Childish

 

Hello and good evening. I am currently approximately 80% rhubarb crumble and custard. Sunday is the only evening we have a pudding but I may have overdone it. We usually only buy it from M&S. I wouldn't want any of you to think I have spent the afternoon toiling over a pan of rhubarb. I used to make it from scratch when I was younger, but for some reason, home-cooked rhubarb gives me enough indigestion to blow my bust off. 

Anyway, enough of this unsavoury talk. I have had a few days off and decided to have the ideal holiday for a seven-year-old boy. Firstly we visited the National Marine Aquarium which is based in Plymouth. You may have seen the documentary series recently. We haven't been since the kids were young. Partly because it was so expensive and also because HOH doesn't like fish. I know - I can't explain it but they make him shudder. He's fine if they are battered with chips but live fish - not so much. However, he decided to humour me. (It was probably raining). It really was a lovely afternoon. I had a few questions about the way the octopus seemed to be alone in a small tank. I thought they were supposed to be super intelligent - shouldn't it have had a Rubik's Cube to play with or something? I'm supposing they know what they are doing. Also, I got a nice key ring (see above) so win-win. The diversity and colours were amazing. When I am feeling quite woo-woo I sometimes think that God didn't have to do all that. He could have made all fish brown - what difference would it have made? But I wonder if he played around a bit "Now, I'll do a blue one - then a yellow one." I don't think I'm the type of Christian who would say I was a full-on Creationist. I'm certainly not the kind of Creationist who wants to invade the White House but I  can see the hand of someone extraordinary  - somehow - in life. I am no scientist, as you know (did I ever tell you that, when I passed Maths O Level, my teacher rang Aged Parent to say that it was the biggest miracle he had seen in twenty years of teaching. There was no need for that was there?) However, I am not letting that hold me back and my theory (Hold the phone Mr Nobel) is that there is a middle way through that leaves room for God and science to be happening at the same time. 

Continuing our week of juvenile delinquency, we also went to Dartmoor Zoo. It's only fifteen minutes away and HOH flatly refused to take me to Monkey World because it's an hour on the motorway. (either you love me or you don't I say). I'll be honest, Dartmoor Zoo doesn't have the magnificent sweep of wildebeests sweeping across the horizon but it is quite cute and bijoux and you do get really close to the animals. There was a moment when we were really close to the lioness and possibly lunch wasn't being delivered quickly enough and she let out a guttural roar which made you catch your breath and be really grateful for the electric fence. It was a bit disappointing because she had a really kissy head - just between her ears but I don't think she was up for it at all. I didn't fancy risking it anyway.

I hope you had a pleasant Mother's Day if you do that kind of thing. It gets a lot of bad press because (a) some people (HOH) believe it is an invention by Hallmark to fleece us for money or (b) it's complicated because if you aren't a mother and want to be or have lost a mother or your mother was a bit bobbins then this can be a painful time. But, it can also be a time to celebrate something good in the world, to say thank you if you have someone who has done their darndest to nurture you as best as they could despite sometimes coming up against some tough odds. Tomorrow, we go to a colleague's funeral. He was in his very early fifties and we didn't see it coming. So I would say that if you have relationships, friendships, people you call Mother or Father or just people you share life with, there is nothing wrong with celebrating that blessing. Make sure you talk to each other, share what you feel you can with each other and always reassure that everything can be sorted - whatever it is. Whatever your relationship is we should seek to bring comfort. Have a good week

As a mother comforts her child,
    so I’ll comfort you.                            Isaiah 66