August Meeting 2007

Our District meeting at Apsley End turned out to be on one of the nice days in August, and the sun shone down on ringers climbing the church path past the newly-lopped trees and shrubs (we think this was done to remove hiding places for undesirables) During the afternoon and evening we were pleased to welcome the two Ians (Fielding and Blake), and also a visitor from Weston-Super-Mare. The ringing fairly sparkled with some very interesting spliced, which went from Surprise Minor to Grandsire Doubles and back again! The caterers were considerably aided by the positioning of Sainsbury’s just over the road – no need to bring tea and milk from home!

There was a slight alarm just before the service, when we could not find the key to the vestry (this meant no organ for the hymns), but a phone call established its whereabouts, and lay reader David Watson was able to launch into his 61-minute service with gusto. It included four very singable hymns, to which, although there was only enough of us to fit into the choir stalls, we certainly did justice, and also ringing-themed readings from Akenfield and a poem called The Belfry.

A good effort was made to consume the tea, although there were still some sandwiches left over for the chickens (note – is it inciting cannibalism to give them egg sandwiches?). The business meeting afterwards included some controversial, and unresolved, discussion on striking competition bands before we made our way back up the tower stairs for some still good but slightly less exciting ringing.

The meeting afterwards took place at The Paper Mill, where there was plenty of room at a canal side table for discussion on such momentous subjects as toilets, manure heaps and toast.