A Photo Review – 2023

Here is a review of my photographs at the end of the year, that highlight some of the lovely places and experiences that have been enjoyed. The one shown above is of the local park, where we so often walk. However those shown below are not always because of their great photographic quality, but sometimes just for the memories that they invoke. This year let’s start with Winter and finish with Winter, and in-between show something of the beauty of God’s creation here in Scotland, not only in Winter, but also in Spring, Summer and Autumn.

January and February – the winter months at the beginning of 2023.

A day out to Culzean Castle and gardens in January

A round trip from Glasgow to Dunoon via Loch Lomond, Hell’s Glen and Ardentinny

A good place to visit on a cold day – Glasgow’s Botanical Gardens

Now it’s Spring time and everything is bursting into life!

More Spring flowers:-

Late May, our holiday in and around Tiree

Now on into summer ….

**A visit to Dawyck Botanical Gardens >**

Our garden in summer ….

Day trips to the Firth of Forth Bridges, the Isle of Bute and The Trossachs

Now Autumn is coming on …. with a trip to Inverness and the Moray Coast ….

And lastly at the end of the year we are into Winter once again …

Thank you to all who subscribe to my blog and also to friends far and wide who log-on from time to time. Hopfully you have enjoyed the photographs of our travels in 2023. I often think that we are not getting around as much as we once did, until I start to select photos from the year, and then reaslise I have far too many photos to show!

The ‘card’ above brings our greetings for Christmas and the New Year, and we hope to continue our blogging in 2024 all being well, but until next year I wish you God’s blessing at this festive season! The words of my favourite carol this year, are attached.

Matthew

The Garden – Summers End 2023

The Garden – Summers end 2023

It was good to watch ‘Gardeners’ World’ on the TV earlier this week as they gave their final round-up for this year’s summer season. I was encouraged to hear the experts say words to this effect, ‘it’s been an enjoyable season with lots of success, but also with some failures and disappointments’. Perhaps the most important thing they said was ‘but we really enjoyed it‘! Did I ever tell you I enjoy my garden!!!

Let’s start with a look at the flowers, most of which were bought as ‘plug plants’ from Garden Centres and Supermarkets and grown on, but towards the end of the season some full grown plants for the new flower bed were also purchased. So many photos but first a quick look at the flowers!

Trees and bushes, roses and grasses were lovely too, here are some we enjoyed

Then there was the greenhouse, and this year, just for a change I grew house plants along with the usual vegetables. Some of the house plants were bought from the Garden Centre, then grown on and split. Others I grew from seed, and was particularly happy that two small cacti that survived from seed. Hurrah! a first for me 🙂 I also tried rooting a couple of succulents from the leaves, and they seem to have rooted successfully, but what to do with them in the winter, is a bit oif a dilemna!

There were a few failures! my ‘corn on the cob’ was given much love and care but the results were very disappointing, I’ll need to get some help from my African friends, methinks! Carrots this year in a bucket were poor, and the Aubergines produced beautiful plants with lots of flowers but only one small fruit. After having it with dinner last night, I think it may be off the menu for future 🙂

I’ve probably missed something, but hopefully the above is enough to let you understand the joy of a garden. The bulbs for Spring have now been planted, and the Greenhouse was emptied and cleaned this week. Hopefully some of the plants more susceptible to the cold will be preserved there until Spring. Of course a garden takes time and effort, but that could also be said of anything worthwhile we do or achieve in life. Well perhaps a garden is somewhat different, for the simple reason that actually I don’t grow anything, all I do is plant, feed and water, but I can’t actually make anything grow, only God can do that! So I just stand back and marvel at the amazing God of creation! Here is a quotation from the book of Corinthians, which is so true, and I am often reminded of in the garden!

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow!

1 For the beauty of the earth, 
for the glory of the skies, 
for the love which from our birth 
over and around us lies. 

Refrain: 
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise 
this, our hymn of grateful praise. 

2 For the wonder of each hour 
of the day and of the night, 
hill and vale and tree and flower, 
sun and moon and stars of light, [Refrain ]

3 For the joy of human love, 
brother, sister, parent, child, 
friends on earth, and friends above, 
for all gentle thoughts and mild, [Refrain] 

4 For yourself, best gift divine, 
to the world so freely given, 
agent of God's grand design: 
peace on earth and joy in heaven.

Christ, our Lord, to you we raise 
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

To all my friends and fellow gardeners, I hope you have had an enjoyable Summer, perhaps in your garden or in someone else’s garden. But wherever you are I wish you every blessing as we move forward into a new season. The words of the above old hymn I pray will cause you to lift your eyes and thoughts to the God who loves you!

