Roddy Johnston

I wish you well for the day, and have a laugh along the way. 1/9/23

I don't know what set you off, but driving behind camper-van on a single track road for more than a few miles, definitely had me on a brink of outrage, and would seem, from records of prices of houses, environmental protest, or party conferences, I am with company, there's a lot of anger out there. But then there's a lot of stress out there. As one puts it, we're all boiling at different degrees. It said, when anger is dominant, it is reprehensible feat, it originate fire, dangerous to heart, and the effect of fire is emotion and restlessness. One philosopher once said, because anger is so markedly upsetting, its effect on reasons are more noticeable, more than any other passion.

Our countryside at its very best side, as many of visitors, at last enjoying a break away from wherever they endured lockdown, as a sense of hopefulness to be found among people as vaccinations allows us glimpse away out of this pandemic, no two ways about it, the weather, here at least, adds a warmth, to that climbing out of cold darkness that has being so much a part of our lives for the last wee while.

Happy Valentine’s Day. I don’t what it means to you, maybe it’s a new love, or perhaps another full on attempt to putting the fire back into relationship, or it could be Valentine’s Day just an annual chore that you better to get it right. Whichever way maybe, I do wish you well.

And here we are the lingering days between end of Xmas and the prospect of a new year coming up to surround the corner. Time for Xmas movies, playing board games, and I do like the up-side-down challenge, and trying to social distance with the fridge, this is all the time look at the past and forward to a future, but with a pandemic seems to be unclear, we had nearly two years of being unable to know where we will be in 2 weeks time. So many voices are between anxiety that comes with uncertainty, not least my own boys, in his poem. Patric asked “Is the music playing behind the door of despair?”

So much happening in the news right now, extreme climate events in America, Germany and else where, and all the misery that has got. Pandemic still has you and me, not quite sure where things goes from here, and how much longer we have to "endure". It's tough enough to get heads around, all it takes is just get through the day. All these extra anxiety, from events we have little or no control of, can start give us a bit of sinking feeling.

The basic human truth here is we only become full round and mature if we move outside ourselves in openness to others. 23/5/23

Out at back of the house, there’s a horse chestnut tree, and its leaves are almost out, but if you look at the old oak trees, there’s hardly a sign there spring is here. What we have here is perhaps the nature’s version of risk assessment. The horse chestnut comes out early take advantage of lengthening days and hoping there won’t be any devastating damage from frost, the oaks are still comtemplating dangers over, and it’s safe to start puting out leaves again.

Friends a mine who climbed Ben Nevis last week was surprised, to find a banner at the summit, this was to advertise a far right group that he never heard of. I know there's a piece in the news about another group that I never heard of in America, called Deselect Nation, which described as white national movement. On the other side of the climb, there are a number of far-left groups, who are committed to revolutionary Maxim. A way back to 1945 some two years before the discovery of dead-sea scrolls, there's was another found ancient manuscript, and the writings of these scrolls are often dualist in nature, that is to say, they don't have belief in one god, but rather in two, one good and one bad. This satisfies the human conditions that seeks to identify with the agreed. You see yourself as being one of the children of light, then you see others are children of darkness. It's here that religious intolerance raise its ugly head.

Book of Sirach says, Reflect on what you've being commanded, for what is hidden is not your concern. 15/2/23

Like so many people I’ve been caught out by my laptop’s spell check program, I recently to “play” with someone who was ill. Of course I meant prey for, not my greatest hour. In the depth of contemplative prayer, people often find that sickness, reflection, anxiety, and countless other natural needs, keep them from hypes that they seek. But the writer on spiritual guidance written in late 18th century consults that you should remain contemplative prayer as it were earnest, or it were playfully.

Season for wait and hope. As anxieties fears part of 2022, waiting for brighter times ahead, hoping soon clear the darkness emerge into the light. 8/12/22

It's been reported the damage done by the winter storm has been reassessed, whereas it has been thought 4000 hectares been affected, now it's seems that the true picture is more like 8000 hectares, or some 60 millions trees that are fallen. Scottish head of forestry operations said the storm has put demand on lot of pressure, but it had been up to the task, and the environment minister said the forestry sector had its mettle tested, had showed its resilience, is managing the aftermath very well.