Booming Banter

 

The beautiful word Benediction crossed my path today. Hadn’t heard or seen it for such a long time.

This term was used in days gone by at the end of a Church Service. Maybe in some places it is still used but the simpler word Blessing  is much more likely.

The two words are of course interchangeable yet Benediction seems much more powerful!

This perception could well be based on what was instilled in and bestowed on me by a wonderful man Canon John Bell.

He was the minister at our Church Holy Trinity Ballylesson for almost three decades and was involved in giving the Benediction at every  single major milestone in my life.

The Canon was also a very avide beekeeper. Maybe not a coincidence that just this past week we found some lovely bee wax he’d given us years ago

Each Sunday he would send us off for the week with a Benediction. Most often this would be;

»Go forth now into the world in peace. Be of good cheer. Hold fast that which is good and the Lord thy God shall go with you whither so ever you may go »

What more could you ask for!

Blessing # 166 – Bees and their Keepers

Being partial to a candle or two burning of an evening a lot of candle ends  accumulate.

After years feeling sorry for the bits that weren’t getting a chance to shine the light dawned that they could be recycled

So, for the past two years these little pieces are now lovingly set aside and eventually find their way into memory candles for special friends.

At the end of each season when the decor is being changed all that has accumulated over the season undergoes a transformation.

Today, being the end of fall decor and the start of Christmas for us, the candle making took place and I took photos to share how it goes.

The wax is melted in a little Pyrex jug on the floor of the microwave. Of course all metal wick holders have to be removed first so a little meltdown over some boiling water  might be needed

Once melted the wax gets really hot so it’s quite dangerous work. It then has to be poured layer by layer otherwise the wick comes unstuck. This is not a bad thing because it allows colored layers to be made.

Now those of you thinking that I have lost the plot or should get a life or at least get to IKEA immediately may be right but all this helps me build patience which is a virtue that normally isn’t part of my repertoire.

All was proceeding well today and after four hours of melting and pouring the last layers were set and I was pleased as punch with the outcome.

Until that is one of the wicks fell into the wax and a hole had to be dug to get it out.

This bit of wax had to be remelted and here is where a corner was cut that could have been a disaster.

The racks in the microwave had already been put back in place so I stuck the jug on a piece of paper on the top rack rather than taking the racks out and putting the jug on the microwave floor.

You guessed right a blaze started. Some wax on the paper caught fire and set the rest of the wax off too. Fortunately Krishna helped me get it out with a wet towel and there wasn’t much in that jug to burn but it could have been horrible.

What was that talk of PATIENCE?

Blessing # 165 – Tough Love

An estimated five thousand calories were consumed yesterday. Everyone enjoyed and it was real tasty but the best is yet to come. Turkey SOUP!

Some people call it broth but there is something about that word that isn’t appetizing for me. Anyone else feel that way?

Just love love love soup and it’s a making right now. The stock’s bubblin’ and will be going for another hour or so. Once it’s cooled a little will be used today and a lot  will be portioned up and frozen for future use in intense therapy sessions.

Chopping veggies is one of my go to best ever mind numbingly happy things. If items in the fridge get tired or it becomes highly congested the chopping goes into over drive. If a bit of a bad mood surfaces look out and listen for the click of that knife on wood.

The thought of a good drop of soup at the end of it all is a prospect that never fail to bring a smile.

Blessing # 164 – Joys of Leftovers

 

The day for National Thanksgiving is with us and we are getting ready to pop a really big bird in the oven.

We will read how to cook a turkey about a million times and hear in ever TV show how the star chefs handle theirs.

We’ll prod it and brine it and stuff it and baste it all to make it juicy! Bet those pilgrims just roasted it over a spit and tucked in!

This is one of the best holidays in the USA. It brings family and friends together and allows us all to eat way too much.

Back home we have harvest thanksgiving service at church. We sang some beautiful hymns. The one that sums it all up is of German origin We Plough The Fields and Scatter.

In days gone by the harvest service was followed by a supper. All the foods brought to decorate the church would be eaten. Thomas Hardy described these suppers so well in his novels.

In those days this was a feast that was enjoyed rarely. Today we feast all year round so what is special today is that we stop for a few moments to think of all who are near and dear to us both near and far away and to reflect on all our many blessings.

Enjoy!!

Blessing # 163 – All Good Gifts Around Us!

We have great music at our Church including really rousing organ music.

Last Sunday for the opening procession our organist played a wonderful piece listed in the bulletin as Hallelujah by Giovanni Baptista.

Now I am no music buff so the fact I’d never heard of Giovanni was no great surprise.

It turns out that the name was really popular in Europe in the Baroque period and could have a variety of spellings. Often it was qualified with an origin.

So thanks to Goggle I first hit on a Giovanni Battista from Pergolesi. No Hallelujah though! So digging a little deeper another Giovanni this time from Lully in France was found and my feeling is he is the one.

