It was overcast the entire day with some light rain, although some of the forecasts led us to believe that we might actually be free of any rain, but as we all know, forecasts are not necessarily accurate. James and Yulia were present at the Liturgy before heading home to southern Washington and let us hope that they can return for another visit before too long. Some of our Old Believer friends were in attendance and I had an amicable conversation with them. Their son Nikola [they do not use the form Nikolai] has grown quickly and considerably, while the grandmother has recently received a number of chicks to raise and with whom she fusses and converses. I rather think that they will not end up in any roasting pan but will be favourite pets. Sasha went outdoors to get some holy water from the spring and came back with pictures of a robin’s nest with two beautiful eggs in it, perching on one of the arms of the Romanian cross. Others tried to photograph it but it was too high for them to look inside the nest. We all found it very touching to have this on the cross and hope that no one will disturb the birds as they hatch the eggs. For many years we were bothered by nasty starlings that were noisy and always leaving a mess, so it is comforting to have lovely robins take over not just with their nesting but also with their cheerful singing.