Russellings in Gainford

“Beannacht / Blessing

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.” 
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

 A tale of two Parkinsons

Friday and Saturday were days of imposed inactivity as the pleasure of Thursday's trip to the theatre was succeded by one of those periods when brain asnd muscles refuse to talk to each other. Still, every cloud.....I was able to finish Bill Bryson's book snd join him in the Lake District, Yorks Dales, Teesdale and Scotland. It was in Scotland that his journey ended, at Cape Wrath. 

Having spent the day walking near Leyburn, Bryson writes 'I spent the night in Barnard Castle, a pleasant market town on the River Tees in County Durham. I arrived much too late to go to the famous Bowes Museum there, a disappointment. So instead  I had a walk around the town as darkness fell, and found it entirely agreeable. C. Northcote Parkinson, I was interested to see, was  born at no 45 Galgate....Never has anyone milked a single thought more vigorously and successfully than he did.'

The line for which he is remembered was 'Work expands to fill the time available for its completion'. The line was first published in a comic essay in 1955 which he stretched into a thin book, which became known as 'Parkinson's Law'.  He was unrelated to Dr James Parkinson sho in 1817 began research into a disease of the brain which became known as 'Parkinson's Disease'.

Water that really sparkles

We ordered a bottle of sparkling water with a meal in Cafe Rouge in Newcastle last week.It was sourced and bottled by Belu (www.belu.org.uk). I read fthe label and discovered that Belu give 100% of their profits to Wateraid and have pledged to give £1m by 2020. Their products are also carbon neutral. I am now trying to find out who sells their products.

Rob

Rob is resealing the paving on our drive. I first heard about Rob from a neighbour and he is not your usual 'i've got some spare materials left over from a previous job' sort of man. Rob is a young man who lives in Darlington and travels everywhere on his bike, His most distant destination was China, so Darlington to Gainford is a short hop. All he needs is carried in a small trailer attached to the bike and he is very thorough.

Iyanla Vanzant

I was recently told about Iyanla Vanzant and share with you some words she recently wrote:

'People cannot change who you are and what you were born to be. They can create obstacles in your path. They can do things that make you believe you are other than what you are, but people cannot change, alter, or in any way hinder the truth of your being. The truth is you are divine.'

http://www.iyanla.com