Happy Easter to all those who celebrate (and to those who don’t – I hope you still had a peaceful bank holiday weekend)!
The older I get, the more I value precious time spent with friends and family. My mother June and stepfather Mike arrived on Friday, though my day started much earlier sneaking in extra practice for the hymns in our Good Friday service. After the typical catching up, settling in and primping and preening (heeding my daughters’ advice to maybe change out of the jeans, trainers and blue sweater combo I wear everyday), we all headed to my favourite Turkish restaurant. The meal was delicious as always and the company wasn’t too shabby either!
It was a joy to change our typical Easter routine so my step sister and her lovely family could join us to celebrate on Saturday. My wife cooked up a full roast dinner, where my only contribution was buying the dessert, and the afternoon was spent with totters around the block, a quiz, chess and Cobweb the cat snoozing away on our bed (because of course with a dog in the house, she had no choice but to flee upstairs to the most comfortable spot).
On Sunday, after another delicious roast dinner (can’t say I haven’t eaten well this weekend!), we used the excuse of beautiful sunshine to escape the washing up and retreat to the garden. It was so relaxing out there that neighbours may have even claimed to hear the snoring sounds of the lesser spotted Hackett… Prosecco was popped, wine was drunk and naps were had – a thoroughly indulgent and enjoyable time.
This morning I told my mother I had to look at the flute solo in the Genesis song ‘Looking For Someone’ from ‘Trespass’ (which I’ll be playing with the The Book of Genesis in Kings Lynn on Saturday). We talked about how all our lives would have been different if my brother hadn’t had the opportunity to join the band after that album. She remarked how classical a lot of it sounded, which I thought showed how sharp she still is at 95 (though of course she doesn’t look a day over 25).
On a more sombre note, I was sad to learn of the passing of Pope Francis this morning and send my condolences to all our Catholic friends.
Best wishes to you all and remember, it’s best to eat your chocolate all at once – that way it’s no longer around to tempt you!