Beth's blog

I was sitting on the bus today and I came up with most of my article in my head. However, now that I have come home it has completely gone again! Of course! I have suddenly turned practical. I am beginning to scare myself. I even have a rain coat and waterproof boots and I don’t think I have worn heels to church for months! Be very impressed!!

January can be seen as a very depressing month and I have decided that throwing lots of information at you is not the way forward. So I am taking a different approach to this month. I want this article to be about looking forward to the New Year and to keeping positive thoughts in mind. This part of the article came from some song lyrics I that I heard the other day by a very talented young girl (only 12 but with the voice of a 20 year old):

“I’m sick of the rain.
I’m sick of the cloudy days,
I’m tired of dreariness,
I’m sick of the dark grey skies,
I’m sick of the gloomy eyes
Cheer up things will get better now.

And I hope that the sun shines today,
I hope that the storm gets washed away,
I hope that the sun shines today,
Just be happy things will be okay
I hope that the sun shines today.

Put a smile on your face,
Just turn that frown upside down,
Let’s all just have a good time”

This seriously talented young girl and I think it is really important to think of these lyrics if you are feeling down this month. I know they are not biblical or religious but there is a message in here that I think is really important. I know I struggle in January and I think that this is one way of keeping things positive. No matter what the situation is it is important to keep your chin up and keep soldiering on no matter what gets you down. The choir is always there and always smiling. We have just had an incredible Christmas season and we will continue to keep your spirits up in any way we can whether you feel you need it or not. The church is a family and the last year has been tough but we will get through it in any way we can. We always do!

One particular friend of mine is very keen to keep the spirits up this year and wants to get out there and meet people. I had a wonderful conversation with her at work the other day and was amazed at how strong she has been even though the last few years have been tough. Showing true church community spirit and community spirit full stop she wants people to rally together and get through the bad times together. It is important that we all stick together no matter what happens. This is what the church is all about!

Have a good month
With love from Beth and all the choir

Hello monthly readers!

1 January 2012

First things first – MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! There we go that is the first time I have said that and I feel a lot better for it. I really do hope that you all have a wonderful (snowy) Christmas from all of the choir. As I write, I have actually just got back from singing the first lot of Christmas carols at Parkwood Court – they seemed to enjoy it which is always a good sign! I have to say I love singing carols. They really bring everyone together and it is such a warm experience (unless you are singing outside of course then it is pretty chilly).

Whilst we are on the subject of Christmas carols I think it is time to announce the winner of the Christmas carol competition. Now, bare in mind that last year it was In the Bleak Mid Winter (which is both mine and the vicar’s favourite and it is a certain David Hawkins least favourite). The winner this month is Once in Royal Davids City (and again this is not fixed) closely followed by O Little Town of Bethlehem (which is David’s favourite so it is okay)! It is really interesting to see how different peoples taste in carols is. Some like the more traditional carols such as Hark the Herald whereas others prefer something slightly more upbeat such as See Him Lying in a Bed of Straw.

Another one of my favourite services of the year is the Advent Carol Service, which we have also just had. The choir had the privilege of having an extra in the choir for Dickensian Evening and for the Advent Carol Service, my friend Olivia Segal from Exeter. It was really lovely to share our service with her and she seemed to enjoy it – she even said she might come back! The weekend of the Advent Carols and Dickensian Evening is such a magical weekend, full of Christmas lights and PLENTY of Christmas trees. The church looked so incredible (and packed) and everyone did an amazing job. I have to say, singing out in the square was pretty cold!

One Christmas service that is certainly upbeat is the Christingle (that finishes the Christmas tree festival), possibly one of my favourite services of the year too! It is so lively, and slightly dangerous with small children and many candles, but brilliant fun. I was surrounded by all five of my junior choristers and I had my baby brother Theo balanced on my hip desperately trying to grab the candle which is very helpful. The music is interesting, quite different to what we are used to but it is definitely a chance for those members of the choir who come along to let their hair down with songs like Shine Jesus Shine and This Little Light of Mine.

