Wednesday was a bright sunny morning here on the shores of Strangford Lough. There are always plenty of birds out enjoying the winter sunshine just as much as I do.
We threw out some scraps to feed the usual birds in our garden. But today a group of gulls flew in and frightened off all the locals.
Gulls in our garden
In Ireland the humble bird the Robin is celebrated on our Christmas cards. Images of the bright eyed bird with healthy feathers, red on his breast and brown on his body and wings are displayed on many a mantle piece.
One forgets that this bird has had to survive a busy schedule in spring and summer building nests, hatching eggs, and foraging for food to keep himself and young alive. Brendan leaves out seeds and leftover bread on the fence for the birds. One bird waits expectantly every morning. It has come into our kitchen when we leave the door open.
If I am away for a few days the Robin welcomes us back by hopping in circles around me from shrub to hedge to get my attention. I haven’t been looking out for my friend for a while. But this morning I was up early. The bird must have seen me move about the kitchen. He was looking for food.
I fetched the seed box and laid out some seeds. The Robin came along. Sadly he looked a bit disheveled. His head was bereft of healthy feathers. He had few red feathers. He must have been in a few difficult situations; fights, hungry or thirsty.
Perhaps the hungry mouths he was helping feed this summer pulled at his feathers when he was sharing his morsels. Is it time to moult his feathers? Or was he in some territorial fights? I discovered from a bird blog that robins defend their territory fiercely.
He has some nice territory to defend. He has two gardens in which to forage and get plenty of food for his offspring. He has a home owner who leaves out treats for him every morning. He isn’t going to give up easily.
Can I learn from this little bird. Jesus said look at the birds. I see this Robin as a real warrior fighting for his home and his land where he gets provision for his young. I read in Nehemiah 4 v 4 that the men prayed for their families and their homes. They built with one hand and defended their property with a sword in their hands. Like the Robin I often get a few ruffled feathers as I defend my home and children. It is my space and I want to keep it a safe place free from evil.
Jesus likens a man to a house.
““When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. “”
Matthew 12:43-45 NIV
We can learn from this scripture Jesus warning to continue to keep our house free from evil spirits. They will always want to come back in. They will never give up. So one needs to be on guard to prevent evil coming back into ones life once we have been set free.
How does one do that. By believing in Jesus, by prayer, by reading the Word of God and by obeying what God has asked one to do.
Every evening my son and children would be frantic looking for their escaped pet rabbit.
Last summer he was given a pet rabbit. His children named him Peter Rabbit. It was pre-owned but not pre-loved. When a bunny is young it is furry and cuddly, and is attractive as a live pet instead of a fluffy toy that doesn’t breathe. But a pet needs looked after, fed, watered and space to sleep and run. It may not take to being cuddled or it can mess up the kitchen if kept indoors. Soon the novelty of a pet rabbit wears off. Peter Rabbit had grown up, had a mind of his own and didn’t want to be cuddled any more. It wanted adventure.
At first Peter joined in with my son’s children when they were playing in their back garden. An elderly neighbour who lived on his own commented that he loved to hear the children play and listen to their squeals of delight when they played happily together. He would have heard a different cry when they would fall or fight but he didn’t mention that part.
The two older boys played together. The third child wasn’t always included in their play so he made friends with Peter Rabbit. He was chased round the garden or often got soaked when the boys were playing with the hose as their dad watered the garden. When bedtime came mum and dad were busy making dinner and getting their young family to bed. Toy tractors, diggers, buckets and spades were scattered where the children left them. Peter Rabbit was forgotten about. He made his own way into his bed in the shed for the night.
School term started, cold days came and the little children were not out playing in the garden as often. Peter Rabbit was alone. He began to find his way beyond the garden squeezing under the gate. He wanted to explore. He survived cars, dogs and cats in the neighbourhood. Of an evening when mum would return from a school run a neighbour would return Peter Rabbit. This happened a few times. Eventually the neighbours gave up. But Peter Rabbit always found his way home for the night.
Soon this young family were feeling hemmed in and needed for more space for their growing family. Mum and dad busied themselves through the winter keeping up the routine of getting children to school, making meals and caring for their children. The young family and Peter Rabbit survived the winter.
