10th May 2025
The gorgeous countryside rolled past our coach windows - hedges laden with hawthorn, fields of wheat and barley (doing ok but in need of rain), lambs and ewes and drystone walls. We were en route to Cirencester, to one of the most beautiful Cotswold churches in this beautiful town - to sing! And once we'd arrived and settled in, we mingled with the two other choirs from Bristol and Oxford. We sang, and they sang, we sang together. And after a short break - for coffee, visiting the market, looking at the public gardens beside the church - we sang some more. Lunchtime was for picnics in the sun, chatting and browsing, and then we practised again as the excitement mounted for our public performance. As the hour approached, people started to wander into the church and sit down, probably not quite sure what they were going to hear. Then we sang our hearts out and the audience clapped and cheered and whooped, and our brilliant choir leaders persuaded us all to take a bow. 
Thanks to John Pettit for the words and Kathy Goldsmith for the photo.