A Pillow Book

I wanted a blog to reflect my life and, as with most people, I do and am many things, decided to create a Pillow Book. It will have thoughts, ideas, observations and little snippets of my day to day life. So, thank you Empress Consort Teishi....... I bow to you and your great work and hope, in some small way, mine might be great too.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Simple Pleasures

Many words have been written over the past weeks commenting on how much our country has changed during the sixty years  the Queen has reigned.  Much has changed, at a speed greater than any preceding decades. But one thing that has remained a constant over all these years is the Fete. Be it run by schools, villages or churches the Fete is  much the same today as it was 100 years ago. Yesterday was our Church Fete, I happily took a friends two children, as she was busy with the cricket teas. Well, there was music in the church, the WI, Splat the Rat, Hook a Duck, Tombola, Pimms, teas and ices. The triumph of the afternoon, however, was the Teddy Parachute Jump from the Church tower. This was to commemorate the D-Day escapade of paratrooper, John Steele, who got caught on the tower of the church of St Mere Eglise (our twin village in France). All through the afternoon families arrived with teddies and home made parachutes. At three thirty the bears were hoisted up in a basket to the top of the tower where the vicar and helper threw them over the edge one by one. The tensions and excitement was palpable,  cheers, oohs and aahs rang out amongst the gravestones as the various stuffed creatures plummeted at great speed or gracefully descended gliding on the breeze. The total absorption on the faces of all that stood by that ancient tower was wonderful, it gladdened my heart to see that children can still be thrilled by the simplest of things, and, despite being bombarded with stimulants from the cradle,  be captivated by a teddy, a tower, a handkerchief and a game vicar. The British may continue traditions quietly but long may they remain, and I pray, that in another sixty years, the little boy holding his grandad's hand yesterday afternoon and wriggling with excitement  will, in turn, be holding the hand of his grandson and both will look up and wait for a vicar and a  teddy with a parachute made from a cotton handkerchief......

2 comments:

  1. As a child, I lived in Canada in the mid 50s. While there, I was fortunate to see young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip! Happy Diamond Jubilee to you!

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  2. Hello Nancy,
    A happy Diamond Jubilee to you also! I must say my little corner of Dorset looks beautifully festive right now, the Americans always fly their flags but we don't, maybe this will change now, I do hope so!

    Andrea x

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