Life in Devon

Wigneys Christmas Newsletter 2024 It's that time of year again! Here's our annual update. Mike retired at the end of April.  There was a huge leaving do for him and another retiring colleague - even the big boss from Bonn came, and there were colleagues from Prague and India as well as those who had left long ago themselves.  He was presented with a 6-month beer subscription, a large ships bell inscribed " ring for beer", a beer glass inscribed "the legend has retired"  (bit of a theme going on here!), a very generous Amazon gift card and a hat with the slogan "not my problem".  It all had to be brought home by him on the train too!        Ten days after retiring Mike was off on the annual canal boat ringing trip which he organises, which was somewhat eventful this year. He had planned to go to Cambridge - down the River Nene from Northampton to Peterborough, across the levels and up the Ouse and Cam to Cambridge. A...

 I finished this Hands cross stitch picture and framed it in time to give it to Carolyn for Christmas 2023 We rang handbells for half an hour before the Christingle service 2023. Mike conducted - Robert rang the accidentals. Sarah did a drawing of the handbell rehearsals - which made it on to the cover of the Ringing World towards the end of 2024. Linda came to stay between Christmas and New Year - we enjoyed some lovely walks on the moor, and her ringing skills were much appreciated on the tower outing and to help score a first QP for one of our locals. Roving Ringers reunion was based in Tewkesbury - and Mike got to ring at Pershore Abbey where the bells are rung from a cage high up in the roof.  All the risk assessments were done and permissions given by the Abbey authorities for the chair to be hauled up by rope, while Mike was carried up by Peter - they shut the public access doors while the chair was going up. So refreshing to have people in authority doing all they can ...