My son began to look for a bigger house. They would ideally have loved to move to the country. But there was nothing suitable available. God cares for the little children. He cares for the parents. He understood our son and daughter in law’s pressure in rearing a young family. He even cares for our pets.
A friend of their’s told them a house was available near where she lived in town. It wasn’t on the open market yet. Would they be interested in looking at it? They went along to view it. It was a big old house with a walled in garden and a green house with two grape vines in it. When I heard about the grapes I said, “That is the house for them”.
They were a bit daunted at first. “How will they heat it?” “Can they afford it?” But look at the grapes. It is private, it is safe for the children, no one overlooking your garden. It has a sunny aspect! The estate agent suggested my son put in an application. The house would be freshly painted and carpets cleaned for the new owner.
I was totally confident that God would provide a bigger home for my son and his family. I believed God for our growing family and he has always provided. In Numbers 33 v 53 I read,
“Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. You must distribute the land in proportion to their size. A bigger tribe gets more land.”
I went to visit my son and his family a few days ago in their new home. The front door opened into a bright hallway, already family photos on the wall, a spacious living room, kitchen, play room full of toys and bedrooms. More than they could ask or think. The back door opens onto the garden, a natural sun trap. They had their breakfast out on the lawn on their first morning. What freedom and beauty. The Lord has given my son his promised land!
We sat down in the sun for a cup of coffee together. I marvelled at the goodness of God in the land of the living. A Robin flew past me and landed in the hedge behind. It then perched on a chair and pecked some crumbs from the table. Peter rabbit was munching happily nearby. The young children played together somewhere in the big garden. We heard their voices. Mum and dad could enjoy time relaxing in the sun having coffee secure knowing their children were safe. Peter Rabbit won’t want to escape again.
My son and children won’t be frantic looking for their pet rabbit again.
Oh White Butterfly
Oh white butterfly,
You are in the forest in Portaferry,
You live in my orchard,
You visit my graden,
You surprise me in Toronto.
You pass by the Rugby match in Etobicoke,
You flutter across the lawn in Massachusetts.
Were you at the Pinnacle in New Hampshire?
You rest on the lilac tree in Meene.
You spread your wings in Glouster.
You rest on a stone in Newbury Port.
You smell the flowers on Lough Erie shore.
You dance in my garden,
to welcome me home again.
You have grown. Your wings have enlarged.
You glide effortlessly over the roof.
You have brought your family to say hello too,
They kiss the dandelion, green leaf or daisy. Come and enjoy.
Some of your tribe darted along the roadside as I went to see a friend.
They guided me there.
You were hiding when it rained. Where?
The sunshine has returned. Spread your wings again.
Brendan and I were not given an heritage of land from our parents but we have inherited a love for plants.
When Brendan and I got married, the first place we lived in was the attic of a fellow student’s house. We progressed to other houses as our family increased.
Our first home with a garden was an end of terrace house. We moved there in 1987. A Cherry tree grew across the street. The pink blossoms were a delight in spring and the colored leaves lingered in autumn. Brendan brought more colour to our bay windows with boxes full of Petunia and Lobelia. The benefits far outweighed the cost. Thanks to Brendan the boxes overflowed with trailing blossoms full of colour: pink, purple white and blue. He carefully tended them with water, a touch of miracle grow and some dead heading. They flourished. Our house was the only one in town with a window display. It was greatly admired. In primary school my son’s teacher asked the children to write about how their family helped their community. He wrote about his dad brightening up his neighborhood with his colorful window boxes.
There was war in Northern Ireland in those years. People were distressed and their minds were far from beautiful flower arrangements. The sky was grey during the troubles and the atmosphere tense. There may have been war outside but God was giving us peace in our home and garden. In 1998 we had the Good Friday Agreement. We have peace in Northern Ireland. Since then towns around the Provence have flower displays in their centres. There is a competition for the best Blooming Town. Brendan was prophetic when he made those window boxes. He was light in the middle of darkness.
I believe everyone should have a garden. It gives extra space to sit in the sunshine or grow flowers and vegetables. In Greece I have seen families sit in the cool of the evening outside their white washed cottages, underneath a canopy of vine leaves. I believe it is God’s will as well. God says in his word, “Every man neath his vine and fig tree shall live in peace and be unafraid.” Micah 4 v 4.
