Yet another Sunny and Cloudy day in Arkland the Mild, with another week or so of similar Stuff still to come.
It's been a good day for Our Place's monthly Community Cafe & Jumble Sale, so I hope they've had a better attendance than recently. It seems that, no matter how hard the team works, or how much publicity is spread abroad, Our Place - stuck in the backstreets - is often passed by, so to speak.
I noticed yesterday and today that Our Town, formerly swamped with flags (St George or the Union Jack) has been cleansed of such far-right propaganda by the local Council (Labour-controlled), and that the customary large red Poppies have been stuck upon just about every lamp-post etc. to remind us to be duly Patriotic this weekend.
Lunch is CHICKEN PIE n'CHIPS.
@Sarasa - sorry to hear that Reform seem to be making progress in your area. It may be comforting to realise that Kent County Council - Reform's flagship local authority, I'm told - is experiencing a fair amount of discombobulation on account of the sheer incompetence of the turquoise party. This doesn't make for good government, I know, but it might mean fewer Reform councillors next time around...
It was a very nice concert: two Swedish gentlemen from the Palmberg Quartet, playing the trumpet and the piano. An odd mix, you might think, but it was actually very effective in the rather good acoustics of St Pete's. I also had a nice catch-up with a couple of old friends, so a good night altogether.
Having found out that several of the choir wouldn't be around today, and the hymns being mostly very predictable Remembrance fare, we cancelled choir practice and I had a much-appreciated lie-in. Then a quick pootle to the post office to return a garment that didn't fit, and back to the talon salon to get my nails done (a nicely seasonal poppy red).
I did a few odd jobs this morning and then spent the rest of the day doing some online research for my studies. Mr Heavenly has been busy scanning our huge collection of unwanted books and DVDs into an app for a second hand book store and we now have a pile of boxed up books waiting for collection. We’re hoping to get about £150 payment for them.
Tea was mackerel fillets with a roasted veg and bulgar wheat salad, followed by plum yoghurt and muesli.
Saturday is house cleaning day (a hangover from when I was teaching fulltime). This was followed by a lovely sunny walk in local wetlands with Beaky daughter's little dog.
I am really enjoying cooking my Autumn menus and tonight was Boston baked beans with mashed potatoes and green beans. Lovely but I have managed to burn the roof of my mouth!
I'm grateful to @Piglet for the term "talon salon" which I will be rolling out to my friends who have regular manicures. ("Do you lie pedicure too?") .
I went for a walk in the sunshine today and took myself out to lunch, Mr Nen being away. He is now home, stir fry and wine have been consumed, Traitors Uncloaked Final watched and I'm now thinking about bed and book.
A nice lazy day. Our son came home for a few days this afternoon and we went to our local Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. Other than that I haven't done a lot.
Need to go to bed so I'm up and about for our Remembrance Day event tomorrow.
Slight lie-in for me; the service at St Pete's was at 10:00 instead of 9:30 so the Act of Remembrance could happen at the right time. However, this was rather banjaxed because I was on coffee duty, so I felt obliged to get there slightly early and get kettles and coffee-pots going. Decently full church, and most of them came up for coffee, so we were kept busy. Pretty much usual suspects for the hymns (see Eccles). I got a few compliments on my little RAF poppy pin with a Lancaster bomber on it, which I bought in memory of David's Uncle Bill, who flew Lancasters in the war (and was decorated for it).
Now laundry is laundering, and as it's pissing with rain, I don't think I'll be going any further than the communal laundry to utilise the tumble dryer. I had thought about going to get some groceries, but there's no point in getting rained on to get them; I'll be a lot closer to Tessie's tomorrow anyway and can go at lunchtime.
Supper will be something cobbleable from what's in the fridge and/or larder.
A mostly bright Sun-Shiny morning in Arkland the Patriotic, which was a Good Thing for the marching bands, and parades of military might, to be found all around Our Town.
I essayed a visit to Tess Coe, as tomorrow is forecast to be Very Heavily Wet (so They say), and was in and out within 20 minutes, though there was a lot of traffic about. I noticed that very few people in the shop, apart from Older Folks, appeared to be wearing poppies.
The Remembrance service in our town was well attended. I had to peel off to lay a wreath in the cemetery before heading back to the main service in the Market Square. I was a bit worried as to how it would go, but it was fine. As the church is closed the whole service was held there, and we all thought it worked very well.
