Friday 19 July 2013

The Great Butterfly Wars

Green-veined White pupa, Pieris napi
= 2 points!
Today is the day of the Great Butterfly War - the Butterfly count-off between Sussex and Hampshire.

The Wood Whites - our gallant Sussex lads - will take on the massed and ruthless hordes of Hampshire - the Glanville Fritillaries (boo, hiss).   The Wood Whites with Captain B among them, will advance bravely (and gallantly) into the bleak and fear-inspiring Hampshire terrain to count their butterflies; while the Glanville Fritillaries (boo, hiss) will invade the lovely and defenceless land of Sussex, and count our butterflies.


The Charge of the Flight Brigade
by Mrs Captain McButterfly.

Half a leaf, half a leaf,
half a leaf onward
Into the Valley of Hampshire (and that doesn't scan!)
flew the six hundred  (only about a dozen or so WoodWhites, but there is such a thing as poetic license)

Butterflies to the left of them
Butterflies to the right of them...


Well, I hope that is enough jingoism, and I hope the day goes well, with lots of butterflies being counted.  I have been told to follow the unfolding battle on Twitter - and it should make the BBC News. There will be a camera crew there.   And Captain B is riding camera for his team.


We are back to our normal routine at the Kingdom Hall now, so I was at the meeting last night, with the brave Captain chauffering me, even though it was the night before the battle.    And it was lovely to be back. And lovely that we have air con in our new hall, as it was a hot night.

Our last talk was a question and answer session about why and how the young brothers can and should step forward end start to take the lead in helping the congregation and become ministerial servants and elders themselves. One elder said that he was touched to see a young brother helping one of the elderly sisters into the Hall that evening.

And that was me, with kind young Isaac....

But how can I be an "elderly sister"?  Just yesterday I was a young wife.

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