September 2025

The heady heat of our VE/VJ Day concert in June, which was the

last subject of this column, seems so long ago now, but what

have we at St Leonard’s done over the summer? We have sung

hymns followed by a Pimm’s, welcomed Yin-Yin to her first

Communion service and, following on from James’s article, I

used AI to talk on “The Good Samaritan” – it took just 3 seconds

to spill onto my page! Time saver and game changer for a busy

person like me! Well, Clare in her next talk showed me the error

of my ways – who knew that so much water is used in cooling

the AI machines? I repented and returned to a Sherfield, human

and more humorous approach the next time, so the

churchwardens are now back on a firm footing once again!

Our season has changed and, as the Hampshire scenery changes

from summer to autumn, we welcome some rain to fill the rivers

and green up our grass. At church we continue in “Ordinary

Time”, the period from Trinity Sunday in June to Advent Sunday

in November or early December, but how can what surrounds

us in Sherfield English ever be considered ordinary? The harvest

has been much talked about this year and St Leonard’s

congregation will no doubt discuss the trials and tribulations of

the weather and yields, during the Ploughman’s Lunch after our

11 a.m. Harvest Festival service on 21st September. All are

welcome to join us and lunch costs only £5 per person, but

please do pre-book.

Julia Noble, St Leonard’s Churchwarden