St. Mary's

Arrived at St. Mary's just in time for rehearsal. By pre-arrangements months before, the church agreed to host our rehearsal while we were in Stamford on our way to Harrogate. According to Wikipedia, the church was built in the 12th century, the tower in the 13th century, and the spire in the 14th century. The tower is 78 feet high, topped by a spire of 90 feet, giving a total height of 168 feet.

Spanish Food

Spotted this vendor at work in Stamford on my way from lunch to rehearsal. 

Tobie's

Had a quick bite to eat at Tobie Norris' (highly recommended!) in Stamford before trundling off to rehearsal at St. Mary's.

Maids Head

 

 

The Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, although tricky to navigate because of its mishmash of floors and stairs, was by far and away my favorite place to stay on our tour. Great staff!

 

Norwich

Didn't have time to visit much of Norwich Castle. Had to rush back to the cathedral for choir rehearsal and evensong. I did, though, stop just long enough to enjoy these views of Norwich from atop the castle hill. Lovely little town.

Bird Feeder?

This one most certainly puzzled me. Attached to a wall near the Julian Shrine, I can only imagine the cylinders are used to old various kinds of bird seed. But that still leaves me to question the purpose of that vertical slit.

Paperplant

The Julian Shrine, Norwich

Signs

So, while in Norwich, I took a few moments to trundle on over to visit the Julian Centre. Genuinely appreciated the city's street signs and maps. As an added bonus, I even found a SIM card tool lying on the street nearby, which I later found quite necessary to remove the card I used while in England and to reinsert my old card once back here in the U.S. :-)

Paddington Bear

Apparently, Paddington Bear is all the rage in England. I spotted this one late one night through the window of a Norwich shop.

Sunny Skies

I did actually get to spend some time outdoors in Norwich, even though most of my time was spent inside the cathedral (above) either rehearsing or performing evensong. The weather was quite pleasant--at least for that region of England and for the short time I was there :-)

 

Once again joining Skywatch Friday.

40% Off

So I was told that I will need a pair of dark slacks for a formal dinner at King's College later this month only to discover that the pair I had -- uhm -- were, shall I say, not quite ready for prime time. What to do? 

Fortunately, there was a 40% off sale going on down at Bryant's. But could I have them in time for my departure next week???

"Yes," I was told.,"No problem." And, in fact, they did have them ready for me to pick up yesterday. Actually, they even had them ready the next day. I just couldn't go by to pick them up until yesterday. Whew!

But, hey! I wasn't quite prepared to discover how much more men's clothes cost these days. Sheesh! Even at 40% off!

Hope

Women's March

Eight years ago today, I participated in and photographed what was then considered one of the largest, if not the largest, demonstrations in U. S. history, the Women's March on Washington.

Back to the Future

 

 A photo I took in Washington, D.C. at an anti-Trump demonstration shortly after his first inauguration.

Petitions

Lots of folks turned out this morning to sign petitions for Democratic candidates running for various local and statewide offices this year, including Abigail Spanberger who is running for governor of Virginia. Gaining enough signatures to get your name on the ballot is step number one. 

According to the Legislative Information System:  The minimum number of signatures of qualified voters required for candidate petitions shall be as follows:

1. For a candidate for the United States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the Commonwealth;

2. For a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, 1,000 signatures;

3. For a candidate for the Senate of Virginia, 250 signatures;

4. For a candidate for the House of Delegates or for a constitutional office, 125 signatures;

5. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any county or city, 125 signatures; or if from an election district not at large containing 1,000 or fewer registered voters, 50 signatures;

6. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any town that has more than 3,500 registered voters, 125 signatures; or if from a ward or other district not at large, 25 signatures;

7. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any town that has at least 1,500 but not more than 3,500 registered voters, 50 signatures; or if from a ward or other district not at large, 25 signatures;

8. For a candidate for membership on the governing body or elected school board of any town that has fewer than 1,500 registered voters, no petition shall be required;

9. For a candidate for director of a soil and water conservation district created pursuant to Article 3 (§ 10.1-506 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 10.1, 25 signatures; and

10. For any other candidate, 50 signatures.

Suspension Bridge

Looking back here to my hike last Friday from Richmond to Belle Isle, Virginia. This is the ramp leading to the suspension bridge that takes pedestrians across to Belle Isle.

Sixth Day of Christmas

A scene from the just recently opened Pepper Palace in Williamsburg.

Fifth Day of Christmas

No golden rings here, just mice drinking ale.

Christmas Eve

Hey, have a great Christmas Eve y'all! And, remember, don't let the rats eat a hole through your shoe.

"Good Day!"

Duke Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia