Remembering

Had a quiet day today, around the fire. I had my usual Sunday Carvery with my parents and the sun shone so brightly we could see across to the mainland very clearly. There is so much snow on the tops of the mountains now, and the car had an icing of frost.

I was hoping a chap was coming to look at my wood stove pipe fixture, but he never arrived, so after my little cleaner came and did a great job, I went back to her family and had a very tasty supper and a game of Ping Pong ! The smallest family member was deliriously happy to be the ball boy, so we had a jolly 30 mins whilst they wiped me out!

Today is Remembrance Sunday, and I listened to the service from the Cenotaph in Pall Mall. I always find it so touching, and such a strong reminder that we should never forget all the lives laid down for our total freedom.

My daughter S was conducting the Chapel Choir at the school where she teaches, and indeed where I was Head of Music about a zillion years ago. The Remembrance Day service was always such a large event in the school calender, the Corps were turned out like bright stars with gleaming uniforms and boots, and managing to march in relative symmetry, from the 11 year olds to the Upper VIth, and the school orchestra, band and drums were rehearsed to perfection, and the Chapel Choir led the singing as well as performing an anthem or two.

Today S used one of the all time favourites for the service, Amazing Grace, which she began with a solo treble voice from the balcony of the packed Sports Hall. It must have been very moving. She said to me 'Amazing Grace was the anthem directly after the 2 minutes silence, and I wanted the single voice to hardly be heard. Slowly the congregation realised and a hush fell over the Hall, by which time each verse was adding in more voices. Dramatic indeed!

I always loved this event, and found it heart warming that even in the 1990's, and clearly still now in the 2000's it is as important as ever. The Canon, who was also the Headmaster in my day read the names of all the old boys who fell in the first and second world wars, and today S said they had the added reality of a few boys who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wondered, sadly, if I had taught any of them in my time there.

We should never forget.