Beckenham Ladies Choir Perform at Penge Congregational Church

It was indeed a grand night for singing, last night, at the Penge Congregational Church, where I joined the other ladies of the Beckenham Ladies Choir, to perform an Autumn Charity Concert.

The highlight of the evening, for me, and I am sure for most people, was the absolutely stunning performance of Chloe Meade, a seventeen year old violinist who played Slavonic Dance No2 in E minor - Dvorak in the first half of the programme, and treated us to It Ain't Necessarily So - Gerswin, in the second half.

Our conductor, Dorothy Webster Thomas, brought out the best in us, and Pam Robertson and Christian Strover were our accompanists on the piano.

All the profits from the concert will go to Beckenham Rotary chosen charities: Young Carers of Bromley, CASPA, Demeiza, Petts Wood Play Group, Phoenix, BAT, Maypole.

The next charity concert will be on Friday 13 December 2013 at 12.30 in St George's Church, High Street, Beckenham, and will be in aid of a local children't charity.

If you would like to join the Beckenham Ladies Choir, you will get further information by visiting this site:

www.beckenhamladieschoir.org 

And following that up, this morning, I played cello during the service at church. There was also a christening, so afterwards there was lots of cake and goodies. That lined our tums for a lunchtime pint in the Jolly Woodman, and then it was back to the luxury of central heating and a relaxing 'feet up' hour in front of the TV before both David and I buckled down to our writing again.

All in all, it has been a very pleasant weekend.

Now, I did promise a hint of what I got up to in Crete, so I hope this little video will give you a taster. I will put more photos up in the next few days.




Oh, I almost forgot, I went to Bromley market last Thursday and want to share some pictures that I took there. That's a job for tomorrow.

Have a good week readers, bye for now,
Love and Hugs,
Jane x

Wedding Bells to ring in Beckenham

Congratulations to James and Rachel, who surprised the congregation of the Methodist Church, on Sunday, when they announced their engagement. The wedding is planned for 31st May 2014, an event I am so looking forward to.

Now, I know I still haven't got round to telling you about my adventures in Crete, but I have to tell you about more recent happenings, first.

Well, no sooner was I back from Crete, than my friend, Mary, came to visit so that we could practice our music for this coming Sunday. We are going to play together, piano and cello, at a Christening service which is to be held at the Clock House Methodist church. We spent a lovely afternoon going through our pieces. 

Next came choir product on Monday evening. Only one more practice now before our concert on Saturday. Don't miss this Autumn Charity Concert of the Beckenham Ladies Choir. We are performing at Penge Congregational Church, High Street, Penge. Tickets are £7.50 on the door. All profits from this concert will go to charities supported by Beckenham Rotary Club: Young Carers of Bromley, CASPA, Demelza, Petts Wood Play Group, Phoenix, BAT, Maypole. So get out of that armchair and come and support us!

On Tuesday afternoon I hopped on a bus to Bromley, changed buses there, and got myself to the Ripley Arts Center for 2.30 p.m. It was the fortnightly meeting of the Shortlands Poetry Circle, of which, I am a member. This week we grouped together to read excerpts from long poems. I read from Omeros, by Derek Walcott, some people read T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland, and from the Four Quartets, there was a touch of Alice Oswald, The Dart, and other long poems. I must confess, I much prefer shorter poems, but I certainly admire and respect the work and artistry that goes into writing a long poem.

On my way home from the poetry group, I stopped off in Bromley to pick up a flip chart and an easel. It is all part of my upcoming talk that I am preparing to give (exciting stuff) in Greece, AND in Greek (Yikes!).

Anyway, more of that later. While I was in the Glades, I was stopped by a couple of customer support personnel, one of whom offered me a chocolate, and the other took my picture, they were Darren and Dee. We had a little chat, and I went on my merry way. A nice little interlude!

Now, it is Thursday, and David and I are going to take a little trip into town to buy our fruit and veggies. So, be patient with me, I promise to tell you about Crete, and what I am going to talk Greek about on my next trip. 

Take care dear reader, remember to do a good deed whenever you can, let love be your watchword, and we'll get together again soon.

Love and hugs,

Jane x

And don't forget, if you haven't read my book, Tears from the Sun - A Cretan Journey, now is the time to get your copy from Amazon. 

(Click on the above title)

Singing with Angels

Were you ever so happy that you just knew you were surrounded by angels? Well, that's how I felt last Saturday evening when I was in the church of St George, Beckenham. It was the occasion of a charity concert that had been organised by the committee of the Beckenham Ladies Choir. The church was full to standing (though extra chairs were brought in so that everyone had a seat), and boy, was that large audience in for a treat. The Ladies Choir was joined by the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir, and a young man, Oliver Wass, who played the harp. The male voice choir were absolutely fantastic, they were a hard act to follow, but of course, we ladies rose to the occasion. Music lovers watch out for Oliver Wass, he is extremely talented, and treated us to a brilliant performance. All profits are to go to provide stroke rehabilitation equipment at Hildenborough hospital.

 As you see, I snook a couple of pictures before the concert started. Here you see our lovely choir mistress opening the event.

I thought this photo surreal. Of course it is not a ghost! It does show off the inside of St George's
Church though.

Well, that was Saturday, and it is now Thursday, so what has happened in between? There was church on Sunday morning. I went to Clock House where Mary played organ this week, so I could relax and enjoy the service. There was also a little birthday celebration for her afterwards, which included a giant chocolate cake made by one of the congregation. It was mightily delicious. At 12.30 I met Jo and Jack in Beckenham, and together with Jack's other grandma and auntie, we went for lunch at Prezzio, an Italian Restaurant on the high street. I have to admit, after the chocolate cake, I wasn't too hungry, but I did enjoy a glass of white wine and a salad.

Monday was a busy day. First my little volunteer job at the coffee shop, then a visit to the medical center to get my prescriptions, I was told it took 48hrs, so to come back in a couple of days. I shopped at Sainsbury's and caught the 227 bus home. Cello practice came next, and then I was off again, this time to Penge to the regular choir practice. We were given new music for our next concert in October,

Poetry Please! (as they say). I have joined the Shortlands Poetry Circle, and was extremely well received by the other members. This week we had researched the lives and poems of Miroslav Holub,  Anna Akhmatova, and C P Cavafy. Everyone read two poems which they had chosen from the works of these three poets. I was asked to read Cavafy's Ithaca in Greek, I think it upped my street cred. It really was a wonderful afternoon. So that was Tuesday.

Cello lesson yesterday was exciting, as I learned some new stuff. I am very happy with my new teacher, and she has asked me to a concert at Kings Hospital, London, next week, where she will be playing with her friends. So, another adventure to look forward to.

And today, I am going to put together a small collection of my poems, and try to make a little pamphlet to take to Middlesbrough at the end of the month, for the Literary Festival, and the 50th birthday celebrations of Marton Library. I've got quite a busy life, I haven't time to worry about the weather, which by the way, is a little grey, but we make our own sunshine, don't we?

Have a lovely weekend my friends, may the angels watch over you.
Love Jane x

Roll Out The Barrel in Beckenham

 I did make a video, but can't get it to stick to the page. I'll fathom it later.

Residents of Abbeyfield

Mary at the piano

Happiness in the Jolly Woodman

Meet Valentino

What a wonderful day I had yesterday. As you can see from the pictures, the morning sing-a-long was an excellent warmer upper for the concert which took place in the afternoon. After a pub lunch with my friends, I joined members of the Beckenham Ladies Choir at another retirement venue, where we sang for an hour or so. It was good practice for our up coming concert on the 8th June, at St George Church, Beckenham.

Today I spent the whole morning at the Medical Center, where I had to see the doctor about my little stomach problem. (Or should I say BIG stomach). Anyway, it turns out that my hiatus hernia is causing most of the problems, so pills prescribed for that, and there could be a glitch with my pancreas. So, a few more tests to eliminate any other cause of worry. I weighed in at 10st 8lbs, so I'm not exactly wasting away, and I am happy to be getting rid of the fat. (Oh, I hate that word).

As a little treat I took myself off to Bromley this afternoon, and did a bit of high street shopping. I bought a pair of navy blue trousers. There was this fabulous linen jacket, in Zara's, but it was about seventy pounds, so reluctantly I passed on it. It was a powerful red color. Very me! I bought fresh strawberries instead. Then I went to M&S and bought duck and orange pate, and a jar of cranberry and port sauce, the clothes there didn't do it for me, as they say. And I returned on a very school-children-packed bus (227), standing the whole way. Who cares though, I love that little 227.

Now I am having a lovely cup of tea, and psyching up to doing my cello practice before it gets too late. I don't want to disturb the neighbors.

So, bye for now, keep smiling, and log on again soon for further adventures. I feel a barbecue and a fun run (walk) coming on! Well, what are weekends for?

Love and hugs,
Jane x

Jane's Local, The Jolly Woodman

This is the little pub just down the road from where I live. It is said to be the best pub in Beckenham. Well I won't argue with that. What a great place it is, friendly, full, and for me, the ideal place to imbibe at the end of a very busy week.

Tomorrow, I will meet my daughter, Joanne, for a lunchtime pint. I feel I've earned it this week what with blogging, video making, writing, music practice, and little bus journeys here and there.

This morning I had a voice test with the choir mistress of Beckenham Ladies Choir. That seemed to go well, and I will be singing in the concert at St George Church, Beckenham, on 8th June. I'm looking forward to that, especially as it is a joint concert with the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir. You can't beat a bit of Welsh for good voices - I hear there will be a touch of 'You'll never walk alone,' It is a charity event and you can get a ticket either at the door (7.30 p.m. start) or else from the Beckenham Bookshop on the high street.

And now I'm going to sign off, take a peep at what my Face Book friends are up to, then make a nice cup of tea. That should bring me nicely to Alan Bennett's History Boys, my little TV treat of the night.

Do tap me on the shoulder and say hello if you are in the Jolly Woodman tomorrow lunchtime. Whatever you are doing this coming weekend, have a good one, and don't forget to spread a little happiness wherever you can.

Love Jane x