After breakfast I drove to St German's to meet Fr Ed, brother in law of Geraldine's son Tom, to make sure he had early access and all he needed to set up his camera and microphone to stream Tom's funeral Mass an hour later. It was shared with Tom's international friends via Zoom. Ed gave the eulogy in the service. I assisted Fr Roy who'd known Tom and his mother for many years and he presided over the proceedings.
The new Ministry Area Leader, now in charge of St German's, Fr Stewart graciously allowed us get on with arranging everything and came to meet the family and the congregation committed to his charge, and sat with the regular choristers in the choir also with Fr Chris and Fr Geraint, who read lessons. Most of the Sunday congregation turned up. I read the Gospel, led the intercessions and gave communion to the two wheelchair bound members of the congregation present. Thankfully, everything in church passed without incident.
After the service, I took off my best reading spec's while disrobing, and minutes later discovered they had disappeared, and nobody noticed. There seemed a remote possibility that Fr Roy took them by accident, so instead of returning home for lunch, I joined the funeral reception in the hall, which got under way while Fr Roy did the Committal at the crem. Geraldine was one of the first to arrive back at the church hall afterwards, smiling about the fact that Fr Roy had lost his glasses and had to borrow a pair to read from the service book in the chapel. What a co-incidence, said I. I just lost mine and that's why I'm still here to check if he'd taken them by mistake!
The two of us commiserated about disappearing spec's and went into church for another thorough check, but found nothing, Oh dear said Fr Roy, we'll just have to ask St Anthony of Padua to help us find them. Come on St Anthony, said he. Please! said I, and we left the church to re-join the gathering in the hall. Fr Roy went to put his robes in his car and suddenly burst out - Oh look, there they are, pointing to a soft black leather glasses case on the ground by the front wheel of his car. When he picked them up he realised just by holding the case what he'd find inside - both pairs of glasses, very similar in design and size too. We laughed like crazy men, and people laughed with us.
After a second lunch at home, and a short siesta, I walked over to Aldi's to replenish my stock of wine. It was dark by the time I got home again. With no sermon to prepare for the weekend, and nothing much of interest on telly, I fired up my old Windows Vista computer and scanner, and digitized two lots of negatives, one of a family holiday in Port Eynon when James was a baby and I was working in Geneva. The second was during our first visit to Kenilworth after Rhiannon's birth eighteen years ago. A couple of hours of worthwhile effort.
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