Nothing Worse Than ...

... and you can fill in your own conclusion. High on the list of rankling ecclesiastical impedimenta comes a wonky thurible. We don't actually use ours very often, but when we do it invariably misbehaves, coming open at inconvenient points and spraying ash. In the past I have blamed our head server but in fact I do no better with it, and the application of pliers a little while ago has made no difference. Having found a friendly metalworker not far away the time is ripe for him to have a look at it to see whether it really is as misaligned as it seems to be. Candlemas out of the way, we shouldn't be using it again till Easter morning, and by then it might be more biddable. Of course everyone is too terrified to polish it in case they tangle the chains.