.

A lovely day with temperatures approaching 20 degrees.  For the first time this year I wore shorts. Sorry to hear about the dreadful rain in Italy. It takes something to cause the F1 race to be cancelled.

So this was a conference on Electro-sensitivity in a small village north of Yeovil by the name of Odcombe. 130 people attended. It was like being in a lost lost family.  Frequency is wavelength are all.

After the event we went for a walk in a valley that has not been touched since the 19th century. Old stone bridges, streams, fords give a glimpse of life as it was before the advent of tarmac roads  as we know them.

We met a couple walking their dog. He was a sheep dog about 7 months old.  He ran towards me and I sensed that he was playful and enthusiastic rather than being aggressive.

I circulated at the conference a new service Conference Plus where people could via Zoom make their further observations on life and everything.

I have been busy preparing myself to take a few day’s break so have been less diligent in keeping a note of my thoughts.  The thought of traveling anywhere puts some pressure on me. I cannot contemplate flying out of the country for any purpose.

Sleep has not been good and my stomach has been unforgiving of any unsuitable food – sugar is definitely a poison and I wonder what they put in wine.

Its day to day mode. Thank goodness the weather is better.

Watch this FB video.

Complaints about being OLD anyone????

Went to Wetherspoons this morning for my usual Freedom Breakfast plus a coffee.  Each time I go, the prices increase. This time I paid £6.40. I recall paying £2.45 during the latter stages of the Pandemic. The price is still cheaper than neighbouring restaurants though.

To Fosseway Press to pick up my posters for the event tomorrow. It is for those who are electro-sensitive. My pop-up service Conference Plus.net is for those who did not have time to chat with everyone and is in effect an extension of the conference.  It was one of those ideas that came ‘out of the blue’ so this augers well.  A dowsing shows that the event will be 90% successful.

I have watched two amazing videos today. One is entitled ‘Where are they Now? by Billy Carlson. Its about the Sumerians and the Anunnaki . Riveting. The second is from an extraordinary series of videos by Hans Wilhelm. This one is entitled ‘Are You a Lightworker? Why are you here on earth?

I spend most of my day reading articles mostly pertaining to COVID and the after effects. These I load on to my site, covid-unmasked.net. From time to time I come across articles that do not quite fall under that category but which are never the less interesting and relevant.

Nexus Newsfeed is particularly good at publishing high quality provocative articles without being extreme and sensational.

Here is a good one, title in the image.  Read it here.

An outstanding piece of work, mostly stating the obvious but joining the dots in a very creative way. This has started my day off in a good fashion.

Oh and here is my word of the day, Enosmia. Do you know what it means? It is the partial or full loss of the sense of smell.

Today Wednesday we actually had good weather and sunshine. We are preparing for the arrival of a guest who is going to stay with us for four nights. She is a kindred spirit so we regard her as ‘family’.  It does take some preparation. We always clean the house (guests are a good enough catalyst)  and prepare the spare room with its convertible sofa.  It takes about 2 hours to get everything ready.  Timing is all.

 

So what could this be? I remember on the last coronation day I was on the embankment riding on my father’s shoulders. It was dark so if I recall it was a firework show or similar. I have to hand it to the Brits, we know how to do our ceremonies. I hear the event cost £275m. That might pay a week’s worth of interest on our national debt. But who am I to be a killjoy?  Let us immerse ourselves in the pomp and pageantry of nearly 1000 years. If David Starkey says so, it must be true.

# Following on my published video two days ago about King Charles  there is further evidence. ‘King Charles Coronation Reptilian Possession full moon ritual exposed’  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPSfOypTfa8

# Here is another video published by ‘Big Gee’. 34:06  A coronation SPECIAL. Something of the history of the Royal Family in general.

# And here is another one, this time by James Corbett. The history of false flags. Nothing to do with Charles of course.

# The Dark Prince crowned on the Triple 6th Day of May by Sergeant Major Truther Info.  Very blunt language.

# Did The Church of Satan Send Their Priest To Oversee Charles the III’s Coronation? Wow. Quite a wide-ranging article from the Internet. Thank you ‘2nd smartest guy in the world”.

I had a delivery from Solopress today. Alas they messed up the printing by printing a two sided A5 job on one side. I suppose I can use it but I will still call them Tuesday morning and ask them to re-do the job.

I have started a huge tome about Mary Magdalene. It is very beautiful and evocative but hard going all 450 pages of it. A lifetime’s work by somebody.  I need to shut everything else off and focus on the main times of the events i.e. 1st century A.D.

