Turbulent weather messes up plans

We are not having the best of weather this weekend! There was heavy rain in the small hours of Sunday morning and although it brightened up (temporarily) at breakfast time there was a quick return to the wet stuff allied to a very strong wind. All of this knocked my carefully laid plan for today sideways. I had arranged a walk for our local history group in the Minions area of Bodmin Moor led by Dave, a professional archaeologist and topographical historian, who I reckon understands the landscape of the area as well as anyone out there. But weather is absolutely critical at this location and what we have experienced today has certainly vindicated the decision to call off the walk first thing this morning. Now I used to be pretty lucky when organising outdoor events but seem to be jinxed regarding this particular walk - this is the third year of asking and each time it has been diabolical on the day! Previous to that, in 2006 it must have been, Dave led a walk in the same locality on what proved to be a perfect summer day weatherwise and this second walk was intended to complement the earlier one but I'm wondering if we will ever make it!

Just in case anyone might think I'm moaning I have to say that nobody is losing money on this postponement except perhaps 'The Hurlers Halt' at Minions where we would have enjoyed a cream tea. Contrast my situation say with those organising a village fete for good causes. If they have a washout then that can play havoc with their finances. So for me and fellow potential walkers a little frustration today but nothing worse.

Yesterday was again very breezy with some showers but luckily between 12.30 and 2.30 it was dry. Why those times so important? Well the 'Rubber Band' (formerly known as 'The Calstock Rubber Band' were in attendance at Morwellham Quay, the latter hosting a food and craft festival over the weekend. I would normally go there anyway to enjoy the music but out of the blue a few days before Rosie had popped the question "Would I like to play the tea chest double bass with the band?". Well "yes" and "thank you very much" after I had recovered from the shock. This 'instrument' is normally played by Mike but his job often precludes him from playing on a Saturday afternoon. Yours truly duly turned up with a red 'L' plate dangling around his neck and I have to say that I enjoyed the experience and am grateful for the rest of the band for accepting me!! I wouldn't for a moment judge my small contribution as being immaculate but I guess I had the advantage of being quite familiar with that part of their extensive repertoire that they played yesterday and this helped to settle my beginner's nerves! Although under a roof we were open to the elements on three sides and with the wind whistling through there was much use of clothes pegs to retain music to stands.

So a two hour slot for us in the festivities with a short refreshment break in the middle. But, and here is a problem I've noticed before, the time allocated to us meant that the first half was played to a very small audience and that it wasn't until we got into the second session that the numbers of listeners started to grow. The Rubber Band are really noted (unintentional pun) for their very lively bouncy music and it is always great to see audiences react to this. A good time had by all I reckon.

Traditional events welcoming summer

Early May in Cornwall sees traditional events associated with particular communities welcoming in the summer. Two of these - Padstow's 'Obby 'Oss Day and the Flora Dance down west at Helston - are known the world over. I have to admit that I didn't go to either of these this year, I have been to Padstow for the First of May celebrations before but have yet to watch the Flora Dance which takes place on the eighth i.e. today. They were blessed with dry weather as indeed we were for the May Day Revels last Monday evening at Calstock. I explained what goes on with the Calstock event when I wrote about it 12 months ago. See here. This time we omitted the follow up in the Tamar Inn with its music and singing but instead enjoyed the walk back home through the flower bedecked lanes. As to the 'Revels' themselves we followed the Giant through the village whilst playing the traditional revels music. This time I was given something to blow, not sure what it's called but it is a whistle shaped object (thanks for the loan Jean!). I have a feeling my notes were a little flat at times, or possibly most of the time, but hopefully in the general cacophony of sound that wasn't too noticeable! Although members of 'The Rubber Band' lead the music it is open to others to join in the merriment. After the procession reached the Quay it was straight on with the children dancing around the maypole, the acting out of a mummers play and then the Giant going off down river in a boat never to be seen again. (Well not quite true the last bit - he always mysteriously appears the following year!)

The atmosphere for this event is quite, quite brilliant. It really does bring the whole community together in just the way it should. What an absolute pleasure to have been there!

