Timing error

Cloudy again today, but at least it was mild with no rain. I walked for an hour in Llandaff Fields before cooking lunch a little earlier than usual. I had to leave for St John's by one thirty to take a funeral, and had time to call into Tesco's and buy this week's Foodbank contribution to leave at church. I arrived at church before the caretaker and organist, and several of the funeral attendants were waiting to be let in, and the first members of the congregation were gathering. 

Fortunately I had my keys on me to let everyone in. Eileen the caretaker who is usually there well ahead of time didn't arrive until ten minutes before. She was troubled to discover she'd been given the wrong start time, likewise Monica the organist, who arrived after we'd sung the first hymn unaccompanied, had the scripture readings and a eulogy admirably delivered by the four children of the deceased. It seems they were given the time for the Committal, not the church service. If only one of them had contacted me to confirm the details, as I was the one who'd received written confirmation from the funeral directors. It was an occasion to muddle through and improvise a little, and thankfully it was well received by family and congregation members.

I was driven to the crem by a young lady in her mid twenties, who looked much younger in her formal funereal attire. She told me she'd done a degree in forensic science and worked as a police crime scene investigator for three years before joining Coles' Funeral Directors last year. She declared how delighted she was to be working with people in many varied ways, rather than scientifically gathering data for evidence day in day out. I meet some interesting people in this kind of ministry, ex-cops and soldiers, retired civil servants, business executives, even an ex-EasyJet pilot once. The twenty minute drive to and from Thornhill can lead to some enjoyable conversations and story telling.

I'd left my glasses case in church and asked my driver to drop me off near St John's so I could retrieve it. On the way back, I spotted Clare walking in the the newly opened Alex Gooch Artisan Bakery, so we had a coffee together there after buying bread, and walked home together.

After supper, Clare wanted to watch a movie on TV, I prepared the texts for next week's Morning Prayer recording, wrote a Reflection on the mystery of the Ascension and had a long phone conversation with Ashley, discussing what might have caused my older shaver to become un-chargeable. Next time we meet, he'll take it away for a hands on electrical diagnosis, to see if it's repairable.