Late start

Rain overnight, overcast and cold today. After an uncomfortable night's sleep, I woke up on time to post today's YouTube Morning Prayer link to WhatsApp and got up slowly and made breakfast. I stood in for Fr Sion who's on Easter leave at the Eucharists in St Catherine's and St John's. 

When I arrived at church the gates were open but not the building. I couldn't open up as I'm no longer a key holder. There are several other key holders but none of them were present. A visiting lay reader called Sian from St Asaph Diocese arrived to join five regulars who included Ann and Paul mourning the death of Marlene. The sun put in a brief appearance, so we decided to have an ad lib service of the Word from our mobile phones sitting at a picnic table in the grounds. Just then, Roger and the congregation's other Keith arrived late by car. 

Keith is a key holder as he works as church and hall cleaner and had his keys with him. Once he'd opened up, I prepared the service started nearly half an hour late. As a result, I was almost late for the midday service at St John's, where we were also six of us worshipping. On the way home I collected this week's veggie bag. Clare hadn't yet returned from town, so I cooked a butter bean curry with rice and veg. 

After a demanding morning, I slept soundly in the chair for an hour and a half after lunch. Then a walk in the park for an hour ending with a cup of coffee and a slice of birthday simnel cake. 

After supper another episode of the Spanish drama 'You Shall Not Lie', which is an odd translation of 'Todos Mentiren' its title in Spanish, meaning Everyone Lies. Then I read J J Hernandez's 'Sangre Nueva' for an hour before bed. It's not a crime novel, like the other one of his I read, but the first in a trilogy of fantasy novels called 'The Journey of the Accursed', about a hunter looking for monsters, who rescues a white witch from death by superstitious peasants. She becomes his apprentice in the course of the search for her mother who is her mentor. Both have their supernatural powers, but need the wisdom to discern monsters, whether they be of supernatural or human origin. An interesting theme in the world of fake news and tyrannical leaders claiming to solve the world's crises