Roving Ringers week
The Roving Ringers tour this year was based in St Neots - and was the shortest yet! It lasted from Saturday 30 July to Thursday 4th August because the accommodation couldn't be booked for the weekend and the organiser couldn't find anywhere else. Mike offered to help but his offer was not taken up. However he did organise a few towers around West London for those wishing to continue to the end of the week - and offered accommodation at our house! Penny B came to stay which was nice - she was very appreciative of my porridge.
Having got back from Butlins the previous day, the plan this year was to pack Mike up in the car and then drive myself down to Devon to pick up Suki. Mike was giving Louise Palmer a lift, so she would be able to unpack him and the bike at the other end and then we would do the whole thing in reverse at the end of tour. So I didn't actually participate in any of the tour this year. Mike thoroughly enjoyed it - there were some very long days but as he was still very fit from his cycle ride to Paris they didn't cause him too much angst and he found he was keeping up with all but the fastest of the other cyclists.
It took me 5 hours to get to Devon - mainly because of the holiday traffic. The M5 was solid from the junction with the M4 and I was very glad I didn't have Suki with me. It was good to see Jayne again - and we took advantage of not having Suki to worry about to go to Sidmouth for the afternoon on the Sunday for the folk festival. It was really good - we got there just in time to see Roy's morris group dancing on the promenade - and we enjoyed being able to amble around and into the various pubs and other venues. We even had lunch in a pub, and also sat in the "jamming" pub for a while - getting a table and reasonably service in both places even though they looked completely packed out from the outside.
While we were there we got tickets for the Oyster Band on the Wednesday night. Actually it was Oyster 3 (ie half the band) - but it was the best 3 including the lead singer who has a wonderful voice. They were really great and I was completely hooked having not seen them before - apparently the full band is a lot noisier! Unfortunately we had to endure an hour of an old folk singer who quite clearly was past his best - straining to reach the higher notes - with quite an odd choice of songs (his encore was "Sleepy Joe"!!). He was a wonderful guitarist, and everyone on stage including Oyster 3 seemed to have known him for over 30 years - so obviously he has been around a while! I think his name was Robin someone.
Lee and Emma brought Suki back on the Monday - and she wasted no time in making herself at home.
I had to go back to London on the Thursday to "unpack" Mike when he got back from Rovers, so it was only a short trip again this time. The journey back was much smoother with no hold ups.
Having got back from Butlins the previous day, the plan this year was to pack Mike up in the car and then drive myself down to Devon to pick up Suki. Mike was giving Louise Palmer a lift, so she would be able to unpack him and the bike at the other end and then we would do the whole thing in reverse at the end of tour. So I didn't actually participate in any of the tour this year. Mike thoroughly enjoyed it - there were some very long days but as he was still very fit from his cycle ride to Paris they didn't cause him too much angst and he found he was keeping up with all but the fastest of the other cyclists.
It took me 5 hours to get to Devon - mainly because of the holiday traffic. The M5 was solid from the junction with the M4 and I was very glad I didn't have Suki with me. It was good to see Jayne again - and we took advantage of not having Suki to worry about to go to Sidmouth for the afternoon on the Sunday for the folk festival. It was really good - we got there just in time to see Roy's morris group dancing on the promenade - and we enjoyed being able to amble around and into the various pubs and other venues. We even had lunch in a pub, and also sat in the "jamming" pub for a while - getting a table and reasonably service in both places even though they looked completely packed out from the outside.
While we were there we got tickets for the Oyster Band on the Wednesday night. Actually it was Oyster 3 (ie half the band) - but it was the best 3 including the lead singer who has a wonderful voice. They were really great and I was completely hooked having not seen them before - apparently the full band is a lot noisier! Unfortunately we had to endure an hour of an old folk singer who quite clearly was past his best - straining to reach the higher notes - with quite an odd choice of songs (his encore was "Sleepy Joe"!!). He was a wonderful guitarist, and everyone on stage including Oyster 3 seemed to have known him for over 30 years - so obviously he has been around a while! I think his name was Robin someone.
Lee and Emma brought Suki back on the Monday - and she wasted no time in making herself at home.
I had to go back to London on the Thursday to "unpack" Mike when he got back from Rovers, so it was only a short trip again this time. The journey back was much smoother with no hold ups.
