September gathers itself up into a shawl of treasures and spills out, one by one, new beginnings, new enthusiasms, a return to well loved activities, - and so this morning Charles went off to the singing group that provides for him not just the music that he loves but the companionship that he missed during the summer months when Wednesdays mornings held no promise beyond the little list of things to be accomplished....

And I?  What do I do with the two or three hours when I am alone with my own little list?  Oh, I indulge myself shamelessly.   Always to music.   There are things to be accomplished, things to be enjoyed, things that are especially set aside for Wednesday mornings....even when they are household chores they are things that I would not usually tackle without uninterrupted time.  A shelf of books to go through, some time spent in the garden, some mending, or if I'm really indulging myself an hour at the loom.

This morning I was tidying the music cupboard and  came across a taped Bell Concert; a Memorial for a former director of our choir which we performed in 1994.  After I had put together an apple crisp and popped it into the oven I sat down with my knitting, slid the tape into the player and enjoyed an hour watching and listening to old familiar pieces, some of which are still in our repertoire, but some that we no longer have enough ringers to play.  We played ensemble with another choir from Kelowna, and I was amazed at how profession it all sounded as we rang with great energy and aplomb "The Heavens are Telling" - a long and joyously complicated piece with a wonderful piano accompaniment. I sighed when it was all over, for times past and for lost energies.

But then I picked up a book of quotes and found this excerpt by an unknown author....

Eternal God, I thank you that I am growing old. 

 It is a privilege that many have been denied....  

Spare us the self-pity that shrivels the soul....

and grant us daily some moments living on tiptoe,

 lured by the eternal city... 

and I felt pretty lucky to have had this experience and

the chance to relive it.....