Goodbye 2020

31st December 2020

The last day of 2020 - a year like no other I have known in my 71 years.

It has been cold over the past few days. We had a little snow - enough in the Cotswolds for my daughter and family to do some sledging.

Today there is a frost bringing a whiteness to the ferns.

The good news is that the first vaccine is being given and the second - the Oxford, Astra Zenica vaccine has been approved and will begin to be rolled out next week. This latest vaccine is being provided at cost price to the poorer countries and they aim to produce three billion doses by the end of 2021.

I had expected to encounter some new flowers this week, but I have seen very little. The cyclamen are slowly coming into flower. The bulbs however are intriguing. There are clusters that could be lillies - but maybe not! In the front garden bulbs are pushing through everywhere. I am expecting the flowers to show their faces any day soon and I look forward to a brighter future.

There are some large leaved shoots pushing through the other plants in a small flower bed in the back garden - maybe tulips! I will follow these shoots to see how they develop.

I was able to meet with relatives from Ireland, Australia and Tasmania as well as the UK in one of my Zoom meetings. It was good to catch up with people after many years and meet some I haven't seen before. It made my Christmas a bit special and more memorable than it might otherwise have been. I hope that we will keep in contact rather more in the future.

I watched part of a Christmas lecture yesterday focussing on Climate Change, which I found very informative. It is clear that we can overcome this crisis. Anaerobic digesters and hydrogen where discussed as sources of clean electricity, among other things. It is clear that working together we could have a wonderful world. The production of the vaccines is proof of what is possible with the will and resources.

My friend Jennipher rang me a few days ago to say that she wanted to go to Victori Falls with her family on New Year's Day. In 2014 my wife and granddaughter came to see me in Zambia. At the end of their visit we went to Victoria Falls and we took Jennipher. It is such a shame that most Zambian people never get the opportunity to visit the Falls. So I was delighted to enable Jennipher and her family to have a memorable day out. (In fact they will travel by train - a 10 hour journey each way! - so it will be best part of a 3 day trip).

 

Wishing you much joy in 2021.

Chris

Christmas is coming

23rd December 2020

Christmas will be different this year. I'm planning to take advantage of the technology we have discovered in recent months and meet as many people as possible over the Christmas period. I have 22 cousins who in turn have children and grandchildren! So I will start by trying to meet as many of these as possible, plus a few other parts of the Family Tree, over two sessions using Zoom.

I am still waiting to see the first snowdrop! The last Cosmos petals have fallen off, but hopefully it will seed to give me even more joy in November next year.

I was surprised to find roses still in bloom in a nearby park.

My neighbour has a small tree in the front garden tht is already in blossom.

This is a time when we remember the Holly and Ivy, but I cannot find any holly with berries in my garden and fear that I have removed the bushes that carried the berries and spread holly throughout the garden - I hope that some of the new bushes will carry berries in time.

When I first moved into our house - 40 years ago - I tried to plant some daffodil bulbs, only to find that every bit of ground seemed already to have a bulb! Now there are a lot of bulbs pushing up shoots. This year I am not sure whether these are from bulbs I planted in the Autumn or from previous years. Though the occasional distinctive daffodil shoot must be from a previous year and I cn identify the irises from my Autumn planting.

The cyclamen are slowly coming into flower and I suspect I will have daisies of one sort or another through the whole year.

Shopping is not my favourite pursuit and I particularly dislike running around trying to find presents for the grandchildren at Christmas, which are not needed or particularly wanted.. This year would have been particularly difficult and not worth the risk. However there are lots of children in Zambia who I know who would not normally be able to celebrate at Christmas. I have been able to send money on behalf of each of my grandchildren to children of friends in Zambia. Maybe the grandchildren will take an interest and link with the children over the years to come.

I hope that you have a Christmas full of love and that you are able to safely meet with you friends and family this year.

 

With love and prayers,

Chris

Waiting for Christmas

 

16th December 2020

Today has been particularly dull and wet after a reasonable day yesterday. Rain is generally looked on differently in Zambia, where the start of the rainy season is welcomed because it is needed to grow the household crops which provide essential food for many who have little income.

My friends are busy now tending their fields and watching the maize grow. Rain, sunshine and temperatures in the mid twenties make ideal growing conditions.So, as I see the shoots of my Spring bulbs push through I think of the maize growing in the fields in Zambia.

I am fortunate to be able to help my friends with a packet or two of seeds and some fertilizer. It is a delight when I hear in April or May that the crop is being harvested. Many years ago I sent my Dad a Christmas Card which told him that I had given away the money I had for his Christmas present to a friend who needed maize seed to grow food for his family. A few months later I sent my dad a photo of Osman in his field of maize - my father never forgot that Christmas present!

Here it is that strange time of year as we await Christmas - particularly strange this year. I am looking forward to mass meetings of friends and relatives this year! Before you think I am being irresponsible I should explain my meetings will be online. I have a plan to see as many of my friends and relatives as possible - including a meeting for all of my grandfather's descendents - I have 4 children and six grandchildren to start. Little is happening in my garden. There is now just a single flower on the Cosmos plant.

I was surprised to see a couple of campanula flowers in my daughter's garden, then found I also have a couple in my garden.

I was surprised to see a flower already forming on my forsythia - this bush usually gives a magnificent early Spring display.

Some years ago I was inspired by the idea of advent candles. I decided to place a set of lights on a small Acer tree for each week of Advent. We had the tree since we moved in about 30 years earlier and the tree was about 4-5 feet high - as it had always been. It is now more than 12 feet high!! I claim it is the effect of the Advent lights!! I put out a third set of lights on my Acer this week for Gaudate Sunday, only to find they failed to work when put on the tree. I need to buy more lights to compensate and make sure that by Christmas I have a fine display.

Keep safe,

Chris

A Time for reflection

8th December 2020

We have had a few cold days with temperatures here dropping to about zero. Today the first doses of vaccine are being administered in the UK. This is not simple, because the vaccine needs to be stored at -70°C - a lot lower than temperatures we are likely to find even at the coldest places on earth. However, this is a major breakthrough - and by Easter life might look and feel a lot brighter.

Some years ago I made a few visits to Lanzarote. On this island rain was a rarity. Much of the land was devoid of plants and even birds were not plentiful. However I noticed any flower and it took on a special beauty. At this time in the UK I experience a similar joy when I see a flower in bloom. I am glad to be forcing myself to go outside and search. Each day is different and I notice something new.

Perhaps this week is a time for reflection. The past few months have been difficult for everyone - though I have been much luckier than most. I enjoyed walks in the first lockdown - the peace because there was little traffic, clean air and birdsong. On the chimney we had two herring gulls hatch - perhaps not everyone's favourite bird, but they are so graceful in flight. A pair of house sparrows took up residence very nearby and when four chicks fledged they made their way to my feeding station and enjoyed the mealworms. The family is still together and visits regularly.

It is also a time for patience. we know that the Spring will come bringing colour to the gardens and brightness to our lives, but we cannot hurry it!

I am looking forward in anticipation. I am sure that my cyclamen will bridge the gap - providing flowers from now until the Spring bulbs take over. Bulbs are sending up shoots everywhere in my garden at the moment - they grow and multiply every day.

I am struck by the hardiness of some plants. In recent years moss has become a feature of my garden - especially around the ponds. It seems to thrive in the cold damp conditions at the moment. Even the lavender seems to be enjoying the weather.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks - I am sure it won't be long before I see the first snowdrop - maybe you have already found one! I hope you are able to enjoy some nature around you - even if it is only from a window.

With love and prayers,

Chris