CHAPLAIN’S LETTER
How often do you invite someone else to come to church with you? Most of us find that sort of thing quite a challenge, probably because most of us are afraid of the answer “No”. So the invitation stays carefully folded in our pocket – so to speak. But God is both more generous and also more courageous than most of us.
He sends out invitations to anyone and everyone because he wants his banqueting hall to be full. Read the full story in Luke 14.15-24.
To challenge us to become an “inviting church” the chaplaincy council has unanimously agreed that we should take part in a local version of “Back to Church Sunday” – see www.backtochurch.co.uk. And so we are planning to hold our first special “Guest Service” at Holy Trinity on Sunday 26th September.
Now before you either nod your head approvingly or shake your head disapprovingly and turn to another page of the Newsletter, I want every member of Holy Trinity to realize that this venture involves you. And I want you to take part for one simple reason and it’s this –
There may be someone you know who is longing to reconnect with the church but who needs you to invite them.
Just think about it. God is already out in the harvest field making the crop ready, and all he asks of us is to help him bring in the harvest. And the question we have to ask that friend or acquaintance or even family member is very simple – it goes like this:
“Would you like to come to church with me on Sunday 26th – we are holding a special guest service.”
Having read this far, you may like me be wondering who on earth you could invite. So if there isn’t an obvious person – pray about it. Ask God to show you who he wants you to invite. If you have the courage to pray that prayer – God will answer it because he has chosen us to become “fishers of men” - Luke 5.10.
And while you are praying, please pray that all of us at Holy Trinity will be given the courage to take part, and pray for God’s blessing on the whole venture.
If we do manage to ask “the question” – we may not only become a blessing to others, but will undoubtedly find blessing ourselves.
Fr John
AUGUST 14, MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
Maximilian Kolbe is remembered on August 14th. If you don’t know about this fairly modern martyr and saint, his story can be found by looking on the Internet. He was a Fraciscan priest who was sent to Auschwitz in May 1941. As revenge for an attempted escape, several prisoners were randomly selected to be starved to death. One of these was a young man with a new family and as he cried out in despair, Maximilian volunteered to take his place. After two weeks, Kolbe, who had helped the others to die with dignity, was still alive. He was killed by an injection of phenol. He was canonized in 1982 and the man whose place he took was present at the ceremony.
OUR PILGRIM PLACES: HISTORIC CHRISTIAN SITES IN BRITAIN : IONA - part 2
Last month we remembered that in 563 a little group of monks from Ireland arrived in Scotland. They were headed by a monk called Columba, and they settled on Iona. Soon the little island was recognised as a centre of Christian spirituality. Columba and his monks established churches and monasteries, ordained priests and appointed monks according to the Celtic tradition and the customs they had learned in Ireland. Now read on...
Columba was a man of many gifts and talents. He was a preacher, an evangelist, a translator, a scholar and a diplomat. The Pict chieftains respected him and he travelled freely across the country. Traditions about him recount how the tribal chiefs consulted him not only about the faith he preached, but also about the education and care of their people.
There are two main accounts of Columba’s life and work. About a hundred years after his death one of the Abbots of Iona, Adomnan, wrote Vita Columbae, ‘Life of Columba,’ and Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, also gave information about him. While both these sources are informative and fascinating, it is often difficult to separate the fact from the fiction. Many miracles are attributed to Columba and it’s simply not possible to tell what great works were wrought by Columba in the power of the Spirit and what ‘miracles’ were invented by sympathetic biographers and historians.
What is not in doubt, however, is that Columba was a man of God and while there are questions about how many physical miracles he performed, there is no question at all that another kind of miracle authenticated Columba’s ministry. This was what might be called the ever-present miracle of the gospel of Christ; lives changed from darkness to light and from sin to holiness by the transforming power of the regenerating Holy Spirit.
Columba made a visit back to Ireland late in life and returned to finish his days on his beloved Iona. He died there on June 9, 597 and was buried in the abbey he had founded. It is worth noting that the year in which Columba died on the Scottish island of Iona, 597, was also the year in which Augustine arrived in Kent to bring Roman Christianity to England.
Concluded next month. Dr Herbert McGonigle is Senior Lecturer in Historical Theology and Church History at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester.
PRAYER CHAIN
If you have any requests for the prayer chain, or if you feel called to take part in this ministry, please contact Anne Miechielsen
NOT US, SURELY?
God made man in his own image, and man returned the compliment.
WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA? AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:
1 CORINTHIANS
'When people become Christians, they don?t at the same moment become nice. This always comes as something of a surprise' (Eugene Peterson). Paul founded the church in Corinth in AD 52, having preached the gospel and seen people come to faith in Christ. He spent a year and a half with them, showing them how to live out this new life as a community of believers. However, sometime later he received reports that in his absence factions had developed, morals were in disrepair and worship had degenerated into a selfish grabbing for the supernatural. Paul?s letter, written around AD 55 from Ephesus, was a pastoral response to these problems.
Corinth was one of the main commercial centres of the Mediterranean world, as well as the chief city of Greece. It was a crossroads for travellers and traders across the Empire. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom. Corinth was also renowned for its immorality - e.g. the temple of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) was served by more than 1,000 prostitutes. In fact, the verb ?to corinthianize? meant ?to practice sexual immorality.? Little wonder that the church in Corinth was plagued with so many problems!
It is clear that, although the church was gifted (1:4?7), it was immature and unspiritual (3:1?4). Paul?s purpose for writing was to:
- instruct and restore the church in its areas of weakness, correcting erroneous practices such as divisions (1:10?4:21), immorality (ch. 5; 6:12?20), litigation in pagan courts (6:1?8) and the abuse of the Lord?s Supper (11:17?34).
- correct false teaching concerning the resurrection (ch. 15).
- answer questions concerning marriage, food sacrificed to idols and spiritual gifts etc.
This letter is very relevant for us today, as we are also powerfully influenced by our cultural environment. Many of the questions and problems that confronted the church at Corinth are still with us, e.g. immaturity, instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties, sexual immorality and the misuse of spiritual gifts. Yet despite the problems, Paul?s letter contains some of the most familiar and loved chapters in the entire Bible e.g. chapter 15 on the theme of Jesus? resurrection and chapter 13 on Christian love: ?And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.? (13:13).
SKY FRIGHT or THE LIMITATIONS OF PRIESTHOOD
An airliner flew into a violent thunderstorm and was soon bumping around in the sky. One very nervous lady happened to be sitting next to a clergyman and turned to him for comfort. ?Can?t you do something?? she demanded forcefully.
?I?m sorry ma?am,? said the priest gently. ?I?m in sales, not management.?
MUSIC AND FLOWER FESTIVAL 2010 - A WORD OF THANKS
Thanks to the participation of so many people in our Music and Flower Festival, the weekend proved to be a great success. The contributions of all turned out to be invaluable and, as Festival Coordinator, I am grateful for all the help and the time that was given both prior to, and/or on the days of the Festival weekend.
Some people are interested in figures, so here they come: there were 2 services on Sunday; the Eucharist was prayed and sung by 107 worshippers. Choral Evensong welcomed 37 people; the choir consisted of 10 people; both services were conducted by our chaplain. On Saturday there were 7 recitals given by about 65 performers coming from the East and the West of the Netherlands, but also locally based performers as well. Even some of our own people took part. We can be rightly proud of the talents with which we have been blessed. More than 30 people were helping in the tearoom, the kitchen and in the various stalls. About 30 people made cakes, sandwiches and scones, or brought other goodies to the tearoom. All in all Holy Trinity Church welcomed about 460 people.
The bonus this year is that there was no need to hire a grand piano. The 'new' piano in the church turned out to be a favourite with recitalists. That saved the expenditure of about ?600. We also received a grant that covered the expenses of the beautiful flower decorations. I would like to express a special thanks to the Flower Guild.
I am hitting now the financial subject but I won't bother you with all the details. However, I would like to let you know what the total sum coming from the donation jar in the church, the tearoom and the stalls was. Thanks to your generosity in donating goods and time (and saving on parking expenses) we made a profit of ?1230, and the flower stall made a further ?87.50. Well done all of you!
Finally I would like to thank the few hands that made the garden so beautiful and pleasant to sit in while enjoying the goodies on offer. Above all we thank the Lord for giving us two sunny days in the middle of miserable weather in the weeks before and after the Festival. We should count our blessings. I owe you all my thanks for your help and presence.
Henk
CONCERT FOR THE TIBETAN CHILREN
The final total from the benefit concert was ?750.75! This will allow us to complete the project for furnishing 12 lecture rooms. The money has already been made over to India.
The ?Wilde Ganzen? have also said that we can submit a new request to save for another 2 rooms! In Tibetan TSJO TSJI TSJE (thank you very much!).
