St Maura in Cumbrae - again

It's been quite a day. Even if we'd been feeling normal, it'd have been a challenge but as it is ... But we've made it. First to church - a lovely, peaceful service with some truly special moments, although many of our congregation are on holiday. We had parked our car poised at the top of the drive - challenging anyone to block us in, really - and made a speedy getaway after the final voluntary, back to the house to pick up a picnic and the music and then to the ferry, where we were frustrated not to get on the one we arrived in time for.

We were heading for the Cathedral of The Isles on Cumbrae, that very special Butterfield building in which the process began which changed the direction our lives were taking and had us move here, to Dunoon, all these years ago. The St Maura Singers, along with our friend Philip Norris from Dunoon (and, longer ago, from Glasgow University with the rest of us) were providing today's concert in the summer series, and what with the road works at Inverkip and the crowded Largs-Cumbrae ferry we were rather later in arriving than we'd have liked. 

A swift rehearsal of the crucial bits - like the accompanied motet - was all there was time for (and, to be honest, all I could manage) and we were off. We began singing in the Lady Chapel, processed during the plainsong hymn Veni Creator, and sang either from the choir stalls or down the steps into the nave depending on the type of piece it was. The audience filled the available space, and were appreciative and enthusiastic, which boosted the spirits of Himself and me because I was so deaf I felt I was singing with a mute on. 

Afterwards five of us had dinner in the very good Round The Island Café, which isn't a bikers cafe but a restaurant with proper food, an imaginative menu and excellent ingredients. And because I wasn't driving I had a large glass of wine, which almost finished me off for the journey home, which was without incident. Meanwhile my grandson and his dad were celebrating his team's result of coming 4th in their class against some much more experienced teams while the other family relocated to Paris for the end of their French holidays ...

Photo shows the altar of the tiny cathedral, taken from a chorister's perspective - you can see the polychromatic tiles which are a feature of Butterfield's design. I love going there, I love singing there. I hope I'll be able to do it again with a voice more like the one that took me there over half a century ago!

Last act of the day, besides washing out the coffee and tea flasks, was to move a vulnerable pot from the garden into the shed and to cut all the sweet pea blossoms that are out because I can't bear to see them smeared all over the garden by this storm that's coming. I notice they've moved the amber warning area to include us - we were hoping we'd be in the yellow zone as we were at first. 

I don't feel strong enough for a storm!