I do pick the most peculiar places to sit and write my “Patio Door” pieces for the magazine. Today, with the help of a laptop, I find myself at the Rugby Gymnastics Club; our youngest has been coming along for tutoring for a term now and seems to be really enjoying him-self. But, part of the preparation for his hour of fun and hard work starts with warming up exercises, and they seem to go on for a good ten minutes; stretches, running, jumping and then they are sent off into groups to start their rotations.

Warming up seems to be so very important in many things which we do in life, and sometimes perhaps we forget to do our exercises. I suppose this warming up goes by different names such as; Marriage, Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion preparation and of course the dreaded revision for exams, and there will be many more which I’m sure I’ve forgotten, and there are of course certain times in life, which we are in no way prepared for, such as the passing of a loved one.

I was recently given my father’s St. Swithun’s prayer book, it was given to him as a Confirmation gift, and it gives us some guidance for preparation for Holy Communion; 1) you ought to receive Holy Communion regularly and after careful preparation. 2) Prepare carefully by repentance and prayer. Do not eat or drink anything, however small after 12 o’clock the night before. 3) Try to have something definite to thank God for, and to also ask him for. Remember the Church of Christ and pray for the living and the departed. 4) Be in Church at least ten minutes before the service begins.

There are certain times of the church calendar which are, in there own way a preparation, times such as Lent and Advent.

The last of these two will soon be upon us, for Advent is itself is a holy season of expectant waiting and preparation. Advent, I’ve learnt, can begin as early as the 27th November, or at the latest 3rd December, so whichever it may be this year we had better start and get ready for the Nativity of Christ.