Hymn-fest

Well that was a busy Sunday! It began in the usual fashion with my getting up in time not to hold us back for church, except that we'd forgotten/been too tired to go over my solo for communion last night, so we had to run through it before we went out. We celebrated All Saints and sang all the verses of For all the saints because the officiant forgot to announce that we should omit several, and I took the main photo for today outside because I thought it looked ... well, fabulous. That huge tree towers over the church and car-park, and has already lost a massive branch in the interests of safety, but this is when it comes into its own.

We didn't have our customary socialising over coffee and a late lunch today, because we'd to be back at the church for 3pm to teach the congregation some new hymns - new to us as a congregation, that is, though some were familiar to one or two people. Himself wore a lapel microphone to save him losing his voice altogether, so he had a chance to find out how hard it is to position it just right so that it makes a difference without catching on your chin, or your collar, or whatever - because that makes a horrid noise. There are some great modern hymns, with excellent and pertinent texts and lovely, singable tunes, and the singing was in fact really good. There was tea and cake at the interval, and a good number stayed on over the arranged finishing time because we still had a last new tune to try. I think people enjoyed it ... I took the extra photo just as we were about to start singing again after the tea break; there's a good crowd there, though I don't think you can see the three dogs that were also among the congregation!

By the time we were home I was unbelievably hungry. We had fillet steak burgers and new potatoes and mange tout peas for dinner, and opened a new bottle of red wine, then collapsed in the usual heap (heaps?) till bedtime. I'm about an hour earlier than usual, and that's me off to bed now!