Best laid plans don't bear fruit

I had it all worked out for today ... there was a 'Community Rail Festival' taking place at Plymouth Station with my friends in 'The Rubber Band' playing there from 10.30 till 12.00 approximately. My plan had been to take the 7.42 train in from Gunnislake and then spend a couple of hours or so in the big city going to 'The Hoe' and doing a little bit of clothes shopping. Back to the station to hear the first hour of the music and then taking the 11.30 back towards home, but stopping off at Bere Ferrers at the railway heritage centre there for a couple of hours and then resuming the train trip to get home mid afternoon. That was the scheme anyway. Having made the special effort to be up earlier than usual to walk up to the station I duly arrived there to find that my train into Plymouth had been cancelled due to a signalling problem somewhere down the line (later I found out that said problem was at Keyham - for the last part of our branch line journey we have to 'mix it' with the main line trains). Must have been embarrassing for the organisers although I gather that the problem got sorted before long.

Now I must admit that one of my failings is that of not having a 'Plan B', well not in this instance anyway! The upshot was that I enjoyed the superb weather in my garden instead getting some very useful and necessary work done. A spy, well a particularly close friend who is a member of The Rubber Band, told me that their music was extremely well received and with favourable comments from the bigwigs attending it seems that a jolly good time was had by all.

Reverting to the signalling failure for a moment I have to say that it is great to have a push button information link at Gunnislake whereby a voice will give you a message as to any problem with that train service. I assume that this facility is at all unmanned stations so that you are not left completely in the dark if your train doesn't turn up when it should. Although obviously frustrating today for me I do nevertheless get the impression that reliability continues to improve. Just such a shame that this blip was today.

Morwellham Country Fair

After the nasty weather of Saturday there has been some respite and yesterday (Sunday) turned out to be a half decent day. This was fortuitous as a country fair had been organised by the folk at Morwellham Quay. There is a considerable amount of land there in their ownership and it was possible to hold the fair in a good sized field separate from the main heritage activities. I had thought they had run this event before but evidently this was my imagination as I was told that this was definitely the first of what it is hoped will be an annual event. The organisers were rewarded with a good response in terms of spectator numbers even though there hadn't been a lot of advertising. It was definitely the sort of event that suited Morwellham, nothing over the top, just a pleasant day out for a family, or individuals come to that. Heavy horses, ferret racing, a sheepdog rounding up ducks, a bouncy castle, dog competitions (well done 'Gypsy', your proud owner must have felt like an Olympic champion collecting the rosettes), various stalls, these were some of the activities going on.

Oh, I almost forgot, 'The Rubber Band' were there to entertain as well. Following an earlier occasion this year at Morwellham when the band got a soaking they quite reasonably asked to be placed under cover this time round. So they found themselves in a fairly large gazebo at the top of the field, right next to the person doing the hot dogs, it's a wonder they didn't play 'Smoke gets in Your Eyes'! Even with the gazebo they had there wasn't a lot of room to spare and if the two or three other members who weren't able to come had been there I think that there would have been quite a squeeze.

The organisers had repeated a mistake that I must admit I had made not so long before at a different event. This was not providing any seating for those who wanted to specifically listen to the music, without anywhere to sit there is a tendency to just drift past They had thoughtfully deposited some hay bales around the periphery of the main events ring in the time honoured way but not near the band. I shall have a quiet word with someone to rectify this before next year's event!

Excellent rendition of Tico-Tico

Tico-Tico is a super tune and this video of it being played by a flute quartet is quite amazing. Now I wouldn't normally go for a piece where there is four of one instrument and no others but this is something else - technically it seems well nigh perfect and the balance between the four of them is excellent. This very light and fast version of the tune was arranged by the gentleman flautist in the quartet, what an amazing job he has done!

I had mentioned on a previous blog post about hearing this infectious music at a concert by 'The Calstock Singers' and 'Under the Fingers'. In that instance the tune was led by Nicola on the Xylophone and it absolutely blew the audience away! Now I'm pleased to say it is being added to the repertoire of 'The Rubber Band' so one or two other instruments will be added to the mix but still I understand with the xylophone leading the way. It's not just that The Rubber Band love energetic music but their players have a terrific sense of rhythm and this one should go down a treat. Although Cornish folk music is and hopefully always will be the mainstay of their playing they have taken to including a good deal of jazz in their performances and it's really good that they are widening their horizons even more.

