Sat 13 October

What an evening! I have just come up, still shaking from the tension! Three very large purple cheers for Johnnie. He just lives down the road from here, so to speak. Just next door in Northumberland speak!

The rest of the evening:-

For once G came with me to a 'Church' thing - a concert to start off Harvest Festival. Clever really - instead of just a Harvest Service and Harvest Supper, we had a concert tonight in one of our churches. Having a musical Vicar helps!

About 80 people trooped into the Church, accompanied by 2 locals playing the Northumbrian pipes. The concert started with the Vicar playing the Treble recorder accompanied by the Harpsichord (the magic of the modern electric piano type thing) They played Handel's sonata in F major.

Then the Benefice choir (ecumenical) sang Bobby Shaftoe. This is very topical as the Shaftoes owned a house in the benefice, and only sold it a few years ago.

The Vicar then appeared again, with a box sot of thing that looked like a very basic accordian! She explained that when she was a wee girl, the neighbours threw it out and she saved it. It is called a Button Box. It has 2 rows of buttons, but more advanced ones have 3, the third one acting like the black notes on a piano. She proceeded to play a number of short pieces, despite the lack of the semi-tones!

We had 2 sets of Northumbrian Pipes pieces. The two who welcomed us played various local folk tunes the first time and later another set, with the Vicar on her beloved guitar. This lot ended with Keep your feet still Geordie hinnie which produced a certain amount of sort of singing and a great deal of foot tapping!

Between these 2 sets we had first a talented violinist playing Johann Sebastian Bach's Solo Sonata. Those who could see were entertained by his small son playing a pretend violin, beside him, with great seriousness the whole way through! He was followed by the Choir singing Maa Bonny Lad and then the Vicar on the Descant Recorder, accompanied by the piano this time, playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag.

The concert was wound up by the Choir singing The Keel Row and then the assembled company earning their supper with Blaydon Races.

After that we moved over to the Village Hall for a pooled supper. The local parish provided the fist course, mostly hot and the other parishes brought the puddings. We all had a seat and a happy time was had by all.

G's comments - Couldn't hear much of the concert! Knew a few people at the supper and the food was good. That was quite an accolade in itself!!

I was delighted that I had G with me because I had to take him home so was not able to help with the washing up - as I usually do!