Why the Ox and the Donkey were allowed to stay in a Bethleham stable

Der Ox und der Esel

Stories by Karl Heinrich Waggerl

Loosely translated by Reinhold Muller

The Ox and the Donkey

The holy bible does not talk about the ox and the donkey, but my mother told me the story: As Mary and Joseph were on the way to Bethlehem, the archangel gathered all the animals to choose this or that one that would behave properly in the barn with the holy family.
The first to introduce himself was the lion. Only someone of noble descent was worthy to serve the Lord, he roared. He would stand in front of the door and tear to pieces anyone getting to close to the child.
"You are too ferocious" said the angel.
The fox then sneaked in with the innocent face of a thief. "King or not" he said, "the most important is food". He promised to bring the sweetest honey to the child and  a chicken a day to his parents.
"You are too deceitful" said the angel.
The peacock now entered. With a sweeping noise, his tail spread out like a fan of feathers that sparkled in the sun. "So shall I also do in the barn" he said, "and it will be no less magnificent than Solomon's temple".
"Too much vanity" said the angel.
Many others followed, the cat and the dog, the smart owl, the sweet-voiced nightingale, each praising his art, but in vain. Finally, the demanding angel glanced around and saw the ox and the donkey, working hard at ploughing the fields. He called to them: "you out there, what could you do?"
"Nothing, your honour" sadly said the donkey, "We have learned nothing but obedience and patience, everything else has caused us trouble."
"But" shyly added the ox, "perhaps could we wave our tails from time to time and chase the flies away ?"

"So be it !" said the angel.




Have fun

 

The Christ child's first ever smile

AND SO IT WAS

Stories by Karl Heinrich Waggerl

Loosely translated by Reinhold Muller

Why the Christ child had to smile.

As Joseph with Maria from Nazareth was on his way to Bethlehem, so as to witness that he was a descendant from David, which the learned people as well we should have known anyhow, as it had already long been since written down, - to this just time came the Archangel Gabriel secretly once more down from heaven, so as to have one last look in the stable to ensure that everything was just so and right.

It was even for an Archangel in his own wisdom hard to understand, why it must be in the most pitiful stable in which the Lord should be born, and his crib should be nothing more then a simple manger. But at least Gabriel wanted to command the winds that they did not blew too roughly through the gaps, and that the clouds in the sky did not again break in emotion and thus showering the baby with its tears, and to what the light in the lantern concerned, he once again had to reinforce to light with a modest amount, so as not to blind or to shine brightly just like the Christmas star.

The Archangel also rummaged round for all the small animals to be taken out of the stable, the ants and spiders and the mice, for it was not to think what might happen if the holy Mother Maria got horrified beforehand over an errand mouse. Only the Donkey and the Ox could stay, the donkey because later he needed to be close by anyhow for the flight to Egypt, and the Ox, because he was so big and so lazy, that all the angles in heaven could not have moved him from his place.

Lastly Gabriel sprinkled groups of angles around in the stable and on the roof trusses; they were of the small and fine kind and consisted almost only of a head and wings and their job was to sit still and stand guard and immediately give directions if the child in his naked poverty was exposed to any threat. One last look around and the mighty angel lifted his wings and flew away.

All’s well.

But not quite, because on the floor of the manger, in the hay, there was still sitting a flea, fast asleep. That tiny monster was missed by the Angel Gabriel, of course one understands, since when has an Archangel anything to do with fleas!??

So, since that expected miracle has happened and the child lay there on the hay in the crib, so full of loveliness and so touchingly poor, the angels under the roof could hold no longer back, and being so enthralled, they flew around the manger just like a swarm of doves. Some smiled to the boy pleasant balsam smells and others plucked and moved the hay just right, so that not one string of hay was poking or pushing against the baby.


With these noises around the flea awakened in the hay. Straight away he became most frightful for his life, because he thought someone was after him, as usual! He drove around the manger and tried all his tricks and finally, exasperated in his greatest need, dived into the holy child’s ear.

“Forgive me” whispered the breathless flea, “but I cannot help it in any other way, they surely will kill me if they catch me! I’ll disappear shortly, your holy grace, just let me see, how.”

He eyed around and straight away had a plan. “Listen” he said “if I take all my strength and if you can hold still, then I could perhaps reach the bald spot on the holy Joseph, and from there I can catch the window sill a n d the door …..”
“Please jump!” said the Christ child inaudible “I will hold still!”

And so the flea jumped!

Unfortunately, it was just not avoidable, that he tickled the child just a little, as he put his legs under and crouched ready. In that moment Maria woke her betrothed from his slumber.