Matthew

Plans, Projects and Purpose

Well perhaps you are not the planning type, and tend just to ‘go with the flow’ as some like to put it, and that’s fine. During my working career I was invariably working to time deadlines, so planning was an essential part of life, and I know that will be true for many who read this blog. That can make life a bit too stressful at times, but it can also be very rewarding to see a project well done and on time!

Since retiring I guess I have continued in the ‘planning mode’, although as I get older plans are somewhat less ambitious, and time scales more flexible! 🙂

This month in the garden the plan was to clear out the heather bed which had gone a bit wild and replant it with something different, but what kind of plants? That question has been answered in the short term, but all being well, we will have a review in the Spring. I also planned to refurbish the pergola which was getting a bit tired looking. Here are some photographs!

Heather bed with many bare patches and lots of weeds

Instant gardening thanks to the Garden Centre and local hardware supermarket. All perrenial plants, supposedly frost resistant to -10 to – 20 degrees. Time will tell, but meantime we are enjoying the plants and the three rose bushes are now about to flower. I was happy to let my grandson Lewis remove the deep heather roots. which was a great help.

We still managed a few day trips in the last month, one was to the Isle of Bute and another to The Trossachs. And as always we try and choose a fair weather day!

First some photographs of our trip to Bute.

The Isle of Bute is beautiful, and a one day visit is far too short! The ferry fare for two adults and a car is reasonable at less than forty pounds return, so I’d recommend you treat yourself if you live here in the UK.

Our visit to ‘The Trossachs’ included the three loch’s drive and Loch Katrine, and that is always spectacular, but it was good to see the first signs of the forest recovering after the devastation caused by Storm Arwen in November 2021. Here are some photos.

Great to see the ‘Sir Walter Scott’ steamship still bringing pleasure to the many tourists who visit Loch Katrine. My late friend and Ship’s Architect Andrew Cumming was involved some years ago in a refurbishment programe on this ship. The ship was first launched in the year 1900 so has been in service now for well over a century! Amazing!

Reflections:

I started this blog by talking about plans, and how they change as the years go by, and perhaps become less ambitious. It reminded me of this front cover in Newsweek, which I photographed back in 2009 and which I came across recently

I am sure Gordon Brown’s plan had his best intentions at heart, and may have produced some beneficial results, but saving the world? This of course was the media’s take on the plan, and I am sure that the author himself never claimed that for it. But as you watch and listen to the news I am sure we are all agreed that the world needs a saviour. There is great talk and planning going on at present about saving the planet, but what about the people? you and me and those caught up in war and oppression, or suffering through homelessness, thirst, flood, fire and famine, disease, sickness, crime, and lack of education …….?

The Bible speaks of a man who came to save the people of the world, and is in fact still saving them today! I refer of course to Jesus the Son of God. Remember Christmas? – ‘Unto you is born this day a Saviour who is Christ the Lord’.

We all have plans, things that we intend to do or people and places we hope to visit. If you are amongst the world’s poorest you are perhaps dreaming of ‘a life in ‘the West’ and are willing to risk all to get there. In the West for many the plans are for bigger houses, electric cars, and exotic holidays. But are you planning for life after death? for eternity? Jesus said ‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’

Benjamin Franklin the American statesman penned this phrase in a letter in 1789 ‘in this life nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes! Hopefully you have your taxes covered, but how about your soul? All of the Bible speaks about God’s plan to send a Saviour to save us from God’s wrath and judgement against our sin. Here are some Bible verses that outline God’s plan to save us, both in English and Chinese the world’s most spoken languages. Take time to consider them

PURPOSE: It’s good to remember that we are here for a purpose. To the question ‘What is mans chief end?’ The Westminster Shorter Chatechism states ‘Mans chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever’. You might ask why? Psalm 145 may help answer that question.

Let’s plan wisely for our eternal future, while we still have time.

Matthew

Border Country – a visit to Dawyck!

Driving in the Scottish Borders

The Royal Botanical Gardren in Edinburgh, also cares for three other botanical gardens in Scotland. One in Dunoon (Benmore B.G.) one in Dumfries and Galloway (Logan B.G.) and this one at Dawyck in the Scottish Borders. So with this visit we have now completed a visit to all four. It’s a while since we have been to the Edinburgh one, so a return visit is now overdue!

The Scottish Borders

Dawyck is a one and a half hour drive from Glasgow, heading south down the M74, before turning off at Abington. It’s a very pleasant drive after you get outside the greater Glasgow area, but becomes particularly beautiful once you leave Abington. The low rolling lush green hills, with rivers meandering through the valleys, the quiet roads, and the sheep and cattle grazing in the fields are very pleasing to one’s senses. We came home thinking ‘we should really visit this area more often.’ You can judge for yourself from the photographs above.