Hopefully Tico-Tico will be on the menu when The Rubber Band play at the Gunnislake Festival on August 2nd (and hopefully the weather will be better than today!)

Cotehele Quay and Morwellham events

We have a quite amazing but relatively little known heritage here in the Tamar Valley. Some money is now coming in to encourage people to see and understand what the area is all about and this weekend I was invited to events at two local venues. On Friday evening I went to Cotehele Quay for a preview of the extensively revamped little museum there which now is 'The Cotehele Discovery Centre' no less. Whilst Cotehele House can fairly be described as "the jewel in the crown" so far as the larger estate is concerned the area of Cotehele Quay has a particular resonance for me. The museum has been there for some years now relating the story of that bit of the Tamar and the industries that are round about. But it was in serious need of updating and I have to say that the National Trust have done a sensitive and high quality job with it. I found myself involved with a focus group during the time the redesign was taking place and thanks to much hard work by Rachel, the coordinator, in particular it has all come together for the opening to the public over the weekend.

That was Friday. On Saturday morning I joined a number of others in testing out one of a series of trails that the Tamar Valley AONB are putting in place to make the local area more accessible to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. This one was mainly in woodland and everybody seemed to agree that the way marking was quite confusing. A certain number of changes will take place before officially opening to the public. Then it was on to Morwellham on the Devon bank of the Tamar for the reopening of the restored Great Dock there. A number of civic dignitaries attended to make their speeches but unfortunately just as they started we had a heavy shower. Prior to the official bits 'The Rubber Band' were able to squeeze in a couple of pieces but then had to hurriedly cover their instruments as the rain came down. After lunch the band were able to play under cover and for much longer in another part of this large site and it was fascinating to watch some of the visitors there toe tapping to the lively music, I don't think they could quite believe their luck having the chance to listen to a live band all for free! The weather wasn't bad after that shower at one o'clock but why did the rain have to choose just the moment it did to drench everyone?

Time was when you had to pay a fairly substantial entry fee to visit Morwellham which was quite off putting for families. Now it is open access although quite reasonably you have to pay for some of the activities available and I believe a car park charge of about £2 is on its way. There is a new version of their website here. To intending visitors I would suggest putting aside most of a day to see Morwellham properly particularly if you are going to walk the nature trail as well; it is a very special place.

Revelling in the May Revels at Calstock

On Monday we went to the Calstock May Revels. Centrepiece of the activities is the procession through the village led by a very friendly giant with children dancing and musicians playing. Later in the evening the giant boards a boat to sail down the Tamar to we know not where. In front of the village hall some of the village's children performed a mummers play and a little later in the evening it was into the Tamar Inn to enjoy Cornish music and songs led by the Rubber Band and friends. There was also some Cornish dancing and non Cornish music as well. One of the highlights for us was Jack's impeccable rendition of "Here's to the Barley Mow" after a drink or two!

I have to say that for someone such as myself very sensitive to traditional events in local communities paid entertainment provided by highly rated professionals just doesn't compare to what we enjoyed. Although rain had threatened the weather was good for the procession and play and with the tide right in Calstock was looking at its very best.

Annual events like this one and Obby Oss day at Padstow strike a strong emotional chord with me. Next year I must try and get some photos, words simply can't describe the fantastic atmosphere that evening.

Calstock's Roman Fort and Rubber Band

A few days ago, last Tuesday to be exact, saw us have a very interesting and enjoyable evening at two vastly different events. First up at 7 o'clock was the annual meeting of Calstock Parish Council where one gets the opportunity to hear a review of what that council has done and hopes to do. I have to own up and say that this hasn't always been a port of call for me but what really enticed us to go was the inclusion of a talk in the proceedings. It was the end of last January that saw me write a piece on the discovery of a Roman fort near the Parish Church (in fact I believe I was the first person to put that information into the public domain) and the aforementioned talk was on the subject of the fort and given by historian Peter Claughton and archaeologist Chris Smart. So far it is very much a case of 'work in progress': we should know a lot more when they come back to Calstock at the end of May. The Parish Council found that they had a bit of surplus money and, I'm very pleased to say, have made a donation to our friends from Exeter University for the furtherance of their work. We were very pleased about this and hope there is plenty more to discover about the Roman occupation at Calstock.

