Sunday duties

I was out of the house at eight thirty this morning to greet church warden Judith and let her into the car park, so that we could then travel together to Almunjecar for the first of two Eucharists of the day. To our surprise as we reached our destination the coast road and town was enveloped by rolling sea mist, and the Fishermen's chapel was coolish and clammy to start with. By the end of the service, attended by twenty eight people, the sun shone bright and clear. 

The readings and prayers, not to mention my sermon, were a little longer than usual, and that meant we had to skip a social cup of coffee with the congregation, to get back to Nerja in good time to prepare, as it's a good half hour journey between the two places. Although Nerja had been bright when we left, it seems the cool air and sea mist had moved down the coast, and it was dispersing, as we descended from the motorway. 

We had a congregation of thirty six, and after the service a handful of us went to a small restaurant for drinks together. Last time I was here there was a hostelry opposite the church, but this has now closed, a casualty of economic downturn, so we had to walk a couple of hundred metres further, something which many congregation members haven't yet got accustomed to, by the looks of it, as there were relatively few of us.

Some who came had drinks with tapas provided, from a typically interesting selection of half a dozen dishes served at the bar. They were told off by the proprietor for taking their tapas an sitting down at table, as he insisted that they must be consumed at the bar. This doesn't go down to well with the Brits. One lady insisted on standing next to a table to eat hers, so that she could join the conversation with others like myself, seated and drinking coffee or beer. 

It was gone three by the time Judith and I headed back to where she'd left her car, and much later by the time I'd prepared myself some lunch. The rest of the day I spent in sheer indolence, too lethargic to go out for an evening stroll. Although I'd taken a camera out with me, I hadn't taken a single picture all day.