Further Misadventures of a Chip Monk/Friar

This is a follow up to a previous post about my time at the Alnmouth Friary in Northumberland.. I am showing a picture of the gardens and the bell that I got tangled up in one drunken evening playing hide and go seek in the middle of the night with the other inmates and several flash lights. We snuck out to head to the local boozer. Where I was looking after the interests of the young Gents would were Community Pillars ( had to stay at the Friary or go to reform school). As I was mistakeningly thought to be rather responsible, they were under my care. I think the only reason I got the job was I was their age as opposed to 40+, and nobody else wanted the job.

On returning to the Friary after the pub closed. I came up with the bright idea of playing hide and go seek on the Friary Grounds. The person who was" IT;" had the flash light and had to find the others. By shining the light on the ones hiding. Any ways in my rather muddled or lack of thinking straight. I decided to climb up on the Chapel and hid in the Bell Tower Area. As you can tell from the Picture it wasn't a terrible large area to hide. Tom had found all the rest but they started to call my name which wasn't a good idea. As after Evening Prayers there was a rule of complete and utter silence until lunch time the next day. The game started to go down hill ( lose the fun) at that moment.


( I could not resist this cartoon, I really do need to see a Shrink.) :)

I woke up as my name was being yelled about and found my self caught in the bongy thingy ( clanger) of the Bell with my cowl trapped. So each time I moved the damn bell rang all the more, as I struggled to get untangled, more the bell moved and rang.

The guys on the ground started to howl with laughter and me being none to bright started to Hoot and Howl ( probably a few @#$!&^%*( swear words) as well which made the Chapel Bell ring all the harder. ( Clang,Clang,Clang, Clang) You could hear the racket in the Town itself as we were on a hillside over looking most of the Town. It is not very often you have a Church Bell ring in the early, early morning or late at night, depending on your point of view. especially with a drunken Friar with his Habit snagged in the Bell.

Then the light went on in the Father Guardian's room above the Chapel. The Boys scuppered back to their rooms; like termites fleeing the light turned on in the kitchen; leaving me to face the wrath of an Almighty, Pissed Off; Head Friar. I would rather have been struck by lightening at that moment than to face the wrath of Father Edward. All he said to me was in the coldest depths of icy hell like voice. I ever heard and it still sends shivers down my spine. It is like the look that my wife gives me on occasion. "Thank You, Brother Don for an almost enjoyable evening entertainment. I will speak to Youuuu, in the morning , Brother after your confession and penitence. I am sure the rest of the house will find a suitable punishment." He and the rest of the older Friars took turns flaying me alive the next day (figural speaking that is ).

I was brought up to the rest of the house for discipline and had to do the worst mucking out jobs and not be spoken to by any of them for two weeks. I still was to look after the Borstal Boys. I was under close House Arrest as occasionally one of the Brothers would check up on me to see if I was still in my cell. As I mentioned in my other post, my days as a Religious were hastily drawing to a close. I was "really trying" to do the right thing. ( Looking back "really trying" was very true.) The right thing not so much.