Dawyck Botanical Gardens

The purpose of our visit to the area was however to have a walk in the gardens and to see the variety of trees, flowers and plants growing there. We picked the perfect day and throughly enjoyed the drive and the gardens. Entrance fee for ‘seniors’ is £7.00 per head, and there is a lovely tea room, exhibition area and shop, with modern clean rest rooms.

It is difficult to say which one of the gardens we have most preferred, for whilst they all have their similarities, they also have their unique locations and features. It also depends on what time of the year you visit, but I’m going to say Logan Botanical Gardens in Dumfries and Galloway. We loved being there in the Spring and enjoyed the pond areas and the Spring flowers and the singing of the birds, but why not visit the gardens and decide for yourself? You won’t be disappointed!

We also made a short return visit in June back to Benmore Gardens near Dunoon. It was nice to see the gardens in summer. Above are a few photographs.

One thing I have noticed as we have explored these botanical gardens is that the majority of visitors are certainly in the 50+ age group (perhaps even the 60+ age group). I have often asked myself why that should be? I expect that one answer at least, will be the fact that as you get older you tend to enjoy more times of peace and quiet, and a walk in the garden seems to perfectly fit the bill!

My recent reading!

Coinciding with our recent visits to the botanical gardens I have been reading the above two books. The first one received as a birthday present a few months ago. The biography of John Bunyan by Peter Morden is a fascinating read. John was born in Elstow, Bedfordshire in 1628 during the reign of Charles I. However I guess most folks today have never heard of John Bunyan, even although his book ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ was until the middle of the 20th Century, only second to the world’s best seller The Bible in numbers published, and has been continuously published up until today from its first printing in 1678. It is considered a world classic!

Peter Morden paints the picture well, of a swearing ‘tinker’ boy who grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps. On the outbreak of the Civil war between the King and Parliament, John became a soldier in the army of the parliamentarians. Later in life he became a Christian, a husband and father, a popular preacher, a pastor, a prisoner in Bedford jail and a prolific author. Bunyan spent 12 years in Bedford jail, and his crime? He was a preacher of the Bible drawing large crowds to follow him. The Scots had already rebelled at the introduction of the Church of England Prayer book (you may know the Jenny Geddes story) and now non-conformists and desenters were growing in number south of the border too! It was while in a dank prison cell that he wrote his book The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Pilgrim’s Progress is written as an allegory which takes place in a dream. here’s a summary from ‘Goodreads’:

“Pilgrim’s Progress is a famous story of man’s progress through life in search of salvation and remains one of the most entertaining allegories of faith ever written. Set against realistic backdrops of town and country, the powerful drama of the pilgrim’s trials and temptations follows him in his harrowing journey to the Celestial City. Along a road filled with monsters and spiritual terrors, Christian confronts such emblematic characters as Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Talkative, Ignorance, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But he is also joined by Hopeful and Faithful.“

After completing the biography I decided to read the book again. I smiled at the names given to the characters that Pilgrim meets, I’ve met them all I believe, and from time to time have seen myself described in them. Below are two quotations from the book as Pilgrim approaches the end of his journey, which seemed to relate well to our walks in the gardens.

In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the Land of Beulah is a pleasant and fertile country within sight of the Heavenly City.

I should say however, that The Pilgrim’s Progress is a book very close to my heart, as this was the book that started me on my own Christian pilgrimage. And in particular the paragraph from the book quoted below.

Here at the Cross of Christ Pilgrims burden of sin falls from his back.

Here’s a song about Beulah land that we used to sing at church, which I’m sure you will enjoy

I hope you enjoyed the photographs and the read. Perhaps you’ll be intrigued enough to download one of the world’s best selling books The Pilgrim’s Progress and have a read for yourself.

I hope you enjoy what remains of the summer if you are here in Europe, but wherever you are I wish you every blessing!

Matthew

Almost Mid- Summer and the Garden is in full bloom!

Here is a look into our garden now that we are approaching mid summer. In many ways it has been like a ‘mid-summer night’s dream‘ – to see the flowers and vegetables, and the trees and bushes so beautifully flourishing. The warm summer weather we enjoyed during the month of June surely played a part, followed by days of ‘sunny showers’ and warm thundery weather. The potato bags and carrot pot at the entrance to the greenhouse are certainly looking good, but time will tell how many potatoes and carrots will be harvested.

