Carol Singing

This evening, there was the usual carol singing at Hammersmith Station to raise money for a local charity - this year for the homeless.

I went there straight from work, as they were starting at 5.30 p.m. - there were about a dozen people, with a couple of small boys to hold - and rattle loudly - the collecting tins.   Small children are always a draw for getting people to put money in the tins.   These two were about four and eight I should think, and full of enthusiasm for the task.

We sang all the traditional carols under the direction of Denis Moriarty, who always organises it; Hammersmith  Station during the rush hour is always extremely busy, so there are plenty of potential customers, and the tins were quite heavy by the time we finished at 7.00 p.m.

We were joined during the course of the singing by a member of the public, who just liked carol singing, and said she was on a retreat somewhere in Blythe Road.

The first time I sang carols in Hammersmith Station, when the new centre hadn't been completely, it was so bitterly cold that the flower seller in the booking hall went and got the two of us a hot drink, as we looked (and were!) so bitterly cold.   It was absolutely freezing, with an icy blast blowing in.

This evening, however, not only was the temperature higher outside, but the shopping centre is now properly heated, and it was quite pleasant - no fingers so cold you couldn't turn the pages.

After we had finished singing, everyone went back to Denis and Jinnie's house for a delicious supper of nibbles and then pasta, washed down with wine - a really nice ending to the evening.