Hi,

It’s been a week of changes in our house this week…..my son and middle daughter have gone back to school, my middle daughter is starting to look at universities for next year, my eldest daughter is out of hospital at the moment and looking at sign language courses, she wants to train to be a Makaton tutor, and I’ve started my degree.

Oh my goodness, I’m a student again! I started a university course this week and I’m currently feeling like the most stupid person in the world….seriously, all these people who know scarily long words, that talk like they’ve swallowed an entire encyclopaedia. What was I thinking of, applying for this? I can’t write essays if they aren’t about Lenny.

Lenny has been a Liability this week. He is missing my son when he is in school. First he wants to lie on my son’s bed cos it smells of him. Then he wants to come downstairs to check if he’s there. Then he wants to go out the back door to wait at the gate, where he comes in when he gets home….but my son leaves through the front door so he wants to be there….but then his bed smells of him, so he probably ought to go back up there. Lenny is spending the day the wrong side of a door….all the doors.

There is change happening outside too….it’s changing to autumn. The days are quickly getting shorter, the leaves are beginning to change and drop and the swallows have gathered together, ready to leave for the winter. The first lot have already left and I think that includes our swallow babies from by the front door. There are a small number from the barns who hatched late and are still here, but all the rest are gone. The swallows from this area migrate to Senagal, which is where one of my husband’s best friends is from. He keeps on inviting us to go to stay, one of these days we will make it there, but it seems so far away and incredible that those tiny wings on the swallows can make it that far. I will include a piece from the RSPB site about migration at the end just to show you how amazing swallows are.

This weekend my middle daughter and I went to stay in Manchester. It was part of her 18th birthday present. We mostly went to Afflecks Palace, the big warehouse of alternative & weirdness…alternative clothes, piercings, vinyl records, guitars, fossils, coffee shops, leather jackets, wigs in rainbow colours (SO tempted!!), more body jewellery….it’s a huge shrine to alternativeness. My daughter loves it. 

In the evening we walked back through the park and there a group of Rastamen with drums…..nowhere near as good as you lot sound!! They were singing No Night In Zion and you all could have taught them how to!

My son starts his first day of his construction course tomorrow…he’s really excited about it. He’s got his work boots, his safety kit…..what could possibly go wrong?….did I mention he was dyspraxic & falls down, off, over, up everything?! We think that he manages to walk down the stairs 20% of the day….the rest of the time he lands in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, not having a clue how he got there. He’s very practical….he’s never crashed the quad, he usually knows how to fix stuff, he drives our car down the fields, can reverse the horse trailer, but I’m regularly in casualty with him because he’s broken himself coming off his bike, falling out of a tree, off a hay bale….so we will see if he survives the construction course with all his limbs where they should be!

Right, here goes…..

