Sunday

It is Monday evening and as I write this I can hear distant thunder.  It is raining outside and this is the first rain that we have experienced since we left home.  It is well needed and I cannot complain.  Sunday was a rather grey day, but it never actually rained.  Today was very sunny and quite warm again so while we were out an about there was no rain.

Sunday morning we went to St. Mary's Church in Hinckley.  The service was nice and very different to what we are used to.  I think the boys enjoyed it.  They have the words to the service and the music up on screens in the front of the church.  I think I noticed Harry following along more than he would normally do.  The liturgy was perhaps not as tight as at home, but that is not my area of expertise and it was also, I think, a more casual summer time service.  They had some activities for the children during the reading of the Word and Harry and Robert both went, but Harry came back soon after saying that it was geared toward younger children.  Robert seemed to enjoy himself though.

The church has many things inside the sanctuary and because of this remains open during the week.  It also has a side chapel set aside for quiet prayer and contemplation.  All those things make it a lively place and I think for many a more comfortable place.  It did mean that before service began there was not a quiet spot in the sanctuary to prepare oneself for service.  It is a what they call an open church over here, so in order to keep the church open has a second hand book shop, a coffee shop and also sells some fair trade things.  

The church has been around since the Middle Ages, but not in its current form.  It's current form is from the 1700 and 1800s.  They have a bell tower and the bells were pealing as we approached the church.  It was very loud and both boys covered their ears.  Once inside we could see the bell ringers and that was interesting too.

The pictures above are of the boys at a concert we went to in a park in Hinckley in the afternoon.  A friend of the Whittaker's was singing and we enjoyed the time outside listening to some music.

It was a nice way to end a Sunday afternoon.