I headed home via Waitrose to pick up the ingredients for my bit of tonight's curry night. I'm doing the rice and a potato dish.
Husband and son are asleep in the living room so I'm heading for a lie-down on my bed.
Our town high street was closed for the parade and there was an act of remembrance during our morning service, some people were wearing poppies, but the songs we sang didn't reflect the fact that it was Remembrance Sunday.
I had coffee with friends afterwards and got a tad wet walking home, but I don't have to go out again today and we have our Sunday evening roast to look forward to: to be consumed, as is the custom, while watching Countryfile.
There was a time (lustra ago) when NOT wearing a Poppy labelled one as a Communist or (even worse) a Conscientious Objector, and was tantamount to an act of treason.
Fewer people wearing poppies, perhaps, but a large number of buildings seemed to have arrangements or blankets of knitted poppies attached to them in some way.
Also, I could be wrong, but I think there are more people wearing small metal poppy pins, or brooches in various designs, which has a knock-on effect of fewer people wearing the Haig paper poppies.
We had around 200 people at the cenotaph which is in our church grounds, but only one extra person at the service before hand. Darllenwr led both services. Lord P led a service at one of the cenotaphs in his ministry area - he sent us a photo, it does seem strange seeing him in cassock and surplice.
Yesterday we went to the new Bristol Zoo to celebrate Levi’s 4th birthday this week.
Also, I could be wrong, but I think there are more people wearing small metal poppy pins, or brooches in various designs, which has a knock-on effect of fewer people wearing the Haig paper poppies.
The British Legion poppy sellers have been doing the pin ones as well for a few years round here. I got my first pin one from the box in the postroom at work in 2020. Less visible than the paper ones at a distance, but harder to lose!
I've not bought a poppy this year as I haven't been in the vicinity of anyone selling them.
I know I don't get out much these days, but I have been as far as the next town in the past couple of weeks.
There used to be a gentleman selling Poppies every year outside the local CoOp supermarket, but Morrisons bought the site several years ago, promising to redevelop it. It still remains boarded up as they reconsider their plans yet again, so there is no obvious place for the poppy seller, or anyone else, to wait in the expectation of being seen by a good cross section of the populace.
We were asked to wear poppies at the funeral of my ex-Army father late in 1968. I still have and wear the one I wore then, both this weekend and on 11 December. Poppies are rarely seen here in Melbourne, Australia.
I seldom shop on the high street these days so haven’t seen a poppy seller. There’s usually some outside Waitrose but I only go there once a month.
A long day today as on top of my general work I also have to deliver a 2 hour lecture this evening (on a ‘good death’). In theory I should be doing 3-4 hours marking this afternoon as well but my brain can’t cope with both marking and lecturing in close proximity so the marking will have to wait until tomorrow.
I had a low key/ lazy weekend as a contrast between last and next which both involve concerts, but did manage to cross many annoying small tasks off my list as well as spending far too long on my ipad.
My daughter is popping over soon so we may have a short walk in the sunshine. Early lunch then I am driving to the next town to see The Choral, and en route collecting a new computer mouse as mine has died.
I cooked double yesterday so a plated meal will be eaten at speed before choir tonight.
We were considering going for a walk today, but rain is forecast so we are off to the Leisure Centre to have a go at playing pickleball instead.
Tea tonight will be the curries from last night, including the one we didn't have as the chana dahl didn't cook in time.
I was at work yesterday, so I wore a red poppy, a white poppy and a purple poppy.
The shop is on the route from the War Memorial to the church, so we got to see the procession, with a rather good military band playing Colonel Bogie, the British Legion banner and the Town Cryer. On the way back there were children in black and red uniforms behind the band, but I couldn't see their banners to find out what organisation they belonged to.
I have a crocheted red poppy with a black button in the middle which I wear every year, and just put a donation in the poppy collection without taking a poppy. I always seem to lose the paper ones anyway.
We have a huge and impressive poppy blanket at the front of the church made by various church members and the primary school next to us.
Yesterday we had hymns on the themes of remembrance and peace - including “O God of hope” (to the tune of Dear Lord and Father) which went down well. English and Welsh national anthems at the end followed by an arrangement of Nimrod.
It's tipping down with rain here and has been all morning. A home-based day for us.
It's still raining in Arkland the Dismal - a nothing-doing day for me, too. Pilates tomorrow, because Tuesday, so hopefully I won't get soaked just tottering to the car (the closest I can safely park it is 100 yards from the Ark, and it can take me a good 5-8 minutes to cover that distance).
