The final bank holiday

I was reminded that this is the final bank holiday of the summer by a phone call from Al this afternoon. Funny how you forget all about important events like bank holidays once you're retired. He had taken a couple of days off to make this a long weekend, and is coming up for supper tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Fi's birthday, but she and the family are in Aviemore in Scotland on a Harley rally and not due back until Tuesday or Wednesday, so we won't be celebrating together.

Becki, our youngest daughter, rang yesterday. She has a big birthday in November, so was eager to get the whole extended family together (again!) for a celebration. I rang Seasons, our holiday people, and have managed to get three lodges in Clowance (Cornwall) for a weekend in January, which was the best I could do. Becki is now busily ringing round the rest of the family to see who can make it. If everybody turns up, there'll be 21 of us, so quite a party.

Enjoy your bank holiday, wherever you might be.

Well received

Steve and Rachel managed to get to church on Sunday, to hear their banns called for the first time (they have to be called on three successive Sundays, to leave room for anyone who has cause, to object to the wedding. So far in my experience, this has never happened, thank goodness!)

I asked them if they would like to come out the front and be introduced the the congregation, so Steve pushed Rachel in her wheelchair. I explained that Rachel is seriously ill, and asked for regular prayer from the congregation.

There were a few tears, as they all saw this brave young couple, smiling and courageous as they face a very uncertain future.

I prayed for healing for Rachel, so who knows? We wait to see.

Summer sadness

I visited a lovely young couple yesterday. They have a ten-month old son, and want a baptism and wedding all in the same service. Great - I love those services; they're such happy occasions.

But on this one there's a a deep underlying sadness, for last week, the young mother was told she had between three and six months to live. Hence a need for speed in organising the service.

I hope it can be a really happy occasion for them. They are so much in love and it's almost impossible to imagine how devastated they, and the extended family of grandparents and siblings, must feel. The young mum has already asked me to conduct her funeral service, and will be planning it just as soon as the wedding is over.

Could you hold Steve and Rachel in your prayers? They need all the help, strength and endurance they can get.

A busy week

It's been a busy week in the Scott household, coming down to earth in the aftermath of last week's celebration.

My publisher sent the first galley proofs of my new novel, so I had to read every word again in order to correct any mistakes. It's a real chore and I wish I could afford to lob it off onto someone else. But I can't. Have now gone through the second galley proofs as well, which is all I'm allowed. Have to start paying (through the nose, actually) for any corrections after that. Still, it means the final stage is nearer. When I've signed off on the galley proofs, the next stage is the front cover, which fortunately the publishers get designed for me. I'm no artist.

Then the rector here has gone on holiday, so I had three services to take last Sunday (and next), a midweek communion tomorrow, a wedding rehearsal on Thursday and the wedding on Friday.

Feeling less like retirement every moment, but our son is coming over tomorrow evening and we're going out for a meal, as it's my birthday. Eldest daughter is in Finland running another course (husband and small daughter go with her, so they combine it into a holiday - very nice) and youngest daughter can't make it up here again having been here so recently.

So life is busy - but good!

A fantastic day

When Ed and I drew back the blinds yesterday morning, there on our lawn facing the house was a garden bench festooned with red balloons with "Congratulations - 40th anniversary" on them. It was a gift from the neighbours, and the start of an amazing day.

On the doorstep we found a red rose - "Ruby Anniversary" - in a pot, and later, when we returned from church, there was another red rose, "Ruby Ruby". And this despite the fact that we said "Strictly no gifts!"

We arrived at the hotel for lunch and all 65 guests turned up. Our kids had taken over the table decorations, and had a vase of red roses on each of the eight tables, plus red glass hearts and rose petals. There was a party popper for everyone, a disposable camera on each table to take photos, and a little pot of bubble mixture in the shape of a church. All loved by kids old and young!

They'd also blown up a series of photos from the past - you know, those really embarrassing ones you'd rather forget - and turned them into a caption game, inviting each table to write their own caption. The results were hilarious.

Then they'd put together a slide show of our old photos. Someone had transferred them onto a CD Rom, which played on a screen throughout the lunch, and which we now have.

It was a great meal and the kids had also provided a fabulous cake with red roses in sugar icing and congratulations - 40th anniversary in red icing on the white.

We'd put out a box for donations to Macmillans Cancer Care for anyone who wished to give, and collected £300 - amazing!

Just a brilliant day. So much fun and laughter, and everyone having a really good time.

Now we're back to Darby and Joan, and having difficulty settling back into normal life again.

Roll on the golden anniversary - I really want to do the same again!

The weekend starts early

The weekend has started early for Ed and me, as youngest daughter arrived home this afternoon. Yes, the clans are gathering for the great Ruby wedding celebration on Sunday.

We haven't seen youngest daughter since Easter, so are thrilled that she has a few days with us (but not looking forward to October time, when she leaves for four years in Belgium.) We get to meet the latest boyfriend on Saturday night. Can't be worse than any of the previous ones, and in view of her penchant for collecting various sad, abandoned persons, I've threatened to meet him at the door and ask, "Are you a waif or a stray?"

She's already had me on the Wii Fit (first time for 276 days, so the thing told me) and is taking me swimming tomorrow, so I'll either be fit or fit for nothing by Sunday.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and I'll report back next week.

Church sitting

Ed and I were church sitting yesterday. This week is Open Churches Week in Norwich diocese, when almost all Anglican churches are open for visitors to wander in when they wish. Many churches organise special events to attract the masses.

Our church has a display of Victorian (and older) christening gowns. They're all in glass cases, but the church needs to be manned to welcome visitors, provide them with tea or coffee and chat.

I was at a meeting in Norwich all morning (I'm still doing a mentoring job for the diocese) so Ed started off at one o'clock, I caught the bus back from Norwich and walked the mile from the bus stop to the church, and Ed drove home in the car leaving me to church sit.

All went well until I felt a prick under my third toe. Thinking I'd inadvertently picked up a burr from the flower arrangement, I bent down to scoop it out of my sandal, only to find that I'd been stung by a wasp which had crawled into my sandal without me noticing.

Since I've been allergic to wasp stings in the past, I felt slightly anxious. So I rang Ed, who raced up with the first aid treatment - a device to remove any sting left in, and Piriton tablets.

Then he stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon, 'cos it was quite painful and I didn't fancy walking home on it.

Anyway, all's more or less well today bar a little discomfort and quite a lot of itching, so I think I'll live. And just as a post-script, we had no visitors at all to the little church!