Well I think I have thrown enough things at you for one month’s article so all that is left is to welcome Liz Webb to the choir. I have had the pleasure of having Liz seated beside me for the last two weeks and I think she seems to be enjoying it. She certainly seems to be getting the hang of it. I think Christmas is a very difficult time of year to start because we deal with a lot of music really quickly but is also a very enjoyable. We are all hoping that she will continue to sing with us after the festive season is over!

Have a wonderful month as always and fingers crossed for snow.

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 610335 With love from Beth and all the choir

Hello monthly readers

1 December 2011

How have you been this month? Looking forward to Christmas? I am getting quite excited now, singing lots of Advent music of course. It really is the most beautiful time of year – well excluding the rain which is becoming ever steadily more insistent. Think I might have to become a duck; definitely the way forward.

On a more serious note, I would like for this month’s article to take on a slightly different form. I want to dedicate this article to an extremely well loved member of our choir who was sadly taken away from us last month. I think it is important to look back over his years as a dedicated member of the choir. He was always there, always full of smiles and happy to see us all. He was simply a wonderful man. From my point of view he was the grandad of the choir and everybody loved him even more for it.

It was interesting being at his funeral because I found out so much about him that I didn’t know. For example, he was known to many as ‘Ben’ and not Cyril. He had a whole other part of his life that none of us knew about. All his friends were there and his family and it was a truly beautiful service. It was the first funeral I have ever been to but it really was a very moving service. Meeting his family made me see how truly loved he was and always will be. He will be incredibly missed by many people. I think I can speak on behalf of all of the choir in saying a very large thank you for all that Cyril did for the choir, and Morwenna too, we have beautiful anthem books to remember both of them by and we will treasure them.

Unfortunately this is not the only sad news from the choir and the church in the last few weeks. We also send our condolences to Paula and her family on the loss of her husband Alec, who will also be very sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all and we offer our support in any way that we can. This also applies to Tony Dunk who we wish a speedy recovery and again I speak for all members of the choir when I say that we really will do anything we can to help.

It has been a difficult few weeks for the choir but as always we will come out the other side of it full of smiles and enthusiasm for the music we sing. I knew Cyril very well and I knew Alec and therefore I know that they would not want us to stop what we do, we must keep our heads held high and sing as we always do in the build up to Christmas. I can also guarantee that Tony will be sat at home moaning at the lack of cheer in my article so now we will be joyful and look forward to Christmas. Getting very close now and I am getting very excited.

Competition time! Favourite Christmas carol again! I am afraid it’s got to be done. So get voting:

Away in a manger	Calypso Carol
Coventry Carol	Deck the Halls
Ding Dong Merrily on High	God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas	Hark the Herald Angels Sing
The Holly and the Ivy	I Saw Three Ships
In the Bleak Mid-Winter	It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Joy to the World	O Come O Come Emmanuel
O Come All Ye Faithful	O Little Town of Bethlehem
Once In Royal David’s City	Silent Night
While Shepherds Watched

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 610335 With love from Beth and all the choir

Hello monthly readers!

1 October 2011

Well I think it can officially be said that summer has given up now and autumn is most definitely here. I have been working all week so I am utterly exhausted but it is a good feeling! Oh and lots of money which is always helpful.

It has been quite an eventful month for my fellow head chorister and I as we were waiting for our GCSE results. A very nerve wracking time for us both but we got through it in one piece. Katie started a course in Child Development last week and I start an International Baccalaureate at Exeter College on Monday! Very exciting stuff. There are also lots of people in the community starting school and going into new classes and taking on new adventures. I still remember my first day of school like it was yesterday! There are of course (because my dad is a photographer) plenty of pictures of me in my little tiny green Winkleigh Primary School jumper and gorgeous grey pleated skirt posing in only a way that a 5-year-old can. First days of school are very nerve wracking but very exciting too so good luck everybody.

