Bunny saga ends

[Welsh Rabbits]

Avid readers of this blog (whoever he is) will recall the purchase of two rabbits last Autumn. Both females we were assured but earlier this year first a litter of five then another of four appeared before we were able to get the proverbial stable door closed. The phrase 'like rabbits' is no longer a mere phrase to me (nor is 'rabbits are burrowing animals' for that matter).

We have been busy commending the keeping of rabbits to family and friends and this week we managed to pass on the final two of the nine (two pairs are in South Wales and two pairs and a single white one are settling into hutches in London).

So just two now. It seems so easy. What fun we've had.

Poetry and pizza

Eleri and the youngest boys headed off to Wales on Friday afternoon (for an eisteddfod and to pass on 4 of our 11 rabbits - did I mention that there had been a second litter?) so when I came in from the GPT meeting it was just me and the middle boys here. (As I mentioned GPT very kindly gave us all copies of the newest books Frank Allred's brilliantly titled Just by believing and the new edition of John Hall's book of 12 Bible basic studies which I am hoping to get someone to study with me.) We sent out to Pizza Hut for a stuffed crust pizza - very nice. Then it was of to clubs at chapel which went off quite well despite a shortage of staff. I spoke on the lost sons.

On Saturday morning we had a clean up day which was quite well attended (thanks to our Korean friends and our two LTS men). We made good progress on lots of things. A chapel is lke ahome - always things to clean and tidy and fix. Then there was rugby all afternoon, which I kept coming in and out for in the midst of preparations for the Lord's Day. I watched most of the Welsh game. It's hard to begrudge the Irish their win after 61 years (our name is Brady so we must be part Irish anyway) and they were the better team. So we are forced back to 'as long as we beat the English' sadly. At least we were well disciplined and in with a shout.

Gwion returned in triumph. He had been reciting a poem (Un funud fach - see below - something about a child bored out shopping with his mam) in the Urdd prelims and was considered good enough to enter the national competition - he is the best for his age in the whole world at it (excluding Wales) - I guess that last bit is important to add.

The Lord's Day was good. I preached on the transfiguration. We had one of the deacons and his wife here for lunch. When we read the Bible after lunch it was the bit about deacons and their wives in 1 Timothy - ironic. They joined Rhods and I for a nice walk before the evening meeting (on Abraham in Hebrews 11). Eleri was beginning to go down with a cold by the end of the day. We'd marked Mother's Day with cards and gifts. I prayed for mothers in church but we don't mark it any other way.

Suddo i nyth clyd
y soffa hufen
a’m byd yn gartwnau gwyllt
ond daw llais Mam fel drudwen
i bigo’r lluniau o’m llygaid
‘Tyrd! Cwyd!
Allan â ni.’
Ac allan â mi
i siopa.

Codi hediad a mynd
Dilyn y lli
yn un haid,
yn un dorf,
o un siop i’r llall.
‘Un funud fach fydda i,’
Meddai hi.

Cyfir’r craciau yn y palmant
a sylwi ar bapurach fel hen blu
yn hel yn y gwter.
Ceir yn ymlwybro fel pryfed genwair
yn y maes parcio –
a hen wynt main
yn gwneud i mi grynu
ar y silff ffenast oer.
Troi
Ac mae hi’n dal i bigo mynd
Heibio rêls y dillad
yn sbaena, yn cyffwrdd y defnyddia
yn codi’r hangyr, sbio
a’i roi yn ei ôl.
Mae bagiau plastig
sy’n barod i ddodwy
yn fy mhasio

a finna yn ysu ysu
am fynd ‘nôl
i’r nyth clyd hwnnw
ar y soffa.

(Gan Rhian Sanson)

Debriefing

As ever the last few days have been hectic and I feel in need of a debriefing. Do excuse me.