“Why, look now,” said Maria blissfully, “he smiles already!”

Ancient art of a selfie

Selfies -

 you just can't escape them.  People from all over the world are taking selfies. They then upload them to Facebook or Twitter or any other of the myriad of social networking sites.
And you see Joe Public  in front of - well - anything anywhere.
The word is this is the latest craze.  Prior to film of course people had to use ink or chalk.  It is rumoured that Leonardo DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa from a reflection in his bedroom mirror - a very ancient way of taking a selfie.  Go further back and we get into cave paintings - but that would be taking things a bit too far . . . . . . .
Even Politicians get in on the act. I wish I got a Dollar for every selfie taken with our New Zealand Prime minister John Key during the recent election campaign!! I could retire I'm sure!!!
Actually I was positive that after the now famous Barack Obama selfie with the German Chancellor, it would die a natural death - but seems not so.
One of the reasons why I think they do not make good pics is because your arms are not long enough away from subject (your head) and most people are more worried about getting it right - thus not looking relaxed - or fake! The very LATEST trend is to have an ski pole type gadget that lets you extend your grip of the cellphone - and some weird release mechanism.  Actually come to think of it - what is wrong with asking someone to take a pic of you ?? 

Oh well - each generation to its own - not that this is a NEW thing.
Far from it.
Long before cellphones, we had creative ways to take a selfie.
As far back as Nov 1983 I owned a SLR camera and one of its great features was a timer button. Basically you selected the time and it would count down internally and then go click - took the picture.   Great for hoping onto the bed and looking all relaxed!! Way before that I had 2 other cameras - nothing flash like a SLR and I got VERY creative with the release mechanism.  It involved some tied down gear - a thin pencil type object and lots of string and weights and; well - a rather involved set-up with release mechanism that would - or ought to have - taken a pic of me.  Suffice to say that never really took of.  Poor Instamatic - it took a battering.
The other thing - in THOSE days we had film - nothing digital then and so you got your negatives and one set of prints after about 7-10 days of lab work.  Nothing of the instant sharing we have today.   A roll of film came in 24 or 36 exposures and cost  quit a bit - so usually you took time to set up your images - especially with focus and lightning and so forth. 
So I tossed round some ideas of how to take a picture of me and my new room and - eventually rigged up (well - moved across) a large mirror and - well - you see the result - :)  

Not much I could do about the late afternoon sun.  Hey come to think of it - I still had hair back then!!
I did print several copies and then snail-mailed them back to Austria from New Zealand. That took about 6 weeks via ship, till delivery was complete.

Now - these days nearly everything is digital and nearly everything has a lens attached and I was very fortunate to be given a hand-me down cellphone that did have a camera with it.  So on 1 Aug which is also International wear your scout scarf day - I wore mine and decided to be *cough* a modern man.
I took several photos and deleted 99% of them - till I got to this version. 



This folks - will be my first (in the modern digital age ) and my last  e v e r  selfie.
Not a great shot
In fact I would rate this as a louse picture and would be severely disappointed if this was on film!!













I did take one before - but it has been pointed out this is chaeting

ah well - have fun



 

Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook Trip

It dawned - again - very frosty.  It is always tempting to 'draw' on the glass canvas and this day was no different!  In any case  we strolled across to the Hotel restaurant (which compared to outside and with sitting next to the big windows with the sun streaming in was over-hot!!) - Today’s breakfast - 4 pancakes (which looked oddly like the McDonald’s Pancakes) along with some fresh berry fruit / whipped cream and real fresh from the Beehive "alpine" honey (as in they have the bee-plate suspended in a glass contraption and the honey drips from the timber slats . . . .   Burb's.   Hmmm the coffee probably didn't help.  The no nutella diet starts tomorrow.  In any case - 10 o'clock is check out time so no point in lingering - time to pack up and defrost the car and ohhh yes - pay our bill. On the way took the opportunity again to flash away at this bird - urm - duck and yeah - pleased with the final result.  I am wondering how they regulate their bodies - they seem to have no issues in the cold water. 

Given that we have all day to get back to Christchurch which essentially takes only about 2 hours drive - we did what everyone seems to be doing - going to church.  Well we tried - the service in winter time is only every second week - or was that every second and fourth Sunday in a month??  Bummer we missed out there. Anyhow the lady in waiting was very nice and knowledgeable.  She gave us hints and bookmarks and so forth.  While Mamabear chatted I took the Opportunity and tried to focus on 'other' areas of the usual picture taking things.
For example the roof - 100 % New Zealand Rimu (from the days you could still mill the rimu trees) and made and cut to xtra large dimensions so as to be able to hold the large amounts of snow they can get on the roof.

