ABC Wednesday, G, for Greed and Gluttony

                                         Gluttony

Greed and Gluttony.
When a friend of mine became a widow more than a decade ago, she was really devastated. Not only had she lost her partner and best friend, her mate to whom she had been married for 36 years, but she had to handle financial situations, such as making her tax declaration, managing bank accounts, and selling all her husband's shares, for she didn't want to lose money on shares. She didn't know anything about them. Then a friend of hers asked her, if her son-in law was allowed to do her bookkeeping, because her daughter and son-in-law were in rather needy circumstances. The widow was delighted! Of course! Now she got the help and advice she needed of somebody she knew well. The bookkeeper and his wife were friends of the widow. He helped her repair things in her house, all kind of things her husband and children used to do. After some time the bookkeeper asked something in return. Would she be so kind as to lend him some money? He wanted to buy a property for his wife in order to insure her of a regular income, when he had died. He was more than 20 years older than she was and not in good health. Of course the widow lent him a large amount of money. And the grateful bookkeeper did more odd jobs in the house. Later on he asked for another loan. In the beginning he paid the interest and repayment of the two mortgages, but after a while he stopped paying the repayment of one of the mortgages. He now was in full control of her bank account. She didn't know how much she owned as the bank didn't send bank statements any more, for he did internet banking. He promised her to copy the statements, and so he did twice. He remained kind and helpful and the widow trusted the bookkeeper without any doubt. Years later it was found out that he had embezzled a very large amount of money for his own good. This was a real eye opener. And the widow found herself a good lawyer and summoned the bookkeeper to appear in court.
Greed is an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods with the intention to keep it for one's self. Greed - like lust and gluttony - is a sin of excess. Greed is inappropriate expectation. However, greed is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power.

As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.

Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 9 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

ABC Wednesday, G for Guernsey

 

Outside our unit in Quernsey

In May 2006, my sister, her husband and I went to spend a week's holiday on Guernsey.We walked a lot and spoke to many islanders, who told us interesting facts about Guernsey. The island is small but has a long and eventful history.

 

Walking in the forest we enjoyed the sight of the blue bells

 

Although Guernsey is geographically closer to the Normandy coast than to the south coast of England it is a dependency of the British Crown.

So why does Guernsey remain loyal to Britain, rather than France her closest neighbour?

It all began in 933 AD when the Channel Islands became part of the Norman Realm. In 1066, the Duke of Normandy landed his army in Sussex and became William I of England. The Channel Islands, however, remained part of the Duchy of Normandy and continued to be governed as such.

When Continental Normandy was lost in 1204 the Channel Islands remained loyal to the King of England as the King promised to rule the islands as though he was the Duke of Normandy (i.e. observing the Duchy’s laws, customs and liberties). This arrangement has been confirmed in charters of successive sovereigns that have secured for the islands their own judiciaries and freedom from the process of the English Courts. Indeed the Islands are independent in all matters with the exception of international representation and defence for which the United Kingdom is responsible.

 

The islands were the focal point of strife between England and France for many years due to their allegiance to England. At times, the French raided the islands and gained temporary footholds and, as a consequence, there are castles and fortresses around Guernsey that were originally built as a protection against invaders.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

ABC Wednesday, G for Gate

We thank Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find  ten bloggers for each of the ABC Team members  to visit and to read their posts. We are beginning to find another round for all the 26 letters of the alphabet. This will be now the letter G.

In the previous posts I have used words which were linked with travelling by plane, which I have been doing a lot this year.

Of course there are other gates, which are far more beautiful. They don't give access to a plane, but most of the time they are movable frames, which open or close an opening in a fence or wall around an estate  or park. And they are sometimes very beautiful.

St. John's College, Cambridge.

Wikipedia says: "A gate, or gatehouse, is an area of an airport that provides a waiting area for passengers before boarding their flight. While the exact specifications vary from airport to airport and country to country, most gates consist of seating, a counter, an aircraft entry or exit doorway, and a jet bridge."

 

The Dutch Palace Het Loo, built by King William III 

 and Queen Mary of Great-Britain.

 

Our World Tuesday,ABC Wednesday , G for Greece

This week we have arrived at the letter G, which inspires me to write something about Greece, the cradle of the western civilisation.
Greece is having a very difficult time now. We hope that their new government can help them back to a better economic situation. We hope Creece will stay in the European Community.






Wikipedia says:"

The Phaistos Disc, found in the Minoan palace of Phaistos in Crete.

The Lion Gate, Mycenae.

Greek territories and colonies during the Archaic period (750-550 BC).

The earliest evidence of the presence of human ancestors in the Balkans, dated to 270,000 BC, is to be found in the Petralona cave, in the northern Greek province of Macedonia..........  Neolithic settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC, are the oldest in Europe by several centuries, as Greece lies on the route via which farming spread from the Near East to Europe.

The first time I travelled to Greece was in April 2007. We started in Thessaloniki where we stayed 2 nights. One of the first sights was the church in Philippi dedicated to Lydia, a seller of purple.
(Acts 16: 11-22).
Wikipedia:" Tyrian purple , also known as Tyrian red, royal purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, is a bromine-containing reddish-purple natural dye. It is a secretion produced by one or more species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name Murex."

