Wet.

The morning began grey with rain that got heavier as the day progressed. Right now it feels like a storm is blowing outside. I wonder how much of the cherry blossom will be left on a neighbour's tree after all this wind. 

Most of my day has been spent in the company of the choir, first singing at the funeral of one of the members at the local crematorium and then singing at the gathering afterwards. It is at times like these that the choir really does feel like a large supportive family. I think over 50 of us had been able to make it today.

The service/celebration of Sheila's life was held in the larger of the chapels which I hadn't been in before which helped to keep sad memories at bay. Music and singing especially with the choir had been an important part of Sheila's life so singing her choice of songs felt like a fitting way for her friends to say goodbye. It wasn't a religious service but encompassed all forms of belief in a very apt way. We sang again at the gathering afterwards and one of the songs Give Me Wings In the Morning (the recording is a bit harsh.) was perfect for the occasion but breaks most people's hearts.

After leaving the hotel it seemed so very strange to be moving back into the everyday world that I'm looking forward to singing with the choir again tomorrow evening. As it was I headed down to do some shopping at Tesco's and to off load the grass cuttings at the dump. There I struck lucky with plant pots. Somebody had carefully left a stack of large pots and a couple of hanging baskets by the garden waste skip so those went in the back of my car and a quick look in the large plastics skip yielded a few more. I also dropped in to BJ's and bought three surfinias to go in the hanging basket as I had decided that the osteospermums would be better off in the large ceramic planter with the lilies. Hopefully if the rain holds off tomorrow I can pot up the last of the plants from Dingles.