I got also real close to one of the bolts
that is holding up the structural trusses / contraptions.



It doesn't give you a good example but the square nut would be a good two inches wide . . . .

In any case - soon gave up - other people wanted to follow my example - so did what most do - focused on the window! I have a picture just like that from a previous visit. Amazing what a half pace forward or backward - or even up can do for the angle here.  It is a real pity that the plant outside the window is a New Zealand native - it tends to grow to fast to much, and seeing it is native - it is also urm - protected I think -  THUS not lightly cut back. That just means that - compared from many many earlier years - the cross is almost always in the shadow of the plant.  It would be fantastic if there is more lake and less sky in the image.  Hmm wonder if I can "stitch" the two of them together ? ?  

Not far away - men's best friend - the sheep dog.  The McKenzie country is named after - well Mr McKenzie - who was a bit of a unusual character and of very dubious quality. Actually he was a sheep rustler nicking the young lambs from the farmers and then feeding them at his hide out 'till they were nice and big  and then flogging them of at the market as his own. He made a tidy sum. Local farmers could never work out whereto he rustled his stolen goods - until one day someone managed to follow the trail and eventually "discovered' the McKenzie Basin.   So on the way (remember earlier) you drive past this sign called 'dog's corner' just before you come round and see the Alps - well - turns out the rustlers would tie up the dogs there as a kind of early warning system. There is a sign saying "historic place" but  there is literally NOTHING to see. Not a post not a plaque etc.  hmmmm   I am sure we could do better there. 
From there it was down Burke's Pass (Mr Burke - another early local character for all the wrong reasons) which does have a nice looking pub - hmmm maybe one day we stop there instead of Geraldine.  maybe one of the reason we do NOT stop there is that they sell out-door garden furniture made out of macrocarpa - LOVELY stuff.  I am sure mamabear always breathes a sigh of relief as we zip past it . . . . .    Maybe next year ^^ 

Lunch at Geraldine - urm - well - we had more then that - but the slice was nice, as was sitting in the sunshine and enjoy the warmth of the mid winter sun!

Meant to say - I did not know that before my cousin came to NZ for a visit, one of her "relations" was already here.  Found his Bio at the Mt John Observatory.  Must go and chat with him - he is into serious night photography and living local - he has way more opportunities then this humble wanabe snapper.












To soon we were home - Son numero uno cooked dinner and then it was this time honourd tradition - of bringing Mamabear her presents. She does protest every year she ain't want/need anything - but  anyone who does not bring gifts is in grave danger. Though me thinks though protest to much - urm - ok - moving along -  *cough*
This year I did good.  Seeing she always said how she used to and has abilities and I have never ever seen her putting lip to stick - I organised her a little something.  It went down like a treat - and already have heard a few  notes coming out of the instrument.
Won't be long before she joins the Christchurch symphony orchestra!!  :) 

There goes another successful trip to Tekapo.  Understanding type Mamabear is, she suggested that we would aim for June next year - as this would fall close to my Birthday - and we have been there now at least twice for hers.  June would still be winter - but closer to Matariki - the Maori New Year Celebrations.

Once a year, twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the Māori New Year. Traditionally, it was a time for remembering the dead, and celebrating new life. In the 21st century, observing Matariki has become popular again. Heaven-bound kites, hot-air balloons and fireworks help mark the occasion.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year

Anyhow the reason why this is significant is that the earth - you know - does move (shock horror) around the sun and with that celestial movment comes a movement of stars / milky way etc and during Matariki the Milkyway does line up with the Church of the Good Shepherd - so ideal for taking night time images.  Yess
So it makes all sense to try and arrange a visit there in June - just need to avoid QEii weekend - which is the weekend I take a group of scouts on their annual westcoast trip!! And if we can work out which day they service is we can even partake in that! Last thing is we need favourable weather gods - but I am working on that!! 

 Have fun

 

Lake Tekapo and Pukaki trip

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhh  the next morning dawned like it finished with a clear night. On the way to breakfast we noticed that the pond area had partially frozen over,  just enough to be ice there - but not strong enough in place to carry the ducks full weight - so they half walked half swam.  A funny sight to see and provided some amusement for a while. 