So yes I know its May but we decided to have a good old log fire whilst watching an archive film about Pink Floyd and the music scene in London in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Ah, such nostalgia. It makes the rather indifferent weather less important.

 

 

If I recall this is my first diary entry about phone calls but they all seemed to happen at once.

Last evening I inquired about private medical insurance. This morning I spoke for about half an hour to a very keen and alert. They act on behalf of 11 health companies. Aviva Health was mentioned. Apart from age they want to know if you smoke or have taken drugs. There are offers from £104 per month to £300 per month obviously depending on the level of support. For certain conditions you have to wait two years for treatment; after one year you have to take a medical examination. People are often offered a 15% discount if they remain well.  A discount is given for a spouse of a partner. After the chat I was sent some documents to read. There was no pressure.

I spoke to Peter, who is organising a conference on elector-sensitivity. He said that the conference was fully booked and had no spaces save for those who cancel.I discussed my plans for conferenceplus.net saying that this would give more value to the conference if people had time to discuss matters at leisure.  He was amazed that people were coming from all over the place including Yorkshire where people were going to travel down and then return the same day. Wow that’s 10 hours of anyone’s time. A long day you could say.

I spoke to my friend Ewa who is coming with us to a conference next Saturday. She was looking forward to accompanying us but thought she could get in on the door.  I disabused her of this and she jumped on the phone straight away. Good thing she did as a place had just become available.

I spoke to my long standing friend about a political and possibly legal matter. It is amazing how petty people can be when given the slightest amount of responsibility. A pleasant colleague can turn into an unpleasant adversary at the spin of a coin.

I spoke to my sister whose husband has just been transferred into a home run by Croydon Council. It is tricky to get to but a relief for her. He has altzheimers disease which are you probably know is progressive. He has become very much like a child.

I spoke to my favourite printer Solo Press situated at Southend on Sea.  It is a modern printer and everything is highly automated.  I made the mistake of submitting an A5 two sided leaflet on one PDF. The ‘system’ expected two items of art work.  OK they said they would fix it. They are famous for fast turnarounds.

I rang an old contact whose father was going to have a commemoration in the form of a grave stone. It will happen during June or July when people can be present who live abroad.  A brief exchange of news followed.

Also an attempt to reach another old contact with whom I am working on a book. I know he is very busy as his daughter is coming from USA in a couple of weeks so he has less time for other things.

I spoke to Terry, my long time local friend,  about the matter raised yesterday in my diary, the topic of King Charles.  Although I have been shocked by things during my research, I admit I was shocked by the thought that our King could be working for ‘the other side’ even being the anti-Christ.
We also talked of the possibility of having a spare laptop available. In return I could offer a TV monitor. ‘ Yes’ said Terry. He has one in for repair but it is 10 years old. It would certainly do for ZOOM, Internet, E-mails etc. He does not need a TV monitor.  I offered him a selection of my enormous pile of cables.  We both laughed.

This afternoon, Stacey, a new acupuncturist from Bath called me on request. I described my symptoms particularly my stomach and we agreed to meet for an investigation. This has been going on with me for upwards of 30 years and we have not cracked it fully, though it is better. Its all about intolerance of food (and could be EMF). I do not think it is systemic as on a good day the stomach functions well.

I love that saying in our title today.  It’s up to us. No Magic Helper.

Tim Cohen – The Antichrist and a Cup of Tea

A day of surprises to put it mildly. You know who the Anti-Christ might be? You want proof? How about Prince Charles? Tim Cohen is a researcher of 20y experience. If you like hard fact, try this video for size. 1:46:08  Try reading the 1998 book ‘The Anti-Christ and a Cup of Tea’ you can find it here.   Tim’s website is ProphecyHouse.com

My general problem is that there is so much to read, never mind ‘marking, learning and inwardly digesting’. I am glad to be going on holiday in a couple of weeks.

The teacher of Francoise at her art class is showing 35 of her works in a club and hotel called The Square in a posh area of Bristol. We took the 11.37 No. 172 bus from Brookes the newsagent 6 minutes from our house to the centre of Bristol. Travel time is about one hour.

First to Za Za, the monstrous buffet said to be the largest in Europe. During the week the charges are moderate, £12.99 per head all you can eat. I had about five plates of food from three continents, and then a sweet course based on delicious sweet rice pudding, but it was better than our version.  Creamy I would say.

