Orange Rose

** Backblip for Tuesday **

I visited Hazel with my friend Mary after lunch. Because I’ve been unwell, we hadn’t seen her for a month (I didn’t want my awful virus spread around the care home). She seemed rather withdrawn when we first arrived, and we found it hard to make her hear us. Mary told me that Hazel’s family tend to go fairly deaf with old age - Hazel is now 96 - and I don’t think she’s been able to fully engage with the carers and other residents recently because of being harder of hearing. This in turn hasn’t helped her dementia, which can be slowed down with communication and a stimulating environment. Mary and I worked hard to connect with Hazel, and by the time we left she was much more like her old self. Her relatives are arranging with the care home for her to have hearing and sight tests, so that hopefully she can have at least some help from hearing aids. I had a little wander around the pretty garden there, and took a picture of one of the roses for my blip.

After dropping Mary off, I went home for some supper, then back out again to St Luke’s for a session entitled “Can Anybody Hear Me?”, run by our Rector Anne-Marie for those of us who do readings and/or intercessions during services. Having been a drama student, used mics professionally for nearly 40 years, and worked with many top actors during my BBC career, I didn’t learn anything new about reading to the congregation. However, I thought it was extremely helpful for others less experienced in reading clearly and audibly. I found the second half more instructive, when Anne-Marie gave us tips on writing and delivering the intercessions in church. This is something I would be interested in doing, however the prayers need to follow the lectionary theme for that day’s service as well as reflecting international, national and local current events. Writing them therefore takes up time which I just don’t have, so joining this particular team will have to wait until life calms down a bit (if it ever does).