The Greenhouse is a bit full, but I am enjoying my experiment with house plants, some grown from seed and others bought and split and repotted. My wife has already claimed a few for her collection in the house! You can see above two small cacti that have been grown from seed, so praying they will survive! The tomatoes are showing their displeasure at not being my main focus this year, but they are now starting to ripen and we have enjoyed the firstfruits along with a nice cucumber! The peppers and aubergines are looking good, and the tub of parsley and garlic flavoured chives we have proved to be tasty in a stir fry.

Most of the pots are filled with flowers bought as plug plants. I confess to using some of the supermarkets as their prices are usually much cheaper, and I can bring the plants on in the greenhouse. I do have a ‘Club’ card at one of the big garden centres and that too is helpful, as you get two free hot drinks of your choice when you visit! 🙂 We have had our gazeebo up since the end of May and so far it has survived even in some rather blowy days with the help of some extra ‘guy ropes’.

The rhubarb has done well this year and I see that my wife has made a rhubarb tart today! Ive planted some corn for the first time so I am jusr waiting to see if it produces some edible cobs, but at least the apple tree looks like having a fair crop. It’s always a pleasure when some of my great grandchildren pop in to see us. One brought his sunflower seedlings round to see if I could look after them for him, so that’s a bit of a challenge. The bird station is always a pleasure too, and its nice to see the variety of birds that come around.

There has been been quite a lot of hard work to do this year, and one section of the garden is under reconstruction as it were! I’m grateful for the help of one of my grandsons who gives me a hand, but he now has a new job so it is just when he is free. I’m so thankful to God for our garden, as I keep saying. 🙂 When I was in Africa it was common at Church prayer meetings to hear people praying for rain, and for a good harvest, for they realised their dependence on God who controls the weather. It is such a major factor in getting the results looked for. I always try to emulate their practice!

So this is the garden report for mid summer, and all being well I’ll give a final report at the end of the season. To all my fellow gardeners, I wish you great sucess and joy during this year’s growing season.

I’ll finish with this wee poem I came across which I really like, but I’ve yet to install a garden pool!

My Garden by Thomas Edward Brown – born 5th May 1830

A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Ferned grot—
The veriest school
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not—
Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
‘Tis very sure God walks in mine.

Matthew (the amateur gardiner)

Gardening, Local Beauty Spots and …….?

In my last blog I was speaking about a change of plan, which led to us visiting Scotland’s most ‘Southerly Point’. However we did manage to reinstate the planned visit with the family at Skelmorlie, and were blessed by amazing weather. So before I share about the garden here are a few photographs.

‘The hills of Clyde, the wonderful Clyde’

For the past few weeks however I have spent some time in the garden and greenhouse. The grass was cut and strimmed, the patio power washed and paths weeded. It’s been good to have the help of my grandson and my long forbearing wife! We have enjoyed the Spring flowers and the tulips in particular have been beautiful.

Its Springtime in the Garden!

With the Greenhouse now up and running, some seeds have been sown in the propagators, and some are already being repotted. ‘Plug plants’ bought locally are also being brouught-on, and will soon be ready for planting out once the threat of frost has past. This year I’ve reduced the number of tomato plants to four, but I’m still planning to grow the usual peppers, corn, chives, parsley and lettuce, and three bags of potatoes amd one bucket of carrots! I have also installed some new shelves (see below) in the greenhouse and plan to grow some house plants just for fun and a change. Plans are one thing, but I’ll wait and pray, to see how the season progresses. Here are some pics.

The Greenhouse at the beginning of the season 2023

April of course brings us into ‘Summertime’ and clock settings have moved on one hour, so its great to note that the sun is not setting now until 8.40pm. This allows us to have a short drive to some of the local beauty spots, in the evenings, as an alternative to the afternoons. Here’s some pics of local beauty spots visited this month!

Reflections:

Gardening in Scotland is always tricky business as the weather fluctuates so quickly. Today the sun was shining as I worked in the greenhouse, but as we went shopping in late afternoon, the sky was dark and we had heavy hailstones. Tonight the greenhouse will definitely require the heater as the temperature is due to drop below freezing again. So we need to keep on guard as things change quite rapidly.

Below is the poem which is carved in the plaque above ‘the Bonnie wee well‘, on the Gleniffer Braes, which we visited the other night. I remember the first time my mother took me there for a drink as a wee boy when we were walking on the hills. It seems a shame to see it looking rather dilapidated now, with the well dried up. The larks, which as children we watched on the moor, now also seem to be few and far between. Great memories however of this place.