Opposite was a girl of about 11 eating with her mum and (guess) grandmother.  The girl who certainly seemed to us to be over weight. Her face was puffy was going to help herself to the most unhealthy flour and fat based foods. She stared into the middle distance, scarcely associating herself with what was on the plate.  He mother if she noticed did not pay any attention. She went back for a refill and filled her plate and left half of it.

Behind our table, 12 men came in obviously from the same affinity group and made merry but with such good humour as not to disturb us. It was around 2pm when we set off up the hill (there are a lot of hills in Bristol) to the Venue. Inside we were greeted by a young lady who offered us a glass of champagne. The works had been cleverly integrated into the sitting area, restaurant and downstairs in the club part.

We met the husband of the artist and her daughter Bethan who was about to go to university in Leeds.  I found myself giving her a psychic reading but based on my experience of being at Uni myself (Durham) and my knowledge of having been to Leeds but also a moderation based on tuning in to the young lady. I hope that what I said was helpful to her. I had no intention of doing anything for anyone but it flowed out of me. Normally this is a sign that the person is ready to hear.  I am inclined to take any opportunity that presents itself as I will probably not meet the person again.

Back on the 16:52 bus which we caught with 30 seconds to spare. It took some time to get out of Bristol but we made it home in the evening sunshine with little drama.

This morning something had caught my attention.   There was a recent Peace Day in the USA and Robert Kennedy, possible candidate for the 2024 USA elections said this including a comment on mRNA technologies

“God talks to human beings through many vectors: through each other, through organized religion, through the great books of those religions, through wise people, through art, music, literature, and poetry. But nowhere with such detail and grace, color, and joy as through creation. When we destroy a species, when we destroy a special place, we’re diminishing our capacity to sense the divine, understand who God is, and what our own potential is as human beings.” – RFK Jr. April 22, 2023,

Now here is someone who understands the nature of mankind. With people like him around there is some scintilla of hope for a world gradually becoming more incoherent.

Oh and before I forget, I have a Bluetooth widget/app on my phone which shows the number of devices within range. Whilst in Bristol I had a record of 275 signals in one place. Can you imagine what it does to the human body?

Yesterday I was suffering from my normal stomach problems listed over the years but then someone said that there was a link between such problems and tension. Now that may seem obvious but on this occasion the truth really struck home. Today I threw at my stomach a miscellany of food if I can put it politely but not a murmur from my nether regions. I had had no pills or sodium bicarbonate or Gaviscon.

My holiday is overdue.

As a PS ….my video of the day was listening to Nobel Doctor Uncovers Future of Mankind: Will We Survive the Coming Great Shift? Dr Ervin Laszlo It is an honour to hearing a dispassionate view.
28:18

 

May Day or M’Aidez is also the day of Beltane.  Funny how it is used as a signal for urgent help. Traditionally celebrated by Celtic neo-pagans to acknowledge during the midpoint between spring and summer (May 1st), this period marks the planting time and is recognized as a time of peak fertility. We are now halfway between the Spring Equinox & the Summer Solstice.

We arrived at about 11.15 to find that the customary food and drink facilities were no longer available. They had run out! The first celebration was at 7am followed by dancing and rituals.  They were clearing up the last vestiges of the offerings and the tables were bare of all food and drink. There is always a coffee lady who serves good coffee off a van in the adjacent car park so I went off to slake my thirst there and re-entered. Thank goodness there is no charge for Chalice Well entrance until 12.00 on celebration days and festivals.

The person on the gate said that he had never seen so many people; he had being doing the job since the 1980’s.  There were many groups from abroad including some druids from Estonia and people from India, Netherlands, France and pretty much all European countries.

Here were a group of people being lectured to earnestly by a professor type.

Below, for some reason their version of tree hugging prevailed.

At Midday we had the usual seasonal blessing and re-dedication of the well. We are given a short speech by one of the staff followed by ten minutes of silence for prayer and meditation. The talk was powerful and included the question. How do you use power? Do you use it for dominating others or in the service of others? We were adjured to use our power and influence for the empowerment of others. That changes my mind-set fundamentally. The well is dressed in a different way each time.

After the event I strolled around and found two little girls making daisy chains. I remarked with pleasure that I had not seen anyone doing this sort of thing for years. I walked on and thought no more about it. Later one of them found me and presented me with a small chain as a token. I was very moved that children are capable of thinking in this way in this day and age.

The gardens look lovely at this time of the year so enjoy these images below.

A large procession came from the town at about 1pm and a lot of us marched up an incline to one of the meadows on the side of the Tor. These was dancing and celebrations all round. We left early because there were so many mobile phones on that the EM fields were playing havoc with the peace and quiet we had enjoyed at the blessing.

