Easter Sunday

I went over to St Luke’s at 9am to lay Easter flowers for Mum and Dad in the churchyard (see Extras). Then I had instruction from Wendy on how to set everything up for communion, in preparation for when she and Martin, and Alison and Mike, will all be away on holiday next Sunday. Between them they normally ensure that all is done correctly, but by coincidence both couples had unknowingly chosen the same week to go away. I took photos of the things I hadn’t been too sure about, such as exactly where the candles go, and how to arrange the silverware under the cloth on the altar table. I also took my main picture of the Easter lilies arranged on and around the font at the back of the church. These were paid for by those of us who wanted to remember our loved ones who have died - three of the lilies are for Mum, Dad and our sister Kaye.

My sister Susan arrived for the service, and my friends looked after her while I was doing another turn of acolyte duty. After coffee, we set off from my house to niece Sharon’s lodge on Mersea Island for a lovely roast lunch with the family. Sharon, Susan, Adele and I went for a little walk afterwards and stopped to admire the beautiful pink rhododendron, also included in Extras. Back at the lodge we all exchanged Easter eggs and spent some time chatting together before setting off for home.

After such a full-on week, it’s no surprise that I fell asleep on the sofa for most of the evening and woke up at nearly 1am before crawling into bed.