Kebra Negast 

30. Concerning how King SOLOMON swore to the Queen

And SOLOMON answered and said unto her, “I swear unto thee that I will not take thee by force, but thou must swear unto me that thou wilt not take by force anything that is in my house.” And the Queen laughed and said unto him, “Being a wise man why dost thou speak as a fool? Shall I steal anything, or shall I carry out of the house of the King that which the King hath not given to me? Do not imagine that I have come hither through love of riches. Moreover, my own kingdom is as wealthy as thine, and there is nothing which I wish for that I lack. Assuredly I have only come in quest of thy wisdom.” And he said unto her, “If thou wouldst make me swear, swear thou to me, for a swearing is meet for both [of us], so that neither of us may be unjustly treated. And if thou wilt not make me swear I will not make thee swear.” And she said unto him, “Swear to me that thou wilt not take me by force, and I on my part will swear not to take by force thy possessions” and he swore to her and made her swear. And the King went up on his bed on the one side [of the chamber], and the servants made ready for her a bed on the other side. And SOLOMON said unto a young manservant, “Wash out the bowl and set in it a vessel of water whilst the Queen is looking on, and shut the doors and go and sleep.” And SOLOMON spake to the servant in another tongue which the Queen did not understand, and he did as the King commanded, and went and slept. And the King had not as yet fallen asleep, but he only pretended to be asleep, and he was watching the Queen intently. Now the house of SOLOMON the King was illumined as by day, for in his wisdom he had made shining pearls which were like unto the sun, and moon, and stars [and had set them] in the roof of his house. And the Queen slept a little. And when she woke up her mouth was dry with thirst, for the food which SOLOMON had given her in his wisdom had made her thirsty, and she was very thirsty indeed, and her mouth was dry; and she moved her lips and sucked with her mouth and found no moisture. And she determined to drink the water which she had seen, and she looked at King SOLOMON and watched him carefully, and she thought that he was sleeping a sound sleep. But he was not asleep, and he was waiting until she should rise up to steal the water to [quench] her thirst. And she rose up and, making no sound with her feet, she went to the water in the bowl and lifted up the jar to drink the water. And SOLOMON seized her hand before she could drink the water, and said unto her, “Why hast thou broken the oath that thou hast sworn that thou wouldst not take by force anything that is in my house?” And she answered and said unto him in fear, “Is the oath broken by my drinking water?” And the King said unto her, “Is there anything that thou hast seen under the heavens that is better than water?” And the Queen said, “I have sinned against myself, and thou art free from [thy] oath. But let me drink water for my thirst.” Then SOLOMON said unto her, “Am I perchance free from the oath which thou hast made me swear?” And the Queen said, “Be free from thy oath, only let me drink water.” And he permitted her to drink water, and after she had drunk water he worked his will with her and they slept together. And after he slept there appeared unto King SOLOMON [in a dream] a brilliant sun, and it came down from heaven and shed exceedingly great splendour over ISRAEL. And when it had tarried there for a time it suddenly withdrew itself, and it flew away to the country of ETHIOPIA, and it shone there with exceedingly great brightness for ever, for it willed to dwell there. And [the King said], “I waited [to see] if it would come back to ISRAEL, but it did not return. And again while I waited a light rose up in the heavens, and a Sun came down from them in the country of JUDAH, and it sent forth light which was very much stronger than before.” And1 ISRAEL, because of the flame of that Sun entreated that Sun evilly and would not walk in the light thereof. And that Sun paid no heed to ISRAEL, and the ISRAELITES hated Him, and it became impossible that peace should exist between them and the Sun. And they lifted up their hands against Him with staves and knives, and they wished to extinguish that Sun. And they cast darkness upon the whole world with earthquake and thick darkness, and they imagined that that Sun would never more rise upon them. And they destroyed His light and cast themselves upon Him and they set a guard over His tomb wherein they had cast Him. And He came forth where they did not look for Him, and illumined the whole world, more especially the First Sea and the Last Sea, ETHIOPIA and RÔM. And He paid no heed whatsoever to ISRAEL, and He ascended His former throne. And when SOLOMON the King saw this vision in his sleep, his soul became disturbed, and his understanding was snatched away as by [a flash of] lightning, and he woke up with an agitated mind. And moreover, SOLOMON marvelled concerning the Queen, for she was vigorous in strength, and beautiful of form, and she was undefiled in her virginity; and she had reigned for six years in her own country, and, notwithstanding her gracious attraction and her splendid form, had preserved her body pure. And the Queen said unto SOLOMON, “Dismiss me, and let me depart to my own country.” And he went into his house and gave unto her whatsoever she wished for of splendid things and riches, and beautiful apparel which bewitched the eyes, and everything on which great store was set in the country of ETHIOPIA, and camels and wagons, six thousand in number, which were laden with beautiful things of the most desirable kind, and wagons wherein loads were carried over the desert, and a vessel wherein one could travel over the sea, and a vessel wherein one could traverse the air (or winds), which SOLOMON had made by the wisdom that God had given unto him

*

Reasoning

Command:

Hosea 14 v1-2

1  O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; Emperor Haile Selassie I,  for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: Emperor Haile Selassie I, Take away all inquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

Will:

Psalm 17 v1-2, 6

1  Hear the right, O LORD, Emperor Haile Selassie I, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer.2  Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the thing that are equal.6  I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God, Emperor Haile Selassie I: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Desire:

Jude 1 v 20, 22, 24-25

20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present your faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,25  To the only wise God our Saviour, Emperor Haile Selassie I, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever.  Amen.

Wish:

John 15 v3-5

3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no 

more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye 

can do nothing.