“The bonnie wee well on the briest o’ the brae, where the hare steals to drink in the gloamin’ sae’ gray, Where the wild moorland birds dip their nebs and tak wing and the Lark weets its whistle ere mountain to sing”. Hugh Macdonald – 1817-1860

Springtime is my favourite season of the year, as everything is bursting into life again after the wet and dreary weather, which we had for much of this past winter.

And of course, Springtime always includes Easter, and at our Church we had a special weekend remembering the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. First a meal together then Communion on the Friday night, followed by a service in the park on Sunday morning, with ‘an egg hunt’ for the kids. The main Easter Service brought the Church together for a great celebration, when we joined with Christians from around the world proclaiming, and celebrating the fact that ‘Christ is Risen’! Then on Easter Monday there was a picnic at ‘The Kelpies’ near Falkirk to cap a great weekend. You can listen to the Sunday sermon here, well worth a listen! https://greenviewchurch.co.uk/sermons/easter-how-are-the-dead-raised-1-corinthians-ch15v35to58/

I did say in my last blog that I would tell of other places we visited when down in the Mull of Galloway, but I decided to make a short video instead, which you can see here. (A six minute watch) I hope you enjoy it.

Trust you are well wherever you are! I wish you successful gardening, and God’s blessing.

Matthew

South to Scotland’s Most Southerly Point!

We had planned to be on the Ayrshire Coast for the weekend, but due to unforseen circumstances we ended up in the town of Stranraer instead. Stranraer is considered the main gateway to Northern Ireland, and is famous for its ‘P&O’ and ‘Stena’ ferry terminals nearby. That has been our reasons for visiting the town in the past, but this time we had other ideas!

We found accommodation at the ‘Neptune Rest Guest House’, which was next to the shoreline and ideally suited for a gentle stroll along the promenade. We received a typically warm Scottish welcome, and found the place to be comfortable, clean and we enjoyed a more than ample breakfast. The location was also perfect for our plan to visit the Logan Botanical Garden and the Mull of Galloway!

Logan Botanical Garden

We arrived at the garden early in the day and enjoyed the peace and quiet of this ever so beautiful place, with its walled and wooded gardens and conservatory. So few people around at this time, and so the birds and fowl were easily spotted and kept up their song thoughout our stay. Far too many photos to show but here is a selection.

Logan Botanical Garden

The conservatory was smaller than expected but still well worth a visit. >

Logan Conservatory

We so loved this Garden, and wonder why we took so long to discover it? But soon it was time to move on through various picturesque villages to a wilder and more rugged country at the most southerly tip of the Mull, and indeed Scotland!

Drumore and the Most Southerly Point of Scotland

As we made our way back to Stranraer in late afternoon I made a quick stop to see the Kirkmadrine Stones, whilst Muriel relaxed in the car. This was a quiet, deserted, dramatic and atmospheric place. Let these few pictures tell their own story.

Visiting the Kirkmadrine Stones

Reflections: We visited a few more places during our visit but, all being well, these will form part of a later blog. Sometimes when you have to change plans quickly you feel a bit apprehensive, but on this occasion it all turned out better than we had imagined.

The beauty, and peace and quiet of the gardens contrasted so sharply with the wild landscape and the rugged coastline, the waves surging against the steep cliffs and the majestic views across the Irish Sea. And then the visit to the Kirkmadrine Stones just seemed to perfectly finish the day.

On reflection I thought that the day for many of us, was like a metaphor of life itself. The garden representing carefree years full of life, excitement, plans and expectations, and the wild and exposed headland and surging waves representing years that see storms, tragedies and dangers coming from unexpected directions, and then the Kirkmadrine Stones representing us fading into old age and eventually to life’s end.

However as I stood quietly on top of that small hill and looked and read these ancient stones (some dating back to 500-600 AD) I thought of those who had lived, and worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ in that little Church building, and who died and were buried there. Then my eye caught the inscription on the tall stone shown above. It was a quotation from the book of Revelation, spoken by Jesus after His resurrection. it reads “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” These words of Jesus transformed the scene before my eyes. For the truth of the words promised to his followers in John 11.25,26 have been demonstrated not only in the resurrection of Lazarus, but ultimately vindicated in Jesus’ own resurrection.

Christians all around the world celebrate Easter, and we do as well. We humble ourselves to consider Christ’s death on a cruel cross, his burial in a borrowed tomb, sealed with a heavy stone, and greatly rejoice at his amazing resurrection. We then apply that truth again to ourselves just as countless millions have done down the years, ‘the Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me’!

