Provicial Almoners Letter from Andover

We must continue to be cautious and respect the feelings of those who do not feel comfortable in joining in with others. Some of our brethren are still in hospital or care homes please keep them in mind. We also have brethren who are caring for their wives or partners due to their failing health. Can we keep them all in our thoughts and prayers. (Crazy is isn’t it, now and again I have to refer to the dictionary to check words whilst compiling these letters.)

This morning I will be visiting the local recycling centre to deposit the shrubs we have removed from the garden and the cuttings we have made in trimming up some of the bushes. We do have a bin for garden waste but as soon as it is emptied there seems enough material available to fill it up again. There are breaks in the hedges which is letting the air circulate better and the remaining shrubs seem to be benefiting. Pat has pulled up all of the remaining sweetcorn, the blackberries and raspberries are almost finished. It is the time of year when nature appears to take a break and ‚Äúfall asleep‚Äù for a while. There is still much to do though to make the garden look tidy and presentable. 

On a personal happy, note, I wish to share some good news, yesterday we were blessed with the birth of our third great grandchild. A boy weighing in at 6lbs 11 ozs., both baby and mother are doing alright, in spite of small complications. We have received some photographs of our grand-son holding his new born son, this modern age of technology is quite beneficial. Needless to say there is much excitement within the families. Dannielle, the mother, has a family that is predominately female based so Arthur, our new addition may be quite spoilt.

Please keep the lines of communication open, having spoken to a number of brethren this week, the telephone is still one of the best means to keep in touch. Secretaries and scribes can you please remember those not on e-mail and let them have a hard copy of this letter, I am aware that some do this already. It is going to be a while before we see a number of our colleagues face to face, please keep all in your thoughts and prayers.

Best wishes to you all.

 Malcolm Lloyd, G.S.D., Prov. Grand Almoner