This meeting was held at Albaston. It was only a few minutes drive from there down into Calstock itself and the Tamar Inn to enjoy the enthusiastic playing of 'The Rubber Band'. When they play at Calstock and Gunnislake each month one can never be sure who is able to come and their last pub gig was very much down on numbers but still enjoyable. This time though they were well into double figures and on top form.

In my earlier piece today I had hinted about trying not to get be too narrow in ones interests. On this particular evening we had gone from a Roman Fort to traditional Cornish music which I think is quite a contrast!

100 years of our branch line

Following on from my entry of last Thursday we duly had the continuation of the celebration of the centenary of our branch line over the weekend. Fortuitously the opening of the complete line in 1908 was on March 2nd meaning that Sunday was the correct day thus enabling plenty of people to join in the fun. Inevitably with a packed weekend of events there was much I missed including the various activities on the Devon side at Bere Alston. I was pleased though to see the plaques unveiled at Gunnislake and at Calstock on Sunday morning and with 'The Rubber Band' (who else?) providing suitable music at each of these two stations.

There were substantial crowds of people at each occasion with much cheering when the train pulled in. At Gunnislake a donkey from the local donkey park turned up complete with panniers containing daffodils. There was also a box of open daffodils packed in the way they used to be and this was put on the train, a reminder of the thousands of boxes despatched on this line in the old days. Several people, particularly the ladies, came in period dress and I was persuaded to wear a blazer, white shirt and tie to which was added a colourful waistcoat, pocket watch and chain (thanks Ian!). Although the weather forecast had been somewhat dubious a few days before we actually got away with a dry day. Just as well for the musicians especially - we had a cunning backup plan to bring in a couple of gazebos if necessary for the band but I never had to activate this thank goodness!

In the afternoon I looked in on the exhibition at Calstock Village Hall where in addition to the Calstock Parish Archive the Callington Heritage Group and Stoke Climsland Parish Archive also put on displays. All three organisations did very well I thought with their information.

Back to 'The Rubber Band' for a moment. Although I thoroughly enjoy their get-togethers each month in the local pubs they are inevitably limited on those occasions by who is available to turn up. The result is that they don't always have the balance of instruments to get the ultimate sound. Not a problem for me, they are incredibly versatile and you can still get great pleasure from the way they play. But on Sunday with pretty well all members there including the three brass players the blend was absolutely superb and the quality of music out of this world. Apart from the instrumental stuff there was some singing including our Cornish National Anthem 'Trelawney' with banners aloft spelling out the words so no excuse for not joining in!! A footnote here: 'The Rubber Band' have just recorded their first CD! Not available yet but I look forward to reviewing it in due course!

Full time music can be irritating

Right. Time to be a one of the grumpy old men. A cottage not far from mine is having its roof sorted out by the sound of it judging by the banging going on and also the presence of the local roof specialist's trucks. I'm assuming this because the cottage concerned is down a little side track not readily visible from this spot because of the volume of vegetation twixt them and me. Now the banging of course is unavoidable, building work just is a noisy activity, but it seems that builders like many others today can't function without the obligatory musical accompaniment. And it's not just tradesmen repairing a house, even some of the relatively small shops in nearby Tavistock pump out this supposed music while you are there - the 'Superdrug' store was a culprit when I visited to get some toothpaste the other day. The sort they play is the least melodic imaginable with words that can't be understood. Is it purely for the benefit of the young shop assistants I wonder? Whatever it's irritating and I can't wait to get out!

Now I've blogged before about the never ending cacophony of sound that one receives at times. And this is where I come to what I consider to be a key need in life, and that's 'contrast'. As I have said before in these ramblings I'm very fond of music. However I'm also passionate about the joy of silence. What I'm trying to say is that when the mood dictates I love to listen to music and when I say listen I mean listen properly. And the contrast with times of silence is a factor that makes music special. Again when music is being played exchanging a few words once in a while is just about OK but having a protracted conversation with someone is not something I like to do.