I was reminded of that as I turned to come down the hill and took a last look back at the cross. Yes, in spite of indifference, and opposition to the good news of Jesus ‘the Cross is still there after all these years‘ and Jesus still invites us to come for forgiveness and to find new life through repentence and faith in His finished work. It took us a longtime to discover the wonder of the Logan Botanic Garden, and it takes some folks a longtime to discover the unsurpassable beauty of Jesus and His love. But it’s still not too late, so why not come this Easter?

Wherever you are, I wish you God’s blessing this Easter

Matthew

PS: If you think Easter is too good to be true try listening to Pastor Colin Adams on the subject – it’s just 5.50 minutes in length.

Parks and Walks close to Home! Home?

**Glasgow Botanical Gardens – Kibble’s Palace**

This month I had lots of things happening in my life, so we tended to stay close to home. The weather was mostly dry, but still very cold, but we visited a number of parks for some excercise and had a special visit to the Botanical Gardens. Usually we come here later in the year when all the Spring flowers are on display, but we enjoyed this winter visit none-the-less.

The Gardens have a long history going back more than 200 years, and currently have a collection of over 9,000 different plants, with most growing in the temperate and tropical greenhouses. Entrance is free, and its lovely to go there out of the cold in the winter. Just inside the entrance to the park there is a mobile kitchen selling a variety of hot and cold food and drinks at a reasonable price. Parking meters are on the streets surrounding the park, and we have always managed to park on Great Western Road just a few hundred yards from the park entrance.

The Orchid House

We always like to start in the ‘orchid house’, which has a large variety of plants some in glass cases, others in the central and side stalls, and some hanging from the ceiling. There is also a tropical pond here. The smell of the plants in the warm humid atmosphere is something to be enjoyed.

The Cactus House

The next glasshouse couldn’t be more different with its Cactus and arid loving plants. This always brings back memories of times spent working and travelling abroad

The Tropics and Jungle House

Now we did feel as if we were in the tropics as we viewed the beautiful selection of ferns, palms and other large tropical plants. I even spotted some sugar cane, which played a major role in my working life.

The Begonia House

Then to the ‘Begonia House’ where we enjoyed the display of this amazing plant in all its varieties. I enjoy growing them in the garden as they seem to keep flowering all summer.

Kibble’s Palace

Then we went to the beautiful ‘Kibble’s Palace’ and sat in the quietness with a cup of tea and a sandwich from the mobile kitchen, and soaked in the atmosphere of the place. Here you are surrounded by amazing plants, and sculptures, mostly with a Biblical theme. We are indebted to the men and women who work behind the scenes to make this facility available to us.

A few other places and parks where we walked in February.

Reflections: When I review my photographs for the months of February and early March, I realise how blessed we are having so many beautiful places to visit so close to home, and in fact so blessed to have a home where we can find warmth and shelter, food and water, and have neighbours, family and friends around us.

This weekend Gary Lineker’s tweet has again brought to the fore the pliight of countless thousands of migrants and refugees, many ordinary people like us, who are desperately seeking just such a place to call ‘home’. Meantime governments in the wealthy nations search for ways to control the influx, so as to be able to choose who can gain entry, and how they can contribute to the economy and pay towards healthcare and social services. The figures are staggering! According to the UN 89.3 million people worldwide are displaced – 27.1 million refugees (about half under the age of 18) – 53.2 million internally displaced – 4.6 million asylum seekers. 1 in every 88 people in the world have been forced to flee. All this as a result of wars, civil unrest and violence. Since then, we have also had the earthquakes in Turkey, where an estimated 1.5 million were made homeless.

Meantime the nations of the world continue to increase their military expenditure by billions of dollars. Does that help the problem or exasperate it? Figures from the internet for 2023 are staggering. The top ten nations for military expenditure are shown here.

Country	Military Expenditure $ in billions
The United States	778
China	252
India	72.8
Russia	61.7
United Kingdom	59.2
Saudi Arabia	57.5 (estimated)
Germay	52.8
France	52.7
Japan	49.1
South Korea	45.7
Total	1,481. billion
Add all the other nations military expenditure and we are talking about an annual expenditure approaching $2 trillion.

Military Expenditure 2023

I can certainly recommend Tearfund, and if you would like to give to help the displaced of the world you can log-on here: https://www.tearfund.org/get-involved/donate

For many I guess these are just some rather sad but necessary statistics, but this weekend I was reminded of one visit I made to a camp for displaced peope in Sudan, when I worked with Tearfund in Africa. Seeing children dying of malnutrition, and watching a mother’s tears as she tells how she lost two of her children on her journey to the camp, are scenes one never forgets. I’m sure many of you have heard such stories first hand.

