Heaven on Earth

As we speak, Astrid and I are in England with fellow Shutterchancers, celebrating our 4th anniversary of meeting...on Shutterchance, of course. For you in America, happy holiday weekend! More on all of that next week.

In the meantime...a week ago this past Thursday, I walked over to a dijk near one of our shopping malls outside our citadel. I hardly ever walk in that area but Astrid told me "the shepherd" was going to be there with his sheep for at least a week to...guess what..."mow" the grass on both sides of the grassy dijk.

This was the second year he came to do his eco-friendly, green thing. It was such a hit last year because, for one thing, it was quiet. The shops were on one side of the dijk but homes were on the other. And besides, it was quite a spectacle for any and all who wanted to see the farm up close and personal.

Lucky for me, I made it on a sunny day which, unbenownst to me, was his last day for this year. After these images below, that's all she wrote.

Coming from home, I approached the dijk from the opposite end of the sheep and loved seeing them come more and more into view. This particular dijk, btw, is for pedestrians and cyclists only.




I could have dropped dead right then and there. I was in heaven.


But...there were 3 sheepdogs who also kept me entertained!
I wouldn't have missed them for anything. The way they chased after the sheep whenever they started getting too close to the street or walkway was a riot. Talk about doing what they were made for.
The thing was, they looked like they were in heaven!


At one point I walked down the dijk to get the whole thing from a different point of view.

Talk about doing what he was made for!


I wasn't the only one who stopped by to talk to him.


But watching this mother and child took the cake.
She, too, was in heaven. I knew exactly how/what she was feeling.


When the sheep got to the end of the dijk, from where I had entered, they were ready to cross over to the other side. But first, the shepherd moved in amongst them and started looking for one in particular. He told me there was a "bad" sheep that always went out into the car traffic on the other side and had to be tied up.
This was when his crook came in handy.
And this was when I remembered (from past sermons) how the shepherd knows his sheep!


Baaaa-d, Baaa-d, Baaa-d sheep!


All the others got to cross over to the other side.
It's always greener there, of course.


It really was greener....


...and this time they were in heaven.


It was the perfect time to wave Good-Bye and go home to eat my own lunch.
They really made me hungry!

Talk about soulful! My hand instinctively covered my heart every time I walked past the shepherd, letting him know how it all affected mijn hart en ziel (my heart and soul). I'll never forget it. It really was heaven on earth.