Hooray for Friday!

This week, a week that began on holiday, is getting an 8/10. Overall, I’ve been really happy and energised.

On Friday evening we went to the pub in the village where we were staying, and we liked it so much that we went back on Saturday too! I can highly recommend the steak at The Old Hall Inn at Chinley, if you’re ever over that way.

On Sunday morning, we had a slow get up and went over to Stockport to see our Goddaughter on her third birthday. She seemed chuffed with the new train set that we gave her! We then went back to Formby and had a nice relaxed evening on the sofa.

After every holiday apart from this one, I have found the first day back a bit of a struggle. But this time I jumped in and was super productive and, among other things, I attended a diary meeting for 2020, cleared my inbox, made some new social media graphics, visited a retired vicar, planned our meals for the week and did a load of washing.

Tuesday was the annual clergy retreat day and I went to Alpha in the evening. On Wednesday I took the usual two services in the morning, followed by a home communion and coffee with a friend.

Thursday was one of those days where everything runs into the next appointment, and so I had a rather frantic afternoon of Clergy Chapter, a chat in Waitrose with a warden from the deanery, another home communion and then Starting Theology in the evening. I got back home quite late and cooked chilli for the Alpha day today.

Today was spent in church where our little group did 4 Alpha sessions, talked lots and ate chilli & chips for lunch!

I have found the end of the week a bit of a struggle. I think this is because I went from being on holiday to firing on all cylinders a bit too fast. I ended up with a migraine this evening, which is why I have posted a bit late today. But no harm done because some pain killers and comfort food have cleared it up.

This week, my weekly star(s) are George and Audrey, who despite being 90 and quite frail, made sure that I arranged my next visit around their regular commitment to volunteer at a coffee morning.

The highlight of the week for me was definitely my slow get up on Sunday morning. It was such bliss to be in bed drinking a cup of tea at 11am! But I also really enjoyed coming back to church after the holiday, and for the first time since ordination, I am not looking to Christmas feeling full of dread and nerves.

Hope that you have all had a good week. Please do comment below and tell me what you’ve been up to.

Poppy