RootsChat.Com

Yesterday I spent a very pleasant afternoon in the Somerset village of Rode, near Frome. It was the occasion of a musical Garden Party in the grounds of the local Methodist Chapel and the small Brass group to which I belong, Bath Vintage Brass ,(the name will give you a clue!) had been booked to play for the last hour. This was the first time I had met up with the Band members since last September, when Jane's condition had started to deteriorate. What a lovely welcome they all gave me- I was not playing, but enjoying their "musical" contribution to the proceedings, including, much to my joy, an arrangement which I had recenty done for them of Ride the Chariot, an old negro spiritual.
This will be another step along the road to some form of normalisation and I think I will soon be ready to start playing again with them.

Today marks the first significasnt milestone since my dear Jane died. Her birthday. We started going out just before her 17th birthday 57 years ago and got engaged on her 18th. So many happy memories. Today will be one of quiet reflection on those 57 years we were together.
A beautiful floral tribute from Andrew and the family in Australia delivered first thing this morning from the local florist.
Sadly Mark will not be down today because of the train strike disruption but he will be down later in the week.

Two "Old Comrades" chatting before the Parade. The lady was wearing her dad's medals- RAAF Pilot. She told me she was not aware until quite recently of his WW2 experiences and had only just received his medals, which she wore with great pride.

April is the first significant milestone since Jane died. It is the 19th anniversary of our first visit to, and when we fell in love with Australia. The occasion was the wedding of our son Andrew to Celine.  No ordinary wedding for them in a church but a civil ceremony in a clearing in the eucalyptus forest of the Opeia Camp site in the Lorne Angahook State Park , Victoria. This was about 100km south west of Melbourne at the eastern end of the Great Ocean Road. I loved the name of the track which led to the camp site- Breakfast Creek Road.  Sadly I can find no mention of this site any longer in existence.
As befitting our son and new daughter-in-law, the mode of dress for the guests was somewhat unconventional- fancy dress in wahtever style took your fancy, but Mum and Dad stayed traditional!
I can recall the somewhat basic sleeping conditions- we had a cabin rather than a tent, and the music for the younger elements of the guests just played and played until about four in the morning! No problems with the sound for the "neighbours" as we were well distant from the nearest residential area- but it kept me awake just a few hundred yards from where they were performing!

RTL, it sounds as though they got their sales training from the Post Office -"We've not had any other complaints!"
rj