Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

A couple of months ago three wasps plotted together and stung me; I discovered a wasps’ nest at the end of our garden. I worked round it… A couple of weeks ago I phoned a local pest control company. (They dealt with the rats that visited our garden last year.) ‘How much is it toContinue reading “Should I Get Rid Of It?”

The thing about gardening is that you’re always preparing for the future. These salvias, dahlias and cyclamen are still in flower because we planted them…We’re enjoying potatoes, beans and carrots from ‘off the estate’ because in the spring I prepared and planted. And now we’re starting to prepare for next year – pruning shrubs, diggingContinue reading “Preparing for the Future”

Autumn leaves are starting to fall; trees are ‘releasing’ their leaves. Yesterday in church Andrea talked about Autumn as a time for letting go. We thought about releasing our worries, failures, fears… After church I was talking to a gent in his sixties… He’s finding work tough with targets he can’t meet, endless, apparently pointlessContinue reading “Getting Old… Father William & Father Abraham”

If I were a butterflyI’d thank you Lord for giving me wingsIf I were a robin in a treeI’d thank you Lord that I could singIf I were a fish in the seaI’d wiggle my tail and I’d giggle with gleeBut I just thank you Father for making me, me For you gave me aContinue reading “If I Were A Butterfly”

Last night we watched ‘The Last Motel’. The lights came up on a woman tied, lying on a bed and a man wearing a turkey head. As we watched we gradually understood… a robbery and a kidnap… the man works at a poultry farm… the woman’s a vicar… the man has three daughters he’s strugglingContinue reading “The Whole Story”

Yesterday my friend Bill posted: We had fish and chips at Eric’s at Thornham. They were very nice but I’ve bought cars for less. Good but expensive fish and chips … I smiled at Bill’s bill. I was walking along the sea front early this morning. It was drizzling, damp and dismal. A young ladContinue reading “Sadness, but Smiles”

Now that I’m retired I don’t have so many meetings to attend. Staff meetings, planning meetings, finance meetings, meetings about meetings… I often enjoyed the exchange of views with people I liked, respected and valued… and making considered decisions that led to progress could only be good. I do still go to meetings about theContinue reading “How Do You Measure It?”

On Sunday Lou read: ‘Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness flow like a never-failing stream.’ Justice: the quality of being fair and reasonable Righteousness: the quality of being morally right or justifiable: As I young person in church I was taught about God’s justice and righteousness. I learnt about God’s righteous standards andContinue reading “Justice and Righteousness”

We all like a good story… in print, on a screen, from a friend. Hearing the story we can be amused, entertained, intrigued. But listening… that’s something different. Four stories from yesterday: Natasha and Jordan Pendered had three children, decided for one last baby to complete the family, and had triplets! I hear the storyContinue reading “Listening to a Story”

I once taught in a school where the headmaster was exceedingly difficult to please. He was frequently complaining and critical; I learnt to keep out of his way. The caretaker was an amiable but lazy gent called Stan, who could usually be found sitting in his store cupboard doing nothing. ‘Why do you spend yourContinue reading “Busy Doing Nothing”