I discovered last year's paper poppy and dismantled it so that it could be held on by my new RAF one (which has a tie-tack pin), and make the whole thing a bit more visible. It's staying on my indoor waistcoat until tomorrow.
I've only seen one poppy box, and that was in Boots weeks ago; I haven't seen any actual humans selling them.
A bit wet this morning when I was going to work, but by the time I was going to Tessie's at lunchtime and home in the evening, it was rather nice.
Part II of last night's cobblage for supper: pasta with a creamy tomato sauce with some chopped pancetta and, as it looked a bit mean this evening, some prawns, and very nice too.
Long day now accomplished, and I am having a glass of wine to recuperate.
Tea was fresh tagliatelle with pancetta and spinach in cream, and very nice it was too.
One of the people at our Remembrance Event yesterday is the local Royal British Legion's poppy campaign organiser. He's new to the role and seems to have worked very hard this year. The boxes and people selling poppies were in all the local supermarkets. There are a lot of RAF bases round here, so the military, specially the airforce is important to the town. We have a new sculpture On Freedom's Wings on the A46 near here. One of my fellow councillors has a stall in the market most weeks raising funds for it.
Pickleball was fun, though we were rubbish at it. We got slightly better after a while and we are certainly going to try playing it again. We usually walk to the Leisure Centre, but took the car, which was just as well as it was raining very heavily when we came out. The rest of the day was spent being very lazy.
FatherInCharge intended to open the church this morning, so that anyone who wished could stand with him at the main door, and hear a gun (located on one of the old military forts in Our Town) fire off at 11am, keeping the two-minute silence awhile.
Tea & Coffee to follow...whether or not they sang the National Anthem, I'm not sure - our Tuesday Mass is at 530pm (there are usually two people in attendance).
A dank and dismal day in Arkland the Autumnal, but productive - I endured survived Pilates, did a bit of shopping at the village Co-Op (where they were putting up the Christmas decorations ), and collected a parcel from the Arkland Office. I then finished painting a little cupboard which lives in the wheelhouse, and which houses my small collection of old Railway Magazine and Trains Illustrated issues from the 1950s and 1960s.
It dawned on me that this little cupboard - 2 feet wide by 2.5 feet high by 6 inches deep - has been part of my life for 70+ years. When I was a lad, it housed my modest collection of Dinky Toys, and is therefore known (by me) to this day as The Dinky Cupboard. It was once painted White, but for some years has been Green, until now - it is bright Blue, and, though I say it as shouldn't, looks very well.
I think it must have started life, maybe over a century ago, as a Spice or Medicine cupboard, rather like this one, though mine is a bit larger:
Mine has a deeper plinth, and a neat little brass catch/knob (over-painted, I'm afraid), though there are holes which show that it may originally have had a knob or a handle on each door.
Another day, another pile of marking. This week I am doing poverty and young people/choosing good sources of information.
Local fortnightly prayer group this evening, I need to go and make a Greek salad to contribute to the meal. But first I need to remove the cat from my lap.
Public holiday here today, not that I did anything much I wouldn't have done anyway. The only difference is that I went to the market with my nearest and dearest, instead of on my own.
Intermittently Wet and Not Wet here, and I had a very productive and satisfactory day at work.
Unfortunately, the evening will be spent at a Vestry meeting ( ), made even worse by the fact that the Vestry Secretary has buggered off to Basle on holiday, and the taking of minutes has been delegated to yours truly and another of the vestry members.
I absolutely hate taking minutes, especially with my hearing issues, and am hoping that between us we'll be able to cobble something together. Rev'd Rosie generally turns up with a laptop and taps away, and tbh I'd be quite happy if she would just do that, but That's Not How Things Are Done.
I had beans on TOAST for supper, as it was quick and easy; some CHEESE and a glass of WINE will probably happen after I get back.
The important thing is to write the Minutes before the meeting ...
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
I headed into town to commemorate the two minute’s silence on the Town Hall steps and then went home via Waitrose to buy the ingredients for brownies. This afternoon I went out for coffee with some friends and returned home to some very nice brownies as cooked by my son. The idea is to take them to the reception after my niece’s funeral tomorrow. I’m now dithering about whether to go out to a talk about our Parish church or not tonight.
It’’s tamping down here.