Wednesday - Meetings

Yesterday I was at my regular meetings for older folk - one am and one pm. The morning one was fine and I enjoyed walking the Kilburn High Road after it. Got my hair cut and bought a man bag and one or two other things en route. Evidence of the recession abounds with several shops closed down. In the afternoon one at the BUPA home we were low in numbers and the organiser was rather stressed busy putting up a display for St David's and St Patrick's Day (I've never seen green dragons for Wales before). Eleri's cousin's eldest, Ifan was with us overnight - up to check out London's art galleries. He joined us at our midweek meeting - and prayed in English! We were looking at the next bit in Deuteronomy 19 especially about two or three witnesses, which has a surprisingly large number of applications (just check the NT references).

Tuesday - EMF and LTS

The day before that I was lecturing in Welwyn at the EMF School on Seventh Day Adventists, Freemasons and Spiritualists. Rather a disastrous morning in some respects as I arrived late and had to leave early. In the afternoon we were interviewing at LTS.

Monday - LTS

On Monday I was at the LTS for the John Owen Centre Theological Study Group. We were discussing Tim Keller's book The Reason for God under the leadership of Mostyn Roberts. There was general agreement that while we have a lot of admiration for Keller and his book and like his zeal for souls some of the exegesis and theology leaves something to be desired. There are one or two surprisingly uncalvinistic statements in it. We agreed to do Catch the Vision by John J Murray next time.

Monday night was rather frustrating as Eleri was out then there was a problem with the internet on the laptop. Phoning BT is always a nightmare and though we eventually got the problem sorted it was frustrating and time consuming and by the time I was sorted I'd missed the University Challenge final, which I had to watch on iplayer later knowing the Trimble girl had won it for Corpus Christi. Ah well.

Weekend - Preaching, quiz night and party

On Sunday I preached on the final three chapters of Ezekiel and was not only glad to have completed the task but felt it came to something of a climax. We were in Hebrews 10 in the evening, a very searching passage.

The night before Rhodri had organised a quiz night for kids 15+ and around 15 showed up - half of them "outsiders". One old friend, Edmund, came and stayed with us for the weekend. I spoke (rather convolutedly I thought in the end, sadly) on learning from Agur (Proverbs). One fellow took a Bible and one a copy of my book on Regeneration (he's read most of Keller - he thought the negative first part better than the second positive part) and another person was very interested.

Saturday was Owain's birthday. He had a pirate themed party and enjoyed it a lot. Thankfully the weather was fine and they could spill out into the garden. They loved the trampoline and the rabbits (BTW did I mention there's been another litter recently? It's like a farm out there. I suggested that we put a rabbit in each of the party bags but we didn't in the end ;-).

Bunnies - More footage

Bunnies

The rabbit kittens are starting to look like rabbits now.

Never a dull moment

There certainly seem to be few dull moments here. Let me see. Last Thursday I was in the garden with Eleri and I noted how one of our two female rabbits looked larger than the other and was rather aggressive. That should have warned me. Anyway by Saturday the larger one (Minnie) had produced a litter of about five! So we've sorted out who is who (thanks to a friend who grew up on a farm - we're townies and know nothing) and Peppa's off to the vet tomorrow. Till then he's in quarantine which is a bit mean but there we are. Baby rabbit anyone?

Meanwhile Eleri's finger has been swelling up making the ring on it even tighter. Anyway enough was enough this morning and so I took her (with her knitting and two newspapers) to the A & E at the Royal Free. Well, in two minutes they had this special machine in and the ring was off!

One of the benefits of the internet is to realise that you're hardly alone in these things. You also gain an education of sorts - 31 days is the gestation period for rabbits, window cleaner can be a good aid in removing a stuck ring, etc. For more info - rabbits (also), rings.

Pepper and Mini

It's been a long time coming but on Wednesday Eleri eventually took the youngest boys to buy some rabbits for the hutch we've had in the garden the last few weeks. Owain in particular is wrth ei bodd (chuffed). They've called them Pepper and Mini. I don't know why.

10 Famous rabbits (fictional)

1. Brer Rabbit
2. Peter Rabbit
3. Miffy
4. Bugs Bunny
5. Rabbit (A A Milne's)
6. Roger Rabbit
7. Thumper
8. Benjamin Bunny
9. Jessica Rabbit
10. The White Rabbit