The Rector chose a hymn that wasn’t in the book. It was on t’Internets, obvs, but it’s still in copyright. I meekly paid for the download. It was easier than asking round for someone who had a copy of the sheet music – and, after all, the writer of the “worship song” (sigh) is worthy of his hire.
We also went to buy flowers. It was more convenient to get them at the Co-op than the florist but blimey, some of the colours were garish. Flowers had clearly been dyed, in some cases – I think it’s done by adding dye to the water, which turns the petals a bright and unconvincing blue. Anyway, I managed to get some roses, lilies and tulips that hadn’t been genetically modified, so I’m in business, once I pick some greenery. I seem to have risen from the ranks to those who Decorate The Easter Altar. Which just means the real flower arrangers weren’t available. I know nothing, but fake confidence with aplomb,
This afternoon, we lit the bonfire. LT is really taking to this country life and entered into the spirit of the thing with considerable gusto, wielding a pitchfork with nonchalant ease and an air of having the hell of an idea what he was doing. I left it to him in the end and went to feed chickens.
I realised that we hadn’t seen Eloise for a few hours, so we called and searched a bit and then I went to ask Roses if she’d been there, which she hadn’t since the morning, so LT went upstairs to look again; and then I remembered the last time she’d sneaked into the car. And she’d done it again and had been in there for six hours. She was quite calm about it, but followed me about for a while once I’d let her out and I was sorry to have to leave her to go and play for the Maundy Thursday service (for which I’d needed the downloaded sheet music). She made an exaggerated fuss of LT when I got back, to punish me, but eventually agreed to share my dinner – which was rather nice, actually, chicken breast baked with fennel with a fennel and cream sauce. It was adapted from a Sophie Grigson recipe.
We’ve eaten particularly well today, in fact. I had a perfectly ripe avocado and happened to have some smoked salmon in the fridge. We’d been to the market and bought lots of stuff for an absurdly low price, including fresh dates (half a pound for £1) and raspberries (2 sizeable punnets for £2) and 6 red, orange or yellow peppers for £1. I don’t know how they do it. Anyway, the avocado and salmon for lunch, followed by dates, chocolate digestives for tea (I know, darlings, but once the packet is opened, one has to eat them or they’ll go stale and be wasted on chickens) and then the aforementioned chicken dish, followed by raspberries, grapes and more dates for dinner. Simple, unexpectedly cheap, but nice.
Oh, and I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned Tim’s Ginless Wonder? Which is juniper berries, crushed, infused in tonic water, drained, then added to tonic and the usual G&T ingredients except the gin. This evening, as I was going to hammer the ivories for a bit (one can hardly be said to tinkle at a church organ), I felt that gin in advance wasn’t the best idea. So I had a Pink Ginless, which is a combination of Ginless Wonder and pink gin; i.e. juniper tonic and angostura bitters. It’s actually rather good and a decent substitute for alcohol. Yes, I know the angostura contains alcohol, but a shake only counts if you are a dedicated teetotaller, which I clearly am not. And it was garnished with raspberries, at the suggestion of Tim’s niece, whom I haven’t yet met, but is clearly a girl to cherish.