Maya
DORSET IN ENGLAND
Perhaps you are one of the many readers of our Newsletter who knows how beautiful Dorset is. This county is located in Southern England and lies between Salisbury and Exeter. It is a world of unspoilt charm and outstanding natural beauty with rolling countryside. There are sleepy villages and flourishing market towns. One of them is Sherborne on the edge of West Dorset. It is one of the most beautiful towns in the whole South West of England. With its medieval buildings, two castles and world famous schools and ? of course - the magnificent Abbey, it is the ideal location to spend your holiday or short break while YOUR choir is singing in the Abbey. You are most welcome (actually we need your support!) to join us for Choral Evensong from Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th July. These services begin at 5.30pm.
When you come on 1st August a large congregation welcomes you for the Eucharist at 9.30am. We sing our final Choral Evensong that Sunday at 6.30pm. If you come that Sunday for the whole day then we would love to invite you to join us for a hot lunch. The choir has found accommodation in the famous Sherborne School for Girls and would be happy to show you around.
However, if you do plan to join us for lunch, could you let us know as we have to order your (free) meal in advance? Please let Henk know by Sunday 18th July at the latest (phone: 065-313 0086 or e-mail: office@holytrinityutrecht.nl) or after that date, call Harry on 0344-572799, e-mail harrybar@xs4all.nl (until July 24th).
On the other hand, you may just wish to pop in one day during the week, or even on the Sunday, simply to enjoy the worship in that beautiful Abbey church without joining us for lunch. You will be just as welcome!
We look forward to welcoming you in Sherborne.
Henk
OPEN CHURCH AT HTC
On Saturday, 28th of August, Holy Trinity will be open from 11 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. We hope to be able to welcome people into our building who perhaps would not otherwise enter a church. In the past, our open Saturdays have attracted all manner of people, including neighbours who had known the outside of the building for many years, but had never been inside, and people who had family connections to the building, going back to the very early days of our little church. The number of visitors is quite unpredictable and there were Saturdays in the past practically without guests while on other Saturdays the stream of visitors seemed endless.
Could you help by being a steward/guide on Saturday 28th of August for any period between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.? If you could, please contact Henk on 065-313 0086 (until July 18th), or via e-mail: office@holytrinityutrecht.nl.
WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I am saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost; that is why I chose this way."
When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Someone to be my Guide.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging I am strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak, and pray for strength to carry on.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and cannot ever pay the debt.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are all too visible, but God believes I'm worth it.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, which is why I cry his name.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority; I only know I'm loved.
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE OVER THE HILL?
If you are 58 or more, it seems that others may think that you are. A new survey has found that most of us consider ?youth? to be over by 35, and ?old age? to have begun at 58.
This may come as a surprise to many people who are more than 58, but who do not feel quite in the twilight of life just yet! After all, older people are living more active lives than ever before. The survey was done by the Economic and Social Research Council in London.
However old you are, here is an encouraging promise, found in Isaiah 46:3,4 : ?I have upheld you since you were conceived, and carried you since your birth. Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.? So no matter when you ?go over the hill?, God knows all about it, and is there to help you, if you call on him.
WHISPERS
A young curate lost his voice at the local football match one Saturday and, being due to preach the next morning, he thought he should call in and consult his vicar. So he rang the vicarage bell and the door was answered by the vicar?s very attractive teenage daughter.
?Is the vicar here?? the curate managed to whisper very quietly.
?No,? she whispered back, thinking she had got the message. ?Come on in!?
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN
A coincidence is when God performs a miracle and decides to remain anonymous.
Did it ever occur to you that nothing occurs to God?
Science adds years to your life but only Christ can add life to your years. Anon
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS: THE OIL OF HEALING
The Rev Dr Jo White completes her look at the oils we use in church.
Anointing people with oil can be traced back to earliest times and is recorded in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the times and the place when and where Jesus lived, oil was used regularly in society. It was used to greet people who honoured the host by coming to his house. Oil was also used to give a blessing and a sign of protection on those who were travelling away, perhaps on a dangerous journey or on a specific hard task.
James wrote (James 5:14) "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the Lord will raise him up." The Bishop, or his equivalent in a different denomination, blesses the ?Oil of Healing? or ?Oil of the Sick? (depending on how you look at it) at the special service for this purpose ? usually during Holy Week each year.
When needed, the priest will take the Oil of Healing to the person who is sick in mind or body, those about to undergo surgery or those nearing death. This will be wherever the person is at that time; at home, in hospital or in a hospice etc.