Unfortunately I don’t really have much to report this month as the choir have literally had their second rehearsal since the choir year has begun and I am already loving it. You don’t realise how much you love something until you don’t do it for a month. It took my voice a little while to warm up but we got there in the end. Zadok the Priest helped somewhat. I am really looking forward to getting stuck into some new music and of course the good old golden oldies that we love so well.

Now, I have had a few people asking where the hymn competition has gone and what is going to be replacing it and I (well Sean technically, but that is a minor detail) have come up with something to fill the gap. This will also be a bit of a test to see how many members of the choir actually read my page. So, the idea is that each month we pose a question related to the choir and their performance. For example, this month it will be ‘Which member of the choir looks like they are enjoying themselves the most’? All you need to do is keep an eye out for the chorister who has the biggest smile on their face when they are singing and let me know. It could get quite interesting.

Have a good month and get watching!

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 610335

With love from Beth and all the choir

Hello monthly readers!

1 September 2011

I am currently writing from sunny old Wingham in Kent where I have gone to the beach two days in a row! I have to say I am rather enjoying myself, but not the wait for my exam results. I want to wish everybody luck with their results, be it SATs, GCSEs or ‘A’ levels. It’s a nerve-wracking time but fingers crossed for everybody.

The choir have a month off now, to recover from the last academic year of singing and what not. Not that we need a rest we are just that brilliant! Although, it was nice to have a rest and let the Exon Singers take over for a bit. I am sure you enjoyed their visit just as much as usual. The vestry group have finished for the summer as well now, and I think I can safely say on behalf of all of us in the choir that it has been lovely to see our junior choristers be a part of that and not miss out on the knowledge that Alison can give them. They are becoming more confident in both their speaking at the end of the service and their singing. They are really coming into their own now and we are all beginning to hear their beautiful little voices. They, just like the other choir members, have choir practice on a Friday which is run by David (and I go along to be the bad cop who keeps them all quiet) and this seems to have really helped them have a bit more confidence – once they know a piece of music there is no stopping them.

We are currently gathering some information for a possible choir trip away to a twin church in Germany. Rita has been communicating with the church in Germany and we hope to be able to visit them next August (in our month off of course) which would give them a chance to hear some traditional English music and for us to hear how they go about their business on a Sunday. It is a very exciting prospect and hopefully we will be able to do it and learn something from it.

I am delighted to write that the church entry came third in the artistic category in the carnival. It was evident that a lot of thought and effort went into the float and it really paid off. We combined the churches this year, and it was interesting trying to work out all the little faces underneath their animal masks (if you didn’t see or hadn’t guessed the bible story we went for, it was Noah and the Ark)! We have Jess to thank for the arty bits like the clouds (and the dove) etc, Elizabeth to thank for organising it all and of course Nick for driving the tractor! The people we have to thank most are the animals/children, Noah and Mrs Noah and everyone who waved buckets and wore yellow t-shirts (I do not think I suit yellow one little bit but it was all for a good cause). I know there are many more people that helped out and I am sorry that I couldn’t mention everybody.

The choir have recently sung an evensong at Whitchurch, and although I was not there I heard it went down very well. I think the most exciting part of the whole affair was the buffet held in the Whitchurch Arms afterwards for the choir – everyone seemed quite excited. I was very sorry to miss the occasion – and singing the actual evensong of course!

I would like to say a very quick welcome back to Michael! It is absolutely wonderful to have you back and we have, of course, missed you immensely.

I have decided to give the hymn competition a rest for a little while – enthusiasm seems to be waning. If you have any suggestions for another competition then please do let me know. One idea, as this is meant to be a choir page, was that we did a choir hymn competition so we would all see what the choir’s favourite hymn of the month is.

Have a lovely month and enjoy the sun – while it lasts!

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 610335 With love from Beth and all the choir

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