By Reina Free
This year’s autumn was exceptionally beautiful as if in an attempt to make up for the wet summer. The fading leaves made their departure in a spectacle of colours brilliant and subdued. Coming up Rocky Lane made home-coming even more special, while in the evening, the sun took her leave in an extravagance of pale colours of yellow, pink, blue, soft green and going down in dark red and orange. What a sight.
Large flocks of mistle thrushes, fieldfares and redwings from countries of the north fly over making their unmistakably quacking sound. Over the now bare field kites circle round winging around one another. One solitary buzzard circles around searching for mice or voles. Under the oak tree at the bottom of the field men with guns shoot for pigeons. There has been a sickness among finches especially green finches. So weary and so frail you could almost catch them by hand. Hungrily trying to eat seeds yet unable to swallow. A truly pitiful sight. A car smashed a very small baby muntjac up. Poor little thing screamed in pain. It was taken to St Tiggywinkles in Haddenham but could not be saved. Another victim of a car too much in a hurry.
In a few weeks’ time it will be Christmas again followed by New Year’s Eve. In Holland we call it Old Year’s Evening. How we celebrate it is a matter of choice and personal. However in whatever way a time of reflection and hopefully joy within and without. Both are important.
And so all together we enter into the unknown of the New Year. What it will bring no one knows. But we, just by the grace of God, live in such a beautiful small world all of our own, that lifts up by its sheer beauty the sometimes weary and heavy heart.
And with just a little bit of kindness, gentleness, compassion for one another it will become a good year.
And may God bless us all as we try.