Seem to have spent the first three days of the week dealing with money, one way or another. Partly our own (lots of outgoing at this time of year) but mainly the church. Don’t know why everything seems to be happening at once there, but think I may have caught up with it at last. I have just filled in Gift Aid claim forms to be sent off tomorrow. The weather recently has been pretty awful, with high winds and huge amounts of rain, and I’ve been feeling below par: my entire head seems to be silting up. Still, not bad enough to actually stop me.
The big Paston weekend was an unqualified success, despite appalling weather on the Sunday. Richard Hoggett dug his hole, and the church received well over 150 visitors to see the re-enactors and an exhibition of maps and photographs which certainly impressed me. No idea where they all came from. There was an owl and a falcon too, and rather lovely refreshments from Ruth and Brigitte. What more could you ask for? TV coverage?
Well, we had that too. Shortly after my tardy arrival on the Sunday, following Communion and lunch at church, I was seized upon by a camera crew putting together a series for the BBC on local history: apparently it will be in eight parts and broadcast around May/June time. I was interviewed together with Lucy and Rob, and had to think up a “favourite Paston letter” on the spot. I think I was just about coherent. Dot arrived a bit later and was also involved, probably because of her photogenic qualities. She was asked to read out some excerpts from the letters. One or two others also took part, and no doubt it will all be edited out, but it was fun at the time.
Dot and I then called in to see Jessie before hastening onwards to a new evening Communion service at St Luke’s. This is a brainchild of Nicholas’s and involved drumming and much striking of the gong, but despite that it was pretty good. Nearly 50 people there (no small feat) and a good atmosphere. Had a chat with Annette Vergette of blessed memory and her friend the spiritual healer, plus the Barrells and Val Kibble. So busy chatting in fact that I didn’t get to the cup of tea. Oh, well.
Out again in the biting rain on Monday night to Dragon Hall for the official culmination of the King Street Community Voices project, to which I had contributed a few poems which seemed to have vanished. Well, they may have been there somewhere. I bumped into Suzi Heybourne and a much older colleague from the Magdalene Project, so the evening wasn’t entirely wasted. There was quite an interesting film and lots of old people – former inhabitants of the street.
Another voice from the past last night, in the middle of a depleted Tuesday Group meal. Pauline Oldroyd, a former Alpington friend, rang from Wales to say she knew my aunt, and was I aware of her situation? I was, of course, but it was a surprise to discover that Pauline knew her so well (from the time she taught at City College). Had quite a long chat, in a nostalgic sort of way.
And today we had our hair cut.