Brendan continued to work in the garden at the back of the house. It was overgrown with weeds. Before we came to live there, people would walk through, as a short cut to the shops. He put up a fence, reclaimed the land, trimmed hedgerows, planted rose bushes, fixed the clothes line, and built a patio and a treehouse.
A lilac tree grew at the entrance to our garden. It reminded me of my childhood. A tree grew in my neighbor’s garden in the country. As I walked to school each morning in May I loved to see the curly, light purple blossoms. It was in full blossom around my birthday at the end of May. Nature was comforting me and remembering my birthday. I was inspired to write this blog this morning after seeing many lilac tree in the locality.
I am staying on the border of Massachuttes and New Hampshire. As we travel about I see many lilac trees. I asked my host about them. She told me the lilac is designated the state symbol for New York and New Hampshire. A lilac bush can live for hundreds of years. Originally from Europe and Asia, lilacs date back to the 1750’s in America – they were planted in the first botanical gardens and both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew lilacs in their gardens. I am planning when I go home to buy a lilac tree and plant it in my garden.
Birds built their nests in the hedges as Brendan worked and the children played in the garden. Life returned to the neglected house and garden. Our family flourished in the space and peace. Brendan and I bore fruit in our Captain St home. We had six more children there. The house was a warm “nest” for our growing family.
Came time to move to a bigger home. Brendan and the children put rose bushes and other shrubs into pots. Empty window boxes were packed away. We wanted to bring with us our plants we had nurtured in the garden.
We moved to County Down. It is where I lived till I was eighteen. I grew up on a farm. My mum and dad retired to the town. Their garden was full of rhododendron bushes. Each came into flower at different times in May. I loved their garden. Sadly mum and dad had passed away many years before we moved. Brendan’s mum would give him a cutting of a plant he would ask her about. We have inherited all the plants she grew in her garden.
I bought some rhododendron for our new garden, to remind me of my parents. Rhododendron like acid soil to grow in. The soil at our new home was not suitable for rhododendron so I have grown these plants in pots ever since.
I was watching Gardener’s World recently. An eighty two year old lady was interviewed. She was an experienced gardener. Many owners of estates had sought her advice for their gardens down through the years. When she downsized to new accommodation she brought sixty pots of her favorite plants with her.
Brendan and I are like her. We had a trailer load of all our pot plants when we moved to our present home. Our assortment of plants have increased and multiplied. We have hostas, roses, geraniums, rhodendrums, daffodils, lily of the valley, primroses, lilies, gladioli, fushia, honeysuckle, agapanthus, everlasting sweet pea, varieties of daisy, pansies, and lobelia. I have a herb garden where the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and oregano have grown into bushes. They have space to grow when they are removed from the small pots.
Now all our children have left home, Brendan I enjoy tending our garden. This spring we were busy repotting plants, and filling window boxes. We have time to feed, water and dead head our flowers. I am reminded of the scripture,
“The Lord will guide you always; he will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58 v 11.
Our plants have increased and multiplied. This is part of the heritage we can pass on to our children.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/heritage/
The final days of winter have passed. The time for the singing of birds has come. Often our lives feel as if it is winter all the time. In Narnia, the writer C S Lewis gives the image of all creation living under the spell of the wicked witch. Every life form was frozen. But Aslan the lion, who is a symbol of Christ, comes and breaks the spell of the winter of a hundred years and all life begins to warm up and live again.
Just as in CS Lewis’ book Narnia we can be trapped by forces over which we have no control, being under the spell of darkness and coldness, or things not working out in our lives. We have free will to make choices and live as we wish. But sometimes life does not work out the way we had planned.
If anyone feels like this Jesus gives us his promise. “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.” John 14 v 18. This is a wonderful promise. He will not leave us in the winter of our lives, which happens to us because of circumstances which are beyond our control. There is an evil power that casts a spell on our lives. It is the devil. He has been ruling over the world since Adam and Eve were put out of the garden. But Christ appeared to destroy the works of the devil.
While Jesus was on earth he went about healing the sick and casting out demons that kept the people bound. One woman believed that if she touched the hem of his garment she would be healed.
