Rain, rain, go to Spain...or anywhere else!

You'd not have lunch at a street cafe today in Belfast! Yesterday it was summer; dog at my feet with his bowl of water and me with a huge coffee and sandwich. Sunshine and warmth give the Lisburn Road a "buzz" and, with very little imagination, you could believe that this is a Mediterranean town. Not so today. Rain and cold have returned so we're all wrapped up and thinking about lighting the fire. Two summer days adjacent to each other would be rather nice...maybe next month.

A visit to the church to see what progress has been made was the reason behind the walk yesterday. And, sure enough, another job has been done - little holes have been drilled under all the seats in the nave so that the new heating pipes can be fixed. The distribution of heat more evenly should make Saint Nicholas' a very cosy church.

Rather worryingly the "wrapping" of the organ seems to have been close to a total failure and this will need to be addressed before the dust creating work begins this coming week. The plastic sheeting that had been taped to the wall has simply fallen off and that leaves the instrument exposed to whatever is in the air. More of a nuisance than a disaster, at this stage, but it will certainly need to be fixed properly to protect the organ from the dust that will inevitably be part of what is going to occur over the next twenty weeks.

Week Two of the programme begins tomorrow. Coiled flex will be unfolded and the sound of machine and hammer will fill the usually silent building. If you can't cook an omelette without breaking eggs...I guess you can't repair a church without raising some dust and making a noise!

Roll on September when we hope to return to the normal pattern of worship in Saint Nicholas'. Meanwhile, we're comfortable in the Parish Halls and worship is at the usual times of 9.30 am and 11.00 am every Sunday. 7.00 pm on the first Sunday of the month. And 1.00 pm each Wednesday for Holy Communion.