Palm Sunday, 1 April

Today it is Palm Sunday and a beautiful sunny day.  Blessings of the crucified and risen Lord to you for the celebration of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum (The "three days" of Holy Thursday night, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday).

Work on the priory has continued since my last post.  As well the Carmelite community has met and discussed how we will furnish the oratory.  The library and other effects from our Box Hill house will arrive from storage on 16 April.  That will help us make more decisions in regard to the priory and provide lots of work in sorting books and assembling shelving etc.

Parts of the building look almost finished.  In other parts it is slower.  We have had delays in the delivery of some products.  We wished Maurie well on Wednesday as he left on Friday with his wife and kids for a holiday in the USA.  Big hearted Maurie had thrown a BBQ the previous Friday for all the workers including me. 

Walkway beside the chapel takes shape

Some of our rooms have now sprouted adjustable sun shades over the veranda spaces outside.  These are very necessary in the north facing rooms in summer.  However the photo I have below is of the south facing rooms- the dining room, two bedrooms and in the distance the common room.  Here the sunshades are simpler.

The sunshades in white

The corridor now has a ceiling as do some of the rooms. The ceiling in the corridor has been painted. 

Corridor with ceilings painted

The area around the courtyard has been tidied up as well. 

Looking through to the courtyard with the view beyond

Some of the bedrooms have also had their ceilings put in, though they have not been painted as yet.  We now have a sense of the final look and shape of the bedrooms.  As the workers will have a break for Easter I will take photos next week.

Bedroom looking to the entrance with clerestory above