Assemblies and Guinea Pigs

Well, yesterday was, um...interesting.
We - Y10 - were leading assembly for the first time. Things got off to a good start in the run up when no one (including the boy supposed to be overseeing the organisation!!) except me and 3 others turned up to the planning meeting. So we drafted together a rough plan but the teachers didn't know whether we were leading this week or next. In fact, they told us on Thursday. Helpful.
So on Thursday lunchtime we sorted everything out, practised a small sketch for the first time, and sorted out who was playing in the worship. Or so I thought.
I turned up on Friday to play my flute, thinking that Ed Graham was leading the worship. However, it turned out he wasn't even playing, so there we were 5 minutes before the assembly started trying to sort out the songs, who was doing what, and what the heck we were going to do without a leader. The answer? Muck it up. Its harder than you think trying to lead worship on your flute, especially if you have no idea what you're doing as that was the one thing you'd completely left to someone else.
For instance, we were singing In Christ Alone at one point. One of the singers hadn't ever heard the song before, so when I start doing the twiddly flute bit for an intro, they started singing. So I stopped, she goes 'I don't know the song!' and so I end up singing the first verse instead of playing, only then I play the twiddly bit in between verses, and they start singing again! At which point I was about to give up on the flute when Sophie (thank you SO much!) came to my rescue and walked up the front to sing, letting me play flute again. But I gave up on the twiddly bit.
Anyway, think of that happening for 4 songs, and you'll see why I was kind of alternately laughing and cringing the whole way through. But hey. It was, at least so I thought, pretty hilarious, but I think other people found it less funny and more embarrassing than me.
Also, there was a new boy visiting the school for the first time. Interesting introduction to the school!! Poor kid he'll think all our assemblies are terrible. Especially as the drama didn't go particularly well either. Although a couple of people did respond to the prayer thing, but only after we'd sent D Timms over to look as though he was responding, so that the other people didn't have to be the first. It worked!!
Oh, he got a big cheer when he came on as the whale who ate Jonah, as well. He always gets the stupid parts, but everyone loves him, so it works great. We had him as the iceberg that sank the Titanic, once. That was excellent.
Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty mundane. We played squash again, which is really fun, only I'm absolutely pants! And my head goes funny from all the echoing!!
Oh yes, I forgot to say, interesting photo you chose, Sarah!! I don't remember when that was taken, do you?
I've just finished helping Mum give our guinea pig Gem her medicine! She's got some sort of mite on her, which apparently usually doesn't affect them at all, only when they're stressed and upset. Which I find quite sweet, as we had to put Gem's sister down about 3 weeks ago. She must be grieving. But we had to wash her with medicated shampoo this morning, which was a new experience. It wasn't too bad in the end, to be fair, but at the beginning the poor thing wasn't particularly happy. Anyway, I hope she gets better soon, because we're having to give her a syringeful of medicine twice a day and she doesn't like the taste. At all.
We're having my nephew Caleb over this evening because his parents are going to Banbury with a German exchange group. That's a new one. But anyway, he's really sweet and we love him, so I'd better go because I think - possibly, maybe - he's coming soon.
xx