“Autumn is marching on: even the scarecrows are wearing dead leaves.” Otsuyu Nakagawa
Indeed it is. Putting the clocks back, Children in Need, Remembrance and the Hampstead Players’ autumn production, all mean winter is fast approaching. All the usual activities are happening this month – the Verdi Requiem on 9th (do come and sing), the Christmas Market on 16th (do come and buy), the Churches Together Quiz Night (do come and try) and the aforementioned play – this year The Cherry Orchard (do come and enjoy). Not content with rehearsing this major production a breakaway group gave us ‘Cheerful Chekhov’ as the literary hour offering in October which just shows what a talented lot they are.
We have lots of music this month too: as well as the Requiem we have a concert as part of the Hampstead Arts Festival on 5th, our monthly lunchtime recital on 6th, a special Choral Evensong for St Cecilia on 22nd and the Advent Carol Service on 1st December (OK not strictly THIS month but if I leave mentioning it till the next issue you’ll miss it!) This is not a ‘carol service’ in the Christmas sense but a collection of readings and music particularly appropriate for the start of the advent season which, frankly, has all the best tunes!
Christmas, though, is looming unavoidably on the horizon. We start the ball rolling at HPC with the Christmas Market on 16th (11am-2pm in the parish rooms) where you can buy a range of charity gifts and cards, Christmas cakes and puddings, the parish Christmas Card, Traidcraft gifts and food, have coffee and lunch and help raise money for the church and the other charities represented. Please support the stallholders – come and spend your money!
Last month (indeed for the last few months) we’ve been advertising the need for more volunteers and I’m glad to say that people are responding. The flower team is under new management and the coffee team hopes to be so in the new year. This is a very welcome response but please don’t stop thinking about what you can do – we still need organisers and helpers in lots of areas.