211/365 Intent

"The Quire at Bristol Cathedral"

Our intent was to sing a beautiful Evensong.

The acoustics at Bristol cathedral were stunning.  Every place we sang in this building made us sound just amazing  It was truly a gift to have the opportunity to sing in such a place.  And the verger in charge of us was great!  Not only was she an American, she had lived in Texas for five years!  When she came to get us in the cloister before Evensong, she had on her vestments and a black cowboy hat.  The hat itself didn't last long, but its impression did.

Im not sure where the day went.  We had two rehearsals and sang Evendong.  I also listened to another American choir sing a noontime concert in this space.  

I have a few more pictures, but I am losing the battery on my computer, so they will have to wait for another day.  The only place in this hotel where there is free wi-fi is in the bar and there is a lack of accessible plugs.

More later . . .

210/365 On A Bike

"Last Ride"

We had an "off" day today - no singing so we traveled to Bath.  Though I met the guy in the above picture just off the high street, this next picture better represents our day.

"Bath and a Shower"

It poured rain for most of the day.  By the time we returned to the bus, we were drenched despite the umbrella.

The morning began with a trip through the Roman Baths.  This was very interesting, but there were way too many people in way too small a space for me.  

Outside the entrance to the Roman Baths

The hot bath

The passage to the tepid area

The Bath Abbey Church

Abbey Church Main Aisle

Cross located in the side chapel

We returned to the hotel in Bristol in time for dinner and an evening of relaxation.  Tomorrow is a busy day of rehearsals, both morning and afternoon, and a sung Evensong at Bristol Cathedral.  The singing sounds great.  Unfortunately, all of our travels tomorrow are on foot and the weather report is predicting a 90 percent chance of rain.  Singing in the rain and/or singing in soggy vestments does not sound appealing at all!

209/365 Honest

"St. Mary's Redcliffe"

Today we sang a Eicharist, Matins and Evensong at St. Mary's Redcliffe.  It was a busy day of singing but I did have some time this afternoon to take some photos.  Her is a very random set of pictures.

This was my view from my spot in the choir stalls.

The side aisles through which we processed.

This is the cross on the high altar taken from the Ambulatory behind the altar.  The background is created by the ceiling.

It has been a long day.  I have no more energy for coherent thought.  So, enjoy the pictures!

208/365 Candid

"Treasured Time Together"

Today was moving Day for the choir.  We left Cheltenham where we have been based for four days and headed for Bristol, where we will be for the next five days.  Because we could not check into the hotel until 3:00 this afternoon, we had a bus tour of the city of Bristol this morning.  It is a beautiful city where past and present live side by side.  Medieval churches have as their neighbors modern office buildings.  Somehow, it seems to work.  

One of the iconic figures in Bristol is the Clifton suspension bridge.  We first drove up and viewed it from afar.  It was from a scenic overlook that I took the above picture of this older couple.  I watched as the gentleman pushed his wife in her wheelchair over to a spot that had just the view she wanted.  They then sat together and enjoyed their time together.  I like the black and white image because it sets them apart from the somewhat cluttered background, but there is something about the color photo that I like too.

I think it is that the woman's skirt and the man's blue and white argyle socks are so cheerful.  I also like that they are wearing matching straw hats.  To me, this is such a sweet scene.

I have a serious fear of heights so though we were at this particular point to view the bridge, it took me awhile to be willing to accept the fact I was up high, I focused on the flowers just at the edge of the gorge first.

Then I conquered my fear just long enough to take a picture of the bridge.

We then drove around to the bridge where we were able to walk across.

This bridge is a fascinating piece of engineering.  As we began to walk across, my fear of heights was again with me, but I was bound and determined to walk across.  As my photos from this experience confirm, I managed this by always looking up.

I find the lines in this image interesting.

We left the bridge to have lunch in the city before finally checking into the hotel.  With a few minutes to spare after lunch we stopped in for a quick cup of coffee.  Somehow I managed to slosh a goodly amount of my cup down my leg. This was not a good move when you plan to wear the same jeans for a couple of days!

Because we are going to be in Bristol for five days, we decided that this would be a good day to hand wash some of our laundry - and because I spilled coffee all over myself.  So, we hand washed our clothes in the bathtub.  Now, as we wait for everything to dry, our room looks like we are serious losers at a game of strip poker; there are drying clothes everywhere.

But, at least we will have clean underwear for the next five days!  Dry shirts and jeans, maybe not.

207/365 Science

Bee in Burford"

This is a quick post before we get on the bus to move hotels.

These are pictures from Burford Church.

"The High Altar"

"The Cross on the Low Altar"

This town once thrived as a center for the wool trade.  Those who worked in the industry have headstones that are marked by the rounded wool bales on the top.

The entire graveyard was covered with lavender and other flowers.  It really was a peaceful place.  The bees and the butterflies seemed happy there as well.

206/365 Progress

"Camera Progress"

This is the Radcliffe Camera, which houses the Radcliffe Science Library at Oxford University.  The building was constructed in the early 18th century and as you can see is currently undergoing renovations - progress.  As a knitter, I particularly like the "yarn bombing" of the surrounding fence.

We spent a lovely day in Oxford.  It was a bit crowded and by the end of the day had gotten warm, but that did not spoil a great day in Oxford.  Before lunch we had a guided tour of the campus, seeing the buildings that at one time served as residences for many notable people as well as buildings that provided the back drop for the Harry Potter movies.  Several of us had lunch at the Eagle and Child Pub where C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien hung out.  After lunch we wandered the streets with many other people from all over the world.  We visited several of the college chapels, a few bookstores and stopped at yet another pub for some afternoon liquid refreshment before returning to Cheltenham for the evening.

I took several pictures but none of them seem to do justice to this place.  Perhaps I'll feel better about them later.

Several of us went out for Indian food tonight.  It was probably the best Indian food that I have ever had and the service was impeccable.  Add to that the opportunity to get to know people whom I have sung with for years but have never really known outside of choir, it was a great evening.  We finished off the evening with a little laughter in the hotel lounge.  

Our days are packed and I am exhausted by the day's end, but we are having a great time.  It is worth every bit of sleep deprivation that I am suffering!

To see more pictures and to follow the Transfiguration choir, check out the Transfiguration Choir Tour page on Facebook.  I have posted a few more pictures there.

205/365 Action

"Action, we wish!"

We did arrive safely in England and today, our second day here, I feel like a human again.  We sang the first service of our tour this evening, Evensong at Exeter Cathedral.

Free wi-fi seemingly is not very popular in public places in England.  Without an international data plan on my phone and iPad, my options for posting are limited.  I did post, I thought, yesterday's picture of the day from the hotel via my iPad last night, but it doesn't seem to be here.  Not sure what happened there, but I will figure it out.

I will also post some pictures of the places we have visited thus far.  Right now I just haven't figured out an efficient workflow given the technological limitations.  I will conquer this tomorrow!