Congratulations and blessings on the Royal Couple!

What a beautiful day! We started off by going to Mass in our parish where we prayed for the Royal Couple and then back home to make ourselves comfortable in front of the TV.

The dress was beautiful, and like many others I gather, I was so pleased to see that Catherine had chosen a design that covered her shoulders. It was quite classic, elegant and very appropriate and she has a natural grace that made it look just perfect.

I found the Anglican Marriage Rite very moving. It managed to be both solemn and joyful and the apparent sincerity of the young couple was charming. They appeared to be listening attentively throughout the Bishop of London's sermon and looked quite at home kneeling for the blessing.

Of course the choral music was a delight and the pageantry of the whole event was accomplished to perfection as we have come to expect.

At the same time we were privileged to catch glimpses of the 'family wedding'; the smiles and comments exchanged between Prince William and his brother, the sisterly glances exchanged between Catherine and Pippa Middleton and the pride on Michael Middleton's face as he escorted his daughter down the aisle.

Prayers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for a long, happy and faithful marriage.

All in all, a quite perfect day.

Palm Sunday . . .

Yes, it's here at last, Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week; that time beloved of small boys (and girls) who devote much of their time during Mass to fashioning their palms into small swords.

Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 'swords'? Of course I meant 'crosses' but something about the way the children attack their siblings sitting alongside them with such gusto with their palm 'crosses' makes me think that maybe I was correct in my first assumption!

Brotherly love aside, I always find the Palm Sunday liturgy very moving. We don't have a real live donkey in our procession but we do process around outside the church which stands on a busy main road.

There aren't many pedestrians around to stop and stare but I'm surprised there aren't any car accidents in the area on the morning of Palm Sunday as I'm sure I've seen a few passing motorists slow down to try and see 'what those strange Catholics are up to now'.

The other highlight of the liturgy must be the reading of the Passion.

Like many other churches, in our parish the Passion is read with many of the congregation taking the parts of the various people mentioned in the Gospel reading.

Apart from the narrator, and the part of Christ spoken by the celebrant, the other 'voices' come from the body of the church. For me this makes it an even more emotional experience. When we hear more than 200 people in the congregation all proclaiming 'Let him be crucified!' it is very powerful indeed.

'Hail, Son of David, our king and redeemer of the world! The prophets foretold that you would come and save us.'

A Quintessentially English scene . . .

What could be more English than this? A sunny Sunday afternoon, taking tea in a little teashop opposite the village green. I can't think of a better way to spend a few hours in between morning Mass and Rosary and Benediction in the afternoon. Certainly not ironing, or weeding, the other two activities on offer!

A couple of weeks later and the view from the window might have included a game of cricket on the green. A very short boundary here so plenty of high scoring matches - and wet cricket balls as the ball is smashed into the boundary stream.

It really is an idyllic scene. One pretty village after another in this part of Surrey.

The tea shop which is also the local shop was doing a roaring trade in fishing nets sold to the crowds of youngsters who had come to picnic with their families and fish for 'tiddlers' in the stream.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning . . . !

What a fantastic day it is today. I love waking up to sunshine. I feel so energised I can't wait to get going with the day.

Early-ish Mass at nine o'clock followed by Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; then a lovely stroll locally through the heath, up to the pond to say hello to the ducks and back via the coffee shop - perfect. As I walked along the footpath, it was such a beautiful morning, I felt like singing, and the obvious choice of course, the song from Oklahama.

I know the words don't exactly match the photos I took this morning of a glorious Spring day in the UK but you get the general idea, I hope.

Happy Mothering Sunday . . .

I've written before about Mothering Sunday and Mother's Day so thought I'd just go for the 'blog-lite' version today. Thanks to Sr Anastasia for forwarding these funnies. I expect they make an appearance every year somewhere on the internet. Some of them are new to me so might be to you too.

Hope they raise a smile.

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the sellotape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.


Why did God give you your mother and not some other mum?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mum like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mum?

1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least 1 million a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mum marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mum eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that mum didn't have her thinking cap on.

What's the difference between mums and dads?

1. Mums work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller and stronger, but mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What would it take to make your mum perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

Getting the balance right . . .

In some ways I find Lent a bit of a balancing act. I try to use it as a time of prayerful preparation for the Great Feast of Easter. I promise myself I'll try and do something extra - go to Rosary and Benediction, attend Stations of the Cross, make time for some spiritual reading, etc. etc.

The trouble is that this very act of making an extra effort for Lent means that my weeks are busier than ever and far from finding the extra peace I'm looking for, I sometimes end up feeling quite frazzled by the end of the week. It's a bit of a conundrum really. Perhaps, this is my Lenten penance after all as I'm a person who really values my 'down time'.

I'm looking forward to the weekend when we have a bit of break from the penitential aspect of Lent on Laetare Sunday. The sight of our clergy resplendent in their rose vestments is enough to cheer us all up.

Plus of course it's also Mothering Sunday and I know that plans are afoot to take me out for a meal. Yay!