Good Friday

It's come around again - Good Friday - and I've let my dough rise overnight, and kneaded it again this morning, and let it rise in buns while I walked for an hour. Then made these dense little yeasty hot cross buns out of it, and handed them around the neighbourhood.
There's only these left. I, of course, am ever mindful today, especially as I walked in the rising sun, of the reason for the buns, and the sun rising, and life as I know it. He truly is the bread of Life, and because of the great Love He Is, we can see light where there was only shadows and death before. The words of one of my favourite old hymns comes back at such times:

See from His hands, His head, His feet
Sorrow and Love flow mingled down
Did ere such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
It were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my life, my soul, my all.

Amen to that!
My delightful mother!
My beloved father!
and last Wednesday night, a large portion of the clan gathered at my oldest brother's place to meet my cousin from Pennsylvania for the first time in 20 years, and her husband and two kids. They're over for two weeks, and presently touring the country.
This is big bro Steve and one of his cats, down at the foot of his section, checking his bait trap.
Some of the kids hovering in the setting sun.
and my cousin Liz and myself. She's around 10 years younger, slightly taller, and just gorgeous. ALL our other cousins seem to be long, slim and dark haired, and our family turned out to be, well, almost opposite! Ha ha. It's been 19 years since I stood in her father's living room with her in front of the grandfather clock.