Last Saturday the Provincial Grand Master Obligated, Invested and Installed W. Bro. Tony Green as the Assistant Provincial Grand Master in a very efficient and personal manner. Unfortunately numbers had to be restricted due to covid directives at Botley. The meeting was graced with the presence of the Deputy Grand Master, Rt. W. Bro, John Prizeman, so as you can imagine there was some banter between the P.G.M. and the Deputy Grand Master. For those of us present it was good to feel that we might be getting back to some normality and look forward to more members being present soon. Congratulations to all those brethren who were Appointed or Promoted in Provincial Rank. I look forward to seeing many of you on the circuit.
There was some sadness in this household during the week, on looking out of the window one morning Pat saw a sparrowhawk eating another bird, that it had caught, on the lawn. She does appreciate that this is the natural world but she gets a lot of satisfaction from watching the birds rooting for their food or bringing up their young. There is always a number of bird feeders in the garden, some strategically placed so that the pigeons cannot get at them.
The courgettes are coming on well, I have been looking at recipes so that they can be used up. It appears to be a very versatile vegetable, will have a go at making some of them into soup. Sweetcorn is looking good and there are plenty of blackberries to pick. Some jam has been produced from the soft fruits of the garden, much of which will go to the family. There is a battle though with the bindweed which is very prolific this year, a never ending job.
We still have some brethren who are suffering ill health or minor ailments, I wish them well and trust that they will be on the road to recovery. Thankfully we have a good bunch of Almoners who are doing their best to keep in touch as well as they can. I take my hat off to them and sincerely thank them, on your behalf, for all of their hard work. This has been and still is a challenging time for all. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
On the family front my youngest child will be celebrating, or may be trying to forget, her 50th birthday, next weekend (I know I do not look old enough for that but it is true.) A family get together has been planned to celebrate this and also the thought of being able to, sensibly, enjoy one another’s company.
Enjoy Match of the Day this evening, football is back, all too soon. Look after yourselves and your loved ones. Keep safe and well,
Malcolm Lloyd, G.S.D., Prov. Grand Almoner