Off to the high road in the town and for a much overdue visit to Burns the Bread. I had a wonderful fresh sausage roll, a blueberry muffin and a latte all for £6.  On the way we noticed a new shop front. There are never any vacancies in this town and shop premises are sought after.

Community Fridge (below). Situated near the Town Hall this facility enables spare food from shops to be collected by those who have need. When I went in it was about 2pm. There were many loaves of bread, baguettes, rolls and some bananas.

Street art takes many forms. This man does mandalas and beside them write various profundities.

All in all a good and satisfying day from the human point of view.

Yesterday, much sitting in front of my computer screen. I am reading a discourse on left brain hemisphere ‘vs’ right brain hemisphere by Iain McGilcrist. His article is entitled ‘Left-brain thinking will destroy civilization’. Have a read.

So, off this morning to the Vineyard service. We had a talk on Romans 12 Verse 1.   Tally, one of the local group leaders, gave the talk. It was her first, and obviously prayerfully prepared.

Paul was writing to Jews and Gentiles alike living in Rome.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Plenty to think about here. Does ‘living sacrifice’ sound a bit creepy. Do we want to offer ourselves to anyone else when WE know how it is done?

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Did you know that ‘mercy’ comes from the Latin ‘mercus’ which means price paid.

Tally mentioned the need for factory re-setting as in the world of computers.  One statement stood out – with a massive joining of the dots for me. We need to reset our minds on a daily basis. I mentioned that we are surrounded  by so many lies on a daily basis including the ‘news’ that we need to defrag ourselves regularly lest the fill our minds with detritus.

I testified to a small group afterwards that I always came away from the meetings enriched. I said I had tried so many churches before but found they made me depressed. People sitting in rows facing the front did not do it for me. I have had enough. I come back week after week because this rather untidy and  apparently only semi-organized disparate group is where the spirit of God dwells most comfortably.

How can we serve God better? In my book, by keeping it simple.  Jesus came not just for the intelligent but for everyone otherwise his coming would have been an act of discrimination and indeed sadism.

There are three phases to learning

1. Naive understanding
2. A period of complexity during which we examine all aspects
3. When we realize (again) the key principles of the topic and abide by it or we give up and don’t give it another thought.

To reprise – learning and re-booting or re-setting should be a daily thing so great is the noise.  We get no advance notice when we are going to learn a lesson. I call it ‘waiting on God’.  Not waiting passively but wanting to know how next we can become of service to others. I said that the best way of overcoming loneliness is to encourage other people. It means that you have to move away from self and self pity and focus on others with unconditional love.

Return home then pick up Francoise and off to Shepton Mallet for the monthly market. We had fun. I took it upon myself to give advice to a mum and daughter who were running a stall selling cleaning products. We bought some laundry liquid for £5. I told her that she was undercharging and could easily charge £6.  I later sent her some written advises which to me seemed pretty obvious but when you are involved in something you cannot easily see the wood for the trees.

Not brilliant design (below). Confusing imagery. Could be selling pyramids. Its what comes across to the punters not what you think about it. An objective eye is necessary. A logo needs to work when it is small.

I told this lady (below)  that not only was her guitar in perfect tune, she was in perfect tune with it.  Her voice had healing qualities providing she kept to a folksy type of music.  She was thankful for the feedback. Most people do not bother to really listen.  Our humanity is the most valuable thing we have so we need to encourage it in others lest it slips away.

To the Art Bank Cafe and art centre. ‘creativity is our currency’. We LOVE the atmosphere here. Very laid back and .. well… arty. It can be found by the main square in the high street of Shepton Mallet. There was a rather chubby boy with some sort of learning difficulty. He shouted out from time to time. He could not seem to focus. His mother (grandmother) did her best. She played chess with him until he knocked the pieces around. Could I take that 24/7? First thoughts are ‘no’ but then if you have to do something…..

This is known as the Green Man in all his various forms.

From an art exhibition currently showing (a lot goes on here).

This coming Saturday they have a Motown special which I will attend.

https://rense.com/general97/ev.php

If that does not make you jump then nothing will. But I digress. How is this for a therapy?  Neurographic art. Watch this 5.46 minute demo.

This evening I had a ZOOM meeting with a group of Christian men from Frome. We heard about a delegate from a Gafcon conference in Africa and the schism in the Anglican Church caused by the blessing of same sex marriages.

