S is for Shepherd

Once again I have picked a theme for the A to Z Challenge. This time I aim to entertain rather than to educate. My theme is careers or occupations. I begin with a piece of creative writing.

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Sheila and Simon are shepherds. They know almost everything that there is to know about sheep and sheepdogs. Sheila’s sheep are Suffolks and Simon is a hill farmer with hardy Herdwick sheep. They work long hours in spring when the new lambs are being born. Their tasks follow the seasons.(Author’s note: Some of my ancestors were shepherds in Suffolk, but the sheep I see most often are Herdwicks.)

 

Further reading: The Shepherd’s Song by Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers

The Illustrated Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks (I have yet to read his first book, The Shepherd’s Life.)

Know your sheep by Jack Byard

Jesus Christ claimed to be the good shepherd. John 10:1-21 Many of his stories were about sheep and other aspects of farming. For example, Matthew 25:31-46

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R is for Roofer

Once again I have picked a theme for the A to Z Challenge. This time I aim to entertain rather than to educate. My theme is careers or occupations. I begin with a piece of creative writing.

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Ruth and Rufus are roofers. In the past they might have been thatchers, but there are not many thatched roofs left. Tilers are another sort of roofer. Thatcher and Tiler have continued as surnames. Ruth and Rufus specialise in stone and slate. Slater and Stone are surnames too. Stone roofs have larger, heavier stones lower on the roof and smaller lighter ones higher up.  Vertigo prevents people becoming roofers. A head for heights is required. Nowadays scaffolding and a safety harness are part of roofers’ essential equipment. After storms roofers are in demand. Early replacement of dislodged roof-tiles and slates is recommended. It would be silly to wait until water penetrated. Perhaps that is the derivation of having a tile missing or a slate loose.

Further reading: Roofer

Thatcher

Roof tiles

Ruth means friend (or pity with ruthless being its antonym) and Rufus means red. It is a pity that slate is grey and tiles are usually red!

A story in the Bible about building is told in the Book of Nehemiah. I wrote Nehemiah’s story for a previous A to Z Challenge.Ruth has a book all to herself. It is a heart-warming story of tragedy with a happy ending. It is only 4 chapters. Please click on the link to the first chapter and carry on reading to the end.

Q is for Quartermaster

Once again I have picked a theme for the A to Z Challenge. This time I aim to entertain rather than to educate. My theme is careers or occupations. I begin with a piece of creative writing.

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Queenie and Quintus are quartermasters. Queenie quarrels with the job title. She questions how it could be updated. Teachers have found a way around the old titles of Headmaster and Headmistress. They are simply heads. Quartermistress has never been considered and quarter has a different meaning. A quarter is a fourth part. Quarters are somewhere to stay. Querulously Queenie puts up with her title and gets on with the work of keeping an army supplied with everything it needs – food, equipment and everything else pass through the quartermasters’ stores. Quintus quakes each time they have to move to a new location.

Further reading: Quartermaster

The comic song The Quartermaster’s stores

In the time of King Solomon district officers managed the King’s supplies. 1 Kings 4:20-28