The Depledge, Gates, White, Druett Family Get Together

About a couple of months ago the family were invited to a get together. The invite came from our god daughter Hannah. Hannah plays drums in a band, which meets at Clifton Village Hall (just outside Otley) and the get together had been booked into the village hall. The family get together had been organised by Hannah and her mum Judy. Below you can see my fellow blogger Barry showing what a super father he is!


Judy's husband Mike calls the meeting to order, aided and abetted with a soup ladle!

Barry and Vanessa's son, Jamie, and Hannah and David's son Oliver, enjoying a "party meal"

Jonathan, Rachel, and Mike in deep conversation, whilst Maggie, one of Judy's friends passes in the foreground.

Sylvia, another of Judy's friends, with her daughter in law and grandson.

Dave and Sylvia in conversation.


Hannah, our god daughter, and her youngest son enjoying a piece of pizza.

Competition at the piano from Sylvia's grandson!

Gary explaining a point, with Rachel in the centre!

Food Glorious Food!

The celebrations would not have been complete without the lighting and launching of some of Dave's Chinese Lanterns! He had a novel way to heat them up quickly. He had brought a Gaz stove with him and placed it under the balloon before lift off!

Unfortunately nobody had noticed in the dark, that there was a very tall tree in close proximity to the launch pad, and the end result of launch number one was a Chinese Lantern stuck in the tree! Luckily we didn't have to call out the local fire brigade......

John holding lantern number two, which we were told should not have been set off within 5 miles of an airport (we weren't sure how far Leeds Bradford Airport was), or within a kilometre of a road!

This was a successful launch. If you see any pilots reports of UFO's over Otley you might just know where they came from.......

We had a very enjoyable evening. Thanks for the invite!

A Doggy Day Out and a Visit to Hazlewood Castle Chapel

Hello There Doggy Friends! It's Ruby here bringing you an up to the minute report on the days outing!

Originally the Lord and Mistress of the house were planning on a day out, as is their usual habit, to go and visit Hazlewood Castle Chapel, because he is playing for a wedding there in May, but I passed the word round to a few of my friends and invited them to come and join me too.

Here (below) you can see me with Pixie, Raffie, Twig and Macey, all ready to go.




The first stop was at a Dog's Trust Centre near Collingham, then we went on to Hazlewood Chapel.

This is the East End of the Chapel

This is a view of the West End, which had a gallery.

We were not officially allowed to go into the chapel, but one of us managed a sneak view!

This is the Chapel from outside. We all went for a walk here whilst the Lord and master inspected the organ.

We then moved on to Wetherby, where the humans bought some sandwiches and crisps and drinks to eat for their lunch. Then we took the road from Wetherby to Harrogate, but stopped off for a walk down a country lane.

Raffie hadn't been used to walking on his lead, but I soon got him trained. Here he is enjoying a walk with Sarah. If you look to the left of the photo you can see me and Macey too.

When we got back to the car Raffie's Mum decided he would be hungry so she offerred him some food, but he didn't seem too interested in it.

I had found a nice tempting pond, and so I jumped into it, and was soon swimming in it.but I have to admit I was more than interested in the food that Raffie was being given!

Pixie, Twig and Macey seemed to be contented to watch all that was going on.

Four Funerals & A Wedding (or two)

Yes! You have read the heading right. It does say Four Funerals and A Wedding (or two). Let me elaborate.

This week I will have played for three funerals, and I have a further funeral to play for next Monday.

Listening to the eulogy at one of the funerals I discovered that the deceased was a former model, and had worked on various TV advertisements, including Birds Eye Fish Fingers and the Solvite advert where they covered a steam locomotive with wallpaper and stuck it on with Solvite, then drove it through a downpour, just to prove that Solvite still retains its "stickability".

You may recall that a few weeks ago I mentioned that I had to play for a wedding at Rudding Park Chapel (near Harrogate). See the two photos below...

Rudding Park Chapel

Rudding Park Chapel - Internal view looking towards the West Doors

As a result of playing for the wedding at Rudding Park, the vicar who took the service asked me if he could have my e mail and contact details because he had another wedding in the pipeline (at Hazlewood Castle (near Tadcaster) and he thought my services would be required at this wedding.

About a week ago I received an e mail from the bride-to-be requesting that I played for her wedding. Luckily for her, the date of her wedding was on the only Saturday in May that I didn't have a wedding to play for at my home church!

So during the next week or so I will be heading to Hazlewood Castle to reconoitre the Chapel (and the organ!)

Hazlewood Chapel - internal. Viewed from the balcony.

Hazlewood Chapel - internal

Calendar Girls

We made our annual pilgrimage to Leeds Grand Theatre last night (courtesy of Sarah & Greg's Christmas present) to see a production of Calendar Girls.

Not wishing to have to drive into Leeds (and no doubt having to find somewhere expensive to park) we did our usual, and supported the railway company! We parked at Bingley station and caught the train into Leeds, and then took a taxi to the Grand Theatre.