“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: Matthew 9 v 20
A man crippled from birth was healed and took up his mat on which he was sleeping and walked. “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.” John 5 v 5.
Another man who was blind from birth was healed so God was glorified. John 9 v 1.
In these three situations mentioned, the individuals had their condition for a long time, one twelve years, one thirty eight years and the other from birth. Jesus healed them all.
If one is in a situation for a long time when there seems no change, I assure you Jesus will come to you and set you free. There is hope. Spring will come in your life. The singing of birds will come as The Song of Solomon says.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; Song of Solomon 2 v 11.
Brendan and I went for a walk in the woods near our home two weeks ago. The morning sunlight streamed though the trees. Ferns were opening their arms in the warm rays of light. Streams of blue bells flowed down the banks. Doves cooed in the branches. A single bumble bee busyed himself visiting the open blossoms. He had so much work to do, flitting from flower to flower collecting pollen. Three different kinds of butterfly were enjoying the still, warm air. Bird song rejoiced. We were walking in a garden the Lord tended.
The season has changed. The sun is shining. Life is returning to the forest after the final days of winter. 
The Summer weather in Ireland is unpredictable. The weather forecaster may tell us there will be showers with some sunshine. This unpredictability causes the Irish people to talk much about the weather. You can be sure the tourists that come to Ireland don’t come to get a suntan.
We Irish have learned to make the most of our unpredictable weather. Ireland is famous for having forty shades of green throughout the land. We grow vegetables and crops that like rain and mature without hot sunshine. One such crop is the potato. Another is Oates. The Irish have survived on these staple crops.
Our unpredictable weather causes weeds to flourish as well. One such weed is the nettle. Nettles love to grow in good soil and flourish if there is no competition. Nettles spring up everywhere, along roadsides, in gardens, in forests and wherever it’s seeds land. One doesn’t have to sow nettle plants. If there is soil and water they will grow. The seeds are so tiny they can be carried by the wind.
I went for a walk this morning. There were plenty of nettles growing along the road. Many other grasses, thistles and weeds were flourishing, making the road narrow at some parts. Maybe the road will dwindle to a pathway someday if the weeds are not cut back.
As I looked at the vegetation along the Boreen, I remembered a dream I had last night. I saw a nettle plant open up before me and many of its seeds were released into the air, just like a fire cracker that is released at Halloween. I have been thinking about Multiplication recently. The nettle was releasing seeds for the multiplication of new nettle plants. God created every plant to multiply, despite the weather.
“Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”
And it was so.
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.
And God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:11-12
I am back from holiday. My garden needs attention like the road. If I don’t deal with the nettles and other weeds, the flowers and vegetables will be choked. The decking is dotted with sycamore umbrella seeds. The back yard paving has a sprinkling of leaves. It is constant work subduing the land. God created man to work the land and take care of it. Weeds find a way to grow in the tiniest of crevices, on walls or between flag stones. I need some men around here to clear up.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Genesis 2:15 NIV
The trees and weeds will continue to bear seeds and multiply. God made them to produce their own kind. It’s man’s job to manage all the produce of new life.
It all seems an never ending battle to deal with weeds. But I take courage. God said he would bless the work of our hands.
“You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land.
The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 28:3-4, 8, 12 NIV
There will be order again. The weeds will not take over. I will enjoy the fruit of the apple and pear trees, the tomatoes and other vegetables. There will be trailing nasturtsums, daisies and roses. The decking will get cleared and the lawn cut. It is good all the weeds die back for the winter. It gives me a chance to get ahead of the growth of nettles next spring and keep them at bay.
Plants and weeds flourish here despite our unpredictable weather.
Brendan and I were visiting a friend today.
In her garden is an ancient olive tree. It has a knarled and thick trunk. There are young trees springing up around the trunk from olive seeds that took root. The olive tree is symbol of peace. When invaders conquered a region in ancient times they cut down the trees. This olive tree has remained standing.
Here is the view out the front of her home.
Her garden is a peaceful place, a little bit of heaven on earth. As I walked through the garden and discovered the olive tree and took in the beautiful view, I was reminded of some verses from Proverbs,
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
Proverbs 3:13-18 KJV
Today I was walking along paths of pleasantness and peace.