I‘ve been reminded of the advantages of the NHS - I play “Words with Friends “ (an online Scrabble) and I get adverts for an American hearing device My aides and the batteries are free, and I have a wheelchair worth about £3500 - all free and set up for me.
Quite a productive day in that I crossed many items off my To Do list. One was to make a beef stew in the slow cooker. I had i tended to eat fish this evening as I have some cheese sauce to use up, but the smell from the slow cooker was too tempting, so now there are only two portions to go in the freezer.
A non-stop day tomorrow: exercise group, Scrabble group and local choral society, so I had better have a look at the new music this evening.
The important thing is to write the Minutes before the meeting ...
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
Certain persons may think that to be funny... Not so the Rev J--- H--- late of our presbytery when acting as interim moderator at a nearby church. He really did have the church secretary type the minutes ahead of session meetings. but to be fair, if you want the real record of the deliberations of the session at our own church, you won't find it in the minutes.
The important thing is to write the Minutes before the meeting ...
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
Certain persons may think that to be funny... Not so the Rev J--- H--- late of our presbytery when acting as interim moderator at a nearby church. He really did have the church secretary type the minutes ahead of session meetings. but to be fair, if you want the real record of the deliberations of the session at our own church, you won't find it in the minutes.
So where is the place to discuss and make such decisions? It seems to me that they happen behind closed doors to be rubber stamped by a compliant PCC or equivalent.
The important thing is to write the Minutes before the meeting ...
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
Certain persons may think that to be funny... Not so the Rev J--- H--- late of our presbytery when acting as interim moderator at a nearby church. He really did have the church secretary type the minutes ahead of session meetings. but to be fair, if you want the real record of the deliberations of the session at our own church, you won't find it in the minutes.
When I took over as presbytery clerk my predecessor advised me to write the minutes beforehand then tweak them as necessary. Which was fine until the day I sent the whole presbytery the minutes for the upcoming meeting, not the previous one!
Church meetings can clearly be different but I used to enjoy taking the minutes at work. It comes naturally to me to write things down anyway and I took delight in slipping in a few little witticisms to see if anyone noticed. The problem was, no one ever read them apart from the other admin person, who phoned me once to say, "You don't mean that will be done if humanely possible, do you?" Me: . She did miss the one where I detailed the fire drill and we were all to assemble on the playing fields opposite the office: "Enter by the narrow gate". Because nobody read them, we'd come to the next meeting and things would come up and I'd say, "It's in the minutes of the last meeting" and people would grunt into their coffee and imply they were far too busy to read such things.
I have a rare jaunt to our local Tessie's this morning to pick up a few things that Mr Sainz Breeze couldn't oblige with, then I'm out to lunch with friends.
The important thing is to write the Minutes before the meeting ...
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
Certain persons may think that to be funny... Not so the Rev J--- H--- late of our presbytery when acting as interim moderator at a nearby church. He really did have the church secretary type the minutes ahead of session meetings. but to be fair, if you want the real record of the deliberations of the session at our own church, you won't find it in the minutes.
So where is the place to discuss and make such decisions? It seems to me that they happen behind closed doors to be rubber stamped by a compliant PCC or equivalent.
The danger is where the "official" meeting is followed by the "unofficial" meeting in the car park (or pub) and then the "meeting which actually makes decisions" in Mrs Blog's lounge.
Phoned up today to request an NHS bowel cancer screening kit. According to their website, everyone between 50 and 74 is eligible (if you are over 74, obviously you should just snuff it).
Apparently I'm not eligible until my 54th birthday (only a few weeks away, so won't be much of a delay). But, in that case, why has SWMBO had hers when she's younger? And why's it say 50 on the website?
Commitees - things which take minutes and waste hours.
My father would get things back on track at St John district meetings by saying “move progress Mr Chairman “.
Comments
It's been a good day for Our Place's monthly Community Cafe & Jumble Sale, so I hope they've had a better attendance than recently. It seems that, no matter how hard the team works, or how much publicity is spread abroad, Our Place - stuck in the backstreets - is often passed by, so to speak.
I noticed yesterday and today that Our Town, formerly swamped with flags (St George or the Union Jack) has been cleansed of such far-right propaganda by the local Council (Labour-controlled), and that the customary large red Poppies have been stuck upon just about every lamp-post etc. to remind us to be duly Patriotic this weekend.
Lunch is CHICKEN PIE n'CHIPS.
