Up at seven thirty to post the Morning Prayer link on the Parish WhatsApp thread, then back to bed for an hour before breakfast. Then I went to the Eucharist at St John's, not expecting to celebrate. I got there just in time and found a few people outside waiting with worried looks for a priest to turn up. I didn't have it in my dairy, though intended attending, not sure why. I had my alb with me anyway, as I planned to stay on until it was time to officiate at the funeral of the day, and soon had everything ready for Mass, so we only started five minutes late.
The timing of the Eucharist was just right to to stop for the two minutes silence at eleven, which I was glad about. After the service I realised that I'd forgotten to print out the list of attendees at the funeral needing to be checked in for track and trace purposes, so I had to go home and do that. As ever, Windows was terribly slow, with a five minute job taking fifteen due to a string of updates in the throes of updating, just when I most needed it to be quick. It really is unacceptable, unfit for purpose. Anyway I had enough time to prepare all the veggies for lunch before returning to church with half an hour to spare.
The deceased was in his mid eighties with a big family, but also well known locally, so were more than double the number of attendees listed as signing in for the service. Heaven help us if anything untoward happens. It's very difficult to control a crowd of stubborn people who feel slighted and entitled to enter their parish church, if they are refused - the one they rarely attend, and a large number won't wear a mask since being double or triple vaccination. Even when asked to wear a mask for the safe of others people self-exempt, and not for medical reasons.
Still the service went off fine, apart from the fact that it had the wrong start time on the cover, two typos and the logo of another funeral company on the back. How that happened I don't know, but Pidegons, who arranged the funeral weren't pleased as they hadn't been asked to produce the leaflet, only to hand it out!
When I got back from the cemetery at three, my cooked lunch was warm and waiting for me. Then, a walk in the park before dark and an early supper as we both went to choir practice at St Catherine's, preparing for Advent, before ending the evening with another episode of 'Dalgliesh', this one a two parter finishing tomorrow. Then winding up a surprisingly full and tiring day.
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