Monday 20th October

It has been a lovely summer's day, warm, sunny, 78 degrees.     I don't know what they call that season in June and July when temperatures reach 103, and I just long for it to be cold and wet,  but the very pleasant weather of the last few days has been my idea of summer.

This morning I was just running round town on my errands.  Stopped by Emmanuel to lend a hand with packing the paper sacks for the homeless lunches.   The youngsters in the church yesterday thought they'd be helpful - bless - and they packed a lot.  While appreciating their effort we did think it would have been quicker to do them all ourselves, rather than going through, checking and adjusting all that had been done.   I'm not complaining though, they are the most polite, caring and helpful teenagers on the planet.

Today in history..................20th October

1805 - Admiral Lord Nelson wins his greatest victory in the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off Cape Trafalgar. Nelson is fatally wounded in the battle, but lives long enough to see victory, and to famously say “kiss me Hardy”.

1529 - The Pope names Henry VIII of England Defender of the Faith after defending the seven sacraments against Luther.

Two momentous events.

And two big events in US history

1803 - US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.    A land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million dollars.  The area extends north, right through the Mid West to Montana and North Dakota.

1864 - US President Lincoln formally establishes Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

And finally.....1968 - Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis on the island of Scorpios.   I remember that.   I remember wondering why.   She didn't need his money.