Category Archives: News

Sunday, September 16, after evening worship, John agreed to provide refreshments. He duly produced wine and soft drinks – but could not control the weather which was frankly cold with a nasty wind that made us shelter in a corner outside the church. One month later we have morning prayer on October 16, and the weather forecast is fine – although warning us that the balmy temperatures of the last few days will not last. However, this time we will have no refreshments as people will be hastening off to a late lunch.

The Whaleys’ Visit

We had to say goodbye to the Whaley family on Sunday after our fellowship lunch and John was the last to see them as he helped take some of their luggage and Revd Stephen down to the airport in Barcelona (there was just too much to fit into their rental car).

Looking around and back, it is very clear that having a resident chaplain for even just a few weeks made a huge difference – as did having him be here with his family around him. We were able to have weekly events – and to have a chaplain lead us in thought and prayer and praise. The weight was visibly lifted from our churchwarden!

Many thanks to the whole Whaley family for what they brought to us during their stay in Andorra.

Visit to Alet – May 18

Revd Tony Jewiss invited us to come to see “his” church at Alet – formerly Limoux – and we agreed to go for the Holy Communion service on Sunday, May 18.

 

Six of us set out in three cars with two dogs – and met for a picnic by the little lake near the Col des Sept Frères where we ate well and Pocho (the dog) found and would not be parted from a whole shoulder blade bone from a cow. Leela led us on to Limoux where we parked by the River Aude, saw some nasty things being done by drakes to a duck, walked around the older parts of town and settled down to meet our hosts at the outside seating of the Commerce Bar in the main square. We were each taken off by different hosts to stay with them.

Sunday morning we assembled in Alet for church – right next to then old ruined abbey and in the middle of this lovely little medieval town that now has little apparent life (only one shop you see). The congregation sang well – it would under the leadership of an amateur opera singer – and the service was very satisfactory for all of us.

We proceeded then to have lunch nearby with a total of twenty of us sitting down and enjoying a good friendship lunch.

As we drive home we reflected that this had been a very good holiday with Holy Communion. Worth repeating!

Farewell to Valerie as churchwarden

At the annual church meeting on April 20, Valerie stood down after nine long years as churchwarden. Her farewell is set out elegantly in her last report as a churchwarden which is on file on the “annual church meeting” page of this website for downloading – please read the last page of that report in particular.

Valerie was surprised to receive an elegant wine glass engraved with St Goorge’s shield and a very realistic dragon and her name and office and years in office. That just had to be accompanied by a good bottle of read wine – and by two hand blown glasses more suitable for sharing the wine with Bohdan, her husband, than a single engraved glass!

Wedding Blessing in the snow

Bob Short is joining us for our March service and, the day before,  has agreed to officiate at a wedding blessing to be held in the snow above Soldeu. The happy couple are coming out with their party especially for the snowy ceremony and have invited Bob and his wife to dinner at their hotel and to stay overnight before the ceremony – on condition that there is a rehearsal in the snow of course!

The day of the wedding the sun shone and everything went well – for our first (and to date – as of early 2015) only wedding blessing in the snow.