My week so far…

On Monday HWMBO and I went to King’s College Hospital to get his left-lower wisdom tooth taken out. It was quite efficient and, according to him, better than the service he’d had in Singapore to remove a different wisdom tooth. He is still recuperating, but seems to be OK, and most of the swelling has gone. I am grateful.

Tuesday was the Diocesan Board of Finance AGM. Very ho-hum, except that a sandwich buffet is provided, which is always useful. Nothing significant that can be reported.

Wednesday was our Lodge meeting and Installation. My difficulty was that I got the times mixed up. So I arrived at 4:30 just as the procession was about to enter the Lodge. I threw on my apron and gloves and ended up only missing the initial procession. I felt like such a berk–but in my defence there had been some confusion over the starting time and later on one of our members who is a Grand Officer told off the Worshipful Master for the early start. We will probably not be starting before 5 pm from now on.

The ceremony itself was quite good, with one exception: I forgot almost everything I knew about my new office of Junior Warden. I gavelled when I shouldn’t have, I didn’t gavel when I should have, and exited my pedestal from the wrong side. I continued on this route by getting the customary ritual wrong during the Festive Board, where I flubbed the walk up to the Master’s place by quickly striding instead of slowly walking. Oh well. I shall be Junior Warden for a year (4 meetings and many more Lodges of Instruction) so I should have it down pat before the next meeting in September.

Things I enjoyed:

— I was very happy to hear my friend Nadeem’s name read out as a candidate for initiation during the ceremony.

— I was asked to give the Toast to the Visitors. Last year a person who gave this toast at another meeting managed to tell a smutty anti-gay joke, for which he was duly rebuked. This time I was asked to give it, and I thought of a short joke that could be used to edify rather than break down. I used it in a sermon last year and thus I knew it would be innocuous. My toast was:

“A GP was sitting in his surgery at night when all of a sudden a woman rushed into the room towing a man in her wake and said, ‘Doctor, doctor, you have to help my husband! He thinks he’s a moth!’

“The doctor looked at her and said, ‘Madam, I’m a GP. If your husband thinks he’s a moth he needs a psychiatrist, not a GP. Why did you bring him here?’

“The man burst out, ‘Your light was on'”

“At one point in our initiations we are asked what the predominant wish of our hearts is. We answer, “Light”. In our lodge we have light, and we are honoured and delighted to share it with our visitors. We welcome them, and we hope they will return to share it with us again. Brethren, please be upstanding to drink a toast to our visitors.”

After the toast and Masonic Fire, as I sat down there was a smattering of applause. I have never heard applause for a toast before at the Festive Board. I was dead chuffed.

Tonight is the Archdeaconry Service at the Cathedral, in which I have a small part as Lay Chair.

Friday night, finally, I’ll be able to spend time with my honey. It’s always inconvenient when evening activities bunch themselves up in one week. Next week I only have one evening activity so far, so I’ll be able to devote all my time to HWMBO.

2 Responses to “My week so far…”

  1. am0 says:

    We always had a social hour before an installation. One of my first duties as Junior Warden was to prepare the tomato juice cocktail for the social hour. I was notorious for the amount of various peppery substances I would add to my meal, so a friend cautioned me that a small group was planning to torpedo me if I made the juice too hot.

    Taking the warning seriously, I added nothing but a little lemon juice, freshly squeezed, to the juice.

    Half a dozen ancient Past Masters still complained that it was too hot.

    Memories of that incident helped me through that the the following two years. I made my share of mistakes, many of which were pointed out to me publicly, but I was immune to the criticism after that.

  2. chrishansenhome says:

    Well, the DC said that I shouldn’t worry about it, so I won’t. But I’ll have to apply myself especially hard in the next few years.

    At least I’ll know where I’m sitting when I get to lodge.

    I’m to be advanced into Mark Masonry on June 2.