Yesterday was another glorious day, and big thanks to all who came out and helped. An incredible amount was achieved - I'm still smiling about some people's realisation of just how big the grounds actually are. We were able to get straight into cutting grass and hedges and clearing the stuff from last weeks efforts straight into the Skip. (I'll worry about getting it out of the car park on Monday!) At an appropriate moment, Ann produced yet another batch of yummy sandwiches and she and Elizabeth made the tea and coffee and those who were there all day sat on the "ruins" of the wall and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade.


I can't help feeling that the lure of new 'Power tools' helped to keep some of the guys interested for longer.

Boys and their Toys!

Certainly those arriving for Sunday Service will surely notice a difference.
 I wonder if we'll have lunch in the Garden today?

At last!
We managed, finally, to get a 40 ton crane into the car park! Hot-Work permits for the roof gutters and all at the same time as the visit from the Insurance Company's Risk Assessor!

Umm? Gulp!



Mission accomplished!

And!!!!!!

A Skip is sitting in the Car Park, waiting for the Garden Work Party.
Oh Happy Day!

At KH there has been a tradition of having a Garden Party (or parties!) to allow members and friends to come together at the appropriate time to carry out essential works in the garden grounds. Yesterday was one of those days, and the rain did stop and the sun did come out! Firstly, many thanks to those who turned out and contributed their time and energy, and special thanks to Ann Shill for the yummy sandwiches.

Our youngest labourer took great delight in sowing the seeds of the Wildflower Meadow, showing great interest in the different sizes and colours of seed, while Mum raked and prepared the ground! Office-bound workers enjoyed their blisters (I hope) proof of their hard work - and a chance for my new First Aid Kit to be used. And what was very pleasant was being able to actually do a little proper gardening apart from just the hard work of cutting grass and hedges! New gardeners were surprised at just how extensive the grounds actually are.

Alas; because of Parked cars, we have as yet been unable to have the Skip delivered, but there is still hope, just as there is still hope for those who stole our metal gate on Friday Night! I'm sure their need was greater than ours.

While the work continues on the roof, we will still have Scaffolding up for a few weeks yet, and the last few days have been spent repointing the Stone Buttress over the Vestry Door. I may end up having to learn how to use Lime Mortar myself for the amount of work that's going to be required for the Boundary Wall.

The garden work continues and we intend to have another 'Party' next week for those unable to partake yesterday.

These special flowers for the last days of July, were given to some special people after Sunday Service.

On this day in 1945, Sub Lieutenant Ian MacFarlane lost his life aged 21, serving on a Motor Torpedo Boat (HMMTB 494) in the North Sea. His name is inscribed on the Naval Memorial in Portsmouth along with many others.

It is also inscribed on the Hillhead Church War Memorial which forms the Chancel today.
Having worked so hard to keep the roof over our heads, our attention was often drawn to the various names inscribed on the walls. Names which perhaps don't mean the same personally to those of us left , but nevertheless, names which help to tell the story of our own Community.
War is different now, men and nowadays women too, don't march off to other countries in quite the same numbers as they did in the past. But the effect on those left behind is surely still the same?
Perhaps too, the advances of modern science and medicine mean that more of those who come back need our help and support even more.
With the contraction of the Armed Forces in our present economic climate, it is even possible that those men and women who leave the Forces with redundancy packages may also need, at the very least our moral support.
Many are the Charities that have been set up to cater to these needs. Some we already know very well; Erskine and Poppy Scotland have been supported by KH for many years, there are others, new to us perhaps; Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, and SSAFA Forces Help, to name but a few.
There is one thing they all have in common;

They care!

And So Do We!

Let us not forget.

Labels: Charities, KH Memorial, Remember

photo courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

MONTECCHIO PRECALCINO COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION

Montecchio Precalcino is a town in the Province of Vicenza, 4 kilometres north of Dueville and 16.8 kilometres north of the town of Vicenza.

This beautiful place honours:
Second Lieutenant HENRY BIORN HOMAN
of the 66th Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps, who died aged 19 years on the 4th April 1918

Labels: Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church, KH, Known Soldier, Remember