Midwife Madonna

Eileen just getting down from putting Our Lady of the Good Dispatch in her niche. She is ancient and valuable, so has to be hidden away when the chapel (attached to the English cemetery in Elvas) is not in use. The good dispatch was originally of souls to heaven and the image, now handless (see extra), would possibly have had a baby Jesus in one hand and a pen in the other. Mostly now in Portugal, though, it's thought of as the good dispatch of the birth of a child.

Anyway, Eileen came for breakfast, and then we drove up to Elvas for the annual service, see here for more details in last year's Blip if interested. Same lovely priest as last year, but without his dog, who is getting very elderly. We were early, so helped clean up; Mike swept up the dog poo outside, for one, not nice. Afterwards we went for lunch with the four pictured.

Gratefuls:
- your lovely responses to my downheartedness yesterday, thanks so much, what a great lot you are
- finding the energy to deal with issues ongoing from yesterday
- Mike and I being asked to do the readings at the service, Mike in English! Great readings they were too, all based on God as our compassionate and good shepherd.