Jo was not very good at playing the bells, but I always admired her for playing at midnight on Xmas Eve and she still makes me laugh at the kittens she took in, along with the dog and blind sheep, not forgetting her old pony which she would harness to a cart and trot round the narrow lanes much to the annoyance of motorists.
As it is Sunday I thought to write with a more religious air. Above the small church of Normanby, which has, according to my friend, has the ceiling starting to come down and is now closed. The bells, played by Jo is above, the sad news of her husband's death recently struck a deep blow to my heart, for the passing of time and the sadness of loss.
But not being miserable, I listened to the religious 'Sunday' programme this morning. Well apparently we have too many bishops, I suppose they do become costly when they reach pensionable age. But the item that sparked my interest was the ceremony about to take place today.
It is the erection of 108 stupas in the Gelephur City of Mindfulness in southern Bhutan. The area is about to be modernised and so I suppose this is the way of welcoming a new era. The 108 stupas must be built in a day by various groups.
The number of beads you must count is 108, reminding me of my rosary beads. How many 'Hail Marys' can you say? So 108 is a 'magic number' well it definitely has the number 9 in it.
Buddhism has always seemed the gentlest of religions, and that gentleness is something we need right now. Religion can be used in an aggressive form, from the auto-de-feu of the Middle Ages to the religious wars we are now experiencing.
So today as I knit my latest experiment I shall watch the building of stupas for peace in a world full of war. Humans do try after all, even if we never make it!
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