Fun with flowers... everyone present had some, everyone we could think of not present but readily visitable was sent some... all good!

Photo (c) Barbara Fisher

aka Laetere Sunday - Rejoice Sunday (leatere Jerusalem)

aka Refreshment Sunday - the day in Lent on which abstentions can be set aside (even more than on any old lenten Sunday for purists)

aka Rose Sunday - because traditionally priests wore rose coloured vestments rather than penitential purple

aka Mothering Sunday - the day people returend to their 'mother' church (Victorian inventinn I think) and excuse to bake and eat Simnel cakes!

aka Mothers' Day - at least in the UK; a day to celebrate mothers and motherhood, and try not to do too much harm to those for whom it is a day of pain, emptiness or regret

aka BST begins day - spring forward people, and if you're really late for church please tiptoe in quietly, turn up the last hymn and be ready for the blessing!!

Whatever your day, may it be charactersied by refreshment, rejoicing and roses (literal, metaphorical or chocolate!!)

This probably my favourite photo of folk from church... it illustrates something of our aspirations, our fraility and fallibility, our hope.

Yes, the Vicar of Dibley is fiction (except that of course I am/was the real one) and yes some of the langaage in this is a bit colourful but take a listen - there's a lot of truth in here.

Thought for the Day Radio 4

This morning was a really important Church Meeting and we had worked really hard to try to encourage folk to come along and to find ways to help them engage with the subject matter.  The catering fairies and the chair-shifting fairies arrived bright and early to set everything up, the invited presenters arrived early and we began almost on time!  We had just enough cups of wine for the communion - and we had, so we thought, slightly overcatered!

It was, I dare to suggest, a good meeting, lots of excellent questions arising from deep engagement with the material presented and a sense of genuine commitemnt to the work of reflection and prayer needed before we meet again in a month's time.

It was a tiring morning - for everyone - and for the "fairies" a long one but it was so far as I could tell a good one, incredibly well attended, with everyone who possibly could get there, getting there.  "Well met by Christ-light noble Gatherers" if I may plagiarise the bard of Avon.

This post is a bit mysterious and enigmatic but this hymn, which we sang, represents our aspirations (please excuse the cheesy graphic at the start!!) ...