Meister Eckhart

Everyone was up bright and early. After a breakfast of buttered toast it was time t0 make preparations for the housewarming party that was taking place that evening. Initially, we weren’t needed for any of the preparations so we took a short walk to the nearby Parish Church of St. Mary Willesborough.

The church looked delightful from the outside but on entering it looked a little cold and clinical because the pews had been removed and the area around the altar seemed a little bit cluttered. The people of the church were welcoming and when Mr C stopped for a cup of tea and tea cake in the teashop he got chatting to the lady who served him. He asked about the pews being removed and was told that this was to enable ‘Messy Church‘ to take place on a Saturday. They found that this increased community engagement that encouraged more people to attend church services on a Sunday leading to the reintroduction of Sunday School.

Upon our return to the house, party preparations were in full flow and we were put on bunting duty which was not as easy as it sounds. We were attaching bunting to a fence whilst standing on a fairly busy road. Thankfully we completed the task without any problems although one car tooted at us. We were then sent to the local Co-Op to pick up bottles of soft drinks. As there had been no talk of lunch, whilst we were there I bought a salmon salad snack which I ate in the car before we returned to the house. A short while after we returned we were advised that lunch was served; this turned out to be bread, cheese and ham.

Shortly afterwards this the first of the party guests arrived. We enjoyed meeting and chatting with many of the guests. One of them,  in many ways, reminded me of a friend of mine. The younger guests enjoyed splashing around in the swimming pool until the buffet was served during which time the pool was closed. After the younger guests had left the pool was reopened for the students and older children to enjoy whilst the adults chilled out with a glass of wine or two.