Claims To Fame...

I don't want to get involved in the debate over Margaret Thatcher that is currently going on, and my story really isn't anything to brag about, but given the departure of Lady Thatcher this week, I remembered the story of how I actually 'met' the Iron Lady once...

 ☺

Shortly after moving to England a dear friend's baby daughter was to be baptised. We were all invited and when asked if I knew where the church was, I was convinced I did. The Professor was not able to attend, but Our Boy (who was about 3 or 4 at the time) and I trundled off to the church. I absolutely hate being late, so we were at the church in plenty of time before the service. I was a LITTLE surprised not to see my friends there, nor any of their family, but I assumed they were just running late...
 

Our Boy and I took our places and sat peacefully, admiring the old church while we waited for the service to start. Behind us was a little old lady who also arrived very early and she was very talkative, but also a bit hard of hearing. She was very curious as to where we were from and asked loads of questions. In the meantime, a faint alarm bell started to go off in my mind as I was expecting to see the baptismal font being prepared, but it remained covered and still no sign of our friends... 

I chatted away with the old dear and she started telling me of famous people who would come to this church (I have no idea WHY that came up) and told me that Lady Thatcher and Jeffrey and Mary Archer would often come. At that precise moment I happened to turn around, and who else was standing in the doorway but Lady Thatcher and the Archers... I tried to whisper to my talkative companion that they had arrived, but instead she exclaimed loud enough for all the church to hear "WHO has arrived"? Needless to say, Lady Thatcher sent us a chilling look as they swept past us to take up the seats on the front row...

 

By now the service was starting. There was no sign of my friends nor their family and the minister started talking about communion being held at the end of the service. I remembered from church back in Norway that communion would not be given if there was a baptism going on, so I realised we must be in the wrong church....

 

I decided it would look odd if we got up and left just as the service was starting, so we stayed and made our way out quickly after it was over - past the bodyguards who had taken up stand outside the church. As I drove a different way home passing another church, I saw people coming out of the church and THERE was my friend and her family! Our Boy and I joined the party and now had a story to tell about us missing the baptism.

♥

So, any other claims to fame, anyone...?