In spite of today being a physically gloomy day, there were a number of interesting and pleasant events to report.
The first thing to brighten the day was a phone call from Archbishop Lazar, letting me know that he had Vladika Varlaam’s paints and brushes and that if I wanted them, I should come and get them. Before I had a chance to finally make my way over, Fr Shio came up the stairs with the paints and a bag of some food items, which means that I didn’t have to go up and down the stairs. With the new paints, I now have many new colours and so can do much more detailed work. As well, I also have new, thin brushes which also will assist in the creation of finer detail in any new paintings.
A second day brightener was the finding of an icon which I had been working on when Vladika Varlaam was still living. He had been trying to convince me to try my hand at iconography and so I had begun but with so many events taking place at once, the icon got pushed aside in a half completed state. With all of our social distancing, there is now time to work on completing it, and with the new paints and brushes, the work shall be much easier than when it was begun.
A third day brightener, which many people will scratch their heads and say, “What?”, was the grapefruits that are on the counter. After lunch, I decided to have one and when it was opened, I found that it was not an ordinary grapefruit but rather a pink grapefruit. There is nothing like the texture and sweetness of a pink grapefruit. You might say that it is a little bit of heaven, wrapped in a yellow skin.
Last but not least, is the bag of oat flour that was in the bag which Fr Shio brought over. I read the introduction on the bag as well as some suggestions concerning use of the flour. I have not much of an idea of what to do with it but am going to go to the web and research on what can be done with oat flour. It is nutritious and since I cannot eat anything made with wheat at this time, it will be good to see if I can figure out how to make oat pancakes, which is what Vladika Varlaam had been making for me before he got too ill to cook. These were wonderful and a delicious substitute for bread. This just reminded me, I also have a loaf of rye bread which is waiting for a “taste test” that is going to be the last kitchen adventure of today.