 

This morning we had the tree surgeon and his two assistants one of whom was his son.  Alan is a real artist and likes to envision not one tree alone but how a group of trees will look when pruned. They had a Husqvarna chain saw but also one on a long pole. It must have been 3m in length. The battery model makes for a light weight and good balance.   They were done in about 3 hours. I paid £480.

After lunch we decided to celebrate by going to my Chewton Mendip Tea room. We love it there. All cakes and pastries cooked on the premises. All fresh if a little heavy on the sugar side (sugar bombs as I call them). I have a latte and a chocolate cake. Francoise had a herb tea. We bought two lasagnas, one vegetable and one meat.

We always make the short walk to the old road and a ford. It must be a couple of hundred years old before there were tarmacked roads. There has not been much rain recently so it is quite low and not flowing fast. Imagine horses and carts driving through. Wonderful nostalgia.

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.

 

 

 

Each Sunday the menu is different. Today it was an informal service consisting of a period of praising God, an address conducted by the local coordinator (Rob), discussion in small groups and an informal communion. The day starts at 9.30 am for those who wish to pray. 10am coffee is served and we catch up on news and welcome newcomers. We then go into the part of the Methodist building used for group worship. The children are with us but move out when the address starts.

I always learn something. We were reading Romans chapter 8. St Paul wrote to them. This was a tough call. The Romans must have been amongst the toughest and most sophisticated Italians of the time. St Paul adopted a Q and A type of approach. That was the first of three things that struck me. The second was the stark warning at the end of chapter 6 v 23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord.

In other words do what you desire. You will get ‘paid’ but in the wrong currency, the currency of death (of the soul). The FREE gift of God will lead us to eternal life.

I met some new people. A South African couple  who had English passports told how they were born in UK, moved to South Africa (Cape Town) and moved back to the UK after the social and political conditions were becoming worse. They ended up in Blagdon nearly here which pleased the husband Marvin who is a great sailing enthusiast. There is a large lake / reservoir and a sailing club.

I learned something else.   A couple of people asked how I was. I attempted to give a meaningful answer but soon realized that they did not want to know. Their eyes glazed over.  Brian – (to myself) – just answer mechanically ‘I am fine’.  Remedy – only ask if the person is your friend or who knows you well in some context or other.

So the lady with a full trolley was so apologetic that an item had dropped off and smashed all over the floor.  A manager came along and carefully picked out the glass shards.  He then turned up with a wet floor cleaner machine and in a minute or so the whole was pristine.

I was standing nearly when I heard the smash of glass so camera in hand I recorded the scene. I saw a certain similarity of a map of Australia so I told the embarrassed shopper that she was an artist. A ripple of laughter spread around the adjacent shoppers. The woman was still apologizing but the manager told her not to worry.   I guess it is not the first time. Thank goodness it was not oil.

I had just had a replacement for my phone battery (one plus 6T). I had noticed that the battery was scarcely lasting a day. I got a quote in Bristol for buy and install in Bristol and the best price was £55. Here in Midsomer the quoted price was £40. I took it.

Lovely sunshine and blue skies. A cool wind so you want to stay in the sun.

A visit to my acupuncturist Martin who focused on my kidney and my heart. He found an arrhythmia  in my heart and recommended I get a check up via the doctor. My stomach problems that have been plaguing me for years have eased due to a change in my attitude fostered by Martin particularly by telling me that gastric juices slow down their production in the evening when you get older.

Walking round the town I noticed that many shops in the fashionable side streets had ceased trading.  However the town remains beautiful and quaint.

The community spirit remains strong as you see from the notice above. It is a good place to move to if you dont mind high prices, small gardens and hilly territory.

A lovely compact garden very close to the street but making a statement never the less.

Public notice boards  tidy above and untidy below

Back home via Mells where I had a latte in the coffee shop / post office / grocery store. I met an amazing young man of 20 who collected old fossils millions of years old and artifacts from the 19th century and earlier. According to his father his bedroom is like a museum, full of interesting objects. I told the young man he made my day for having an activity away from mobile phones and computers i.e. an actual hobby.

The aim was to time the visit so I could draw breath and be away from my immediate environment whilst a particular communication was going out announcing my departure as secretary from the allotment association that I have been chairing for the past 7 years. We decided to have a free day and do as much or as little as we liked. The centre piece was a visit to lunch at Za Za’s which is the largest restaurant in Europe with 800 covers.

I came across a most amazing cafe/restaurant just adjacent to the bus station. It was called Santiagos. It was like stepping back 20 years.

I spoke to the further breaded person who was the manager and said it was like a time warp. They were doing something very precious and please keep on doing it. I am sure that few customers bother to give thanks.