With fellow workers we sometimes talked and dreamed of the possibilities, if military budgets around the world could be suspended for just one year, and funds re directed instead to the needs of the poor and destitute, to provide food, water, shelter, education, healthcare …. but sadly that’s still just a dream!

But in the midst of that vista of gloom and darkness we were surprised one night when a group of young people came to visit us at our tented camp. We were sitting around an open fire in the field and they had come to sing to us. They sang with such joy and enthusiasm, and the theme of their song? well, actually they were singing about their hope and trust in Jesus! That was back in the nineties, and Africa’s development has come a long way since then. However, it is still true today, that in all of life’s circumstances having a personal faith and trust in Jesus as your Saviour and friend is a life transforming experience, which can give you peace and hope no matter what life throws at you.

I’ll finish with Psalm 84, which we were reading with our church friends last night. The psalmist speaks of his longing to be in the presence of God and in His house, and finishes by saying ‘blessed is the one who trusts in you‘. Here it is presented by the Dornoch Free Church Praise band, from the North East of Scotland. Enjoy.

PS: The first plug plants are in the greenhouse, so praying the temperature will soon start to rise. Have a great Spring!

Matthew

TIME flies > a photographic review of 2022.

It’s always difficult to choose which photographs to include in a yearly review! Should they be included because you think of them technically better than others? or because of the subject matter being photographed? or simply because they invoke memories of a specific day or event, which was extraordinarily special for you? For my opening photograph I’ve chosen the latter. Life had been a bit hectic in Glasgow, but after a surprise phone call we arrived on the Isle of Tiree just two days later. It was late April, and the weather was still cool but beautifully sunny. The first day there, our friend took us to an isolated beach, and left us to walk in the sunshine and quietness, with a gentle but cool wind blowing! Yep, that is a day to be remembered!

Camera wise, time flies too! The first camera I used was the family Kodak Brownie Junior which I was allowed to commandeer for my first youth camp to Whitehills in Morayshire. I still have a photo that I took with it. Unfortunately the ‘light got in’ as I opened it to remove the film 🙂 which was a common problem with the Brownie. Actually the picture of my brother Martin has been improved considerably, because it is a photo of the original photo and digitally improved! Was it really that long ago?Time > flies!

Here’s this year’s selection then, which I enjoyed puting together, so hope you enjoy them too!

January to March 2022

April to June 2022

July to September

October to December 2022

Reflection: It takes just a few minutes of time to review with photographs the year that has now almost gone. It was a year not without its cares, challenges and difficulties, for family and friends and for ourselves. I guess that will also be true for many who read this blog in countries around the world. We don’t tend to photograph these kind of episodes in life’s journey, but we remember well the reality of them!

As we look now towards 2023 and beyond I wonder what your hopes and fears are for the times ahead? for the future? Sherman Barnes* points out that ‘between 1300 and 1700 many movements arose which claimed that human reason and creative power promised progress to a better world‘! Other questions however arose, Is there progress in knowledge but not in morality? In political life? In wealth or is there progress in human nature? By 1914 and onward such dreams of man creating a ‘heaven on earth’ have in fact faded fast, both in the secular and religious world. Recent history surely bears that out?

Christianity however in contrast to the gloom and doom of our news bulletins is a great message full of hope, whether in life or in death! It clains that time itself will in fact be brought to a summation by the God of history at the return of Jesus Christ, the appointed judge of all the earth. Meantime as Christians we are daily invited to walk with Him and wait expectantly for His coming! At what time, you ask? I’ll quote the supreme authority on the subject – Jesus said, You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” It’s good to be ready!

Paul the Apostle also says, ‘according to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.‘

A prayer for 2023: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’

Matthew

*A Lion Handbook – The History of Christianity

It is Summertime, in My Heart!

When I looked out our bedroom window this morning my phone was registering a temperature of minus 7 degrees centigrade, so it was tempting to stay in bed. The resident robin however was looking in the window, just to remind me that the seed box needed topping up! It was certainly a Christmas Card setting, lovely to look at, but how thankful we were that the central heating is still fuctioning well. And the garden looks somewhat different too in winter, take a look!

The weather changes so quickly here in Scotland and it has often been said ‘that here you can have all four seasons of weather in one day’. Just shortly before this cold snap set in, we had spent a lovely weekend with family at Skelmorlie on the Clyde Coast. It’s winter, so the days are short, but one advantage is that the place is quiet and it’s easy to find a place to park. We visited the Isle of Cumbrae on the Saturday, and it seemed as if we had the island to ourselves.

