Plan B springs into action

I wasn't too surprised to get a call from my friend Rev. E on Friday afternoon (we often chat), but I was glad it was a video call as she had just about lost her voice.

This is not a good weekend for her to be rendered silent.  Well, it never is, but this is a very heavy weekend church-wise, and E is relied on heavily although she too is a "volunteer vicar".  This weekend, as I said yesterday, is our Open Churches Festival and E is very involved.  Quite apart from that and the usual Sunday worship, there is the annual  service in the memorial woodland in one of the parishes.

We had a quick discussion on the possibilities.  E feels well enough to be around and rotas of welcomers have been arranged for all the churches.  I would lead the "normal" services for Sunday and lay ministers would be roped in for the memorial but she would attend as much as she felt able.

So today Plan B swung into action.  It's good to be part of a team.

Open Churches

 It's West Lindsey Open Churches Festival this weekend.    Churches and chapels of many denominations are open and it's an opportunity many people take to go on a church crawl.

To be honest, most of the open churches are Church of England  because, although almost every village has an Anglican church, it's just the larger villages which have other buildings.  

I shall try to visit a few churches but I will be most involved at St Peter's, Normanby le Wold.  Here's what the brochure says.

"Something different for all the family…. A Jigsaw Festival. Completed jigsaws on display and available to buy.  Help us to complete jigsaws - we’ll need as much help as we can get! Children’s jigsaws - lots to see and to join in. Jigsaw ‘Bring & Buy’ - bring along any you no longer want, provided they don’t have pieces missing, and buy a new one. Local history and displays… including Parish registers information dating back to 1561. Light refreshments available."

I shall do my best to get to Thoresway and the brochure says, "St Mary’s nestles is a sleepy village among fields of sheep. It has a Romanesque arch from an original tower, 13th century arcades in the nave and seven floor stones dating from an earlier period. There is an exhibition on the history and origins of the village together with stories of local residents and their lives. A warm welcome awaits those who come to sample our homemade cakes and savouries, including our popular gluten free and vegetarian offerings."  

What the brochure doesn't tell you is that the "cakes and savouries" are produced by a celebrity chef who lives in the village and they are truly scrummy.  Not that I am going there just for the nosh, you understand!

Drawing May

Once again I joined in the monthly drawing session in Via, the on-line learning site for the Women's Institute.  No-one is pretending we produce great art but we have a quiet hour drawing something seasonal.  Personally I don't find adult colouring books help me lose myself, but following the instructor's guidance is very restful.

This month we drew rhododendrons.  Last year it was cherry blossom and bluebells. I'm building up quite a collection.

(My blog reading list still isn't working properly.  I'm trying to find other people's blogs but it ain't easy!)

Not sure why I am writing this post

 as I don't know whether anyone can read it!  

There is a problem on Blogger at the moment.  (I know, there's often a problem on Blogger.)  This time it's the blog feed which isn't happening.  I am being notified of very few blog posts and I'm not even notified of my own posts!  I don't think many people are being notified of my posts as I have less than ten per cent of my usual number of page views.

Other people are complaining that they can't post comments on the blogs they read. 

So, please bear with the bloggers on Blogger.  We are doing our best.

Trauma teddies

The pattern used by many of our laides.

 Yesterday I went to lunch at our church cafe.  We were joined by another knitting group from another group of churches.

Both groups started around 2018 when many churches were asking for knitted poppies to form displays to mark the centenary of the end of The Great War.  Now both groups knit for charities.  

Saturday's lunch was organised so that the other group could hand over their garments for our leader to distribute.  We send stuff to Women's refuge, the Salvation Army, premature baby units, care homes and the Emergency Services.   

Emergency Services?  What would they need with our knitting?  Well. several ladies knit trauma teddies.  These small bears are kept in police cars, rescue vehicles and ambulances to give to children at accident scenes as a small comfort when really unpleasant things are happening around them.

One lady told the story of her son and grandson.  They were involved in an accident and her son was rendered unconscious.  Her three year old grandson had no physical injuries but he must have been terrified.  The first policeman on the scene gave him a teddy.  We all went a bit quiet when we heard this.  

I think various knitting needles may be clicking even quicker with even more determination from now on.