Palm Sunday. March 28th 2021.

A late blip today.
It’s a year today that churches first put out their services on-line.
Who would have thought many of us would still be watching on-line now.
Palm Sunday is special to me in two different ways.
It is the beginning of Holy Week.
A time of reflection before Easter.
Today the anniversary of my dad’s death coincided with the date.
He died on Palm Sunday March 28th 2010, in the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he was being treated for a stroke.
Every time I’d driven up to see him, I dreaded the call as I drove the 111 miles back home again.
But the call did come on that Palm Sunday morning and we had a mad dash back once again up the M6 and M65, but got there in time to sit with him along with my sister and her husband who had come from Knaresborough.
My cousin who lives in Rawtenstall saves me a palm cross every year from St Mary’s Parish Church, where they are handed out. Dad had a deep faith and had already decided which hymns he wanted should they ever be needed! Just over a week later we celebrated his life at the church and it was quite full.
Now the parishioners can go to their services but in a mask and socially distanced, with no singing.I had the message today that my cousin had saved me a palm cross this morning. So I have two to collect eventually when we manage to go up and see her again.
We put the clocks forward one hour last night, which always makes me feel like I’m catching up all day!
I’d forgotten to take a photo so I went back up the garden, where I had already been, and took the photo of my namesake, Viv, the hellebore. It’s short for Victoria apparently. I’ll post the link.
She is looking rather good this year inspite of being buried in snow, and had to cope with frost.

https://vivhelleborus.com/en/
I have had no reaction from my Astra Zeneca vaccination other than a slightly sore arm, thankfully.