In 1810 Elizabeth Shelley wrote:
Here I sit with my paper, my pen and my ink,
First of this thing, and that thing, and t’other thing think,
Then my thoughts come so pell-mell all into my mind,
That the sense or the subject I never can find:
[Victor and Cazire, Jan 1810]
It may be computers rather than paper and ink these days but don’t we all know that feeling!
Where to start this month? Perhaps with the Honey and Wine Tasting for Fairtrade Fortnight. This will take place in the Crypt Room after the 10.30am service on 6th March and we hope whatever your taste you’ll join us. As well as homemade bread to put the honey on we’ll have a selection of honey snacks for you to try – and lots of honey for sale as well. The wine will all be Fairtrade from local supermarkets – not to buy because we don’t have a licence but you can sample and then look for it in the shops. There’ll also be a quiz for the children.
The Lunchtime series of events continues with an Organ Recital by Lee Ward on Wednesday 2nd and a selection of poetry under the title Dreams and Imagination on 16th. Last month the Literary Hour featured the life and work of Joanna Baillie and included a Riddle which you can find printed on page 21. Can you work it out?
Hassock mending has moved to the 1st Wednesday of the month. This means you can come to the lunchtime concert and stay on to sew. Hassock mending is very basic – you don’t require great skill with a needle, instructions and materials are provided and it’s quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. We could certainly use more volunteers so why not give it a try?
Ash Wednesday falls on 9th March this year [almost as late as it can be, the latest being 10th which won’t happen till 2038]; Lent Groups will begin the week of 14th – you can find details of times and venues in the church. We’re also having a series of Lent Lunches on Wednesdays in Lent, some in people’s homes, some in the crypt room. On 16th March [the vicarage] and 6th April [the Crypt room] these will be early enough for you to attend the lunchtime event in church. As ever Father Stephen will be holding his Shrove Tuesday pancake party in the vicarage from 6 to 7.30pm Pancakes may seem like rather basic fare these days but there’s nothing basic about the delicious range of toppings on offer – and perhaps there’ll be some Traidcraft honey too.
On Saturday March 12th we have our Voluntary Rate Preparation Day. This starts at 10.00am and goes on for as long as it takes – usually till mid-afternoon. Lunch is provided – soup, bread, cheese and fruit and tea and coffee are served morning and afternoon. It’s actually great fun – we sit and chat and do our bit towards raising money for the Fabric Fund. Less fun is delivering the letters but that’s another story.
Which we come to immediately. It’s all very well putting 4.500 letters and leaflets into envelopes – they then have to be put into people’s letterboxes. We raise thousands of pounds every year with the voluntary rate but only because you all deliver them. So please take a bundle – they should be out by the end of March so there’s a bit of time and Hampstead is very pretty in the Spring. And as well as the request for money the envelopes contain details of our Easter services and services activities throughout the year – including the Spring Fair [7th May]. So it’s a job worth doing in every way.
On Saturday 26th we have a Heritage Lottery Project Open Day with a whole series of events throughout the day. You can find more about the Day and the progress of the Project further on in this issue. Following that Camden Choir are doing a concert in church in the evening.
Don’t let all these activities distract you from the fact that the clocks go forward on the night of the 26th March and Choral Evensong will move to its summer time of 6pm from 27th . I always feel as if it must be nearly summer when Evensong moves to its summer position.
A look ahead to April reveals that the St Martin Singers will be here on 2nd to do an evening’s entertainment for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and there’s an All Age Eucharist for Mothering Sunday on 3rd.
Thank you to everyone who brought in their unwanted envelopes. I’ve been able to match up quite a lot of the Christmas cards. The only size I’m looking for now is 140mm sq.