Beautiful beach sunset

We decided last minute to visit a local(ish) beach to watch the sun set.

It was certainly worth it.

The beauty of creation.

Snow!

Oh my goodness, I just love snow.

L calls the snow drifts - 'snow dunes', hahaha.

We had to pop out to the shop as there was a dire emergency!  We'd run out of coffee!!  The horror!

The Herb of Grace - Elizabeth Goudge - Book Review

5 stars

One of my most favourite books. When Elizabeth Goudge writes characters she reveals their soul and their roots. The animating principle, throughout her books, is the mystery, the beauty, the strength, the warmth, and the light of God.

I won't say much more, except that I think my favourite character in this my second reading is Hilary:
"Increasingly, as he got older he enjoyed things. As his personal humility deepened, so did his awareness of the amazing bounty of God... So many things... The mellow warmth of the port, the pleasure of the game, the sign of Lucilla's lovely old face in the firelight, and David's fine hands holding the cards, his awareness of Margaret's endearing simplicity, and the contentment of the two old dogs dozing on the hearth... One by one the small joys fell; Only, to Hilary no joy was small - each had its own mystery, aflame with the glory of God"

Beautiful kitty

Watching the birds

Happy kitty

A while ago Boots was diagnosed with a thyroid problem and prescribed very high dose tablets. Recently, she started moving weirdly, like she was in pain, with sad staring eyes and would sleep hunched up. The vets could find nothing wrong.

Then I suddenly wondered if it was side effects from the tablets. So 4 days ago I stopped giving her the tablets. Within 2 days she was TONS better. Yesterday, I took her to the vets and he agreed she was so much better. And look at her now, 4 days after stopping the tablets! She hasn't relaxed like this in months.

The Bird in the Tree - Elizabeth Goudge - Book Review

5 stars

I've previously read The Herb of Grace (Pilgrim's Inn) and The Heart of the Family (books 2 & 3 in the series), but had never read this one, the first in the series, 'The Eliots of Damerosehay'.

This is a book about true life being rooted in a deeper life source than mere passing fancy and passion; it's a book about faithfulness and truth.

It's also magical. The house, the history, the people, give this story so much depth and heart.

The grandmother Lucilla, dignified and much loved doyenne of Damerosehay is distressed to learn that her grandson, David, is passionately and overwhelmingly in love with someone who will cause much pain for the family.

I wrote a few quotes down, but I love this, which is part of a speech by Lucilla to David in response to his heartfelt belief that being true is being true to your most passionate feelings, however much pain they may cause others:

'What is it once one moves beyond the narrow conception of truth as the correctly spoken word?...[T]rue action is the creation of perfection while lying action is the creation of something that falls short of the ideal...truth at its greatest is something made in the likeness of God.

'[I]f truth is the creation of perfection then it is action and has nothing to do with feeling. And the nearest we can get to creating perfection in this world is to create good for the greatest number, for the community or the family not just for ourselves; to create for ourselves only means misery and confusion for everybody. That made me see that acting a part is not always synonymous with lying, it is far more often the best way of serving the truth. It is more truthful to act what we should feel if the community is to be well served rather than behave as we actually do feel in our selfish private feelings.'

The story does not merely focus on David and Lucilla, but also on Damerosehay and its history, and the other family members, and local residents. It's a wonderful, wonderful story.

When you want to read a book, but you have a cat...