The new season has rolled in once more, and as ever it opened with Clwyd College SRIA up on the coast at Mostyn, that familiar stretch of shoreline where the wind always seems to carry a hint of ceremony. Oddly enough, my second meeting of the season is also in Mostyn, this time Rhodri Fawr Rose Croix on Saturday. I cannot remember the last time my first two meetings of the year were in the same place, let alone the same coastal village. Two trips to the edge of the sea in four days feels like the universe is trying to lure me into becoming a part‑time beach dweller.

Today’s gathering was a blend of Grade IV and Grade I, a pleasant mix of depth and initiation. Time slipped away from us faster than expected, so the paper planned for the evening has been nudged forward to the next meeting. The Candidate was mine, so I gave him a lift, and it made a refreshing change to have company on the road. The drive to Mostyn is always beautiful, but it is even better when there is someone beside you to share the small jokes, the quiet anticipation, and the inevitable post‑meeting debrief.

So here we are, the new season upon us once again. I may no longer be a Busy Mason in the old sense, but September has decided to ignore that entirely. It is shaping up to be a whirlwind month, full of meetings, rehearsals, and the gentle chaos that seems to follow me around the Masonic world. A quieter life may be the goal, but clearly the calendar has other ideas.