Opening up

Last night I alluded cryptically to the need for me to be up and doing in the morning, and although I usually try to be this lively person to do the weekly shopping before breakfast today I was another kind of lively person charged with facilitating a visit from a TV film crew to the Rectory, Because they were working, they suggested 9.15am for a suitable time, and though I'm always at Morrison's by 8.30am on Thursdays for some reason this seemed even more of a challenge. To do with having breakfast first, I think ...

There were four of them - I had them cast in my mind as the presenter, the fixer and the two chaps who did the filming, sound etc. It was the nice girl fixer with whom I'd spoken on the phone, and when I rocked up they all introduced themselves, first names all round - except for the chap in the photo above, who stuck out a hand: "Hello, Mrs Mac!" The two women were most entertained to learn that I'd had this man in my class for Higher English - and it was lovely of him to tell me that he'd never really read much until that year. I can recall him clearly, though I never cease to be amazed at how they grow up ... It's a bit like having an enormous family. It was the fixer who took the photo, at her request - she airdropped it to me, and it's the only photo of today. 

I left them setting up their gear outside among clouds of midges - the church and house are really on the wooded sides of a river course, and today was perfect for the critters - cloudy, still, just the hint of the rain that would soon be falling steadily. I had time to do my shopping and have my coffee before they rang to say they were finished and I could return to lock up. I'll give a heads-up when the programme airs ...

It was all downhill after that. The rain came on and became steadily wetter. A breeze got up. It hadn't felt cold, not really, but it was dreary. We had lunch, and I fell asleep. Then I roused myself to do some long-overdue ironing, and it was while I was looking for the hot iron cleaner that I found a cobwebby horror story in the bottom of a cupboard and dealt with it. Think desiccated woodlice ...

I realised as the day wore on that I was suffering withdrawal symptoms, having no longer needed the co-codamol that stopped me coughing at night at the beginning of the week. I've had this before, but it doesn't help to know what's making me feel dire. That and the weather ... I was reduced to watching the live stream from our General Synod before dinner.

I think the sun may return in a fortnight ...