First thing yesterday morning a team of scaffolders was meant to arrive with all their equipment to build a three storey framework which gives them access up to the roof of the house. It's not an easy job, as everything must be brought into the back garden via the lane. By the time I left for church they still hadn't arrived. I celebrated the Eucharist at St John's with a congregation of nine, and by the time I got back they'd arrived and started. The job was done by mid-afternoon.
Today, the noise of the power hammer hacking off the wall surface starts in earnest. We get times of respite fortunately, as there's only so long anyone can work with a pneumatic tool and not injure themselves. It's impossible to get away from the noise anywhere in the house.
An email of this weekend's benefice newsletter told me that weekday services are cancelled during August. I don't know why. It's not the only time of year when the regular numbers drop low. I'll miss these routine activities. They are part of my week, and help keep me sane.
It looks as if this isn't going to be a routine August anyway. I had a call this morning from Emma's husband Nick to say she was in hospital. The baby she's expecting is OK but she's suffering from a chest complaint which the medics have yet to diagnose, poor girl. He asked if I would stand in for her at St St Luke's evening Mass for Joachim and Anna. Willingly I said, and he said he'd contact someone to arrange opening up.
Today, the noise of the power hammer hacking off the wall surface starts in earnest. We get times of respite fortunately, as there's only so long anyone can work with a pneumatic tool and not injure themselves. It's impossible to get away from the noise anywhere in the house.
An email of this weekend's benefice newsletter told me that weekday services are cancelled during August. I don't know why. It's not the only time of year when the regular numbers drop low. I'll miss these routine activities. They are part of my week, and help keep me sane.
It looks as if this isn't going to be a routine August anyway. I had a call this morning from Emma's husband Nick to say she was in hospital. The baby she's expecting is OK but she's suffering from a chest complaint which the medics have yet to diagnose, poor girl. He asked if I would stand in for her at St St Luke's evening Mass for Joachim and Anna. Willingly I said, and he said he'd contact someone to arrange opening up.
Later in the day Emma got in touch by Email to ask if I could take over a funeral for which she's done all the preparation on Monday. Having had no funerals for several weeks, three church funerals have landed on her desk for this week. I'll take on the Friday one as well, but the Tuesday one I dare not take the risk. It comes several hours after my rendezvous with Mrs Cornish the surgeon, but I have no idea of what the outcome of this will be, once she has examined me. I was only with her for half an hour back at the end of March prior to my second operation, but what'll happen this time is anybody's guess. I cannot risk either letting a bereaved family down, because I'm detained at UHW for further examination or treatment, nor can I risk not being immediately available in case immediate treatment is desirable.
In the afternoon I walked over to inspect the new Aldi store in Excelsior Business Park, and bought a couple of their interesting looking wines to try out, one a Valenciano organic red and the other a Carcassonne red. The label of the latter told me the designation 'Vin de Pays' has now been replaced in France since last year by 'Indication Géographique Protégée, which is between Vin de Table and Apellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Things I didn't know I needed to know yesterday.
I got to St Luke's in good time, along with one other parishioner, but whoever was meant to come and unlock didn't turn up, so we shared a few prayers ad lib outside the locked gates and parted company. Holy Annie Jesus' granny, the parish is glad of your prayers in these unsettling times.
After supper I watched an episode of 'Perception' on 5USA. More drama featuring flawed if brilliant sleuthing. Not impressed. Then watched an episode of 'Silent Witness' I'd seen before, but didn't quite figure out how the plot hung together.. Needn't have bothered really, as I'd figured it out before the end. Even so UK crime science dramas are so much more interesting, as they don't dumb down for the audiences like the American ones. Timescales for processing and delivering forensic and medical data are always a bit magical, however.
In the afternoon I walked over to inspect the new Aldi store in Excelsior Business Park, and bought a couple of their interesting looking wines to try out, one a Valenciano organic red and the other a Carcassonne red. The label of the latter told me the designation 'Vin de Pays' has now been replaced in France since last year by 'Indication Géographique Protégée, which is between Vin de Table and Apellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Things I didn't know I needed to know yesterday.
I got to St Luke's in good time, along with one other parishioner, but whoever was meant to come and unlock didn't turn up, so we shared a few prayers ad lib outside the locked gates and parted company. Holy Annie Jesus' granny, the parish is glad of your prayers in these unsettling times.
After supper I watched an episode of 'Perception' on 5USA. More drama featuring flawed if brilliant sleuthing. Not impressed. Then watched an episode of 'Silent Witness' I'd seen before, but didn't quite figure out how the plot hung together.. Needn't have bothered really, as I'd figured it out before the end. Even so UK crime science dramas are so much more interesting, as they don't dumb down for the audiences like the American ones. Timescales for processing and delivering forensic and medical data are always a bit magical, however.
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