4th September – Holy Communion (Revd James Pitkin)
11th September – Morning Prayer (Clare Durham)
18th September – Family Harvest Festival (Julia Noble)
25th September – Morning Prayer (Julia Noble)
Were it not for the current water shortage, I would be writing this with my
feet firmly in a cold bucket of water, trying to counteract the heat of the
sun. I hope by the time you read this the temperatures will have cooled a
bit and hopefully we will have seen some rain. The church is a lovely place
to be in summer as the thick walls give it a welcome coolness, while the
churchyard positively sings with a chorus of crickets and grasshoppers.
Following the recent laying of a path around the church there is now a long
bench at the front, which will hopefully provide a place for rest and
contemplation. We are extremely grateful for the support of Councillor Nick
Adams-King that has enabled the bench to be sited. As ever, the older
parts of the churchyard have been left unmown to encourage the wildlife so
please do feel free to visit and stop to watch the world go by.
On the last Sunday of July we were pleased to welcome our friends from
Wellow Wood Chapel for a joint morning service. Traditionally we meet
together whenever there is a fifth Sunday in the month (we hope to join
their service on 30th October), and it is always a pleasure to share our
worship.
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our former lay reader, Colin Bell, whose
funeral was on 10th August. Colin and his wife, Monica, left the village for
North Baddesley in 2005 but came back to visit several times in the
intervening years. Those who knew him will recall his keen sense of humour
and his love of music, both of which were much missed when he moved
away. Our next coffee morning is on Saturday 3rd September in the church
from 10.30 a.m. Please do come along for coffee, cake and a chat. At that
time I will hopefully be four hours into a 26-mile trek in aid of the
Alzheimer’s Society, so please save me a cake and I’ll see you at the next
one!
Clare Durham, St Leonard’s Churchwarden