We had plenty of time before the show began, so we had a leisurely cup of coffee and Bronte biscuits in one of the theatre bars.

Calendar Girls came about because one of the members of the Cracoe WI had a husband who was visiting Skipton General to receive treatment for Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. An old setee in the waiting room was basically beyond repair, and Angela and the ladies of the WI decided that they would pay to replace it. In the meantime her husband died, but prior to this he had joked that they ought to do a nude calendar if they wished to raise money.

This they decided to do in his memory, and in the course of time have, to date, raised £3,000,000 for Leukemia Research!

Some of the original Calendar Girls - (known as Bakers Half Dozen) - Lynda Logan, Beryl Bamforth, Tricia Stewart, Chris Clancy, Angela Baker & Roz Fawcett.

Lynda Bellingham as Chris



Ruth Madoc as Marie the rather posh and snobby leader of the WI





Bernie Nolan as Cora - the church organist and Vicar's daughter




Lisa Riley as Ruth

The Calendar Girls in the current touring stage version

The stage version stays quite close to the original story, with some sad and poignant moments as well as lots of farce style humour.

Well worth a visit if you get the chance. (It is on until 19th March.)

A Day Out in Dent

Friday was our day trip day. We decided to visit Dent, which we hadn't visited for a goodly number of years. All I could remember of Dent was that it had a cobbled street, and that there was a memorial fountain dedicated to Adam Sedgwick, who was regarded as one of the founders of modern geology. We drove to Skipton and then took the A65 to Ingleton. Just through Ingleton near the turn off left to Lancaster and Morecambe is where you will find a building which has the words Country Harvest on it.

Country Harvest is a multi facetted shopping outlet. As its title suggests it sells "country goods." At the far end of the building is a restaurant which provides some excellent country food.

Dot decided to have the Tomato and Lettuce Soup, (yes lettuce - you didn't read that wrong!) followed up with Egg Sandwiches & salad garnish. I went for the Steak, Mushroom & Ale pie in a Yorkshire Pudding, with mashed potatoes and garden peas. Both meals were excellent, hot and filling. Do call there if you are passing and want something to eat! You will not be disappointed.



The section next to the restaurant is a Delicatessan, which stocks a huge range of Home reared meats, local speciality cheeses and all the trimmings.


My eye was caught by the display of Dent Brewery Beers on sale. Here (above) are ales called T'Owd Tup, Kamikaze ( popular strong ales)and Dent Porter.

Whilst on the shelf below were Aviator, Ramsbottom and Golden Fleece. All these ales are brewed in a micro brewery at Cowgill, which is the next village to Dent.Originally the beer was only obtainable from the Sun Inn in Dent. Eventually the Micro Brewery bought the George & Dragon in the centre of Dent as a"tap house" where their ales can be obtained from the cask.




Leaving the Country Harvest car park and crossing the busy A65 takes you on a narrow country road to the hamlet of Westhouse. Here you go through glorious, if somewhat lonely scenery throught Deepdale. The view above is of Deepdale.




As you get nearer to Dent you will discover that part of the road is still gated. This was the sign on one of the gates: Have a nice day. PLEASE SHUT GATE - COWS




Not too far from Dent we came upon this striking little waterfall.




We pulled into the car park in Dent, and the first thing we noticed was the rather irregular tolling of a single bell. We headed to the church, and discovered that the bells were being "tuned"


Dent Church is dedicated to St Andrew, and is obviously well cared for. Every plaque and memorial was spottlessly clean, and those of brass were positively gleaming.




Dent St Andrew - The Altar & East Window

I have previously mentioned Adam Sedgwick, and this is his memorial plaque in the church. Adam was born on 22nd March 1875, the third of several children of the then vicar of Dent. He spent his early life rambling through the countryside and collecting rocks and fossils.

He attended Sedbergh school and then entered Trinity College at Cambridge University. He studied mathematics and theology, and obtained a BA in 1808 and an MA in 1811. In 1810 he was made a Fellow, and in 1817 he took Holy Orders. In 1818 he became Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge. In 1829 he became President of the Geological Socitey of London, and in 1845 a Vice Master of Trinity College Cambridge.

The fountain in the photo below is dedicated to him.

Back to the bells....... They had very recently been returned from the Whitechapel Foundry, and at a Dedication Service the week before had been blessed by the Ex Archbishop of York (David Hope).



The newly returned bells before re hanging in the belfry.

It is something of a tradition to fill the smallest bell with beer (this was donated by the Dent Brewery!) and pint drinks are then taken from the bell and handed round.

Ex Archbishop David Hope dedicates one of the bells.

Dent Post Office and Village Store, which you will find outside the East End of the Church.

The Main Street in Dent

Looking up the Main Street. Note the Adam Sedgwick Memorial Fountain at the top of the street.

The Sun Inn - original supplier of the ales brewed by Dent Brewery.

Stone Close Cottage Tea Rooms. We had buttered scones here, and Dot had a brew called Winter Tea, which we suspect was home mixed. She tells me it had orange peel and all kinds of herbs in it. Dot says it was delicious.