Adam and Eve lived in a garden.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1
When God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt he wanted them to go into the Promised Land. He told them to subdue it.
He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you, you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. Numbers 32 v 29
One of the meanings of “subdue” is “bring under control.”
God intends that we subdue that for which we have responsibility, whether it be work, family, property or land. We will have the strength to do it. God is pleased when we obey him.
I decided today I would subdue my garden after reading this scripture.
Despite our recent cold spell, when we had snow and wind, seed time is here. I had been reluctant to work in the garden due to the bad weather.
Genesis 8 v 22. “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”
The days have more light and the earth is warming up. Plants, whose leaves died back over the winter are putting forth shoots. Leaves are breaking out of their wrappings on the branches. The cycle of nature takes its course despite the windy cold blasts that would make one stay inside warm. The daffodils broke forth a month ago giving us beauty. Their yellow trumpets swayed in the winds and remained till their time of glory passed.
I saw some tomato plants for sale at a bargain price in a local shop. The garden centres would charge much more. They tempted me to start some gardening even though it felt too chilly to do any outdoor work. I planted them out in the safety of the greenhouse. Last years tomato plants didn’t need much attention and produced fruit well into autumn. Just plant them and wait for the harvest. That doesn’t seem like hard work.
There is a plot of land beside my house. In former years the land would have been a farmer wife’s garden. It has been neglected for years, no longer lovingly tended. Last year it produced of itself nettles and curling weeds that stood strong and tall all summer. I did not have the courage to invade their territory. Thankfully the winter defeated them and the shoots withered.
I planned this year to get out early and cut back any new growth. My son strimmed that area a few weeks ago. The grass, nettles and weeds made a come back. Today I determined to go to war against the weeds. I was not put off by the cool wind. These weeds will sprout overnight! I used my lawn mower as my weapon of war. I powered my way over the rough ground and all before the mower was mulched. I subdued my land!
I will plant potatoes that will flourish in the fertile soil. It has been left fallow for years. Wherever nettles grow, one can be sure the soil is good. No back breaking work for me digging up the soil. No, I will drop each potato in a small overturned sod and let nature take its course. I have the added benefit of having a ready supply of fertiliser for my garden. I live beside the sea. I have gathered seaweed that was washed up from storms in the winter time.
I will be sure of having a harvest of potatoes and tomatoes at least in the autumn and all without much effort. The garden will once more be lovingly tended and enjoyed for the food it will produce. I will wait to see what other seedlings the local shop will offer for my garden. For now the potatoes are busy sending out roots unseen underground. The tomato plants are enjoying my green house.
It is amazing that each spring the plants begin to emerge out of the soil. Isaiah 61 v 11 explains,
“The soil makes the young plant come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
Abundant life comes forth! I rejoice to see what the scriptures describe, happen before my eyes in my garden. I will praise Him.
It is the eleventh of February today. I am recording the activity of birds in my garden. I live along the Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. The warm morning has invited all kinds of birds to flit about in the garden. A wren stays low along the hedge. A robin jumps about among the plant pots.
The busiest birds I see are starlings. There are three pairs flying back and forth. Each pair had found a nook in the old wall adjoining my garden. One bird flys in with a small twig in his mouth. He didn’t exit for five minutes. He must be building his nest, preparing for young. I am excited to discover birds building their nests in my garden and so early in the spring. I will look forward to catching the starlings’ progress each morning.
It is relaxing to sit quiet and patient keeping an eye on the nest sites. My breakfast dishes need washed, benches need cleared, floor needs brushed. I want to make some phone calls. E mails need checked. All can wait.
I am bird watching from the comfort of my kitchen. I don’t have to go for a drive to a special bird watching sight, or get wrapped up in warm clothes to face the elements. Watching the birds is taking my mind off all immediate troubles. There are many things that could cause me to worry or fret. Instead I am looking at birds.
Jesus said “Look at the birds.”
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-26, 33-34 NIV)
A pair of doves rested on a bare branch. One flew off with a low moan. The other followed. I hope they return.
Later in the morning one single bird was singing from the treetop in my garden. I think it was a Great tit. He was announcing loud and clear. “This is my domain. He was attracting his mate to join him.” I will be looking to see where his nest is.
Healed of Cancer. Angela McCauley 