We are only just catching up with last weekend, for reasons that will become clear later, but these photos have been here as an aide-memoire of the fun time we spent with dear friends over the last couple of days and at last, we stopped moving for long enough for me to add the text.

It was the second weekend in November, which for quite a few years now, has meant a trip up North to spend a couple of days in the company of my Hero’s oldest friends.

There is always the added bonus of lunch with one of my dearest friends too, for she lives fairly close by and we couldn’t miss the chance of a visit to the Cartford Inn and a couple of hours in her company.

Olga’s choral concert with Lytham Choral Society has recently switched to a very civilised 4pm start, meaning that we can enjoy the programme and still be back in time for supper and an evening of lively conversation around the table.

I know I have taken (and shared) this photograph before, but it always amuses me that in spite of many opportunties over the years to learn some colloquial Serbo-Croat whilst we are here with Tony and Olga, I still can claim not a single word. I love other peoples’ bookshelves!

A bright and breezy Sunday morning at the start of November is often Remembrance Day too and we always enjoy the walk down to the Cenotaph in St Annes for the service.

I think we all agreed that there were more in attendance today than we’ve ever seen, especially walking in the procession behind the band.

Of course, the usual dignitaries were there to lay wreaths and pay respects on behalf of their communities and fellowships.

As usual, there was a clearly organised service with a couple of hymns and some prayers and readings too. I’m not sure if the same was true of all sections of the crowd there on Sunday morning, but in our part of the park, hardly anyone sung the hymns. Such a shame - community singing is such a rich tradition at events like these, it would be sad to see it end.

Thankfully, we had the man with the stopwatch and the schedule pinned to his clipboard, ensuring that all went according to plan and we reached the correct place in the proceedings by precisely 11am in time for the two minutes silence. How is it that when such a large number of people fall silent, the stillness is so much deeper and the silence more profound than if I simply stop talking for a couple of minutes?

After the bugler’s Reveille, the representatives and groups of people a began to lay their wreaths. We stood on the grassy mound and watched.

The commemoration ended with the National Anthem and as we began to sing, I realised that it was the first time I had sung “God Save the King” as a matter of course. That will take some getting used to, for sure.

And so it was, Remembrance Sunday 2022, the occasion marked here in St Annes in exactly the same manner as it was in countless other communities at the same time that same day. A brisk walk home in time for lunch and a lovely afternoon with friends. I’d say that was a pretty perfect weekend (thank you Tony and Olga!)