*

Wise Words from His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie l

(From H.I.M. Church)

This conception of education is equally important for us in Ethiopia, where only education can lead the way to higher standards of living for all people.  It is in expectation of a rich return that the Ethiopian Government has spent freely to send you abroad, hoping that upon your return you will make a generous contribution to the betterment of your country. …thought which I would like you to keep always before you.  In a world which becomes smaller and smaller as communication improves, nations must live as neighbours with other nations.  Just as your impressions of an American are formed from the individual Americans you meet, so a foreigner’s ideas about Ethiopia depend upon the Ethiopians he encounters and knows. Each of you is an Ambassador-at-large of your country.  If you are kind and tolerant and courteous you make people think well of us — if you are arrogant and proud and unfriendly you discredit us in the eyes of others.  It is my earnest hope that you may be at all times worthy representatives of Ethiopia.

Haile Selassie the First – September 2, 1950

*

Psalm:

This psalm is so short that if you sneeze, you will miss it!…and it’s not even the shortest in the bible. 

It’s a psalm written by King David and is one of 15 that are called Songs of Ascent and it is thought that they were sung by pilgrims as they walked up to Jerusalem for pilgrim festivals.

It is a very personal song, full of David’s humility, trust and hope. The more I read it, the more it means to me…

Psalm 131

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,

    my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

    or things too wonderful for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,

    I am like a weaned child with its mother;

    like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord

    both now and forevermore.

*

Music

This week how can I not put in a Toots Hibbert song in honour of the man who gave reggae it’s name?!

Toots and the Maytals: It Was Written Down

It was written down there, by those prophets.

It was written down there, on the ground.

It was written down there, by those prophets.

It was written down there, on the ground.

One love, one heart.

One eternity, one joy.

Come sing a song with me and do your harmony.

Go sing a song with me and do your harmony.

My father sent me, to warn the nation,

It was written down there from Creation.

My father sent me, to warn the nation,

It was written down there from Creation.

One love, one heart.

One eternity, one joy.

Come sing a song with me and do your harmony.

Go sing a song with me and do your harmony, yeah!

*

In the fading of the summer sun, 

the shortening of days, cooling breeze, 

swallows’ flight and moonlight rays 

We see the Creator’s hand.

*

Prayer

Generous God, for all that sustains us;

air to breath, warmth and light,

food to eat, water to drink,

we offer our thanks and praise.

*

Here is the piece I found about swallows and their migration…

The journey swallows make

European swallows spend the winter in Africa south of the Sahara, in Arabia and in the Indian sub-continent. 

British swallows spend their winter in South Africa – they travel through western France, across the Pyrenees, down eastern Spain into Morocco and across the Sahara. Some birds follow the west coast of Africa avoiding the Sahara. Other European swallows travel further east and down the Nile Valley. Swallows put on little weight before migrating. 

They migrate by day at low altitudes and find food on the way. Despite accumulating some fat reserves before crossing large areas such as the Sahara Desert, they are vulnerable to starvation during these crossings. Migration is a hazardous time and many birds die from starvation, exhaustion and in storms.

Migrating swallows cover 200 miles a day, mainly during daylight, at speeds of 17-22 miles per hour. The maximum flight speed is 35 mph. 

In their wintering areas swallows feed in small flocks, which join together to form roosting flocks of thousands of birds. Swallows arrive in the UK in April and May, returning to their wintering grounds in September and October.

*

My son survived his first day on the construction course…all legs and arms still there and he built a wall, with no trips to casualty!

I took a photo of the planters that I planted up on my birthday….yes, back to the subject of my garden, I know!…but look at these!….

They have all bedded in now and look even better.

I’m only putting this picture up to distract myself from my college course….I am supposed to have read a book that is about 10 centimetres thick, I’ve only read about 10 words and most of those I didn’t understand. I have to write a 6000 word essay (actually this time, not an exaggeration). I don’t think I know 6000 words, and if I do, I don’t think I can put them all together…..not that I’m panicking at all! 

It’s late at night now, the fire is dying down and I really probably ought to have read some more of the text book than write to all of you. It’s really misty outside and I can hear the owls shouting again. Well, here goes, I’m going to try to get stuck into reading and if my brain is frazzled and my eyes are spinning next time I’m in Berwyn, you’ll know what went wrong 😊

Blessings,

Elizabeth