Last time I was here, blogging, I was just about to create a new blog to form a place where I will post news and pics of the upcoming trip to Scotland. then I got it again, my eyes played tricks on me, it seemed as though I was looking through a broken piece of glass - an experience I had had earlier in the day, while at Birdworld - just after looking at the ducks on the water. I thought, then, that it was the sun reflecting on the water which had temporarily disturbed my eyes and was thankful to be able to spend some time sitting on the floor in the 'heron theatre' not really taking much notice of what the man was saying, with my eyes closed. Later on the novel effect had passed off - though I do remember I had more than usual trauma trying to get home again (I always found myself in the wrong lane) and was thankful for Lucy (being a new driver she makes a very alert co-pilot!). In days gone by she would have asked me 'are you getting a migraine?' - she was always first to detect the symptoms - but it is a long time since I had one like this and she's out of practice. So, Thursday evening I headed off to bed before 9 and stayed there until Sunday morning. I tried not to complain - but I did groan a bit (inwardly and outwardly). Being aware that one of the main purposes of us being here is that we may suffer and serve our Great God is all well and good when one is in full possession of ones faculties and able to choose to eat, drink, read, sleep etc as normal. Trials (according to a memorable Mark Johnson sermon of AGES ago) would not be trials if we didn't FEEL them, though, so that was some comfort.
Other comforts were:
* the delicious pleasure of a cold face-cloth across the closed eyes
* a gloriously hot and deep bath - with epsom salts (at three in the morning!)
* the joy of listening to Jim Jordan for much of the time from Thursday evening until Sunday morning and learning such a lot about how God reveals Himself to us through the 10 commandments
* a bunch of delightful spring flowers picked by Simon and a lovely cheering card created by Joanna
* a caring cuddle from James
* a bunch of flowers from Timothy
* having Lucy to so capably keep things running in the house, and making sure that everyone was so well fed. (they jokingly called it the 'reign of terror'!!!)
* Lying on the trampoline in the warmth of the sun (with the cold face-cloth excluding the light) breathing in the fresh air.
* and a new delight - not sure whether it was re-discovered or just plain discovered - 'inspecting the inside of my eyelids'. It's very interesting in there - and listening to music, or to a mind-stretching and soul-stretching lecture, while doing the inspection is most revealing - it was kind of like when you play an audio track on the computer and the screen offers you a moving image to keep your eyes occupied, should you need it(a visualisation). In case anyone should suspect me of being a latent door turning on it hinges, therefore content to lie for hours with my eyes closed behaving like one, I'm NOT. It could have driven me NUTS but the Lord taught me things I never could have learned otherwise.

However, I was rejoicing when, on Monday morning, the headache, nausea, inablility to maintain my eyeballs in the open position because of the offensiveness of light etc etc was history. Until next time.....