Tudor and Jousting fun plus a little bit of religion.

For those who know J's father, it is fairly obvious that J is the proverbial "chip off the old block". Like his Dad he has a love of performing to an audience and generally he is very good at this, although if a rigid structure like a play is going on, a change in the performance can be distressing.

As well as this,  J has achieved his ambition of being an Altar Server at church, it was with great trepidation that I agreed to let him try this as being autistic can make him fairly...random...at times. I took him on a Tuesday evening for the nice quiet evening Mass being led by the lovely (and maybe slightly eccentric) FrB .

J looked like a little angel in his white alb and just needed the halo and wings for the look to be complete. He went round the altar lighting candles to general oohs and aahs of the elderly ladies in the congregation and comments of "oh isn't he sweet". Given that J had been abominable earlier that evening my thoughts went along the lines of "if you pay me enough you can have him". All went well apart from at the beginning of Mass when he announced aloud to FrB (and the congregation in general) that he sounded "like the captain of a pirate ship"! Thankfully FrB took this in his stride and the rest of the service went without a hitch....J is very proud of himself.

So off he has gone with his Dad to be a "Tudor boy" while Dad remains Henry VIIIth and the jousters remain excellent at riding horses and slapstick comedy designed to keep an audence entertained.

J has had an absolutely fantastic time doing this and has enjoyed the friendship of V, the daughter of "Anne Boleyn". V is the smae age as J but they have agreed that she won't tell her boyfriend and J will not tell M (his "girlfriend") about their friendship. They are seen having a cuddle together when either is tired and it is all apparently very sweet.

This week J has an appointment with Judy, a dressmaker who J's Dad knows and who makes all his costumes, she is going to make a costume for J to wear when he goes off with his Dad - naturally with Dad being Henry VIIIth it is natural that J shoukd be Prince Edward VIIth although much less sickly.

I cannot wait to see him today and tomorrow he is once again an Altar Server.

With FrB being off "doing essential pastoral work on some remote islands " (ie holidaying in Fiji) we have the services of the hard working FrD - I hope he is ready for J.