Well done Anne.

Best

John

Many thanks, John!

A
xxx

Gosh another one up at the crack of dawn. Bill (Crowspark) is also up and about.

What's going on?

John

I think the Writewords clock might be on European time? I'm actually an hour ahead in the UK, I think! I now make it 8.45am.

So I've half an hour to get myself sorted, breakfasted, teeth cleaned and out to church. (As you can tell, I'm having a week off from sacristan duties, and husband is doing them instead today. If I'd been doing my usual for the week, I should have left the house at 8.30!!)

)

A
xxx

A
xxx

Interesting. So what would you normally do? I am not myself a church-goer.

Best

John

<Added>

You are right about the clock. It's an hour slow.

J

Normally, I prepare the altar, sort out the wine, water & biccies (whoops! sorry - wafers!), prepare the priest's vestments (chasuble, stole, girdle - um: cloak, long neck tie, belt), make sure the choir & servers will be wearing the right colour girdles, check the candles, light the candles (but not those I can't reach - I let husband do them), make sure the altar frontal cloth is the right colour for the season, sort out the front table for the sidespeople, find the collection basket, get the right gospel & NT readings for the day, light the sanctuary candle (the sign of Christ's presence in a church - which I should usually do first thing, but I never, ever remember) and make coffee for Ray, our resident tramp if it's summer. (If it's winter he's always in prison because it's warmer there - he does something naughty each autumn to achieve this, but always to men, never to women).

It's dreadful at the moment, as we're between priests, so we get a lot of visiting priests who have no idea what's happening, so I have to start explaining stuff before the head server turns up and takes over that part. 99% of visiting priests are about 120 years old and incredibly sweet (some might even be dead, but it's hard to say ...), but there's one that's absolute hell (and who shall remain nameless), who finds fault with everything I do, and nothing is ever quite right. Mind you, I don't think he likes the fact I'm not a bloke - but I console myself with thinking he'd have even more to complain about if he'd read any of my novels!!!

Then I collapse in a heap in a pew and wait for my lunchtime sherry to arrive. Hey ho. Well, you did ask!!

Glad we sorted out the time differences too!!

)

A
xxx

I take it this is a Catholic Church. (It's Church of England services I don't attend.) I love your sense of humour.

99% of visiting priests are about 120 years old and incredibly sweet (some might even be dead, but it's hard to say ...)

There must be a wealth of wonderful stories around these places and people.

Best

John

No, C of E, John!! But we are quite high in terms of tradition - we even have incense at Epiphany, and, as long as the censor bowl doesn't actually hit anyone when we're swinging it, it usually passes by well enough.

)

A
xxx

Well done Anne. I got long listed last year and they were kind enough to let me know. It was a real confidence boost and obviously meant that I entered this year and got one step closer to winning!

Ah. The Church I used to attend when I was a choirboy. St Mary's Bromley, Kent, went High Church some years after I left. Certainly it couldn't have gone High while I was in it.

Best

John

Ooh, Cea - many thanks - but I'm not sure I can follow in your footsteps - anyway, aren't you due to win it next year?!

And, John, sounds like you might have been the voice of common sense in Bromley - now there's a scary thought!

)

A
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Congrats Anne and of course, to Cea.

I too received a charming e mail from Edwin Thomas informing me that I made the longlist.

My shambolic story is not exactly "crime" but it does have criminal elements, so I thought I might give it stab (so to speak).

By my calculation WW members have over a seventh of this year's Debut Dagger covered.

Best

Sion

That's fantastic, Sion - well done too!!

A
xxx

Sion, that's fantastic! Many, many congratulations.

Emma

Thanks Anne and Emma. Appreciated.

Best
Sion