Keep Away Winter Weather

I've just arrived back home after playing a rehearsal for the Reception/Year One children's Nativity Play.

As my play script is liberally littered with cues for songs, music effects etc, I thought it would be a good idea to retype it and type my music cues on to the copy. It's only 4 A4 sheets of type so it doesn't take too long, and to be honest with everything typed up it is much more easy to follow!

I was about half way through doing this when Dot called me to the front bedroom window. This was what I saw.

It was a very dark sky with a rainbow protruding from the lower edge of the rainclouds.

I then went into our back bedroom and once again a peculiar sky caught my attention. This time there was a very watery and hazy sky with the sun trying its best to penetrate the sleet showers.

A couple of minutes later, the sleet shower had passed and there was much more daylight in the sky.

So far we have been very fortunate with the weather. There has only been some signs of wintry weather this last week, and that has been a drop in temperatures to around freezing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the snow stays off until after Saturday as I have a wedding to play for at Hazlewood Castle (near Tadcaster) which is about a 55 minutes journey from home.

 Hazlewood Chapel - (The organ is to the right behind the three candles)

Hazlewood Chapel - exterior

Hazlewood Castle. (The chapel is the building on the left.)

A Wedding at Hazlewood Castle Chapel

About a year ago, a friend of a friend, who is a vicar asked me if I would be willing to play some weddings for him, which he takes at both Rudding Park (near Harrogate) and Hazlewood Castle (near Tadcaster).

Today it was the turn of  Hazlewood Castle, which is situated just the Tadcaster side of the A1(M). If there are no traffic hold ups it takes me about 55 minutes to get there, so after the morning service, it was a quick trip home, grab a sandwich and then off post haste to Hazlewood Castle.

The approach to the castle is down a private mile long tree lined drive.....

The front of the castle is quite impressive, with a shrub lined flight of steps leading up to the door.

Whilst the view from the courtyard side is phenomenal!

The chapel where the wedding services take place is to the left centre of this view

The exterior of St. Leonard's Chapel

The interior of the Chapel

These were the decorations over the porch door way for the wedding I played this afternoon.

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