These pigeons obviously felt they owned the seating area and were sunning themselves

Every time we return to Bristol there are more and more ‘love knot’ keys on the bridge. It has become fashionable all over Europe and beyond, no doubt.

To the MShed where there was a photographic exhibition curated by the Natural History museum of London

To the permanent exhibition this time of the sort of boats used in the many hundreds of years since Bristol has been a port. Traders started operating in 1180 AD.

This dog was called Nipper, an icon of the recording industry. He original Master recorded his voice on a record and this is how the pup was painted, listening to His Masters Voice on a gramophone

In Cabot Square an exhibition of local high streets. This is a fading breed, someone with community mindedness.

The weather was kind to us. Sunny and lacking in rain. 14 degrees is tolerable. So back home we went by the 172 leaving at 16.20. Next time we plan to visit one of the many towns under the aegis of Bristol Bus Station. They go north south east and west.  All for nowt as we have our Freedom Travel Passes. We might as well travel whilst it is still possible.

This is the Swallow Cafe, a facility for those who have learning difficulties. It is situated to the East of Radstock. During a break in allotment work I decided to visit it. I asked for a latte and a piece of cake entitled ‘Blondie’. It looked nutty and friendly but alas it was a sugar bomb and I could only eat a couple of mouthfuls.

Monday was clean op day and although it was after midday there was no evidence of any visitors. My order caused somewhat of a shock wave. Someone repeated by order by shouting to someone else.  After a slight delay one of the less-disabled people  maybe a manager came along and did the deed.  I suppose it was regarded as beyond the ability of most. When I went to sit down I was stared at by someone busily cleaning and polishing cutlery. A welcoming place it was not (OK it was a Monday)  but then these good people are attempting to make a new start in society so all credit to them for making the effort. I tried to make a light atmosphere by jokes and friendly remarks but I was just stared at.

I love the idea but the publicity needs to be better i.e. a sign outside inviting people to come and have a coffee or a lunch. It needs to be at eye level where it can be most easily seen. We need to bring the disadvantaged in to the community. I imagine that the long term effect of being ignored, misunderstood or ridiculed must cause a certain emotional shut-down and if you don’t have verbal skills or the support people to patiently help you then this is a mountain to climb indeed.

Another ZOOM meeting this time an ‘open mike’ with the Scientific and Medical Network . We were talking about telepathy. Most of us have had experiences when we say’ I was just thinking about you’ when someone calls.   I believe we are all telepathic. We were born with it but we have come to distrust it. ” If only I had listened to my intuition”. How many times have I heard this.

“We are all one” is a truism. Yes, we are all parts of God. We have God light within us so that communicates via quantum entanglement.  It is easier if we have a high soul affinity.

Let enjoy it. It is a natural gift and part of life.

 

This is obviously a picture essay. This is a picture postcard town with a long history. I will let the images speak for themselves.  There is a Cathedral with gardens as you probably know.  The £16 entrance charge for the garden still sticks in my craw. I think it is very unfair for one time visitors but for us locals it gives 12 months unlimited entry.

 

 

 

 

Wood chip used in the Cathedral Garden allotments

A Medieval street singing though the centuries. Built over 650 years ago to house the Vicars Choral of the Cathedral Choir. It is the most complete example of a medieval street in the UK and embodies an internationally renowned musical heritage.

I and Francoise have a particular difficult problem on which pressure was being put on us to react in some manner or form.

In my dealings with people I tend to assume perhaps naively that their standards are moral and they will tell the truth. Unfortunately in this day and age (and probably in all days and ages) there are some who for various reasons do not tell the truth. Perhaps it is the survival instinct. Perhaps it is fear.

A friend visited from the Sheffield area and kindly came down to Somerset to visit us. We talked yesterday evening and then this morning. At the end of this time I had a far clearer idea of my priorities and objectives. When I keep an idea to myself there is usually too much emotion attached for me to be objective. Yes, survival and pride comes into it also.

Sometimes (probably most times) our emotions are bundled up with facts, some of which may be true, others of which may not be true.  We can sincerely believe something is true because of misinformation or Chinese whispers. We can dislike the person we are dealing with and this can obscure our view. We may need to repeat something several time to ‘get it off our chest’.

It is difficult to find people who really do care so that when you speak you are really listened to. My friend was such.  I feel this could be part of our intended practice. The two of us working together give a very good secure space – non-judgemental – for the client or patient to work out what they want, why they should want it, and what is important.