An increasing number of churches hold ?Healing Services? where people of all needs and none come together to pray for healing and wholeness. ?Wholeness? is intended to encompass everyone?s needs ? for we all have broken parts and cracks in our lives.
This month: think about how you take part in our own Healing Service each quarter. Who would you ask God?s blessing and healing upon? What parts of your own life would you wish to be mended? Broken relationships, bad memories, hurts unforgiven? What do you need strength to face?
MIRACLE 15: SHARING A ROOM ON IONA
2010: Time for another Holy Trinity Church group visit to Iona Abbey! After inviting everyone in the congregation to come along, seven people signed up: Father John and Pam of course, and five ladies. There were Betty Heynis and me from Holy Trinity Utrecht, Chris Los from Arnhem, Tineke Vonk from Zwolle and Ludy Kolijn from Amsterdam. Father John, Pam and Chris went ahead to the UK and we (the four other ladies) met at IJmuiden on the afternoon of May the 6th to start the long journey to Iona by first taking the ferry to Newcastle.
This is where our community life began: four ladies, who did not know each other very well, sharing one cabin: ?de vuurdoop?, as we say in Holland (baptism by fire). In Glasgow, Father John and Pam joined us, and once in Oban we met up with Chris. On Iona Father John and Pam were given a double room. And we (now five ladies) were ushered into a room for five: one bunk bed and three single beds; quite a challenge!
The week flew by! There was a wonderful group of guests from all over the world. They seemed to have so much to talk about and so may stories to share, that a week was by far not long enough. The story telling was stimulated by the presence of Jan Sutch Pickard, an Iona community member, who is a storyteller by profession and a poet. Jan read from her poetry one afternoon and organised an evening of story telling. Although it was a bit on the chilly side, the weather was glorious most of the time: brilliant sunshine. This made the guest pilgrimage (walk across Iona on the Tuesdays) very enjoyable and the ones visiting Staffa Island could take beautiful pictures of the puffins posing against a clear blue sky.
In the mornings, after doing our individual fifteen-minute tasks (like mopping the floor, hoovering, shining the mirrors in the bathroom or cleaning toilets) and attending the morning service, we gathered in the Chapter House for the sessions on ?peace making in every day life?. As it was such an enthusiastic group of guests, the sessions were lively and very interesting.
Most afternoons there was no programme and so you could find Betty bird watching in quiet places with her binoculars, Pam busy gardening together with Ian (a resident staff member), Father John painting in the craft room, Ludy souvenir shopping, and Chris, Tineke and me going for walks and climbing Dun I (the highest hill).
At nine in the evening all the guests gathered for the evening service in the Abbey. And after a nice cup of tea in the refectory some would wander off to the pub, others would get an early night?s sleep and on Monday evening, most of the guest went to the ceilidh (Scottish dancing) in the village hall.
On the way back to Holland we (the five ladies) stayed in a youth hostel in Edinburgh for two nights (to see the city) and were sharing a room once more. Never had I expected that sharing a room with so many could be so easy going and such fun: that it went so very well was a true miracle!
Madeleine
This year, I thought it would be appropriate to have a ?kitchen-eye? view of the Music and Flower Festival. Dave Thomas did sterling work there along with several other volunteers; he saw little of the festival and heard practically nothing of the music. However, he has come up with an interesting approach to some of the problems faced by those involved in the Festival ? enjoy! Ed.
MATHEMATICS AND THE MFF
Glorious sun, the Union Jack and the Dutch flag flying side by side and a garden full of tables. With choral voices singing in the background it had to be the Music and Flower Festival.
In the kitchen though, we were only treated to the odd strains of music in the background. Our day consisted of frantic moments of everything happening at once and sluggish periods when we could eat cherries and sit in the sun. In those quieter moments I could muse about the mechanics of this event and it struck me that it has a lot to do with queues, chance and arrangements.
From our vantage point in and around the kitchen we could observe various queues. There was the highly variable queue for the toilet next to the kitchen. Dominated by women and never usually less than two people in length. Then the
narrow passage leading to the kitchen. No smooth flow here but a stopping and starting of musicians to-ing and fro-ing from the hall to warm up, lost souls looking for the loo and kitchen personnel, trays in hand trying to negotiate their way through. Mathematicians have lots of mind-boggling sums to describe such situations (queuing theory). Mere mortals simply get on with it and politely squeeze past each other.
