the pantomime – the last three were completely sold out. I miss
it already: I miss the opportunity to laugh, I miss the camaraderie, I miss the
silly, slapstick humour and I miss the lively community singing – all so
different from church. I don’t miss the awful costumes (why am I wearing a shower cap?), or trying to remember my
very few lines or the nerves before each performance. I don’t suppose the
Rector@6 will miss the custard (foam) pies or the song and dance routines. It
has been a great experience to meet regularly with a group of people who
stretched in age from eight years to much older! Each performance ended with supper
and a warm invitation to the audience, to join the drama group for future
productions. This is where we began in
the parish exactly a year ago. At the end of our first week in the Rectory we decided to go to see the pantomime that was
advertised – our first venture out into the village. Nobody knew who we were
and we didn’t recognise anyone but we really enjoyed the show and had a very
much needed laugh. We never imagined that we would be taking part in the
pantomime a year later!
We will be glad to see the back of January and February.
They have been a madly busy pair of months – with the confirmation service, the
pantomime and emptying our Devon cottage so that our tenants can move in this
week. And then the rain keeps coming and the flooding keeps returning –
allowing no respite for those who have been already flooded. The water drains
out of the houses and then it rains and the water returns. We are safe but
across the road, the drains have not coped and the thatched cottages have
flooded. The septic tanks overflow into the road. The river (that has been dry
all summer) has not been able to cope with the volume of water and has flowed
over its banks and through houses and gardens. On Saturday morning, yet another
cottage was flooded when a tree blew down in the overnight storms. The tree
fell across the stream and diverted the water through the nearest cottage. It
wasn’t until morning that villagers were able to help clearing the water. The
Rector@6 joined a group of men to move the tree from the stream. This involved
chainsaws, ropes and two tractors – which would have been very exciting- if it hadn’t
been for the chaos the water had caused in the cottage.
The same storm affected the phone line to the Rectory – so
no internet, emails or telephone calls. What a difference it makes to rectory
life. The Rector@6 isn’t creeping off to listen to answer machine messages (we try to ignore calls that come in at meals times). He doesn’t have to
check his emails every hour to stay on top of them - because there are none. He
can’t carry out research on the internet, so books have to come out and we can
sit in the same room – but it does mean he can’t indulge in looking at narrow
boats on the internet and dreaming! It is beginning to get a little frustrating
when people’s contact details are all stored on computers. I can’t get the
local news sheet finished or catch up with this blog. We don’t know how long it
will take to restore the line. It must be frustrating for people who, unaware
of our predicament, leave messages on the answer phone which we can’t listen
to. Today we are visiting a friend who is still connected to the outside world
so that we can catch up with some of our tasks.
We are becoming fully integrated into village life and
letting our Devon cottage is an important step to settling here. I can feel we
are moving onto the next stage and it is all about choosing the right attitude.
I still find church life quite difficult – but it’s all about my attitude. Life is incredibly busy – which is good - but
the Rector@6 and I must learn to play a bit more. I have had great
opportunities to help with horses and consequently, I have had more riding than
I have ever had before. It’s not Dartmoor - but it is pretty good. I was able
to drag the Rector@6 away from his work on his birthday and took him riding on
some magnificent horses – what an amazing experience! A year ago I would never
have guessed that I would be helping with horses on such a regular basis. I
really do believe that Someone is looking after me.
So enjoy your postings having grown up in rectories and then raised three children in them. Often my father and then later my husband had to miss children's concerts, plays, games, and family mealtimes. It is hard, goodness knows. You sound wise and resilient. So glad you have the horses - they are probably good listeners. Take care of yourselves, you and the rector.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a different life to the one I expected - I have to say I am quite glad that our boys were adults before we ventured down this path.
DeleteGosh, you have been busy, some of the busyness good and enjoyable and some of it horrible. So sorry your village has been badly affected by the storms. The effects are going to take a long time to be put right.
ReplyDeleteIs it already a year since you moved to Dorset? It's been a huge adjustment, so iIm glad you feel it's starting to work for you.
A whole year it is! Not sure it is working at the moment but...that varies from day to day!
DeleteLife has taken over for you!! I have followed the path of those dreadful storms with horror. The force of nature leaves mankind in turmoil.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely you have the horses ... a break from 'work'.
Thank goodness for the horses!
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