Breakfast was a savoury affair - scrambled eggs / sautéed mushrooms / minted lamb sausages / crisp bacon / hash-browns / baked bean’s and and and.  Of course there was a selection of cereal and toast and spreads as well, but today (for a change) was a savoury plate for me. Who could say no to Mushrooms?
As I dug into the mushrooms I thought of a certain Brush and briefly considered snapping a image and sending via sms - but you know = posh place we *cough* do not do that sort of thing here.
The day was ours and Mamabear requested that we should go and see Mt Cook (fingers crossed) and maybe aim for a light lunch at the Mt John Observatory later.  So we  packed what we needed and headed of into the Sunshine.  Yes we saw Mt Cook and did the usual and now traditional half glass salut!! Also took some videos and more pictures (some to be posted on FB or emailed to various Austrian Connections).  From there it is just another 5 min.  drive past Twizel to the Salmon Farm and Mamabear knowing how I like to eat said fish offered to buy a half decent fillet AS LONG as it came vacuum packed.  They did and we did - yummm!!


On the return trip we saw lake Ruataniwha (hmm that's now how you spell it) and it had virtually no disruption so had nice reflections - so Mamabear just does her female speak and says -= that looks nice - = translates into "we should stop and take pictures" - so a 5 point handbrake turn later . . . . . . .


More stops on the way back past Mt Cook and Pukaki and eventually we got to the top of Mt. John. Fabulous views - not a cloud in the sky and in serious danger of getting sunburn!!  Oddly enough - there was a young girl there along with her - hmmm family - that had been with us on the same Boat cruise at the Akaroa Dolphin watching trip in late January.  I remembered her 'cause she wore a Canadian Olympic team jacket so would have been into some sort of winter sport.  The sandwich was more then a simple sandwich- it was almost a meal in itself! Turns out that we were a Kiwi minority - the lady at the till reckoned we were the first Kiwis for the day up there!!
Anyhow - by now mamabear was feeling a bit under the weather - so to speak - so we decided to head back to Tekapo and take the afternoon easy - quick stroll down to the church and a good conversation with the Lady in waiting there. She pointed out a few things and especially the way the Milky way lies over the Church and when best to take a picture and - yeah a whole lot of other stuff!!
I parked mamabear back in the Hotel and then late afternoon headed - yep yet again back to the canal - this time from the other side - as I wanted to re-shoot the same image that was so nicely hung in the reception area of the Hotel - it was a landscape canvas print - taken a late afternoon and about 3 meters long and about half meter high and was ueber-nice!! The receptionist chap kinda knew the exact location from where the image was taken so I grabbed my gear and headed of to find that spot and see if I could be just as creative.  Some patient waiting and fixing and image taking later and I had a few passable images.
Turns out - as the lady in the church was saying - from time to time people pay cash and block access to the church  - thus you do not see the tour buses / caravans parked in front of the church.   No such luck for me!! I stood there for about 2 hours and taking the various shots - so we have a semi evening mood and a post sunset mood and almost darkness mood and  - ah you get the picture but all of them having a car or caravan or bus in them!!  It was also getting fresh - almost cold and getting hungry - yeah how could you get hungry after today’s breakfast and lunch - but hungry I was - so BACK to the hotel to dump the gear and getting out to dinner - this time to the "Tim-Place" a revamped place we had been to previously.  Nice and simple and good food.  The four waitress staff were from four different nationalities - that included one Kiwi!!

So here I am more then 200 meters away from the building and if you stand just in a certain spot you can shoot through the door and see the Cross, which rests in the middle of the altar, and see it against the blue snow mountains - ASSUMING you have the patience to wait for the pesky tourists to leave a clear passage! Patience son, patience!!



 Having thought about what went wrong yesterday at night - I was determined to get another shot tonight - so walked the birthday girl home after dinner and grabbed the gear and - yes walked back to the church (hey I am working on my fitness here - it takes about 20 minutes there - and 20 back ^^ )  and urm were was I - oh yeah - so walked there and set up and made sure I had everything just so and then snapped away - first image confirmed what I thought - just needed to find urm - the church - no easy feat in total - and again I mean -  total darkness!! In-between I  (thank god for my tripod) pointed the camera straight up and released shutter for 40 seconds!! yess  Pity that the cold got into the camera and batteries later on, it had trouble with focus and then with image recording - so it was time to pack up and yup - you guessed it - walk back to the Hotel!!  One last night shot of the hotel entrance and I fell into the bed - cold and frozen - but reasonably happy that I think I had taken some nice night shots!! Below the night images - un-processed except for one! Not half bad eh??
  

When I look at Your heavens, 
the work of Your fingers, 
the moon and the stars, 
that You have established; 
what are human beings 
that You are mindful of them, 
mortals that You care for them?? 