The busyness of the tearoom could of course be gauged by the flow of washing up and the rate at which cakes disappeared outside. Which opens up another field of mathematics, namely probability. For example, how could Hermien possibly gauge how many flasks of coffee to have ready for when the next recital had ended. And would there once again be a higher demand for tea than coffee in the afternoon? In the end there was a run on fruit juice, the tea largely went to waste and Harry was dispatched to buy more fruit juice ASAP. And then the recurrent question as to which cakes to take out next and which one would go fastest. This year?s winners for disappearing quickest were the chocolate cake (noted for sticky fingers and being a pig to wash off the plates), carrot cake and strawberry flan. And amongst the smaller items the scones won, although not everybody who consumed these realised that you are meant to use up all of the jam and cream!
Cakes aside we noticed a third mathematical problem, namely timing. For example, if you wanted to hear Joyful Noise and not miss the following recital given by John and Mieps, would you have time to grab a cake in between if you were not near the start of the tearoom queue? And what if you needed the loo as well? The answer apparently lies in combanitorial optimisation. These high-powered mathematics helped the Dutch National Railways to redesign their timetable from scratch back in 2007. Perhaps tossing a coin for concert or cake would be easier!
And last but not least fitting it all in: the mathematics of space. Not for nothing the beehive rule of only personnel in the kitchen! In a small room, washing up jostled for space with clean items and cakes still to be brought outside. At the tearoom tent it was quite an art to fit all the glasses, cups and delicious goodies on the table and for the staff not to fall over each other in their eagerness to serve the waiting guests.
At the end of the day, however, the overriding principle was the concept of harmony. In the end, everything seamlessly flowed together to produce a beautiful result. Happy people, superb music and, by about five o?clock, a tidy kitchen!
Dave
OUT OF THE MOUTHS...!
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "Honor thy father and thy mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."
THE PRIVILEGE OF READING GOD'S WORD
Reading the Bible, along with prayer and Christian fellowship, is a key aspect of discipleship. We don?t have to read the Bible to be a Christian ? after all, most people had to manage without a copy of the Scriptures until the first printing press was set up in 1476. Until the advent of free education, the ability to read was far from widespread and engaging with the Bible would have meant hearing it read aloud in church, although, thanks to translators such as William Tyndale, it was at least available in a common language.
Being able to read the Bible for ourselves is, then, a wonderful privilege that we should not take for granted. It is important that we sustain our delight in this privilege and we can do so in a number of ways.
Firstly, we can ensure that the translation we use is one that enhances our understanding of the passage. This does not necessarily mean a modern translation. After all, we may find that we have grown so familiar with our usual up-to-date version that what we read somehow begins to lose its freshness.
Secondly, we can develop our understanding by using Bible reading aids, which range from ?thought for the day? Bible notes to in-depth commentaries. If we have been using the same approach for a while and we are starting to find it a bit stale, the answer is not to abandon Bible reading, but to try a new approach! For example, we may have grown as much as we can on a ?thought for the day? diet and we should try the ?stronger meat? of an accessible commentary.
Finally, whenever we turn to the Scriptures, we should do so prayerfully. If we read the Bible as believers, it is more than a cultural treasure, or a collection of moral insights or inspiring stories. It is a means of connecting with the living God, whose Spirit inspired those who wrote it and those who helped to shape the canon of Scripture. As we read and reflect, so, amazingly, we will find that over time we continue to be transformed into the likeness of our Creator.
No, we don?t HAVE to read the Bible ? but who could turn down the chance of such blessing?
Naomi Starkey is a commissioning editor at B(ible)R(eading)F(ellowship) and also editor of BRF?s New Daylight Bible reading notes. If you are interested in receiving BRF reading notes, please see Maryon.
SMILE LINES FIT FOR CHURCH
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?"
"Because white is the colour of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life."
The child thought about this for a moment then said, "So why is the groom wearing black?"
Thanks Pam!
A BUSY MONTH
A couple of things happened in June which made things rather hectic for us. The first was of course the Holy Trinity Music and Flower Festival. This put Harry in a bit of a tizzy for the week before it kicked off. He was of course worried about the weather. As it had been excellent the last few years, he was quite convinced that it would pour with rain this year. So, at roughly ten minute intervals, he was connecting with all the meteorological websites to check up on our chances. These kept ranging from an 80% chance of rain, to a mere 10%. What he doesn't seem to realise is, at the other end there is a super sophisticated computer which is running software more normally used to decide the winner of the lottery and this just generates totally random numbers which people for some strange reason believe. In any event the sun shone for most of the day and a jolly time was had by all.
