Advent post III

Wednesday

Thrive

We only thrive in the light (which makes me think of this song, yes, I was that cheesy Christian teenager).  At this time of year it can be so dark.  We get up in the dark, like the Wife of Noble Character (when I much prefer the attitude of the psalmist), we leave work in the dark.  Darkness seems to  fill the time that is our own.

Thursday

Abide

I abide in an abode.  This tickles me.  As does the picture above, whereby I am cheating and using a photograph someone else has taken.  I helped build the house though.  But to abide?  To abide is to stay, to endure.  Also to rest, to remain alongside.  There's a heavy peacefulness to it.

Friday

Notice

The things we notice.  The height of the water.  The stillness of the reflection.  The traffic in the background.  We once went to this park to find a thing and failed to notice it, even though it was in plain sight.  What are the things we don't notice?  Who are the people I don't notice?

Saturday

I watched a number of things on Saturday.  I watched country music videos at the gym, I watched the clock in order to get out on time (and managed it), I watched (and joined in with) dancing and singing.  I took photographs, which takes quite a lot of watching.

Sunday

Show up

These wee guys showed up in ourhouse this weekend.  They are on their way to show up too.  To show up for a saviour.  Who in turn is on his way.  To show up for us.  And we should show up.  Show up for those who ask.  Show up for those who don't.  For those who can't.  Show up just to be there.  Show up to do the thing that needs to be done.  Show up when it hurts.  Show up when it's easy and fun.  Show up when no-one believes you will.  Show up when someone believes no-one will.

Real Legs are Awesome

Well, they are.

At the top of Corrie Fee - knackered and fabulous!

The title of this post comes from a BBC 2 documentary about servicemen competing in the Invictus Games this year.  Specifically I think it was double amputee David Henson that said it.  And it's become one of the little mantras of our house (along with "No boshing, only loves", "Sounds sticky" and other such deep and meaningful thoughts).

So when Sally posted about loving her knees I was right there with her.  Because real legs are awesome.  And my legs are awesome.  Some of the awesome things my real legs have done recently include:

Off to chase a toddler at the park...

Climbing the back wall of Corrie Fee
Swimming a few lengths here and there
Gymming more than a couple of times each week
Dancing for pretty much 12 hours straight
Taking friends for turns on Daisy the tandem
Chasing toddlers around soft play areas and parks

They may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of legs, by the restrictive standards of conventional beauty, but they are strong and soft and real, and that makes them awesome.

Dolphin Hunting II & III

This evening we went and found our friendly neighbourhood dolphins.  It took us a 2.2-mile hunt (and the first one really was a hunt,confounded us for ages) but we managed to visit our two nearest dolphins.

This is Tree's a Crowd.  Squiggle the Squirrel came with us and is not part of the Wild Dolphin trail.

We thought we had covered the whole park - tennis centre, playpark, crumbling pavillion and ponds, but to no avail.  We were just going to move on to Park 2 when eventually we found it under the trees - fading light (as much as we get that at this latitude this time of the year) meant that it was actually really tricky to see until you could make out the concrete base.  Fortified by our success,we continued...

Smug face at managing to locate Archie

 ...and spotted our next dolphin with relative ease, at one of top three likely locations.

Bonus peek-a-boo shot.