TWO BY TWO

Hello there everyone and welcome to my blog!...

Today I am going to talk about:

COMPANIONSHIP...

This is a picture of the pigeon pair who have set up roosting facilities in our white stinkwood tree in the garden. The picture itself seems to capture the essence of what I want to say today.

At the day's end, who keeps us company?


I was in our Vet’s waiting room some time ago and got chatting to his interesting receptionist...

They have a rather large kitty there – called Monty – and she was telling me his touching rescue story. Monty was sitting on the shelf next to me listening to our chatter. He was keeping company with another grey kitty on the food shelf next to us. The two of them were happily sitting there, paws tucked under their chests and snoozing.




She explained that they have cared for many animals over the years and have come to believe that it is not fair to keep single animals. They always try to find a partner because they believe that
“No animal is meant to be alone!”




Her statement got me thinking...

Yes I agree with her. Humans too are not meant to be alone either. We are communal creatures by nature. Yet how many of us lead singular lives and bare the brunt of loneliness?

I began thinking about the concept of marriage and commitment and thought back also to a wedding sermon I’d heard many years ago. The minister, at the time, asked the question:
“Why get married?”
and then came up with a statement that I have always remembered...

“WE GET MARRIED SO THAT SOMEONE CAN BARE WITNESS TO OUR LIVES”

Our lives may be difficult, they may be fraught with health issues, financial concerns and various disagreements. Life at the best of times is not easy! The bottom line however is that, in the process of life, we do indeed need someone who can bare witness - to share our reality and to mirror it back to us. Without another, our lives become pointless.

So, today is a good day to begin to be grateful for the people we have in our lives. Those who keep us company. Those who share our woes. Those who allow us into their own lives.




Let us seek to strengthen those bonds by rejoicing in the good and letting the rest die of neglect.

The gift of companionship should not be taken lightly!

MY FAVOURITE BIRD

Red-billed woodhoepoe

Some of you might be aware that JOHANNESBURG (SOUTH AFRICA) is officially regarded as a forest!

Yes, we have thousands of trees which grace our big city. Some of the trees have beautiful foliage and they also provide substantial shelter for a spectacular variety of bird life.

Picture the scene:...

You are lying on your bed, on a Sunday afternoon, relaxed and stretched out after a busy week. All is quiet and contented.

Suddenly there is a loud cackling of birds, coming from outside your bedroom window. The cackling is echoed by frustrated barking. After dragging yourself, from your slumber, to the window you notice the stand-off....

Dogs are guarding their bones and the red-billed hoepoes, in the tree, are voicing their dissatisfaction!

These beautiful birds are my favourite! They have glossy plumage with beautiful zebra strips on their tails (visible in flight). They generally hang around in flocks, with all their mates, and always announce themselves in our garden.

I think what I like about them most is their relationship with my dogs. It is extremely amusing to watch them as they taunt the hounds with their loud cackles and close proximity. They particularly enjoy the remnants of the marrow bones which I sometimes give to our dogs. They peck at them when the pooches aren't watching and cackle loudly about their find. It drives our dogs absolutely nuts as they then attempt to chase them away. Generally though, these birds merely retreat to a nearby tree and voice their disgust. It becomes an absolute circus to watch.

The hoepoe's red bill is truly spectacular! What also intrigues me is its perfect design for getting into small places and snapping up grubs. They will hang onto the stems of trees as they peruse the surface for any insects whilst the dogs wait in vain at the bases.

So what do you think? ...Do you like our RED-BILLED WOOD HOEPOE'S?

AMUSING MUSING!

I revel in the times when I have an opportunity to explore 'thought' and it's link into language. To some of you this might sound very strange, but did you know that our language determines our thought. Language is an incredibly powerful tool. I thought I'd share one of my strange concepts with you today:

WARNING: PUT YOUR THINKING CAP ON!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I just love the noun ...

“MUSING”

pronounced....mewzzzzzzing

(DEFN:...A period of thinking carefully about something or telling people you thoughts about it.)

(I encourage you to say it out loud...and slowly!)

M U S I N G

It seems to roll off my tongue in a manner that conveys its precise meaning

and sends me into a world of thought, dreams, ideas and concepts.

It wills me along this path of contemplation that generates peace, wonder and awe.

To me, it is the mental equivalent of doodling.

Musing instills an essence of calmness in me and entices me to morph into a sense of delight in my own freedom to think.

I can then relax and allow myself to be transported along its unanticipated thought patterns.

Musing points to a serene sense of consciousness which turns my mind to creativity.

The “zzz” sound at the end of the word seeks to put me to sleep

...calmness

...receptiveness

...peace.

Is it not ironic that Music itself derives from this word?!

So, if I add an “A” to this special word,

it then changes the whole feel of the word as it then becomes ...

“AMUSING”! ?

-----------------------------------------------------