@Sarasa - sorry to hear that Reform seem to be making progress in your area. It may be comforting to realise that Kent County Council - Reform's flagship local authority, I'm told - is experiencing a fair amount of discombobulation on account of the sheer incompetence of the turquoise party. This doesn't make for good government, I know, but it might mean fewer Reform councillors next time around...
Having found out that several of the choir wouldn't be around today, and the hymns being mostly very predictable Remembrance fare, we cancelled choir practice and I had a much-appreciated lie-in. Then a quick pootle to the post office to return a garment that didn't fit, and back to the talon salon to get my nails done (a nicely seasonal poppy red).
Supper will be fish cakes with lemony greens.
Tea was mackerel fillets with a roasted veg and bulgar wheat salad, followed by plum yoghurt and muesli.
I am really enjoying cooking my Autumn menus and tonight was Boston baked beans with mashed potatoes and green beans. Lovely but I have managed to burn the roof of my mouth!
I went for a walk in the sunshine today and took myself out to lunch, Mr Nen being away. He is now home, stir fry and wine have been consumed, Traitors Uncloaked Final watched and I'm now thinking about bed and book.
Need to go to bed so I'm up and about for our Remembrance Day event tomorrow.
Now laundry is laundering, and as it's pissing with rain, I don't think I'll be going any further than the communal laundry to utilise the tumble dryer. I had thought about going to get some groceries, but there's no point in getting rained on to get them; I'll be a lot closer to Tessie's tomorrow anyway and can go at lunchtime.
Supper will be something cobbleable from what's in the fridge and/or larder.
I essayed a visit to Tess Coe, as tomorrow is forecast to be Very Heavily Wet (so They say), and was in and out within 20 minutes, though there was a lot of traffic about. I noticed that very few people in the shop, apart from Older Folks, appeared to be wearing poppies.
I headed home via Waitrose to pick up the ingredients for my bit of tonight's curry night. I'm doing the rice and a potato dish.
Husband and son are asleep in the living room so I'm heading for a lie-down on my bed.
I had coffee with friends afterwards and got a tad wet walking home, but I don't have to go out again today and we have our Sunday evening roast to look forward to: to be consumed, as is the custom, while watching Countryfile.
The world moves on...
Also, I could be wrong, but I think there are more people wearing small metal poppy pins, or brooches in various designs, which has a knock-on effect of fewer people wearing the Haig paper poppies.
Yesterday we went to the new Bristol Zoo to celebrate Levi’s 4th birthday this week.
The British Legion poppy sellers have been doing the pin ones as well for a few years round here. I got my first pin one from the box in the postroom at work in 2020. Less visible than the paper ones at a distance, but harder to lose!
I know I don't get out much these days, but I have been as far as the next town in the past couple of weeks.
There used to be a gentleman selling Poppies every year outside the local CoOp supermarket, but Morrisons bought the site several years ago, promising to redevelop it. It still remains boarded up as they reconsider their plans yet again, so there is no obvious place for the poppy seller, or anyone else, to wait in the expectation of being seen by a good cross section of the populace.
A long day today as on top of my general work I also have to deliver a 2 hour lecture this evening (on a ‘good death’). In theory I should be doing 3-4 hours marking this afternoon as well but my brain can’t cope with both marking and lecturing in close proximity so the marking will have to wait until tomorrow.
My daughter is popping over soon so we may have a short walk in the sunshine. Early lunch then I am driving to the next town to see The Choral, and en route collecting a new computer mouse as mine has died.
I cooked double yesterday so a plated meal will be eaten at speed before choir tonight.
Tea tonight will be the curries from last night, including the one we didn't have as the chana dahl didn't cook in time.
The shop is on the route from the War Memorial to the church, so we got to see the procession, with a rather good military band playing Colonel Bogie, the British Legion banner and the Town Cryer. On the way back there were children in black and red uniforms behind the band, but I couldn't see their banners to find out what organisation they belonged to.
We have a huge and impressive poppy blanket at the front of the church made by various church members and the primary school next to us.
Yesterday we had hymns on the themes of remembrance and peace - including “O God of hope” (to the tune of Dear Lord and Father) which went down well. English and Welsh national anthems at the end followed by an arrangement of Nimrod.
It's still raining in Arkland the Dismal - a nothing-doing day for me, too. Pilates tomorrow, because Tuesday, so hopefully I won't get soaked just tottering to the car (the closest I can safely park it is 100 yards from the Ark, and it can take me a good 5-8 minutes to cover that distance).