As normal I was to be found hanging about in the kitchen up to my elbows in soap suds. My efforts to keep a constant flow of clean crockery and cutlery were greatly assisted by Big Dave and his son Luc. The latter got the mundane job of picking up the dirty dishes to return to the kitchen and taking the clean ones back to the food stall. In this he was very diligent and every time we thought we had got a bit ahead of the game and could have a break, Luc would wander in with another tray of dirty ones. I later found out how he did it. Apparently he lurked, vulture like, around the tables and if anyone put an empty cup or plate down, he whipped it away in a flash. Meanwhile in the kitchen our new coffee machine caught us on the hop. It doesn't filter coffee, it is a percolator, and while it makes a vast amount of coffee at one go, it takes quite a while to percolate it. We went through the first load in nothing flat and had a long line of people wanting more. So next year we had better start the coffee early.
For some reason people think that, if you are working in the kitchen, you are somehow in charge, and so performers kept arriving and making requests which we had no hope of satisfying. This year some thoughtful person put 'reserved' notices on the three chairs that were just outside the kitchen for the workers to take a break on. So just for once they were not pinched by the visitors. That said, we did get a lot of dirty looks when the garden filled up. The jams sold well, but did not sell out. I think that I was the only one relieved by this fact as it meant that I didn't have to go mad making loads of jam right after the festival. That said, we had an odd request for 'orange jam'. It turns out this is not your regular marmalade, but rather marmalade without any peel in it. As chopping up the peel is the hardest part of the process, I can predict a batch of 'orange jam' appearing soon.
This year some kind person made loads of sticky chocolate cake. It sold very well but stuck to everything that it came in contact with. Plates and cups needed a good scrub rather than a rinse through, then came the sticky visitors, and their chocolate covered offspring, begging to clean up in the kitchen.
I did manage to escape a couple of times, not enough to catch any of the acts, but I did manage to buy a book. One of those nice ones that I used to love as a kid,
the type that explains how things work. This one was from the 1960s and has kept me happily amused for ages.
Another thing that happened this last month was, we took delivery of two kittens. Now I'm quite sure that we only picked up two of them. I remember it quite well as I had to load them into the carrying cage. However as soon as we got home and let them out it appeared that there were at least six of the little blighters. It seems that the law of nature which states that: one object cannot be in two places at the same instant in time, does not apply to kittens. They can be everywhere. When we used to breed our own kittens I built a climbing pole to amuse the cats. I constructed it very cunningly and the second shelf overhangs on all sides. This makes it difficult for a small kitten to get more than about fifty centimetres off the floor. The pole, I should point out, goes all the way up to the ceiling. This was supposed to stop them climbing too high until they were older. Our new pair soon discovered how to claw their way up to the second shelf and within seconds they were on the very top shelf having a wrestling match. It was only a matter of time before one fell off. Somehow he survived; if I fell that distance I'd be a basket case, but he was running around as if nothing had happened in no time at all. The strange thing is, although they can both race up the pole, one of them can't get down from the second shelf. So he sits there miaowing plaintively and waving his paw to attract your attention. Actually I'm quite sure that he can make it down to the floor these days, he just likes the attention of being lifted down. After observing them for some time I have come to the conclusion that kittens and kids have a lot in common.
Naturally it was just a matter of time before one of them got lost. This is not as easy as it sounds: although we have a large home the kittens were restricted to quite a small area of it. The really maddening bit was, although I could hear his plaintive miaowing I couldn't see him, or trace its source. After a little while I realised that it was coming from the, fortunately clean and unused, rubbish bin in what we amusingly call the laundry room. It has one of those flip tops, so when the kitten jumped on it he ended up inside, the top closed and he couldn't get out.
In honour of the World Cup Albert Heijn have been giving out brightly coloured 'Beesies'. These look like fluffy snakes with big eyes. When we did the weekly shopping we ended up with a couple of them. Our existing cats treated the new toys with total disdain, however the kittens went wild over them. The funny thing is that although there are two identical toys, they always have fights over the one in play. Now the three cats that we already have did not take kindly to the new arrivals. In fact, to be brutally honest, they were very rude to them. However it was like water of a duck's back as the kittens just ignored all the spitting and growling. Eventually the older three came round and the youngest of them is now the kitten's regular playmate. Thus we have four 'kittens' running mad around the house and knocking things over. I may well move out to the garden shed in the hope of getting some peace.
Jamie
Services at Holy Trinity Church, Utrecht
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