Onward and upwards as they say.

Will it ever stop raining? It is pouring down and blowing a gale as I write. This is supposed to be spring. I know it says ‘April showers’ but this daily battering is too much.  During the afternoon, a sudden ‘out of nowhere’ thunderstorm followed  by hail. I turned off my computer just for extra safety.

Francoise can only plant on certain days according to her calendar so she is frustrated. She has done some excellent work with imagery by ‘drawing’  with a hot pen which is a wood-burning tool. It is going to form the top of a small garden table which I will be faithfully covering with several layers of varnish to prolong its life.

Sunday I went to a combined service / celebration at the Vineyard church at Mulberry Park housing estate in the south of Bath.  It takes place in the gym of the school. The building company had the brilliant idea of combining a school with a coffee bar area open to the public.

The service itself was informal to say the least. Rob, one of our local leaders, spoke about the basic type of things that you would expect on Easter Sunday. He was very moving – and move – so much that he had to stifle an emotion to keep going. I admire people like that.

One of the members was baptized and afterwards everyone laid hands on him in prayer. I was encouraged by the number of enthusiastic youngsters in the room. Sometimes the children at the back of the hall were a little noisy but in general the parents looked after them well. About 120 people were present. This is more like original Christianity before the Catholic church  got hold of it. But that’s another story.

In days of yore I attended a Kensington, London SW7 church presided over by Dr. Martin Israel.  He did a three hour guided meditation between 12 and 3 on Good Fridays He accomplished this without notes. Who does this now?

Martin was a rebel against the church of which he was a part. He gave me much of what I now hold dear and which keeps me on the spiritual path. To this day I have a binder’s worth of sermons which I transcribed from memory after each sermon.

Today, a wander round the town to see people doing their last minute shopping.  Anyone would think they are laying in for a siege. Baskets full of everything under the sun.  Most people were enjoying themselves in the good weather.

To the Methodist church where they used to offer lunch for £4 to all comers every Tuesday from 12 to 2pm. Now it is every other Tuesday from 12 to 1pm.  I can’t see any logic in that nor the logic of 1.5 hours allowed for having a hot drink. Now you have to pre-book.  This has not been thought out.
Three years ago I helped in the kitchen with serving the food but not cooking it. The list of rules and regulations connected with serving are huge. What you can and cannot keep in a fridge. How the temperature has to be measured (with a thermometer) so that you are not going to poison people.  They will be telling us how to tie our shoe-laces next.

An afternoon at home reading and doing very little. In the evening I switched on the TV and over to BBC2 by chance. There was a commemorative programme about Burt Bacharach, the notable computer and performer and all round nice guy. He had written over 500 songs. He was born in 1938 and died February this year 2023. The programme was devoted to his work.

I enjoyed Dionne Warwick another real human performer singing from the hear.. This was real music – with tunes – no violence – melodies – feel good material . They don’t make them like that any more.

And so to bed.

 

 

 

 

A la carte  Abattoir  Adventure  Affaire    Au Pair   A propos

Bouquet  brochure

Cafe  chauffeur  coup d’état   Creche   cuisine   Cul de sac

Decor    Decollete   Delicious   Déjà-Vu   Depot   Double entendre   De Rigueur

encore  En route   En suite    Entree   entrepreneur

Facade   faux-pas  Fiance   Finance

Haute cuisine   Hors d’oeuvre

Je ne sais quoi    Joie de vivre

impasse   In lieu (of)

malaise   Ménage à trois   Mirage

Nom de plume

Penchant  Pièce de résistance

Quiche

Raison d’etre   Répondez s’il vous plaît    reconnaissance   regime   Rendezvous   Repertoire  Restaurant    Resume    Risque

Saute  Savoir Faire  Soiree   Souvenir

Tête-à-tête   Touché

So, today is Good Friday. I used to go to church back in the 60’s when really I had no choice. Dad was the vicar and the preacher and the guardian of morals.  These days I see it more like a holiday when no one expects anything of you. I do however fully acknowledge the significance of it. Thank you Jesus for creating an inter-dimensional channel for us by the sacrifice of your life. 

This was the sky over our allotments today. Lovely scudding clouds.

At 11am off we went to the Bath and Kennett Canal.  I guess every living thing and his dog would respond to the warm rays of the sun and the cloudless sky. The roads were crowded but nothing like the queues at Dover and along the motorways as mentioned yesterday in my previous blog.

