Last Post Of Lent

Well, I am about to disappear from the blogging scene for the duration of the Triduum. To be honest, I rather suspected that an Easter Triduum retreat was on the cards... However, as the retreat doesn't technically start until tomorrow afternoon, I thought I'd indulge in one last post...

I was rather annoyed earlier. I had ordered some small placards for the Chrism Mass "demo" (the large placard we've had in previous years has gone walkabout... and it was really too heavy, especially if it was a bit windy. It was also quite an exercise to fit it in the car!) and I had been promised faithfully that delivery would be by courier, and today at the very latest. I had also paid for the courier service as an extra...

I rang at lunchtime today, and was assured that the placards had indeed gone to the couriers. They would be with me this afternoon. I waited. I rang again. Apparently the couriers had "lost" the delivery... they have done this before, apparently... An offer was made to make up the placards again (it was 3pm by this time) and get them to me for a guaranteed pre-9am delivery...

Now, I'm not as green as I'm cabbage-looking. If a courier service "loses" deliveries, one uses a different courier. And Wednesday's delivery had been guaranteed... I doubted that the courier would succeed in getting to me through rush-hour traffic in time... and anyway, I would have left home already. I seemed to have a great deal of trouble getting through to the young man on the phone that tomorrow was too late. I suspected that, as the order was a small one, they put it to one side "to do later" and then forgot. So I pointed out that I was cancelling my order and would like a refund, please. The speed with which this option was accepted (and the blasé "oh, you can keep them!" when I asked what I should do with the original placards if they did turn up) suggests that my suspicions were pretty accurate.

I still needed to get a placard or two. Luckily, there is a Hobbycraft store quite close to me, so I jumped in the car. I looked at card: it was either too heavy (mounting board) or too thin. They didn't do corrugated vinyl/plastic stuff, but I did find foam core sheets. I also found some dowelling suitable for handles. The main problem was how to attach the dowelling to the foam core without it looking too horrendous. I plumped for duck tape, planning to double-up the foam core either side of the dowelling... (and does anyone know why it is caled "duck" tape??)

I couldn't test out pens on the foam, and had no idea what would work, so I bought a selection. As a teacher, I can always use this sort of stuff for display work and so on, so it isn't wasted. But I have now spent the entire evening trying to make placards: frustrating, as I really wanted to get the house straightened out before my retreat.

Oh well... I guess that will teach me not to cross my chickens before my bridges are hatched!

See you all at Easter!