Cows

Many years ago I spent some time in Switzerland, where, I have to say, the cows were beautiful. Don't laugh, they really were.

Recently, while I was in Germany (Bavaria), I met some more very beautiful cows. They are also friendly, have the longest eyelashes I have ever seen, and have tinkling bells hanging around their necks.
Some of them are even quite funny. I would even go so far as to say they have a sense of humour! For example, while we were staying in a Ferien Wohnung (I hope that is spelt correctly), a holiday apartment, on the first floor of a beautiful old farmhouse in the village of Oberstdorf in Aargau, Bavaria, every day a farmer drove his cows through the village and past our accommodation, morning and night, to the sound of tinkling bells, and shouts from the farmer to keep everyone moving. The farmer was on a bicycle at the back of the herd. Each morning when we heard the bells, we jumped out of bed to watch them pass, and in the evening, if we were home from doing our touristy things, we would watch them go back the other way. There was one cow in particular who had a taste for a particular plant in the garden next door to us and she would quickly climb up on a rock to get to the plant and start munching away. Every day she would get into trouble with the farmer; he would shout at her and hit her with a stick, but she was undeterred, every morning there she was again!

Holiday in Germany

I spent the month of June with Manfred in Germany. We travelled by Emirates to Berlin from Perth, via Dubai and Munich. The main purpose of the trip was to see Manfred's family, particularly his father because he hasn't been very well and is getting a bit frail.
I didn't keep a diary on this holiday, but I hope to write some posts over the next few weeks about different aspects of the trip.

Australian Magpie

Magpies are so interesting. They appear to be very intelligent, very brave (sometimes even intimidating when they 'swoop' people to guard their young ones), and they are very family oriented. The family stays together in a group for quite some time, until the parents decide they have had enough of the young ones and shoo them away.

Magpies also have very beautiful songs, which they appear to sing when they want us to give them something, like the one pictured. I love to hear them sing; beautiful melodies trilling along, and no two the same.

I think that magpies are able to read too. There were signs everywhere at Whiteman Park where we had our bbq on Easter Saturday, saying "Do not feed the birds", but maybe he thought that we couldn't read. Or that we were too busy enjoying ourselves that we hadn't noticed the sign.

Easter Birthday

I must be so lucky. I was born on Easter Saturday and over the years I have had many Easter birthdays. Although Easter does move around the calendar a fair bit, but this year my birthday fell on Easter Sunday.

I felt as excited as a schoolgirl about my birthday this year and I don't know why. It did give me lots of opportunities to talk about Easter to different people, and about why Easter is so important.

I thought Easter this year was particularly special, which was wonderful because lately I've been thinking that more and more people think of Easter as just another holiday, an extra special long weekend of 4 days, so a great opportunity to go away for a few days, to make the most of the last of the good weather before Autumn and Winter are really upon us.

Many of my friends are not Christians in the church-going committed sense, but they know that I am, they know I attend Church and this weekend was another of those times when I was asked about my faith, my beliefs, why I believe, and whether what I did was a hangover from a Christian upbringing. It is interesting how some intelligent people think that Christianity is something that you merely 'out-grow' as you become an adult; once you no longer attend Sunday school or are no longer taken to Church by 'grown-ups'. And I was very happy to tell that my faith is quite the opposite - a definite adult decision, made after much thought and prayer, using both my head and my heart.

On Sunday morning I was up very early and I alternated between 2 tv channels, trying to watch the best of 2 very good Easter Church services. I don't normally turn on the tv in the morning, especially at the weekend but I'm so glad that I did on Sunday. The worship songs were inspirational and the sermons were thought provoking and so appropriate for the 21st century.

Jesus is alive and living in me! He lived and walked on earth with mere mortal men, he was wise and compassionate and performed miracles. But the biggest and most important thing that He did was that He died on that cross for the sins of all people, and not only that! But he rose again on the third day, He defeated death, He fulfilled prophecies, He appeared to so many that there is no denying that He is the Christ.

How special that I have my birthday on such a wonderful day! I am Blessed.

Spiffy

Spiffy got left behind at my house, by one of the girls that was living here. Now she has gone house-sitting.
He has really made himself at home and we have a very nice relationship. I had planned on getting a dog, but Spiffy doesn't seem to like dogs. Or maybe he just likes all the attention for himself?

The Victoria Bush Fires

The news has been pretty much all bad news for the last week; dominated by the bush fires in Victoria and the plight of all those homeless people.
Every day there are more heroic stories about brave people trying to save their families, their homes, their pets, their cars, everything that they have loved, and in many cases they fought and lost.
So many people have perished, the fire was no respecter of age, young and old alike have gone. Many are still missing. Many people have missing family members. My heart aches for them. What a tragedy. It is especially tragic when you consider that the police believe that many of the fires were deliberately lit. Every summer there are crazy fire bugs out there lighting fires. Do they enjoy seeing the devastation and suffering they cause?
So many animals have perished, livestock from farms, family pets and maybe up to a million wild animals and birds. We have been amazed by stories of koalas befriending people for a drink of water, when normally they would be shy and not go close to people in the wild. It is hoped that some endangered species have not been lost forever.
The people of Australia have rallied. There are fund raising activities happening everywhere. Businesses are donating profits from sales. Individuals are giving like they have never given before. And even more, there are so many people who have volunteered their time and are there with the fire 'refugees' feeding them, sheltering them, clothing them, caring for them, consoling them, counselling them, reassuring and encouraging them, doing everything that needs to be done.
While meanwhile, the fire service, the volunteer firies, the army, the police and all the other government and official groups get on with the work of dousing the fires, finding the missing people and investigating the cause of the fires and hopefully finding the culprits who caused them.

All these people are in my prayers.

Perth in Summer

Today is the fourteenth day in a row that Perth has had more than 32C. Today it was 38.5C and it was still 35C at 5.30pm. Phew!!

People are still flocking to the beaches to cool off in the Indian Ocean even though there have been many shark sightings since that dreadful day 2 weeks ago when a 51 year old man was taken by a 5metre white pointer shark, while snorkelling at Port Kennedy, south of Perth. I have braved the ocean once for a swim, last weekend, but I must say I was a bit nervous of every shadow that appeared in the beautiful turquoise water. The shark spotter helicopter flew overhead while we were swimming, so we were as safe as we could be.

A cooler day is expected tomorrow but back to 38C by Thursday. They tell us this is normal Perth weather but it always comes a shock when it happens. At least the lovely sea breeze, the "Fremantle Doctor", has been doing his best every afternoon to cool us down.