A Few Brief Brush Strokes......

Greetings.  Apologies for absence. 

Last  Friday we went out to a local venue to hear the “Brass Monkeys” in action – a while since we’d had the pleasure, and a great pleasure it was too.  Brass instruments played with great aplomb, enthusiasm and expertise.  A very good evening out.  (Apart from not eating before we got there, and discovering that they don’t do food of an evening.........)

Saturday was “Chooks Re-location Day” – for the summer they move away from the shelter of the house and conservatory, down to the bottom of the garden (ie. a total travelling distance of about 20 feet !) – affording the hens more scope for sunbathing, a much more interesting outlook over the garden to view visiting cats/foxes/etc, better circulation of air currents, and much easier exit from the run when opportunities arise.  The hens had a fine time, and Eena, who had been looking decidedly ‘out of sorts’ most of the week, and had a few nights in the house along the way, was back to digging about with the best of them.  As for the peoples – well, we get chance to use the paved area next to the house again.  Maybe the BBQ will get dusted off this year......... 

Sunday started at 5am, with the chooks shouting their heads off......VERY loudly  (had they forgotten they’d re-located on Saturday ?).  Then was the usual programme of rehearsal, Sung Sunday Services,  and a fine sermon from the Provost (was it a good holiday then ?).  Tea and cake with friends in the afternoon.  A little light refreshment at the end of the evening.  (Why else would you sing ?)

After this weekend excitement, 9 month old Master Bart Catlet got hisself stuck up a tree on Monday night..........all we knew was that he took hisself out in the early evening, full of the joys and Master of the Universe.  He then didn’t come home before darkness crept in, and no sight nor sound was evident as we examined every area within reach.  Well, you can guess how the night went on....... late to bed in case he showed up...... TH was out looking for him at 3am......... Chickpea was checking around at 5am......... then out at 6am to check for RoadKill before the clearer-uppers would have been out..........  No Sign.   Mr Mutt got longer walks both evening and morning than usual, covering the likely area of disappearance.  Time to head out to work....... Then, a wee small cry.  Both consistent in response to encouragement, and verified by TH.  ......... Finally traced to Up A Tree.  Not a particularly LARGE tree.  But in Someone Else’s Garden, and high enough to be out of reach.  But – Pathetic.  Yup. “Heeeeeeellllllppppp !  I can’t get down !  Saaaaaaaaaaaaaave me !”  (Honest – you could hear him – thinking out loud, he was !) 

Eventually separated from high perch, returned to terra firma, food, and sleeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppp............

The other end of the day brought us a house guest.  TH had become aware of a fine long-furred grey tabby stray from a local housing scheme, thin, bedraggled, matted coat, bad breath, unkempt and uncared for............ One vet visit and several pounds’ transaction later, with an anaesthetic booking arranged for ‘grooming’ and teeth review, flea and worm treatments......... and the menagerie had increased .......  temporarily ?  Time would tell.  TH having a certain tendency to cat allergy would be a factor........

Cat smiled......... and scoffed anything that came his way......... and purred...... and purred.........

Meantime, Bart scowled, cursed and swore.  Mr Mutt retreated to his bed and hoped none would bother him.......  TH succumbed to the viral infection which had probably been out enjoying the Brass Monkeys’ gig at The Ferry last Friday.......

And so to today - Ascension Day.  Next step along the way thru the Liturgical Year.  TH somehow managed to shake off his virus enough to sing, (Miracles certainly DO still happen), but has set off away to The Land of Nod.  Now nearing Midnight, Guest Cat has washed his feet for the night and is hoping to be allowed to stay, please........ Bolshy Bart is at the lounge door feeling unloved and abandoned (and probably hoping for some more supper)......... Mr Mutt has his head down, hoping someone will put the light out......... Domestic bliss.   ChickPea has bored you silly – Thank You for calling by. Have a Great Friday and a Fab Weekend ! 

High Jinks, Holy Days, Consecration, Celebration and Community

This past week (and more) has been a time of great preparation for Saint George’s Day (yesterday - Friday) and for tomorrow (Sunday). If you are a Church singer-person, a church-flower-arranger-person, a church-server/steward/organist/cleaner/administrator-person, or any other variety of person-in-the-pew-type-person, you may well have insight and understanding of this phenomenon of preparation for a Notable Church Event. The best ones see church folk exploring concepts of community – AND still speaking to each other - as they wield mops, dusters, polish and glass cleaner to ensure clean and sparkling surroundings, whilst administrator-persons type Drafts 1 – 10 of the Order of Service, negotiate the many minefields of ticket allocation, and arrange marquees, seating and coat hangers, and senior clergy meantime dream nightmares of Everything Being Other Than Ideal, and pass sleepless nights planning processions.

