Rehearsals for the whole group today; technical run through after breakfast and dress rehearsal after lunch.
After supper we gave the performance. The audience of three were slightly surprised to find themselves playing the parts of King James’s entourage…
But all went well, if not perfectly, and we cleared up in record time as a welcome glass of wine was awaiting us in the bar.
There were a number of artificial pot plants in the ballroom, which came in very handy!
Back to back rehearsals for most of us today, but I managed to sneak down to the beach for my lunch.
It was very pleasant sitting in the sun watching the passers by, the surfers, a few swimmers and lots of seagulls.
After an uneventful journey by train to Bournemouth yesterday, Pastime’s Spring School began with a glass of bucks fizz and an introduction to Stuart Masques.
This morning, rehearsals began in earnest. The dancers were in the ballroom – reasonably enough – and we singers and musician gathered in one of our rooms. After coffee, I wasn’t needed so I went for a walk, heading downhill towards the pier.
Along the fence by the esplanade were some amusing artworks.
There was also a moving memorial to Jon Egging, a Red Arrows pilot who lost his life in the Bournemouth air show in 2011.
There had been a land slip by the lift, so the whole area was fenced off.
I found a pleasant park to have my lunch, where the wind wasn’t quite so biting.
I had seen signs referring to the Bournemouth goats and expected some more artwork, but no! They were actual goats.
Then back to the hotel by a rather circuitous route – I kept overshooting…
Ready for a warming cup of tea and some more rehearsals.
We had been to Lavenham Guild Hall before, but as Steve was content to look after Rocco, we decided to go in again (shame about the scaffolding!):
There were a lot more items on display than last time we visited:
A number of contraptions to do with textile production – a key industry in this area several hundred years ago. I think we’d seen the loom before, in any event I didn’t photograph it:
There were a large number of dyed samples. I particularly liked this embroidered piece with the names of the dyes on it. There was some cute knitted bunting in the entrance hall, duly labelled, which I could’ve sworn I took a picture of…
There were a number of other pieces of art dotted about. It wasn’t always clear which was the art and which were the artifacts, but I liked this woven wall hanging.
There were various wood carvings among the pieces, including this rather wet collection of spoons and bowls in the garden. Random!
After a cup of tea in our room, we set off to find supper. We had a beer at a local restaurant earlier in the week, and spotted that they served pizza. It being Saturday, what choice had we??
The pizzas were excellent, and required a walk afterwards. We found the town square, which was very attractive.
We then ambled back to the hotel by a circuitous route. We found a flower clock.
And so to bed.
The main task for Sunday was to take down the tent and pull the trolleys of gear back to the car. We got our act together so that we took one load back before the communion service at ten, and then returned to take the tent down, by which time it was pretty much dry, and take the second load back to the car.
Just time for one more talk from an artist passionate about the provenance of leather, a quick look round the bookshop, and a final cup of tea.
Would we go again? Probably, but not every year – and even if we don’t, we both agreed that it was an experience worth having.
Saturday, we awoke to pouring rain! All the same, we went to “Wake up singing”, which pretty much did what it said on the tin. After a couple more talks, we found the pub – the Jesus Arms – where I discovered that they were serving a cask stout.
Before lunch we attended a laughter workshop, which I enjoyed but I think it left Lucy rather nonplussed.
There was an art walk, which finished at Boughton House, whose grounds the festival was in. Some of the art was interesting. The view back towards the site was pleasant, but I didn’t think to photograph the house.
With some trepidation, we went to “Queer and Hymns” at the Hope and Anchor, which had been rebuilt by then. It turned out to be a telling of the story of Ruth in words and song, and was my highlight of the whole event!
In the evening, we attended the Tenebrae service, which was very moving. Toyed with the idea of another beer, but decided to be sensible…
Lucy and I spent the weekend at Greenbelt – a festival of arts and faith in the grounds of Boughton House, near Kettering. Spread over the site were a number of venues holding music, talks, exhibitions, workshops and worship.
We arrived on Thursday evening after a long drive – trouble on the M11 – by the time we had set up the tent, we were exhausted, so we didn’t actually do anything. The car was a twenty minute walk from where we were pitched.
Overnight on Friday there were horrendous winds, which delayed the start of the festival. But our tent was still standing, and the day was warm and sunny once the wind died down.
We had considered, beforehand, what we might like to attend. A few of the events were in the venue called “The Hope and Anchor”, but it had been damaged in the wind, so we found some other talks to attend, between which we wandered around getting our bearings. The composting loos were a revelation – a much more pleasant experience than portaloos!
The main arena was mostly music – we didn’t actually attend any of the sessions, but as we were walking around, we couldn’t avoid hearing it. In fact, we couldn’t hear one of the talks we DID go to because the arena was so loud…
In the evening, we attended Taizé worship. I was familiar with some of their chants, but we both felt that a whole service was rather too much.
A nice, quiet way to prepare us for a decaf tea and a quieter night’s sleep.
As I had no duties at church this week, I agreed to help at an activity day for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers at Leeds Castle. I had to leave the house at 6:50, which was a bit of a shock, but I wasn’t driving, and there was very little traffic at that time of the morning.
My first task was to join the team supervising the arrival of 23 coaches, bringing 1,400 girls and their leaders. The coach company had it all under control, even though it looked a bit chaotic. Getting the groups to the check in desk was at times more of a challenge.
We were so lucky with the weather – these sort of days are so much easier if it isn’t drizzling
There were a number of activities provided, including a falconry display and a visit to Henry VIII. Of course all the girls wanted to go to the shop, so most of my afternoon was spent helping to supervise the queue. This was at the opposite end of the estate to the entrance, so I had a very pleasant walk there and back.
Then I spent another hour or so directing traffic as the coaches left with the tired but happy girls and leaders. Amazing the power of a hi-vis jacket!
Finally we set off for home, and I got in just before six. It was great to spend time with some old friends, and the weather was a definite bonus. If I’m asked again, I might even swap my church duties!
I was reminded by my friend Jackie that it was not only Christine who read our blog posts. I must get back into the habit of posting again.
So Jackie and I met at St Pancras station and spent a pleasant time chatting, eating and strolling around.
I was moved by this memorial at St Pancras which I hadn’t noticed before.
