Painting seashells. Matters of theology. Dubious brexit benefits.

On Thursdays I collect the two smallest grandchildren from school and bring them home to our house where their mother and quite often one of their older sisters join us for tea. Then our daughter gives Phil a lift to chess club, sometimes taking her various offspring with her but more often returning for an extra cup of coffee and a chat. 

The small people frequently get involved in craft activities at our house, much preferable to the days when the small boy marches in, switches on the TV, finds something acceptable to watch, usually on YouTube, and needs to be prized away from the set to go to the kitchen to have something to eat.

Now, last year on one of our trips to Portugal I came across a small workshop where they were painting and selling seashells. I purchased an example, with the idea that I might have the small people do some shell-painting. The idea was received with mild enthusiasm but never acted upon.

Yesterday afternoon, however, the nine year old spotted on the mantelpiece the painted shell I purchased last year and asked if she and her brother could paint seashells. So I found the collection of shells from our various trips to the seaside over the last few year, picked up the box of assorted coloured acrylic paint (I don’t know what professional shell painters us but acrylic seemed best), located some very fine paintbrushes and we were all set.

Here are the best of the results, rather pleasing I think.

Now, here is a photo I appreciate:

 I hear that J.D. Vance has been giving the pope advice on things theological:

“I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said. “If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful.”

Hmm! Thoughts about teaching grandmothers to suck eggs come to mind. 

And Hesgeth has mistaken a bit of Quentin Tarantino film script for a gospel quotation and used it in a prayer to bless the troops heading for a war that the pope said shouldn’t be prayed for. 

Oh, my! For a country that supposedly has church and state as separate institutions there seems to be lot of God-bothering going on.

I have written before about the somewhat dubious benefits of Brexit. Here’s a link to an article about a German woman, resident in the UK, with “settled status”, who couldn’t get on a flight back to England from Germany because of a Home Office administrative mix-up about her passport number! We might have to accept that Brexit has added complications to our lives, but you would think that all the rules and regulations could be efficiently dealt with! 

Hey ho!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!