Sunday.

This weekend an exhibition is being held in Saint Mary's Church, of local skills, crafts, hobbies and interests. After service this morning we had a ploughman's lunch in church with Hilary, John and Maud. Ann then pushed off to help friend Brenda with some plaiting (well, I'm sure that's what she said. I  may be told more later) and I stayed on and wandered round the exhibition taking photos. The above one is of a chap who collects and restores ancient motor cycles.

The above snap is of the produce of a couple of local lacemaking ladies.

Above snap is of a local man who, with his son, has made a lifetime's habit of collecting advertising ephemera. It now fills their home, so they were probably glad to take a double stall in church, and have a bit more space at home this weekend.

Model railway layout. Please do not worry, Sir Bruin. Not, in my view, a patch on Bearstone on the Wold.

Above, friend Roger, our local historian, who writes books on local history.  His pet subject is the history of bricks.

 Mike's stall (another Mike- not me) writes copper plate script (there's a name for it) and collects writing instruments.

 Philip's stall; he collects stamps and Wisdens.

Friend Ruth, above, studied at the Royal School of Needlework, and continues to produce (professionally) works of art like those produced below. Her stall was easily my favourite. She seems to me to have the  rare ability to get outside her own period, into another one, and produce the work of that period (if that makes sense- but I hope you will know what I mean).

Below is a photo of John, who was until recently, one of our Churchwardens. He is a very keen gardener, and has also recently taken up researching his family history, which he was showing on the screen in front of him.

I really don't have time or space to give anywhere near a full picture of the exhibition. My apologies to the jewellery makers, felters, painters, card makers, etc; and perhaps especially to the local man who makes radio controlled paddle steamers, of perhaps three feet long or so. We live in a small market town in South Suffolk, and the skills and crafts of my fellow townspeople I found quite incredible (and perhaps rather reassuring in an age of mass preoduction).
As I was leaving, a group of about twenty teenage usherettes .........? NO!................Majorettes - were strutting their stuff enthusiastically in a cleared area of the nave to POUNDING  pop music.  Our Dean, who seemed to approve of this, murmured to me as I passed him "I wonder if we could book them for a Sung Eucharist?"
I think he was trying to shock me...........