I was just loading my plate in the dishwasher before we left, when the knife slipped and left a wonderful trail all the way down my skirt before clattering to the floor...
A quick check in the mirror revealed that I had also dropped jam all down my top. Not the best start to the day!
I got changed and we set off. Due to the high temperatures, we each had a bottle of water in the cool bag, plus additional supplies in a thermos, also in the cool bag.
KHT (looking at road signs) - What is the difference between Stafford and Stratford?
Me - Rrrrr!
We arrived at the first tower before the allotted time, as did many of the other ringers. The church is in the grounds of Ingestre Hall and was designed by that great church designer - Christopher Wren. It certainly had some beautiful glass.
The church was set up for a wedding later that day and it certainly looked like it would be a day to remember, with natural confetti and bubbles!
We knew a few of the other ringers present, and a few more by sight. The first lot of ringing sounded very good, and I hoped that we wouldn't let the side down. However, the bells were easy to ring so we were able to hold our own.
I was intrigued to see some details of ringing written in pencil on the walls of the ringing chamber. I have never seen that anywhere else that I can recall, and I have rung at over a thousand different churches over the years.
We moved on to the second tower of the day, a few miles away at Colwich. Here the ringing chamber accessed via a short staircase at the back of the church. The facilities were very much appreciated here - especially as there were two toilets available for use. Here the KHT shared the part of the plot of the one of the books that she was reading with some of the ringers, but they had to wait until lunchtime to discover what happened to Baby Christopher. Nothing like adding a bit of suspense to the proceedings...
It was pleasing to be asked to take part in a ladies band and to lead down at the end of the ringing at this church. I was very relieved when I had successfully guided them down and into rounds, without any mishap!
The third bell was out of action at Rugeley, so we rang the remaining five. Reverse Canterbury went well here.
Lunch was in Cannock. We parked in the grounds of the parish church and ate in a nearby hostelry. The organiser had allowed a generous two hours for lunch.
Here we seemed to confuse the staff greatly, who were not even sure what the food was when it arrived - is that the 'Beef Pie', or the' Steak and Double Gloucester'? They were Lasagne-less, so the KHT opted for Pizza Pie, which appeared to be a pizza with a curved base loaded with sausage, bacon and loads of cheese.
We thanked the locals for their hospitality, by drowning out England winning a place in the Quarter Final of the World Cup, with ten loud bells! Just think of it as early celebrations!
Norton Canes was next on the list. Here we had to climb a metal spiral staircase inside the church. A trap door would have been a welcome addition here, to hide the view of the church below from the ringer of the fourth bell!
Our final tower was Shareshill a ring of six with a tenor weight similar to our own and an amazing extension. By now the heat was taking its toll, so we headed home via Sainsbury's to buy strawberries and ice cream!
Clearing the table after tea I discovered that the lid on the beetroot was not leakproof! This necessitated another change of clothing! Thankfully, the stain appears to have washed out!
The day began and ended messily, but our ringing was neat and tidy, and THAT was what mattered!
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