Thursday, August 28, 2014

If you want an adventure...

...I don't recommend getting stuck in a lift. It's v. disagreeable. We'd spent a very busy day  in the parish centre, packing and posting the prizes for a big schools project, and finally, hot and tired but pleased that the work was done, we tidied the room.  Amanda set off to pack the car.   I collected various things and  headed for the lift...I was hot and thirsty and thought of getting a quick gulp of water but, - well - why not wait until the kitchen on the lower floor?

We'd used the lift several times before, and it always worked normally. Dunno why it suddenly refused lateish on a hot afternoon, with Auntie, a suitcase full of children's essays, and no water.

The worst thing about setting off an alarm and hearing it ringing and ringing is the recognition that it sounds like dozens of other alarms and might be ignored. I shouted and shouted "Help me! HELP ME!".

A blessing: it was Thursday. So there were people in the church, praying silently before the Blessed Sacrament. And one of them decided that the siren alarm didn't seem to be coming from the road outside...seeing his face through the glass door of the lift, part of which was visible to me, was SUCH A RELIEF!  And then things began to happen... he reassured me, had a mobile in his hand...made  telephone calls...the Fire Brigade...

They were able to remove some panelling and start a hand-cranking mechanism which slowly, slowly, drew the lift down to the ground floor. And then I was walking out into the cool air, and there were big firemen, and Amanda with a bottle of water...handshakes and thanks all round...

Firemen in their clumpy boots and  read teeshirts  and carrying equipment are a very, very reassuring sight.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello, My name is Jackie and I'm a 2nd year Cathechist at my church. I teach the 3&4 year olds. I want to do better than I did last year and have been trying to find a book to help me do so. Your name has come up several times on a book you wrote on how to teach he catholic faith to pre-schoolers. Can you help me?

Joanna Bogle said...

Hmmmm.....the book is "A Book of Seasons and Celebrations" and is for all ages: it takes you through the year with things to make, do, eat and sing for all the various feasts...you can get it on Amazon, or direct from the publisher, Gracewing. But you will need other materials: try the Catholic Truth Society, and St Paul Publications. And children also like stories...simple Bible stories and lives of saints are useful, and you can round off each lesson with a story-time. Children love to hear about saints whose names they carry, saints associated with their country or their parish...I produced "Saints and Heroes for Boys" and "Saints and Heroines for girls" but they are really for an older age range than yours.

Wishing you well in your work, and keep me posted - all good ideas are worth passing on...