I've only seen one poppy box, and that was in Boots weeks ago; I haven't seen any actual humans selling them.
A bit wet this morning when I was going to work, but by the time I was going to Tessie's at lunchtime and home in the evening, it was rather nice.
Part II of last night's cobblage for supper: pasta with a creamy tomato sauce with some chopped pancetta and, as it looked a bit mean this evening, some prawns, and very nice too.
Tea was fresh tagliatelle with pancetta and spinach in cream, and very nice it was too.
Pickleball was fun, though we were rubbish at it. We got slightly better after a while and we are certainly going to try playing it again. We usually walk to the Leisure Centre, but took the car, which was just as well as it was raining very heavily when we came out. The rest of the day was spent being very lazy.
Tea & Coffee to follow...whether or not they sang the National Anthem, I'm not sure - our Tuesday Mass is at 530pm (there are usually two people in attendance).
A dank and dismal day in Arkland the Autumnal, but productive - I endured survived Pilates, did a bit of shopping at the village Co-Op (where they were putting up the Christmas decorations
It dawned on me that this little cupboard - 2 feet wide by 2.5 feet high by 6 inches deep - has been part of my life for 70+ years. When I was a lad, it housed my modest collection of Dinky Toys, and is therefore known (by me) to this day as The Dinky Cupboard. It was once painted White, but for some years has been Green, until now - it is bright Blue, and, though I say it as shouldn't, looks very well.
I think it must have started life, maybe over a century ago, as a Spice or Medicine cupboard, rather like this one, though mine is a bit larger:
Mine has a deeper plinth, and a neat little brass catch/knob (over-painted, I'm afraid), though there are holes which show that it may originally have had a knob or a handle on each door.
Edited hyperlink - Nenya, All Saints Host
Another day, another pile of marking. This week I am doing poverty and young people/choosing good sources of information.
Local fortnightly prayer group this evening, I need to go and make a Greek salad to contribute to the meal. But first I need to remove the cat from my lap.
Unfortunately, the evening will be spent at a Vestry meeting (
I absolutely hate taking minutes, especially with my hearing issues, and am hoping that between us we'll be able to cobble something together. Rev'd Rosie generally turns up with a laptop and taps away, and tbh I'd be quite happy if she would just do that, but That's Not How Things Are Done.
I had beans on TOAST for supper, as it was quick and easy; some CHEESE and a glass of WINE will probably happen after I get back.
Seriously, most meetings are fairly routine. I call up last time's Minutes on the computer, change the date and amend as necessary. People can have the Minutes in their email inbox before they get home!
I‘ve been reminded of the advantages of the NHS - I play “Words with Friends “ (an online Scrabble) and I get adverts for an American hearing device My aides and the batteries are free, and I have a wheelchair worth about £3500 - all free and set up for me.
A non-stop day tomorrow: exercise group, Scrabble group and local choral society, so I had better have a look at the new music this evening.
No minutes of last meeting, no biting of apologies and absolutely no adherence to the agenda ... 🙃
I've cobbled something together and sent it to the other lady who was also taking notes, in the hope that she got the bits I missed!
Oh, and she wants me to research a possible replacement for the Ghastly Orange Hymnbook. 😳
Certain persons may think that to be funny... Not so the Rev J--- H--- late of our presbytery when acting as interim moderator at a nearby church. He really did have the church secretary type the minutes ahead of session meetings. but to be fair, if you want the real record of the deliberations of the session at our own church, you won't find it in the minutes.
So where is the place to discuss and make such decisions? It seems to me that they happen behind closed doors to be rubber stamped by a compliant PCC or equivalent.
When I took over as presbytery clerk my predecessor advised me to write the minutes beforehand then tweak them as necessary. Which was fine until the day I sent the whole presbytery the minutes for the upcoming meeting, not the previous one!
I have a rare jaunt to our local Tessie's this morning to pick up a few things that Mr Sainz Breeze couldn't oblige with, then I'm out to lunch with friends.
The danger is where the "official" meeting is followed by the "unofficial" meeting in the car park (or pub) and then the "meeting which actually makes decisions" in Mrs Blog's lounge.
Apparently I'm not eligible until my 54th birthday (only a few weeks away, so won't be much of a delay). But, in that case, why has SWMBO had hers when she's younger? And why's it say 50 on the website?
My father would get things back on track at St John district meetings by saying “move progress Mr Chairman “.