A Day of Two Halves

Wednesday July 28th

I am enjoying a well earned rest parked up in the drive where it is impossible to get out without moving other cars. Mary got into big trouble with Alan when she asked to borrow his key to get into my side door and broke it off in the lock. It was a dodgy key from the start, but he had been using it carefully. Fortunately it broke off where she had enough to pull the piece out. Then she managed to break the knob off the window opener on the driver’s side. Could be worse!

Patariki had a day out yesterday so he can tell his story.

It is really summery down here in Kent. Mary and Sue packed a picinic and with Alan, went to visit the Red House in Bexley Heath which was the home of William Morris. They had wisely rung ahead and booked a tour of the house for 12.30. Once again only a certain number of people are allowed into the house at any one time. This is also a National Trust property, so it was out with the Historic Places cards again.

This was great to see after having been to the Arts and Craft house in Blackwell where there had been a William Morris exhibition. This was the only house commissioned by Morris and has many of the original features and fixed items of furniture designed by him and his friend the Red House architect Philip Webb. The tour was interesting but the woman who took them around was irritating.

On the way there the Tom Tom took Sue down the tiniest lane that was very busy but only one lane wide with passing bays. A very large camper van had gone along it and was having to back up and shuffle past other cars. Even in a normal sized car like the one we were in it was like playing rubic cube. She had to gently squeeze past several cars to finally make it to the other end. Even Sue who drives these roads all the times was amazed at the difficulty getting through it and wondered why so many people were even attempting it. GPS perhaps???

After the tour they had lunch in the garden before returning home via Eylesford village. There were lots of children having fun with their families in a small stream alongside the village green. They nearly all had nets and were “pond skimming”. Apparently they were catching leeches and one child had put one on his leg to suck blood. Yuck!

At 4.30 the big people all set out for Croydon and left us little kiwis home to look after Hemi so Mary will have to tell you about the concert by the RAF Central Band at Fairfield Hall in Croydon.

The plan was to meet Hamish and Louise in Croydon for a meal at about 5.30 but on the way we got a text to say that had just arrived so it would be nearer 6.00 which was fine. We had allowed ourselves plenty time to get there and it paid off. Phil decided to drive right up on the forecourt of the concert hall and a kind man came over and said we could park there, right outside the front entrance and he would come and get the money in a minute. We were not sure what kind of money you had to pay for such a prime spot but decided to see if it was affordable. He said £4.50 for the whole evening and we said “Yes please!”

There was a very handy pub just across from the Hall so we went and booked a table for six. We had to go under the road and through the underground parking attached to the concert hall. We discovered that it was considerably more to park under there so felt very pleased with ourselves. We ordered Tapas ahead so that the food would be ready when Hamish and Louise arrived, as they were on a tight schedule. After they left we practiced speed eating desserts, and made it back over to the concert with 5 just minutes to spare.

This year is the 70th Anniversary since the Battle of Britain and the RAF are celebrating it with events throughout the year. The concert was part of the Royal Air Force Bands Anniversary Tour. The whole concert was themed with a narrator, lighting effects and audio clips of Winston Churchill, planes and guns firing. Hayely Westenra was the guest artist, and sang white Cliffs of Dover, Nightingale in Berkley Square, Oh Danny Boy, As Time Goes By, Pokarekare Ana, Abide With Me and We’ll Meet Again.

I had asked Hamish at dinner if he was doing anything special, and he said he might be, wait and see. It wasn’t a Squadronaires concert , but they did a tribute number to the Squads and Hamish popped up and played several trombone solos in it. Then the conductor walked off the stage, and the four trombones stood up, Hamish counted them in and they went off on a wild tangent that seemed to have nothing to do with the rest of the programme. It was never announced in any way, it just happened. It was called Trombones Number 5, an arrangement of Mambo No 5. They seemed to enjoy it and it went down well with the audience.

All the usual popular repertoire was in the programme as well, Battle of Britain March, Knightsbridge March, Pomp and Circumstance 4 and of course they finished with the RAF March Past at a cracking pace, that was so quick they could never have marched to it. (Perhaps they were in a hurry to get home) It all seemed to be over so soon, but not for Hamish and Louise who reminded us that they are in the middle of Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace this week so there is no sleeping in the next day.

Hamish popped out to say goodbye at the end.(If you have family in the audience you are relieved of packing up duties which he was only too happy to take advantage of) They also like a certain number of the band to interact with the audience at half time and at the end of the concert.