Yesterday the Scottish Episcopal Church was adding a new member to our College of Bishops, drawing clergy and others from not only our local diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, but from all over Scotland and – despite the best efforts of a certain volcano in Iceland – a few visitors managed to arrive from across the seas as well to join the gathering.

A Local was wielding his camera, and has produced a most creditable collection of photographs of the proceedings, which you can find here.

The High Jinks continued today as ChickPea weeded and re-arranged pots, and TH heroically wrestled with the lawnmower to achieve the first cut of the season (anyone able to recommend a small but reliable lawn mower ? – our current machine needs to be pensioned off to the Local Dump........).

Tomorrow evening we look forward to welcoming singers from around the diocese to a collective Choral Evensong for further Celebration to welcome Gregor as Bishop. 

Do join us at 6.30pm for the service – you, too, will be most welcome.

Faith. Fully.

I’m not sure I often wave the flag when I peek over the top of my parapet to gaze askance at the world around me.

I guess I tend to think that my faith is so integral to who I am that I don’t actually NEED to wave the flag about it very often. On the other hand, being a fully fledged cathedral chorister for rather more years than I care to add up, and wardrobe manager to boot, is perhaps a thinly disguised alternative flag that I wave very regularly indeed without noticing........

Tonight’s service at St M’s was a place apart. Faure’s Requiem was the music on offer for All Souls’ Day, and another ‘first’ for our treble choir who joined the regular adult choir for the occasion. And the trebles stepped up to the mark and conjured up a most spectacular ‘Pie Jesu’ for us all. Competently. Spectacularly. Our Director of Music deserved accolades from On High.

But, tho notable, that was far from all we shared this evening. The serving team had paid attention to all the necessary details that most of us are completely unaware of when a good job is accomplished, and the visual gloom that results from too few light bulbs remaining fully operative provided the sort of atmospheric lighting that we generally yearn for at this time of year but rarely quite achieve......

Most seats were occupied in the cathedral, and methinks the shadows were far from empty......

Once again our Chief Pastor demonstrated his liturgical ability by planning and facilitating the whole, and his priestly expertise by dealing quietly, most gently and sensitively with each and every demand of the evening.

This service was undoubtedly One Of Those Times when the step between Here and There was a remarkably small one.....

An evening - and a morning - with Auntie.......

Last night’s exercise was to entertain Auntie’s Argonauts – that intrepid band from Auntie who quest to produce The Ultimate Sunday Morning Service for the airwaves……...

Yup. The Cathedral is hosting Radio 4’s Sunday morning’s broadcast service this week – ‘twill be Matins (kerumbs – I have to dust off the memory banks to recall last time Chickpea sang Matins – was it at Salisbury in the days of the RSCM Cathedral Course ? Or was it in 1990, visiting all the (main) Cathedrals of Scotland in 24 hrs, singing a service in each, being Matins in both Oban and Inverness (different music for each service ? _ but OF COURSE !), Eucharist in Aberdeen, Evensongs (full choral OF COURSE – weren’t they ALL ?) in Perth and Dundee, with Complines in both Edinburgh and back home in Glasgow – under the scaffolding, and singing ‘The day Thou Gavest Lord, is ended’ – with n’er a dry eye in sight (NB - a 24 hour feat never yet repeated ! – come on next generation !!) – don’t believe me ? - visit Mr Lay Clerk’s blog to see the photographic record of the intrepid choristers involved !)

Anyway. Notwithstanding. So there they were, sorting out ‘timings’ last night, at the regular choir practice, rather than the usual ‘day before’ routine becos there’s an RSCM gathering in the place tomorrow. Sound levels, etc will all need to be sorted out on the day - roll on 7am !

So – if you’d like to invite TH and ChickPea into your home on Sunday morning, all you need do is tune in to Radio 4 at 8.10am. (Or surf the internet and visit the BBC website – either then for ‘Listen Live’, or during the seven days following for ‘Listen Again’ /Radio 4 Sunday morning service – available worldwide !)

Seriously, though, it’ll probably be The Provost preaching, and his sermons are usually well worth being awake to hear – visit the Cathedral’s website at http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/ and find out for yourself !

Have a great day !