In a nutshell for me at least I'm happier when I concentrate on a specific activity and that activity becomes even better when it's in marked contrast to others. This concentration thing applies to walking as well as I normally prefer to either walk alone or with a single companion with a shared interest. If with a party of ramblers one inevitably is socialising with someone to be friendly (nothing wrong with that of course) but it dilutes ones appreciation of what is around you at the time. For many people today their day to day lives are too much of the same, not enough contrasts and this is partly why they get so desperate for that fortnight in Tenerife!

Reverting to music I had another 'fix' yesterday evening when once again I went to listen to the 'Calstock Rubber Band' who I've praised before. I shared the pleasure with American friends of mine in the village who seldom miss the opportunity to listen to this vibrant music and this time they brought with them another American couple (long time friends staying with them). Our amiable visitors enjoyed the experience never having listened to anything quite like it on the other side of the pond. And that's another theme of mine - when you visit another country you must sample some of the local culture, it seems such a waste going otherwise. Back to having contrasts in your life I guess and developing ones understanding of other people.

I think that's enough of my philosophy today!

Superb concert at Calstock

This half term week has seen the Calstock Festival take place and one of the items was a concert in a former chapel in the village on Sunday evening. It was based around a theme of "Underneath the Arches" as this year the village celebrates the centenary of the building of its famous railway viaduct which in fact is not many yards away from the chapel.

The start of the evening felt very gloomy, more akin to November than May, so we felt the need to be cheered up! I have written before about Calstock Rubber Band and they were joined on this occasion by the Calstock Singers. The rubber band play a lot of very lively music but four of them calling themselves "Under the Fingers" also play in a much quieter vein. They are Rosie (Recorders and vocals), Pauline (Cello and vocals), Liz (Guitar) and Jenny (Harp). In addition to the music we had some poetry readings delivered by Harry Chambers from Peterloo Poets. The old chapel it should be said is the home for 'Peterloo Poets' and has a wonderfully big clear east window that looks beyond the Tamar to the fields on the Devon bank. It was good to see numerous house martins swooping around outside this window as we waited for the event to start.

Peterloo Poets have an informative website here and by clicking on 'About Peterloo Poets' one can see a picture of the chapel from the river.

Including the interval the whole programme was nearly three hours long, terrific value for our £4 per person concessionary payment. How the participants remained so calm and relaxed throughout amazed us - it was a truly professional performance.

I must also mention Richard Hendin the Master of Ceremonies who I didn't know but who could kept proceedings moving at the right pace with plenty of easy humour. The balance between music song and words could hardly have been bettered. All in all a truly memorable evening.

Rubber band entertains

Yesterday evening we had the pleasure of being entertained by the Calstock Rubber Band. I should explain that these are a group of local talented musicians covering a wide spectrum of instruments. Amongst these are accordions, trombone, saxophone, guitars, harp, xylophone, percussion, washboard and recorders although not all of these are at every performance. Every 4th Thursday of the month sees them at "The Rising Sun" pub which is within handy walking distance of my home.

There is something compelling about live music in a traditional pub setting, even more so when one can slake one's thirst with ale brewed in Cornwall! My friend who is a very proficient flute player brought her flute along and joined in the merriment. Towards the end of the evening the band was joined by a couple of men with accordions from I believe Bere Alston if my informant is correct. How I wish I could play a piano accordion! I remember seeing and listening to a band of accordions on the island of La Palma in the Canaries. Nearer home there is nothing but nothing more stirring than the accordions, melodeons and drums at Padstow on May the First.

Why the appellation "The Rubber Band". I believe the reason is that a rubber band is elastic and the ethos of the band is to accommodate however many musicians want to join in.

Personally speaking I don't like wall to wall music 24/7. I much prefer to hear it occasionally but when I do to listen with great intensity and pleasure. But sadly that doesn't seem to be the modern way, more emphasis on a constant stream of music as a background because modern technology permits it. For instance I have no interest in music in my car, I want to hear it when it can involve my full attention. And as for ring tones on mobiles - yuk!