We did our Sponsored Hymn Sing on Saturday: not as many people as I would have wished (I did suggest to Joe and Carolyn that August wasn't the brightest month to arrange it in), but the quality was good. Indeed, one late-comer listening at the back of the church thought that I had managed to get together a proper choir, and indeed most of us have been choir members in our time and several still are.

However, there weren't any people from Thoresway except for Carolyn, and it's their church organ which benefits from our efforts. There were several ladies from Nettleton church, a couple from Rothwell, and one who lives in Swallow but who attends an RC church in Grimsby rather than the parish church (so that was good of her). The rest were my friends - some of whom travelled a considerable distance to come and sing.

We started with morning hymns, then evening, then the Christian year (with descants on some of the carols) before working our way through A&M general hymns until we reached a total (slightly croaky after 3 hours singing) of 99. At which point Leo (the second organist, who had stayed to sing along with his wife Margaret - he is Jewish, she's RC) suggested we finish with the national anthem. Jean (the fourth and final organist struck up), none of us looked for the words and all of us sung both verses, and I'm willing to bet most of us could have gone on to the now unfashionable and disused scattering of enemies if required: I suspect every woman there had been a Girl Guide in her time.
Sponsored Hymn Sing (1)
Here are those left at the end - a few had to leave earlier. At this stage, it's Nettleton and Rothwell on the cantoris side, and my friends on the decani.

Afterwards we went across the road for supper at Carolyn's house which was a lovely social end to the day, and Becky came back to stay the night before returning to Preston today.

Obviously I don't know how much we have raised over all, but (assuming everyone pays up) Joe and I between us have raised (once gift aid is factored in) pushing on towards £350. I just hope some of the others have been as enthusiastic in getting sponsors.

I love singing hymns. I love singing. I don't pretend to be any good although - and this is my no.1 name drop - I did once come third to Lesley Garratt in a festival when we were both in our late teens/early twenties. There were ten in the class and the adjudicator picked out three: one who could sing, one who could put a song across and one who could do both. Guess which I was?

It always comes as a great surprise to me that other people don't sing as they work - cooking, driving and washing up are to me musical(ish) activities. My grandmother had a great way with song: a good mood brought a range of songs in all sorts of genres especially ragtime, but hymns could be used to great and dramatic effect: she had a martial way of singing "Nearer my God to Thee" accompanied by a clashing of pans which boded no good to anyone! There is a very good voice which wanders through the family, and Nan was one of the beneficiaries in her generation - her maiden name was Jones if we are going for racial stereotypes, and I think most of her siblings sang. I don't know whether any of the cousinship of my mother's generation inherited, but Shelagh in my generation and Emma (pictured - in black) in the next both struck lucky.

I'm rambling. It's late. Night-night.