Bells and Bill

It is not every day that a church gets a brand new ring of bells.

One village church in Devon was holding a flower festival to celebrate the arrival of their newly cast octave, fresh from Taylors Bell foundry in Loughborough.
We decided to toddle along to their morning service and take the opportunity to view the floral arrangements afterwards.
They did not disappoint!
The skill and humour with which they interpreted the theme, deserves high commendation.
It was all far, far better than I could have done!

Understandably, the theme of the flower festival was 'Bells'.
As soon as we walked into the church, the pulpit, which was festooned with fairy lights, and the silhouette of a town caught my eye, and continued to do so throughout the service, as the blue lights continued to brighten and fade in their own repetitive cycle, irrespective of whether we were singing, responding or listening.

The service was All Age Worship, with a good attendance of smaller persons as well larger ones, and was very ably led by a member of the local church, who also had to keep rushing down the aisle to start and stop the tracks for the songs.

After the service I was keen to explore the church and see how the theme was interpreted.
The pulpit arrangement was 'Tinkerbell'.

Knock Knock - use the bell!

It was good to see that the village had embraced the project.
Bell decorations, complete with clappers, had been made by those attending Messy Church and were hung on the pew ends.
The Preschool had coloured bell cutouts,
and the local school had made bell-shaped stained glass windows.

My favourite arrangement was 'Door Bell' - I can imagine the conversation
"I just need to borrow the door for the weekend..." ;
"Let's hope the weather holds then..."

Small is beautiful!

'

'Bell Tent' was a small, but perfectly formed table top arrangement

'Bicycle Bell' featured a floral decorated pushbike.

'Alexander Graham Bell' - was commemorated with an arrangement in the shape of an old-fashioned candlestick telephone.

Mike Oldfield eat your heart out!

During the service, I had glanced across and wondered why a stairgate featured in one of the arrangements.
A closer inspection revealed that it was based on a set of tubular bells...
No prizes for guessing what this particular arrangement was called...
















DH and the KHT had fun being 'Beach Belles' :)











In pride of place at the back of the church were the eight shiny new bells - four each side of the aisle, ready and waiting to be hoisted high into the tower.
The 6th bell cracked a couple of years ago, and it was going to cost a significant sum just to carry out repairs. I understand that the bells were not the most melodious and had been described as 'the worst sounding ring in Devon'. They were also hung on plain bearings, which made them difficult to ring.
By raising a bit more money than the sum required to effect the repairs, they have managed to get a brand new ring of bells which will sound significantly better once they have been hauled up into position, and hung in the frame.
Given the closeness of the houses nearby, they may want to raise a little bit more money to pay for sound control!

It was a glorious day, and the beach was calling, so we obeyed. Today's beach was a paddleboard paradise, particularly as the sea was calm like a mill pool.











The KHT had no hesitation in donning her surf suit and enjoying the sea.
Even the presence of the odd jellyfish did not put her off.

Only two inflatables today. A dolphin, and another one I have forgotten, so it cannot have been that outlandish.





Later, the KHT was giving me a running commentary on the news.
"A python has swallowed a pigeon in London." 
This unlikely fact was quickly followed by
"Barry Chuckle has died. He was 73...."
I replied that showbiz was a lifestyle that made demands on your health.
The KHT had great words of comfort for me
"Never mind, you still have your favourite singer with you..." she paused, "Whoever that might be! I know Bill Withers! You like 'Lovely Day'!"
"That is just one song, and yes it is a happy song, but he probably isn't my favourite singer. I don't know, offhand, who is."
I then did a sneaky peak on wiki to see if Bill Withers was still alive..
He is!
He is still not my favourite singer though...
Sorry, Bill!