stuff I also care about

my true personality will out!

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test http://www.blogthings.com/themuppetpersonalitytest/

I took the Muppet test - she's my favourite and probably my alter ego - or should that be 'altar ego'? I think it shows I lie in tests!

retreat at home

I'm lucky to live alone and have the opportunity to take retreat time at home. Not only could I watch the moorhens but there has been space for all the parts of a retreat that I needed: time for reading and thinking as broadly as possible, this time accompanied by Walter Brueggemann's new book (he's my all-time hero) The Word that redescribes the World, Fortress 2006 – how up-to-the-minute is that! I feel so energized for preaching and living when I read his stuff, and normally I don’t find time because it needs slow-cooking in my brain and parish life doesn’t accommodate that too well. And so good to be at home with my moorhens and others! I've also spent time praying, cooking, sleeping and walking. Those are the usual components for me when I go away on retreat but this time I've also had the internet to blog and keep in touch non-verbally with the world. I need to know what's happening in order to pray well. I've also had my neighbours in the hostel for people who find themselves homeless popping in for extra equipment donated by other parishes and kept here, and for food from Elijah's cupboard. E's cupboard is a special space in my kitchen kept filled with food and drink by people from St Katharine's Matson. It never runs out - just like E's cruse of oil and jar of meal which he left with the widow and her son. God's abundance in tins!

more moorhens

The moorhen didn't show up yesterday and I wondered if it had gone for good. But today it's back bringing another one with it. The two are sticking close together and are only venturing into the edge of the garden as yet. One is more adventurous but the other hangs back. It would be so brilliant to see them with chicks later on. I'll try to find a large shallow tray for water that I can leave on the margin of the garden so that they might feel more at home.

additional critters

Bill has been mentioned in another blog http://sugarspicemice.blogspot.com/and now needs his picture posted. A greyhound (lurcher??) of distinction - he killed 5 bantams when he was a pup by playing with them but now appears to accept birds in the garden including the moorhen which still visits daily.

The news today is that the N5H1 virus has divided into two types. The cold spring seems to be delaying migrating birds from arriving but I guess it's still only a matter of time before it arrives and some action has to be taken. There are a few wild mallards on the fishing pond next door today but they keep themselves to themselves.

visitor update

The moorhen is still in the garden each day - eating the food I put down for the poultry and bathing in the duck's pool. She is seemingly unworried by any bird but shy of humans. I am so thrilled that she's stuck around. I get a huge buzz out of seeing her each time, so that I don't want to go on retreat next week because I'll miss the opportunity to watch her progress with the others!

I've done more thinking about the issue of the outsider who might pose a threat: The story of the plague in Eyam in Derbyshire and the way the villagers selflessly quarantined themselves to prevent it from spreading to outlying districts is well known. The Plague ended in October 1666. In 14 months it had claimed 260 lives out of a total of around 800 in the village (ref: http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk). That they cut themselves off rather than infect others is a story of goodness. They could have run away and thereby spread the illness further but chose to stay and wait it out even though the plague was in their midst. In their case the outsiders were kept safe.

Human responses to outsiders are often full of fear or anxiety. British attitudes to asylum seekers and refugees is mixed but often shows rejection - "in case there's not enough for us". I think it is Walter Brueggemann who has written about our culture of scarcity being confronted by a gospel of plenty. The God whom Jesus enacts is one who gives abundance - 5000 were fed and 12 baskets left over. We have enough and to spare and yet our lives are lived in an anxiety that there is not sufficient for us let alone anyone else and so strangers are not welcomed. The gospel of welcome, of sharing food and drink, the best there is, is one that is so precious to me. Trying to live it out in a poor community, first in Worcester and then in Gloucester makes me realise that firstly it is true - God does give abundantly to those who give away what they have. Secondly, those who are poor know the value of such sharing better than those who have little material shortage.

visitor

http://www.moorhen.demon.co.uk

Today a moorhen has moved into the garden and began eating the duck pellets. It's a beautiful bird and much more tame than I'm used to with wild birds. The ducks chase it away but the hens and bantams seem much more philosophical and accept its presence. I guess it comes from the nearby angling pool. I suppose the question is: "Is this wild bird a carrier of disease and how should we react to its presence?" DEFRA recommends keeping poultry in a covered place so that no wild birds come into contact with them. I can't do that practically. But having had this wonderful visitor today and watched it interact with the others I don't want to keep it out. Even if it brings disease it is worth it.

It seems to me that sometimes the risk of the outside is outweighed by the beauty of what is from elsewhere. I would be the poorer if this moorhen hadn't arrived. When bird flu comes it won't make any distinctions between my birds and wild birds. They will share the same experience and we will lose them all.

I think I'll research some attitudes to the Black Death in history when certain communities cut themselves off so as not to infect their neighbours. We always assume that 'we' are the pure ones and that 'others' will infect us. That wasn't the way of it for some farsighted people - nor is it the way of it for people living with HIV and AIDS.

the poultry keeper 

current good sites;
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/

http://www.generous.org.uk/news/

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

http://www.operationnoah.org/

http://www.theorganicfarmshop.co.uk/

http://www.glasshouse-orchard.org.uk/

http://goodinparts.blogspot.com/

http://sugarspicemice.blogspot.com/

http://www.tikkun.org/community

signing up with DEFRA

A few days ago I signed up with DEFRA so that they know how many hens, ducks and bantams I've got in case of bird flu. It seemed sensible to tell but only if we are going to be given information about bird flu that makes sense to us backyard poultry keepers. I can't keep them indoors - there's no 'indoors' to keep them in unless I put them in the bathroom! The point about signing up, I think, is that if there's a possibility of vaccination for the birds to prevent them from getting bird flu then at least I should know by being known to DEFRA. One of the questions I had to answer was 'is there a pond or reservoir within 5oom of the birds?' There is the fishing pond next door of course. I heard wild ducks on it this morning early. So when bird flu comes to this part of Gloucestershire - and it's surely only a matter of time - then we're not safe at all really.