And Now - A Proper Post

 I don't think I said but the reason for our brief visit to Leeds at such an odd time of year was so that we could attend the closing ceremonies for the church where I used to worship when we lived there. Sadly an ageing and dwindling congregation and the escalating costs of keeping a large building in good repair meant that it was no longer  viable, and they had taken the very difficult decision to close. 

I don't know whether I have ever mentioned this but since we left for Orkney I have, at the editor's request, written an article every quarter for their magazine, mainly about life on Orkney. I've been pleased over the years to keep this link with the church, and it was as a result of this that we were invited to the thanksgiving lunch and final service. 

It was a bitter sweet day, especially for those few still in the congregation who had been part of the building of the church in the first place, but the emphasis was very much on what had been achieved, rather than seeing the closure as an admission of failure. 

A few photos

lots of familiar faces - I was pleasantly surprised by how many people I had known were still alive and kicking!

There was cake - although we had to leave before it was cut and served!

I was a member of the Business Committee there for many years and oh! the stramash over the acquisition of this table. 

The congregation made a wall hanging to celebrate the life of the church at the millennium. I was allocated The Bible as my subject and this is what I did. Like a lot of the needlework I did years ago I am probably prouder of it now than I was then! 

It was a long way to go, even though we also managed coffee with a couple of friends in the morning, but I am so glad I went.