Romseyredhead

Monday, November 15, 2004

A tale of two churches

Nobody ever told me that politics would mean that I spent more time in church.

This morning it was the Remembrance Day Service in Romsey. Congregated with the civic party at the Town Hall, marched (ambled is a more accurate description) to the war memorial for the build up to the eleventh hour and then a service in the Abbey.

We are usually handed Orders of Service at the Town Hall but this did not happen this year. Commented to the vicar that when we sang "For those in Peril" at the War Memorial we might be able to cobble together the first verse but after that it was likely to be a collective "John Redwood" moment.

Lovely day so there was an excellent turn out in the Park and at Romsey Abbey afterwards.

In the evening I attended All Saints Church in North Baddesley to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. A good number of the congregation had come dressed as saints. I was greeted by St George but his wife tells me that she had put her foot down when requested to come as the dragon. It was also quite disconcerting to be sitting next to a lady dresses as St Sebastian who had a fake arrow through her head - which posed a health hazard every time she turned her head.

A nice atmosphere and just what was needed to lift me out of the fairly sombre mood of the remembrance weekend.