Harvest weekend

Well it's been a very nice weekend with the weather and I've had a good couple of days too. I was working on designs - trying to make up for the enforced abandonment of my work the previous day and then I walked into the village at around six in the evening. I was en route to the Harvest Supper and we'd been advised to bring our own drinks. I'm not someone who drinks much alcohol at all, hardly ever in fact, so I bought a bottle of flavoured water and some fruit so that I'd have something sweet to indulge in when everyone else was tucking into pudding! Then I thought, "what the heck!" and picked up a miniature (and I mean miniature!) bottle of sparkling rosé wine...I know, how decadent am I!

I walked round to the church hall where people were starting to arrive and there was an inviting smell of potatoes roasting in the ovens. The Céilidh band (I can't tell you how many times I just had to check the spelling of that!) were getting ready on stage and it looked like it would be a fun evening.

And so it turned out to be. I've taken lots of photos and a few videos to remind me of the night, so I'll share some here.....  

......a bit of an action shot there with some enthusiastic hornpipe moves from the men, including the vicar in grey. I'm on the left in this next picture, listening to the instructions on what we were supposed to do in this particular dance.   

Supposed to being the operative word, as it soon descended into something like a cross between the Generation Game and Ann Widdecombe in rehearsal on Strictly! 

I think I was a bit worried where the tall lady in green was going to land as she galloped past...galloping was something we were instructed to do quite a lot!

We had a nice supper of baked potatoes and chilli and even my tiny bottle of wine left me a tad tiddly - I know, I have no staying power! Then it was back to the dancing (or pounding around the floor might be a better description for some of us!) which was rounded off by a very enthusiastic and exhausting Hokey Cokey. The final thing was everyone linking hands to sing Auld Land Syne which, I have to admit was the one point in the evening when I shed a tear. However, I pulled myself together and put my smile back on before making my way home. It was 10.15pm, so it had been a good few hours of jolly company. I got back feeling shattered, a tummy aching from laughing and a good thing that I set my alarm this morning or I think I'd have overslept.

 Thankfully I did wake up in time to go to the Harvest Service this morning. The church had been beautifully decorated by the ladies who do all the floral arrangements, so I was glad that I had taken my camera. This is the font with a really sumptuous display of flowers, fruit and vegetables. You can see just one of the stained glass windows that are a feature of St Chads. The flower baskets had all been made up in readiness to be delivered to the sick and housebound tomorrow.

This is the view looking towards the altar and the choir section on the right. Again, filled with beautiful flowers. The service was lovely, with all the usual harvest hymns and  everyone taking their offerings to the front of the church for distribution to the homeless and needy.

I felt very sentimental thinking back to childhood days of this same service.  One year I was chosen from class to give the reading at the huge St John's church in Blackpool and remember feeling very honoured and a bit small....I couldn't even see over the lecturn! Today I also had a strong sense of history watching everyone bringing food to the front. The hymns and the traditions haven't really changed for centuries and I could imagine the farmers and labourers fom the 1700's doing exactly what we were doing today.

Well, I was already having a good couple of days and then Heather put the finishing cap on the weekend by asking if I'd like to go and see Alfie Boe in concert next April - not only that. she then informed me today that she has booked the tickets! Woohoo! So, we are going to be going to see him in at the Opera House in Blackpool  - now that's something to look forward to! I love the theatre - plays, musicals, opera, concerts but can't remember the last time I went.

The other finishing touch to the weekend (literally) was that I completed my new designs this afternoon which always feels good. I had some tears this evening too. I think there were lots of good moments over the last two days and some "memory lane" ones which just set me thinking and feeling a bit low. It's the first time that I've done new designs and not had David to show them to which is so sad. Well, enough melancholia for today.