June 17
I went to the morning service at the Cathedral, as the afternoon was going to be busy. It was the full service with choir (girls and men) and Eucharist, so there were many clergy participating. The organ must have been worked on as it sounded marvellous. For my organist friends, the music setting was Mozart's Mass in C, K 220.The Organ Voluntary was Buxtehude's Preludium in D. BuxWV 139A great sermon.
In the afternoon there was a fete in the Bishop's residence, which is next door to where I am staying. When I heard the band strike up, I knew it was time to go there.
The Quintessential Summer Fete, only in England
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| In aid of the Salisbury Southern Sudan Medical Trust. |
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| The Bishop of Salisbury kindly allowed me to photograph him with his cross, to add to my collection of regalia. Before becoming Bishop he was the rector of St.Martin-in-the-Field in London. I was told he was very pro music. |
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| And yes, there WERE camels (2) |
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| Horseless and camel-less vehicle from the 30s. |
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| For my car fanatics - the Tesla |
The Brass Band
He wasn't too happy being in his enclosure, but the raffle was for a good cause. 3 guesses/1 pound to tell how old he is. I didn't win so I still don't know.
The Cathedral's Community Children's Choir.
June 18
More practising, but in the afternoon I took my bus pass to a town Devizes, about an hour and a half north of Salisbury. For years I had passed through it on the train going to Devon and Cornwall, and the information sheet sounded interesting. The gentle rolling scenery was mind-blowing, miles and miles of fields and trees of different shades of green. Not a lot of sheep or cows. On the way was a field that had been turned into a camping ground, as it is Summer Solstice time, and Stonehenge is very close. A few early birds got off the bus with all their camping gear and guitars. I hope they'll have good weather.
Devizes is a town with beautiful buildings from many centuries as it was very prosperous due to the wool trade. I spent most of the afternoon in the Wiltshire Museum. While I am not particularly enamored by prehistoric history, it was interesting to see how the county has developed in half a million years. For instance, gold was worn by chieftains in the time of Stonehenge, and the display of many gold objects was spectacular.
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| You wouldn't really think of this as a hat shop, but they do have some exquisite hats in a centuries-old building. |
June 19.
Practising and working on the blog.
June 20.
Not far from my cabin is a beautiful house, Arundells, one of the finest in the Close, and home to the UK Prime Minister Edward Heath after his term in office. I passed it every day walking into town, and finally stopped and booked a tour with a guide. I'm glad I did as I learned a lot from her. The house was originally a medieval canonry where the first occupant in 1291 was the Archdeacon of Dorset. In 1718 the tenant, John Wyndham undertook the rebuilding of the house as it stands today. Later the house was used as a girls' school and during the WW2 it housed the Red Cross library service and wool depot. It fell into disrepair after a long period of neglect, but fortunately was saved and refurbishment works were undertaken in 1964.
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| Arundells 2018 |
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| Sweetness makes more than violence. |
The main interest for me was the fact that Edward Heath was not only the UK Prime from 1970-74, but a professional musician. A fine pianist and conductor, he performed all over the world. I wish we had more musicians in high places.
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Edward Heath's chair at the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969, where cousin Stuart Burrows performed in the ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle.
June 21
Practise, practise and walk.
June 22
Got up early to get a good spot to see Prince Charles and Camilla! They are visiting Salisbury to thank all the people that have and are continuing to keep the city safe from the (1st) Novichok disaster. For anyone who has not heard of this, the Novichok is a killer poison from Russia and is used to kill Russian spies who have defected or double-crossed Russia in the UK. Recently a Russian spy, his daughter, and a first-responder policeman, almost died from touching the poison on the front door of their house in Salisbury.
By 9 am I was in an excellent position thanks to the kind policeman who suggested the best place for me to see them, and he was right. Camilla came over and shook my hand, said hello, mentioning there were a number of Americans in the crowd. Not sure if she meant me as I was wearing my denim hat, or a group of Americans further down the line. Charles was on the other side talking to young people in uniform and a group of people in wheelchairs. There were many secret service men in beautiful suits, not as obvious as US security, (no sunglasses), watching and moving around diligently, although I did see one with a gun bulge on his left side. It was so smoothly choreographed, almost like a ballet. The police were not armed. I also got a few more photos of the Mayor of Salisbury, this time in his red robe as well as his regalia. It was all over in about 15 minutes and then they all trooped into the Guildhall for an address by Prince Charles and other dignitaries.
 
After all that excitement, it was back to the cabin to practice as we had a rehearsal in the evening, this time in the Cathedral. A four-minute walk to work! Such a thrill getting set up and playing in the cathedral together with a superb choir. So excited for tomorrow.
June 23
The big day, but in the morning I had to deal with some USA government issues. They would not use my UK number, but by switching SIM cards, they were able to use my US phone number. Fortunately, it all got sorted out by lunchtime, and after that was the dress rehearsal with the choir. We went through the whole program which was quite tiring, but we had a couple of hours to refresh ourselves before the evening performance.
     
My 4th week -June 17-23I went to the morning service at the Cathedral, as the afternoon was going to be busy. It was the full service with choir (girls and men) and Eucharist, so there were many clergy participating. The organ must have been worked on as it sounded marvellous. For my organist friends, the music setting was Mozart's Mass in C, K 220.The Organ Voluntary was Buxtehude's Preludium in D. BuxWV 139 A great sermon. In the afternoon there was a fete in the Bishop's residence, which is next door to where I am staying. When I heard the band strike up, I knew it was time to go there. The Quintessential Summer Fete, only in England
The Brass Band
He wasn't too happy being in his enclosure, but the raffle was for a good cause. 3 guesses/1 pound to tell how old he is. I didn't win so I still don't know.
The Cathedral's Community Children's Choir. June 18
More practising, but in the afternoon I took my bus pass to a town Devizes, about an hour and a half north of Salisbury. For years I had passed through it on the train going to Devon and Cornwall, and the information sheet sounded interesting. The gentle rolling scenery was mind-blowing, miles and miles of fields and trees of different shades of green. Not a lot of sheep or cows. On the way was a field that had been turned into a camping ground, as it is Summer Solstice time, and Stonehenge is very close. A few early birds got off the bus with all their camping gear and guitars. I hope they'll have good weather.
Devizes is a town with beautiful buildings from many centuries as it was very prosperous due to the wool trade. I spent most of the afternoon in the Wiltshire Museum. While I am not particularly enamored by prehistoric history, it was interesting to see how the county has developed in half a million years. For instance, gold was worn by chieftains in the time of Stonehenge, and the display of many gold objects was spectacular.
June 19.
Practising and working on the blog.
June 20.
Not far from my cabin is a beautiful house, Arundells, one of the finest in the Close, and home to the UK Prime Minister Edward Heath after his term in office. I passed it every day walking into town, and finally stopped and booked a tour with a guide. I'm glad I did as I learned a lot from her. The house was originally a medieval canonry where the first occupant in 1291 was the Archdeacon of Dorset. In 1718 the tenant, John Wyndham undertook the rebuilding of the house as it stands today. Later the house was used as a girls' school and during the WW2 it housed the Red Cross library service and wool depot. It fell into disrepair after a long period of neglect, but fortunately was saved and refurbishment works were undertaken in 1964.
The main interest for me was the fact that Edward Heath was not only the UK Prime from 1970-74, but a professional musician. A fine pianist and conductor, he performed all over the world. I wish we had more musicians in high places.
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