By 3.30pm we were headed back for the ferry just before dark, after stopping off at the Ritz cafe for something to eat and a hot drink and to play the Juke Box! 🙂

Soon we were back home to the family’s place at Skelmorlie. There is nothing quite like sitting toasting your feet at a warm fire on a winter’s night, after your evening meal, and enjoying some good conversation. Then its off to bed!

Reflection: You’ll have noticed the strange heading of this blog ‘It’s summertime in my heart‘? I know summertime is not actually reflected very much in the story or photographs. These however were the words of an old song that came to mind as I looked out of the window this morning. We sang them at our Youth Camps many years ago and still they come to mind.

Summertime In My Heart
It is summertime, in my heart
It is summertime, in my heart
Since Jesus saved me
New Life He gave me
Ev’n in wintertime, it’s summer in my heart.

I wonder what your reflections are when you think back to summer days in your childhood? For me I remember sunny days and going out to play with my pals in the ‘bluebell woods’ just a couple of hundred yards from where we stayed. Time was spent having our picnic, building dens, playing cops and robbers, and best at falling, and climbing the trees. Then there were family holidays by the seaside ….

Winter of course was different, foggy days, ice and snow, wind and rain, scurvy legs and Snowfire, a hot salt sock round your neck for a sore throat, cod liver oil and malt, and your chest rubbed with Vick! 🙂 Games nights at home, table tennis, Ludo, Halma and Snakes and ladders, and push-h’apenny!

Two very different seasons!

Life of course has its changing seasons too! I think in the good times we could say ‘its summer in my heart’, and in times of difficulty ‘it is winter in my heart’. The childhood song above tells how Jesus makes a difference even in the winter times, which come to us all throughout life. At Christmas time we remember His Name was Jesus because he came to be a Saviour, and still is. He gives new life to all who will open their hearts to Him. He saves from our sin and its consequences, He stays beside us as our comforter and guide, and leads us safely home.

Jesus calls, ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’

I’m so glad I opened the door of my heart to Him, he has been the light of summer and of winter in my journey thus far through life. JESUS is God’s unspeakable gift at Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all my followers and fellow bloggers!

Matthew

Colours Galore – Garden Joys and Surprises

Every Spring and early Summer I look forward with anticipation to see the outcome of all the things that have been planted in the garden and greenhouse. My earlier blog at the start of June showed photographs of Spring flowers and the early growth of vegetables in the greenhouse. So how did they all turn out? Well as always the results were mixed, but we keep persevering. Lately I have grown the large begonias, and they are lovely, but they unfortunately keep bowing their heads so they are hard to see and appreciate. Next year, all being well, I think I will give the dhalia’s a try. 🙂

Let’s start with summer flowers.

The fruit and vegetable side of the garden has proved quite productive, in spite of my earlier misgivings about my tomato plants. Four types of tomato were grown and they all produced a good crop. I also tried a new cucumber seed for smaller fruit and they were better than my expectation both in numbers and taste. Peppers were not so good as I had insufficient space in the greenhouse, so put them outside where they didn’t receive the care they deserved and were damaged by slugs and bugs! Those in the greenhouse did much better 🙂 We did get a bowl of gooseberries from two small bushes, which were stewed and sweetened and consumed with our morning cereal. Rhubarb was fertilised this year and gave us two crops for crumbles and pies.

Here are some of the results.

Greenhouse with three bags of potatoes and one carrot bucket

Other bushes and plants also brought some real colour and charm. This is the year of the hydrangeas I think, as they have been superb.

Last year, this little Acer tree looked as if it was almost gone, but I decided to give it another chance and surprisingly it burst into life! It certainly needs repotted, but I am just awaiting the right time to do so! Everything and everybody needs another chance!

Finally, my willow tree at the bottom of the garden is not looking good this year. I saw the resident grey squirrel hanging upside down from one of its branches in early summer and I thought, is it chewing the tree bark? A neighbour commented that her apple tree was also looking poorly, so on checking on line I learned that squirrels eat the bark from trees and also use strips to build their dreys! So sure enough the bare patches on both tree barks seem like conclusive evidence! It’s the squirrel!

Reflection: Now we look forward to the Autumn colours, and the Spring flower planting, if all goes well. I’ll finish with the words of F E Pettingell 1899

Through the changing seasons, of the changing year, with its light and shadow with its hope and fear. Through each glad fulfilment, and each sad defeat, we have safely journeyed, and again we meet. Through this changing year, by His guiding providence we assemble here.

Well many of you I have not yet met in person, but thank you for reading / following my blog, and by God’s grace and mercy, and through your faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to Him, we shall meet one day!

Enjoy what remains of Summer – Matthew!

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The Garden – Summers end 2023

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