The water shortage (well, total lack of mains water) in Gloucester is settling down.

The systems to cope are working well. Bottled water is being handed out free to all (with cars) or delivered (to those unable to collect). There are bowsers that are filled pretty often, from what I see of people using them as I trundle about the streets of the parish and thereabouts. Residential homes etc. have portaloos.

But people are getting fed up using bottled water, and no baths or showers are getting rather much after 5 days.

Overheard between two older chaps at church yesterday: "When I was in the desert rats, we had one pint of water for drinking, washing, shaving, the lot." They stopped short of chatting about latrine digging.

The issue will be maintaining people's morale when it's been 10 days or 15 days. Only 5 days dry so far!

Parish life, three weeks into ministry in Gloucester.

and the place floods!!! Not our parish (altho some of our extended family are flooded out, but well tended). the neighbouring parished are pretty damp, and we have lost our drinking water for up to two weeks, they say!

The vicar is on holiday, and people are still needing to be buried, and we're trying to set up a prayer space and work out if the church is needed as a refuge site.

Interesting feeling, to feel out of control but in the thick of it.

Prayer is good...

Lots of funerals in city ministry...

watched three in the last two weeks

went on my first (accompanied) pre-funeral visit today with the curate of the neighbouring parish

will be a part deliverer with him on Thursday...

soon - lots and lots of them here in Gloucester, and i go on the crem-rota.

each one a life to be celebrated

each one a family in mourning

each one in grief and needing hope

hmmm

and my other PC has died.

Hopefully it can be resurrected (with some expense and minimum theology) Feels odd having so much personal data in the hands of strangers in a shop...

Look - no hands...

Excellent first week - very exhausting, lots of new stuff and new people, but hilarious and brilliant and serious and all just fab.

God is good.

And I'm an employee.

Yay!!!!

Ordained two days ago.

First day - day in a collar, at two cremations, two wakes, a school governors' meeting and a worship planning meeting...

Quite bewildering.

But also quite wonderful.

One might even dare to say - praise the Lord for He is good!!!!