Transparent Butterfly

It comes from Central America and is found from Mexico to Panama. It is quite common in its zone, but it is not easy to find because of its transparent wings, which is a natural camouflage mechanism. A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and beautiful.

As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change.

Rivalling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise,orange, green, and red.

All things beautiful do not have to be full of colour to be noticed: In life that which is unnoticed has the most power!

These beautiful pictures reminded me of that immortal quotation by Mahatma Gandhi in 1934; "I need no other inspiration than Nature's. She has never failed me yet. She mystifies me, bewilders me, sends me into ecstasies. Besides God's handiwork, does not man's fade into insignificance?"

Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon

On Saturday 22nd November I had the blessing and sheer joy of visiting St. Mary's Abbey, better known at Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon. Although I have been a visitor many times before it never ceases to inspire and uplift me. I was attending a quiet day and Holy Eucharist in the adjacent St. Cuthbert's Conference Centre.

Buckfast Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. It is visited by almost half a million people every year. Visitors experience a marvellous tranquil atmosphere as well as the rare opportunity to encounter a Roman Catholic monastic community.

The first Abbey was founded in 1018 and absorbed into the Cistercian order in 1147. It grew throughout the Middle Ages until its closure in 1539 by King Henry VIII. The buildings were converted or allowed to fall into ruin, but in 1882 a group of Benedictine monks, exiled from France, settled at Buckfast and eventually set about rebuilding the Abbey. It now seems incredible that a team of no more than six monks completed the work in 30 years, especially as only one - Brother Peter - had any experience as a builder. This feat was made possible by their unshakeable determination to build a lasting symbol of monastic heritage and a living community dedicated to following the Benedictine Rule.

Today Buckfast Abbey is the only English medieval monastery to have been restored and used again for its original purpose. The monks at St. Mary's Abbey pray and work in the exact spot and in the same ways that their predecessors did nearly a thousand years ago. They follow the guidelines that were set down by their founder, St. Benedict, in the fifth century, and they continue to support themselves through a variety of means, including the traditional monastic occupations of beekeeping, land management, wine production and hospitality.

Although, understandably, the monastic enclosure is private visitors to the Abbey are welcome in the church, its beautiful grounds and outer buildings. If you ever find yourself in Devon whether on business or vacation I can truly recommend a visit to Buckfast Abbey where you will find peace and quiet in a spiritually uplifting environment. You cannot fail to leave without experiencing a close encounter with the Holy Spirit.

The High Altar at Buckfast Abbey. Since its foundation in 1018 Buckfast Abbey has experienced times of peace and turbulence, of grandeur, ruin and finally restoration to what it is today.

This huge magnificent stained-glass window of the Last Supper, dominating the Blessed Sacrement Chapel which was added in the late 1960's at the east end of the Abbey Church, was created by the late Father Charles Norris. He trained at the Royal College of Art and developed a modern style of stained glass by using thick tiles of glass, which were chipped to shape and set in concrete or epoxy resins. Over the last 50 years, the monks of Buckfast Abbey have designed and produced windows for over 150 churches, as well as many private commissions. One notable recent commission was a window for a memorial in New York to the firemen killed in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11th 2001.

The Three Nuns

THREE NUNS WERE ATTENDING A CUBS BASEBALL GAME..

THREE MEN WERE SITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND..

BECAUSE THEIR HABITS WERE PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE VIEW, THE MEN DECIDED TO BADGER THE NUNS HOPING THAT THEY'D GET ANNOYED ENOUGH TO MOVE TO ANOTHER AREA..

IN A VERY LOUD VOICE, THE FIRST GUY SAID, "I THINK I'M GOING TO MOVE TO UTAH.. THERE ARE ONLY 100 NUNS LIVING THERE.."

THEN THE SECOND GUY SPOKE UP AND SAID, "I WANT TO GO TO MONTANA.. THERE ARE ONLY 5O NUNS LIVING THERE.."

THE THIRD GUY SAID, "I WANT TO GO TO IDAHO.. THERE ARE ONLY 25 NUNS LIVING THERE.."

ONE OF THE NUNS TURNED AROUND, LOOKED AT THE MEN, AND IN A VERY SWEET AND CALM VOICE SAID,

"WHY DON'T YOU GO TO HELL .. THERE AREN'T ANY NUNS THERE!"

My thanks to Mel in Australia for kindly sending me this funny but profound story. There are times when we all need a smile!

Lest we forget!

Yesterday, Wednesday, two Royal Marines from my city of Plymouth were killed in the Garsir district of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, whilst on a joint patrol with Afghan security forces. They were killed when their vehicle was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device).

The Ministry of Defence have today named the Royal Marines as Robert McKibben, aged 36 years, from County Mayo, Northern Ireland and Neil Dunstan, aged 32 years, from Bournemouth. They were serving with the UK Landing Force Command Support Group from 3 Commando Brigade (whose home base is Stonehouse Barracks here in Plymouth) as part of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

Last Sunday and on Tuesday of this week both RM McKibben and RM Dunstan joined colleagues in Remembrance Day and Armistice Day services on the front line little knowing what fate would befall them so soon afterwards.

Their deaths bring the total number of UK service personnel killed in Afghanistan to 124 and when combined with those lost in Iraq the UK total now stands at 300.

The City of Plymouth once again finds itself in a state of stunned shock at the loss of its brave servicemen. For my part I wish to send my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to their family and friends. Whilst deeply saddened at such tragic loss I am nevertheless extremely proud of their dedication and commitment.

We, as a nation, owe a great debt of gratitude to each and every member of our armed forces who daily put their lives on the line in various conflict zones to defend our freedom, liberty and, above all else, our security.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them!

A Dream Fulfilled!

History was made today! The United States of America has elected its first African American President in Senator Barack Obama and I send him and his family sincere congratulations from me and my family in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We wish him well for his term in office and look forward to a continuation of the enduring and well established working relationship between our two countries. I am very mindful of Dr. Martin Luther King's immortal words in 1963 when he declared, in that famous speech, he had a dream that one day his children and grandchildren would be judged, not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. That dream was fulfilled today in its entirety, albeit 45 years later. Praise The Lord !

I also pay special tribute to Senator John McCain for fighting a very fair election and especially for his characteristic dignity in defeat. A new dawn has begun and as the President Elect stated in his inspirational victory speech it proves that all things are possible in America. The American dream of the Founding Fathers in writing the US Constitution is, thank God, alive and well and we can all look forward to a future full of Hope, Freedom and Liberty for all irrespective of race, colour or creed.

Whatever one's own political persuasion may be; today has certainly been a momentous occasion on the world stage of democracy. The citizens of the United States of America have never been more "united" than now in so many different ways. Congratulations to those celebrating success and commiserations to those gracious in defeat. May God bless America and her Allies.

WWW.DAVID-FARLEY.COM

Apologies to my regular visitors for the lack of postings over the past couple of weeks. As detailed in my previous posting I was extremely disappointed to lose my personal website on AOL Hometown which I had built, over recent years, into a reasonably good site; judging by the favourable comments posted within my Guestbook. However, not to be outdone, I have succeeded in constructing a new site, albeit of necessity, containing much of the same information as the previous one but with one significant difference; it contains none of AOL's boring adverts ! It can be reached at www.david-farley.com and I would welcome any constructive comments or criticism from bloggers or indeed any visitors as to how I may improve the content or presentation of the site.