I went into shielding miles away from my church taking with me only what I could carry home on the bus. Since then I've been saying the Mass with whatever I could find at home. Lace tablecloth on a fold up table for an altar, downloaded missal on a cookbook stand. 1/

I had a chalice and patten, cassock and alb at home but no vestments, and only two stoles - one purple, one white. So far that's been ok - purple in Lent, white for the long Easter season. But on Sunday it's Pentecost and I need red. /2

See this? This arrived today. Made by a friend who ransacked her fabric stash and cut up her Christmas table cloth to make it.

She based it on the stained glass lantern tower at @bbcathedral where my family have worshipped for decades and where my dad, my brother, my sister and I all sang in the choirs.

The glass represents the flames of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. /4

I am utterly overwhelmed by her kindness. Thank you @BigBumblingBee /5

And in a weird piece of synchronicity, waiting for her when she turned up at my door for a shielded, socially distanced handover, was a bottle of this, which I'd bought her to say thank you for shopping and running errands for us while shielding. /6

It's a bottle of gin I ordered last week.. From @bbcathedral

So that's weird and beautiful./7

Lockdown life has often been tough and challenging, but it has also been full of kindness and creativity.

IMMENSE kindness and creativity.

Thank you Bethany x