Day 4: Rest Day in Henley-on-Thames

Click on (some) pictures to display a bigger version thereof!

Rest day? Call this a rest day? At 3 a.m. the fire alarm drags us all unwillingly from our slumbers, and we stumble out to the front lawn, ignoring the nearest fire exit. Sunday's sermon about what we'd take from a burning building came back to haunt us. Your editor (known to his friends as Mr. Gadget) grabbed his mobile phone (to call the fire brigade) and digital camera (why not?). But as Pat tried to take the register, and Peter, John and Patrick cleared the building and identified a false alarm, it didn't seem quite right. In any case, the flash isn't man enough out of doors, and there were no flames to record. And so, back to bed.

Rise time was 07h45, and we emerged from our broken night for breakfast and preparation for the rest day. As breakfast ended, Fr Joe was presented with a birthday card to a chorus of "Happy Birthday to You", then we had a lecture from Patrick on what to do when the fire alarm sounds (i.e. GET OUT QUICK BY THE NEAREST AVAILABLE EXIT). Just as the lecture was concluding, off went the alarm. Out, quick, directly. Much better this time.

Just as the register was completed, Patrick emerged with the guilty party: ten slices of black toast which had escaped Monica's attention. So it wasn't a practice, as some might have assumed.

The youngsters reorganised the van to get the instruments to church...

Alarm over, we hurried to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church for the parish Mass for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We were able to contribute music to their service, which seemed to be appreciated by the local congregation. Father Joe and Father David, who joined us last evening, concelebrated with Father Michael. At the end of Mass we sang to Father Joe again, and Frances appeared with a birthday cake (but admitted it was baked by Sainsbury's). A pleasant gathering ensued with pilgrims and locals singing Fr Joe's Swahili song:

Nasema asante, ewe Mungu wangu. 

I give thanks to God

Wewe mi alfa na omega

You are the alpha and the omega

Hakuna Mungu kama wewe

There is no God like you

Wewe ni Mungu wa upendo

You are the God of love

Wewe ni Mungu wa huruma

You are the God of mercy 

Back to base, a group planned to go boating. But beforehand we needed food, and we took the opportunity to visit the exhibition in the Anglican church of St Mary entitled Forest Stations. These are stations of the cross carved in wood, with inlays of various other woods, and touched many (if not all) of us.

From the spiritual to the mundane, we trekked to Waitrose (well, at least it's up-market) to stock up for our picnic, thence to the river to hire rowing boats for an expedition downstream (yes, downstream, I know it's more work getting back, but the views are better, honest). A total of 18 of us embarked on 4 boats, sum total of rowing experience less than 3 persons. This was going to be entertaining.

The journey downstream is not recorded - far too wet for the camera, and in any case, all efforts were going into navigation (though the idle onlooker might have been forgiven for not realising this). Apart from Patrick's watermanship, the rest of us zigzagged alarmingly in front of pleasure cruisers with minimal regard for the rules of the river. Well, even if we'd regarded them, it wouldn't have helped. We were not in control. This necessitated an early landing for refreshments, and a generally civilised picnic.

Did I say civilised? Well, not for long. A rope swing hung from a neighbouring tree, and Dave gave a demonstration of how to enjoy it. Fortified by a glass of rough red wine, the birthday boy thrust himself to the front of the queue to emulate the maestro.

A general baptism of the uninitiated ensued, with most people ending up in the water, either from the swing or with the assistance of their so-called friends. Siobhan took a little manhandling (but I did look after her valuables).

For Abi and David it was a family affair...

Sadly, Abi's toe suffered a cut so we had to head back to the boatyard. Patrick's crew and the "young un's" made good time upstream, and our crew of your webmaster, Sarah, Jenny and Father "Birthday Boy" Joe showed significant improvement. However, the Carlisle-based fourth crew showed a propensity for circular tours, and arrived well behind. In fact, so far behind we were able to return to the bridge and offer them encouragement and refreshment from above. Admittedly, the Coke and ice cubes were loose, but it's the thought that counts!

Back at base, others had been to see the Forest Stations...

"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft agley."  but chance works quite well. Due to a misunderstanding, preparations were made to follow the stations of the cross at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham;  not required! However, we had the unexpected opportunity to both admire William Fairbanks' Forest Stations and then to pray them using CAFOD's Stations of the Cross which link Christ's passion and death with the suffering of the poor in the world's most indebted nations.  Debt and Jubilee being a major issue of A.D. 2000.

Then back to practicalities - sarnies for the morrow. Good work team!

And now? Off for a meal out at the Catherine Wheel (others went to the chippy, an American diner and the Thai).

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Sadly we bid farewell to my faithful assistant, Jenny, who was collected by her dad. Bye Jenny SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

while her uncle made a fool of himself again