I still haven’t found the Hallelujah but have uncovered some other magnificent pieces and two composers for the price of one! Puts new meaning to Buy One Get One Free!

Blessing # 162 – New Tunes

Yesterday, talking about Rory Best and his home club of Banbridge brought back many fond memories of this great market town.

My parents and all my grandparents came from around “the Bann” as it is fondly known and many family and friends still live there today.

The town was originally no more than a little village know as Seapatrick Parish and that is where my Dad was born.

The local newspaper is the Banbridge Chronicle. It is published each Tuesday and I read it direct thanks to Facebook!

In the 1960s things were just a little slower! My Granny Barr would get it hand delivered to her in Belfast every Thursday by my Dads cousin Sammy.

Sammy and his friend Davy brought linen from the mill at Seapatrick to the factory where my Dad worked in Belfast so it could be “ornamented”. In other words folded fancy and boxed for sale.

Sammy and Davy would give Granny the paper and while the kettle was boiling for their tea she’d read the deaths!!!! They’d then discuss the details and lament the passing of those they knew.

This continued long after Granny passed on and as a teenager I’d get a ride in Sammys van all the way to Seapatrick to spend a week or two with my Dads cousins.

Sometimes Carol would come too and we loved it there especially all the good bread and jam that my Dads cousin Susan made and the flowers that cousin Davy would grow. The smells were wonderful and the Dahlias were the size of dinner plates.

Susan loved singing and one of her favorite tunes the Star of The County Down. It tells the tale of a beautiful young lady from the Bann who smiles at a lad as they meet on a country lane.

Wonder did she look anything like this local beauty?

Blessing #161 – Online News & Old Photos

 

This weekend the Irish Rugby team pulled off a great victory beating the All Blacks 16 to 9.

With this victory it is likely the homeland will climb to the Number ONE spot in the world of Rugby. We are the BEST!

This position is down to many things not least the team captain the might Rory BEST of Banbridge and Ulster!

Ironic that two of the greatest sportsmen Northern Ireland has ever produced both have the same, not so common, surname. BEST!

George was the hero of the Manchester United soccer team of the 1960s and early 1970s. He was the fifth Beatle and is viewed as a legend in Belfast. Our City Airport is even named after him.

Our dear Rory surely deserves a similar honor.

Should we rename the City Airport George & Rory Best?

Or should we name the International Airport Rory Best International.

Just imagine that BEST Airports in the BEST place!

Ready for a sporting campaign!

Blessing # 160 – Sporting Connections

Close to our home there is a big farm with lots of animals grazing in the fields just beside the river. It is very picturesque.

Unlike Ireland and the UK it’s quite  unusual to see large numbers of animals outside in Ohio. It’s particularly rare to see sheep and lambs.

There doesn’t seem to be a big market for lamb or mutton and when you do find it it is really expensive.

The farm near us is just beside a main state road with a busy four way traffic stop that often backs up.

The joy of this jam is watching what’s happening down on the farm. Each field has these lovely little shelters for the animals to go to in inclement weather and the whole place looks pristine like a model farm.

They often have rare breeds which makes me wonder if the farms associated with the university.

Today as we waited for the light to turn green we saw some new and very cute little sheep with blackheads. They really look like they had a hood on. Ready for winter and a snow flake or two!

Blessing # 159 – Unknowns in Unexpected Places

 

So wish I had access to BBC today to watch Strictly Come Dancing live from Blackpool.

This show is like the US Dancing With the Stars just a million times better and funnier.

Blackpool is the home of ballroom dancing and way back when in the 1960s it was the place where the original Come Dancing series took place.

The original program was something that you watched if there was absolutely nothing else on TV. It was serious ballroom dancing and to be kind your Granny might have likes it!

Strictly, as it is fondly known in the UK, has a huge audience and a cult following. The judges are such characters but what makes it so good is that the personalities who compete are truly amateurs. Some of them have no clue about dancing when they start.

The participants make us mortals feel that anything is possible with hard work,  determination and a good teacher.

Just need to wait for the upload tomorrow!

Blessing # 158 – You Tube and Dreaming

 

Unless it is melted in mashed potatoes butter doesn’t set my heart on fire.

BUT a post from my friend Charlie yesterday was a reminder that butter is getting a lot of good press.

For years it was demonized as the blocker of arteries and the cause of  many problems.

Today it would seem new studies show its virtues and that those who eat plenty of it are at no higher risk than those who don’t.

While focus on a single dietary item is not recommended this underlines the truth that everything in moderatiin is fine.

Still, even after more than thirty years working in the food industry  the moderation message always seems so staid and boring to me.

Oscar put it so well when he said

BUT look what happened to our poor dear Oscar!

Thoughts?

Blessing # 157– A little of what you fancy does you good!