We arrived at our destination to find the car park full so we had to use the over flow one.  We had to pay £4.20 parking for four hours. During the winter season it is free.  We went for a walk east along the canal path.  It has been some time since I went for such a walk so after a time my back started getting stiff and I decided to return before reaching our favourite destination, a pub and a tea room in Avon Cliff.

We had our usual quotient of madcap talks to strangers. In the sun everyone is in a good mood so its no problem talking drivel to anyone.

The problem is that there are just too many cyclists. They are almost silent and often go fast. THEY see where they are going but if you are walking in front of them and you suddenly step to the side you could be clobbered. It should be compulsory for every cyclist to have a bell.

These were people from a Facebook group. We had a lovely chat with a lady who told us all about it. They had come 5km from Bath and were going to return. You paddle the craft by kneeling, something that both of us could not do for various reasons. I have vertigo and Francoise has a knee problem. I said that being in nature was better than having therapy and she agreed wholeheartedly. She was a happy cheerful soul full of the joys of spring. We wished each other all the best.

This is the season for garlic. The leaves are delicious. You just ‘pick ’em and eat ’em’. I had about a dozen for my lunch. How much nutrition from nature is free should you choose to be aware of it.

Most definitely a canal boat of character. Is this a hoarder’s boat I wonder.

Lesser Celandine a-plenty, acres and acres of them. Isn’t nature bountiful.

Life goes on in parallel. If you cant come to the service station, it comes to you. I have seen another supply vessel with logs and coal but that is normally seen in the winter months.

Who knows what is around the next corner. A bit like life really.

So, back to the starting point. According to my pedometer we walked 7.73 km over 2h and 5 minutes. We would have had a coffee in the cafe but the card reader had gone down and it would have taken 10 minutes to re-boot. Instead we went to the stables coffee bar in Wellow and had the same. We sat in the window and experienced glorious sunshine as if we were in a glass house.

Bring on the warmth.

Having nothing in my diary what better than to go off for lunch at the Mendip Pantry in Chewton Mendip. We had a hot main dish. Vegetable lasagna for Francoise and a quiche for me. I love going to this place. It is traditional and civilized. We greet everyone who comes in except the snooty locals who have that ‘I am OK don’t approach me’. Most people are not like this but a few do not want to talk with those ‘beneath’ them for fear of some sort of contamination I guess.

To the Rocky Mountain Nurseries. My goodness this is the heart of the planting season so here are a few examples. We bought a very large cauliflower for £2 at the adjacent stall (Thursdays and Saturdays). Here follow pictures to remind us all of the profligacy of nature (or is it fecundity). We saw a water-lilly priced at £16 and thought it was expensive. We then saw at another garden centre similar example for £20.

To the cafe for coffee and cake. To home via another garden centre. Plenty to do writing-wise. The forecast looks good so maybe we will go for a walk tomorrow. Good Friday. Not a day for driving on motorways. M25, M4 around Bristol, M4 in Wales to be avoided. They don’t call the M25 the worlds biggest car park for nothing.

Francoise and myself decided to visit Bath whilst I had my injection.  Just to refresh your minds I have a six-weekly injection of Eyelea as the drug is called. It is for Wet Macular in the left eye. Wet is better than dry as dry cannot be treated.  Each injection costs the NHS about £800 per shot plus the cost of the staff time etc. Say £1000. I would be surprised if  more than 1 cc was given.  This makes a total of 1000 shots per litre. 1000 x 800 = er let me think now £800,000.  This represents about — shall we guess… how much profit for the manufacturer?

During the procedure I find it helpful if a nurse holds my hand. Its not that it is painful but rather disconcerting to have someone be so close to the eye. Without sight where are we? The worst bit is when a sticky patch is placed over the eye and held back with a clip. After that you lie back and feel a small prick to into the eye ball and that’s it. I did tell the injecting doctor that I found it conducive to relaxation to have a running commentary about what is going to happen next.  I get a dash of eye ointment and then I am on my way.  By my reckoning that’s injection number 46 over what must be a six year period.

I enjoy walking up and down the corridors to see the various art works. You never know what you are going to find.

 

Back to Bath to wander round the shops and buy some food. Since the closure of the Health Store in Midsomer we have to come to Bath for our more exotic requests. We like sweet red pepper sauce. Can you get it in MSN? No. On the bus home. Full of people most of whom get off in Radstock, the town prior to MSN. We are almost left on our own to go to our local stop. The 172 bus from Bath continues to Bristol but only for a few more weeks when there is yet another timetable change.  Very tiresome.   So long as we get a good regular connection to Bath, Wells and Bristol then I am content.