                        Inside the church there is a magnificent dome, the painting of which is representing   
                         Jesus being baptized by Johnt he Baptist.Look at those colours!

Outside the church a service was going on near the water where Lydia was said to have been baptized by Saint Paul.

After Philippi we went to see the ruins of an agora where Paul preached in a  former court of justice,
which was called"basilica" by the Christian community.

Some parts and sights I shall write about in other posts, but now I can show you something of Delphi,

 Every body has heard the expression "it's an oracle of Delphi", not knowing what it means.

I'll write more about it later.
Delphi was considered to be the centre of the world in ancient times .
Legend has it that Zeus took two eagles and let them loose in two opposite directions. The place where they met was called Delphi.





Wikipedia :
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. In myths dating to the classical period of Ancient Greece (510-323 BC), the site of Delphi was believed to be determined by Zeus when he sought to find the centre of his "Grandmother Earth" (Ge, Gaea, or Gaia). He sent two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos, or navel of Gaia was found^.".

 A visit to the Meteora was very surprising. See later post.

 A church dedicated to Saint Sophia

                                                         

 Acropolis

These are just a few photos of Greece, more are to follow in the next few weeks.

Greece is a country of ancient religion and Christianity, a country of highly developed culture and impressive architecture surrounded by beautiful nature. 

 We arrived at the sixteenth round of ABC Wednesday and the letter G. See more lovely and interesting words starting with G. Click on the logo in the sidebar and refer please to the ABC on Wednesday meme  and Mrs Nesbitt.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, G for Gnomes

Gnomes all over the world!

Gnomes in all the provinces of the Netherlands

Do you believe in the existence of gnomes?

All over the world gnomes have found a home among humans. They have lived here for ages. We didn't know about them until one of them told about their way of life and their long history. 

We shall call him David. Now David thought that it was about time to tell the world about their existence. So he went to the Dutch author Wil Huygen and his friend the Dutch illustrator Rien Poortvliet, to whom he told about his life.

Wood-gnome, 275 years old, 15 cm tall

 Like all gnomes he is 15 cms tall and he weighs 300 grammes. He can grow as old as 400 years. The most important feature is his pointed hat. Gnome children get their pointed hats at an early age and will never take them off: not in bed, not even in the bathtub, only when it has to be enlarged. 

A couple marries when they are about a hundred years old. They get two children: biovular twins. At the age of twelve they are toilet-trained. Gnomes sleep during the daytime in their comfortable houses under trees or under the roofs of farmhouses.

 As soon as it gets dark they get up and start work. The gnome is known for his knowledge about herbs and the wildlife in the woods or the fields.

The gnomes help sick animals.

 He helps sick animals and even sick people. He has learnt all kind of skills: carpenting, forging all kind of metal objects, glassblowing... you name it! He builds his own house with the help of relatives and neighbours. 

 

  Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

ABC Wednesday, G for Gympie

We left the Netherlands for Australia on 17th December. Early in the morning of 18 December we arrived in Brisbane were we stayed one day. The next day we went to  stay  in Gympie where the mother of my daughter's partner lives. She was such a hospitable lady and so kind to harbour six people and a two-year old toddler. We stayed till after Christmas, which was for me strange because I am used to wet and cold Christmases. Being in Gympie I was curious to know a bit more about its history. Here is what I found:

Wikipedia:
Gympie's name derives from the Kabi (the language of a tribe of Indigenous Australians that historically lived in the region) word "gimpi-gimpi" (which means "stinging tree"), which referred to Dendrocnide moroides. The tree has large, round leaves that have similar properties to stinging nettles. The town was previously named Nashville, after James Nash, who discovered gold in the area in 1867. The name was later changed to Gympie in 1868.

History

Lower Mary Street, c.1925

Originally settled for grazing purposes, the area became prominent when James Nash reported the discovery of 'payable' alluvial gold on 16 October 1867. At the time Queensland was suffering from a severe economic depression and the discovery probably saved the colony from bankruptcy. A memorial fountain was built in Gympie's Park in honour of Nash's discovery.This event is still celebrated today during the Gympie Gold Rush Festival, with 10 days of cultural events held in October. Gold mining still plays a role in the area's fortunes, along with agriculture (dairy predominantly), timber and tourism. The rapid development of the new settlement was so quick that the streets were laid out in an irregular fashion rather than the grid pattern common to most Queensland towns^.

A railway from Maryborough was completed in 1881. The North Coast railway linked Gympie to Brisbane in 1891^. A fire brigade was in operation in 1900. Gympie was officially declared a town in 1903. In 1953 a powdered milk factory began operations in the town.

The surroundings are very idyllic  and peaceful. I was delighted to see so many birds and other animals, like a possum and even kangaroos.

Christmas was very nice with lots of presents (prezzies) and delicious food. I took some photos of the garden.

Please enlarge these photos.
 Rainbow Lorikeets eating a slice of bread with honey.

A boomer and his wife! In the neighbour's garden.

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with G.