Wedding preparation: watch gory violent film April 1, 2009

Last night we met again with Father John from the Northampton Cathedral, who’ll be doing our wedding ceremony. He is very chilled about everything which in turn makes me chill out a bit (very useful following on from this post). Last night we got to go into the Church and experience where we’d be standing on the big day. Father John roughly ran through who goes where and what happens and then he did a nice blessing for us. Spookily, the blessing included the passage that we are having as our Gospel reading in the ceremony!!

It was really quite surreal to be stood on the altar opposite The Boy with a priest in front of us. I felt a bit emotional actually! But this is not good – must not cry and ruin mascara on the day. Must not.

Anyhoo, following on from our altar experience and The Boy quizzing Father John on the history of the church’s architecture, we were set some homework. Last month it was to finalise our readings and hymns (cue lots of early morning singing of hymns by me to The Boy and cue The Boy falling asleep whilst I read him potential readings). This month, we have to watch Gladiator, the film. That’s it!

All Father John will say is that this film shows the origins of the word “sacrament”, and as we’re going through the sacrament of marriage, it’s apt to watch it. This will be a lot more straightforward! I’m arranging to borrow the DVD from a mate and all being well, The Boy will stay awake and we’ll learn something.

Next meeting Father John is coming to our house for dinner which leads to more preparation – what to cook for a clergyman?!

Control thy children January 21, 2008

For a change, and cos we had time, we went to the 10.30am mass yesterday, instead of the 8.30am one.  This is always a good service as there’s proper hymns, loads more people and a bit more ceremony (which I’m a sucker for).

The 10.30 service also attracts families.  Now, I’m all for kids in church, but when they are misbehaved, ill-disciplined (if at all disciplined), naughty types, I find myself silently fuming.  There we were being holy yesterday and the 2 children in front of us (Harry and Millie - impish sounding names, you see?) were running riot.  Shouting, walking on the pews, ripping the hymn book, clambering under pews, walking on peoples legs whilst they were knelt in prayer – these kids were professional disrupters.

I’m not a parent but I sure as heck would be responding to this miscreant behaviour if they were my offspring. Instead, their mother did nothing more than drag them back to standing positions from the pew they were on/under, and then pat/kiss them on the head. Hello? Lady?  Are you not hearing/seeing your chillen? They are not being cutesome, they are being annoying and naughty!

At one point whilst I was kneeling forward, Millie was nearby clambering on the pew in front so I told her, quietly and calmly, to sit down.  She did.  It’s not that hard, see, Mother, what I did there, see? OK, I concede that within 2 mins (once she realised her Ma was not going to enforce any kind of discipline akin to my gentle suggestion) she was back on the pew like a free-range kid.

Now, I know it must be trying to have active kids in a church but plenty of young-uns were managing to hold their own in the quietness/reverence stakes.  A boy next to us was reading through the service book with a finger out on the page tracing the sentences of the text. Bless! And over the way, a toddler was quite happily reading her comic book whilst parents prayed.  Surely, surely Lady it can’t be that hard?

I for one resolved that my kids, when they appear in the distant-ish future, will not be a let-down in Church or anywhere else for that matter.  Boundaries will be laid, discipline followed through by both parents, activities planned and decorum maintained.  Here’s hoping, anyway…

My Christmas Top Five December 21, 2007

I’m feeling Christmassy now, what with practising playing the church carols and wrapping all the pressies up.  Here’s the things I love best about this time of year (not in any order):

1.  Rugby girls Christmas do.  Always so hilarious, to the point where bladder control is almost lost.  This year was no exception with superb comedy elements, including the moment someone put plum chutney in my home-made-from-a-plastic-bag snowman hat, and I nearly put it on.  Someone else got the bad luck of smelling of homemade chutters. Then there was the trampoline moves display, without the trampoline…

2. Cheesy films in the afternoon – and having the time to snuggle under a blanket with a hot chocolate to watch them. 

3. Pub on Christmas Eve after Church.  After playing the carols and politely chatting to the old dears, us kids wander in the crisp darkness to the local for a proper catch up, away from parental ears.  Always some old faces and good beer in the local.

4.  Christmas at home with the family and the odd rituals – like the present ceremony where Dad hands em out and we each open one at a time, and clap after each present is revealed!  And the tradition of a G+T being the first drink Dad and I have; the efforts to get Mum to drink a sherry so she chills out; and the near fistycuffs when we play games.

5. Gluttony.  Dad this year is doing a Goose, Beef, Turkey and Ham for the main dinner. For one course.  The table will look like a medieval banquet! We will inevitably lap it up, yummers!

Merry Christmas, all!