On Tuesday 27th June I realised I had not been out of Aldborough Hatch for six days. And so I decided to put that right and have an afternoon in London. After visiting the bank, collecting my replacement reading glasses from The Mall and dropping into Boots for some vitamins (Berocca and Vitamin D in case you are interested!), I journeyed to St. Paul's Cathedral for Sung Evensong with the full Cathedral Choir.
Sitting under the Dome in the front row on the side opposite to the pulpit, I waited to see if the first sixty to get to the gate would be invited to sit in the choir stalls. Beside me was a young man who was soaking in the atmosphere and wanted to talk. He told me he was from the USA and was not in the least happy about Donald Trump as President. When I mentioned that I had been on a protest against Trump's visit, he shook me firmly by the hand and we became from friends from that moment onwards. We chatted - about St. Paul's ands the 1939/45 war, the blitz and what it was like to be a child at that time (I was six in 1939).
When the gate opened, my friend was off like a shot - and was probably first to get a seat right next to the choir! I wandered through, finding a seat next to the one reserved for the Lord Mayor. Sitting next to me was a man who introduced himself as Peter from Canada. Again, he wanted to know all about St. Paul's - when it was built and was Christopher Wren the architect and what happened during the war and how old was I. We had about twenty minutes to spare so covered a lot of ground with which I will not bore you.
Sung Evensong was superb, setting me up for a few days. Something different this time found boy choristers singing solos in the psalms and canticles, and I spotted three lady choristers who must have recently joined to one new lady chorister announced in the press earlier this year.
Peter walked with me as we left. I stopped to introduce Peter to Canon Michael Hempal, Precentor at the Cathedral, who said that a number of Canadians work at the Cathedral. On the steps, Peter asked a lady to take a photograph of us both on his mobile. He then sent it that moment to my home by email! And here it is! I promised to send Peter some photographs of the Cathedral.
Perhaps the fact that I live alone means that when I am out I tend to talk to anyone who will listen