 Psalm 8: 3-4

 

Trip to Tekapo and Mt Cook

        When you got the nose to the grindstone it is often easy to forget to lift and smell the roses.  So when Mamabear's Birthday came up and I had 3 hours of work time owing - we made a decision and (thankfully) it worked out for us all ok.
   We booked (and yes this is a treat) a Hotel room at the Peppers Hotel  (meaning we did not have to bring the usual breakfast food or extra bits and pieces we normally take with us when booking into a Motel). So came a Hot Friday - Mamabear more or less slept in for a bit while I got up and did my 'one hour' of work at work then came home early and we packed and tanked and left home just before lunch.  Driving down to Asburthon and seeing they had this nice small cosy café in the Arcade, we decided to stop there and have some light lunch there. Yumm!! We might as well start now with the 'no food preparation / cooking / dishes' weekend. From there it was via the usual route to Geraldine, (where we stretched our legs for a bit) and zipped past - or better through Fairlie!  The town has on the entrance a old red brick clay building that has 3 or four heavy tarps over the roof line - since the earthquakes - and - yup - they are still there, faded somewhat.  Wonder when they will finish the work there.   In any case we pushed on and came round the "Dog Corner" with the sign of 'historic place' (more on that later) to the usual uuuh's and ahhhh's! It is quite magic coming round that corner and seeing the flat-ish McKenzie country laid out and the snow (or glacier) topped Alps behind them AND seeing we had not a single cloud in the sky it was just a brilliant scene to behold.  Naturally the conversation returned to recent Austrian visitors and their enjoyment of the moment!! Soon enough we hit the big tourist metropolitan area of Lake Tekapo and found the Hotel and did what we had to do - check in. We did bring more then just a toothbrush!!  I most certainly brought with me my camera AND the (last time forgotten) and most important tripod. I will need that later for the night Photography.  Seeing it was still nice and sunny and warm we strolled some leisurely 15 minutes through the town and to the Church of the Good Shepherd - New Zealand’s most photographed church.  As you can see - there are now steps where there used to be just some haphazard gravel.  Naturally I took a pic. So did the bus load of Asian tourists.  Eventually got one with just Mamabear in the frame!!

Don't let the cloud fool you - by the time 6pm rolled round they had all gone. In any case - the usual caretakers / church guides had closed up shop for the day  and  all you could see is the outside.

 That did not stop me from re-shooting a earlier picture I took when the Austrians were with us  -->  recent key-hole surgery and tried to improve said photo. I knew what I had to do - get more distance from me to the door.  Dang - I left the Tri-pod at the hotel. The reason is that the cross is some 15 meters on the other side of the building and when you are so close to the door - it is either one or the other that is in focus - so 'Depth of Field' is very tricky to achieve - especially with the dark frame and bright light behind the cross.  This is a better image but still not perfect. One day I will do this right - might even try a different lens . . . . .

 A even rarer shot - a church with no people in it!!  Hmmm this reminds me of this joke about a Baptist minister - but - I digress.  In any case - I very patiently waited some 15 minutes before the last tourist just ducked out and away and had 20 seconds before the next person entered the view.   Whoopee   :)

While waiting - spotted this fellow.  The length we go to to take THE perfect picture.  I am not so stupid - oops keen as the water is glacier fed, and so, even with his waders on, would have been freezing cold.  Dunno what he was shooting - it is just a rock in the water.  Each to their own.   :)

Soon it was time to head back and dump the gear and get dolled up and visit the dining room.  A fantastic (no cooking for us ) meal had been had - with both of us choosing the lamb roast! Very unusual!! It is a place where you see more plate then food - but what we had was divine.  ( I should also say that I am on medical orders to loose 10 kg in next 12 months - and we had resolved that the work towards this goal will start after this weekend - thus leaving me free to enjoy whatever riches were on offer.) Having been fed and watered hmmm ok  wined   - we walked back to the room only to see the reflections = so out came the camera again and we snapped a few pic's.  From there we walked - yes walked again to the lake front and the Church to take some night time images. By this time it was pitch black dark - and yet there were at least two other photographers there as well as a normal bus-load of Asian tourists.  Nothing doing - I didn't set the gear up properly and sure ruined a few shots for the other image taker present.  Humble apologies.  The photos are to embarrassing to show here (although one has possibilities - you see the Southern Cross and the two pointers very clearly). Hmmmm maybe I can do a post shoot process??  I did shoot them in RAW mode as well as normal mode so maybe - will look at that when I get home.
Ah well - it is a learning curve, and as they say - the night is young - so we strolled back to our room and  . . .. . . .     
you have to use your imagination!!
Night!