On Friday I managed to get the worship aids printed for Holy Thursday and Good Friday before the machine finally died. The engineer would not appear until Monday so there was little point fussing over it.
On Saturday I did the usual routine of Vigil Masses. It was Palm Sunday and immediately noticeable was the reluctance of folk to start the celebration outside in the piazza. So we went through the motions of gathering outside but most remained in the church as they could hear what was going on anyway.
In the evening I joined colleagues at Danah’s house for dinner. The centrepiece was a 5kg Red Snapper. It was wonderfully cooked and the company was perfect. Unfortunately my early rise for Sunday meant I could not stay long.
Sunday went smoothly. “The best Palm Sunday music I can remember” was one supportive comment. The Parish Council also approached me to speak to them after Easter. They have woken up to the fact that there was no formal welcome for me and are looking to rectify this.
I spent yesterday Monday preparing for my first experience on my kayak. This meant getting the kayak down three flights of stairs, onto ‘water noodles’ on the car roof and managing the ratchet straps which secured it. The first time is always the most uphill experience and it was awkward but I managed to get the thing to the launch site and although there was no bottle of champagne (Lent! there was great relief. It floated even with me in it and I soon got the hang of things. On my return I almost dented a Mercedes as the kayak once unstrapped slid from the roof!
In the evening I joined the Elect and candidates for confirmation who were doing a run through for Easter Vigil. This was a 2-hour affair and I managed to nip out periodically to reset the photocopier with Easter Vigil booklets.
Today it’s Tuesday and I drive soon to St Petersburg for the Chrism Mass at which I will be singing. I was not able to be at the rehearsal last night because of the rehearsal at St Lawrence but they have let me in. It will be a good opportunity to meet up with colleagues.
PhloridaPhil 
Good to see you’re keeping busy, Phil……….err Was it a big kayak and were you shooting the rapids in it (voluntarily or otherwise)…..there’s not much detail on this story…..Andy
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My kayak is a 10ft and it was not so much shooting the rapids as the ripples. I was content about that as it was hard enough loading the thing onto the car. as you might expect I was well prepared having previous purchased ratchet straps and a kayak trolley (which over here they call a dolly!)
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