The Bishop Comes To Town ( and other stories)

The Bishop out for a quiet walk in his gardening clothes

The village church has a big gig on tomorrow- the Bishop is comming!
The Prof is over there right now having a rehearsal with the vicar, he will be wearing his glittery cassock for the occassion ( The Prof that is) The vicar, I am sure will be in his best Shirley Bassey number.
The village Church going ladies are all over there too, titivating the greenery on the altar and giddy with excitement and you will glad to know that Gaynor, the mad organist has finally obtained a large bunch of pussy willow for her Prize winning display.
I do hope the Bishop notices.
Gaynor's Pussy ( Willow)

I am feeling rather satisfied today, that's because we have just been out for a very nice lunch at Bryn Williams' at Porth Eirias. North Wales has very few classy " urban feeling"eating places and this restaurant which overlooks the sea at Colwyn Bay has a nice and lively vibe about it.
If I was honest, I do occasionally miss a slightly "on-trend" and busy city eatery.



I am also,satisfied  because I have just enjoyed a podcast of the radio 4 interview show  Chain Reaction which featured Victoria Coren-Mitchell interviewing Sandi Toksvig. It was a pure delight, as both women are fantastically funny, warm and articulate human beings......if you get a chance to listen to this programme, do so, it will make you smile.......broadly.......well it made me chuckle....mind you, I was giving the toilet bowl a rather brusque seeing to with the bog brush at the time.

Talented and funny Coren- Mitchell & Toksvig

It's now 4pm and the Prof is still practising his Bishop curtsy , so I shall light the fire and enjoy the silence of the cottage before taking a feather duster to ourexpensive antiques!
Having said this, Mary is busy kicking fuck out of the kitchen catflap for some unknown reason so I shall have to drag myself out of this armchair to rescue it .

There's no peace for a terrier owner

Hey ho

35 comments:

  1. "The Prof is practicing his Bishop curtsey". I love it - does he read your blog or is he in for a big surprise one day? Thanks for the tip on Chain Reaction - I will have to see if I can get it as I love both these women. Cheers Anna

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  2. Hope The Prof's curtey goes well, hope the pussy willow stays intact, hope the catflap stays in one piece.Vx

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  3. It takes one to know one and I agree (as a terrier owner) with that last sentence absolutely.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that is true
      But for me terriers are a hoot and so much fun live with.
      I think Mary's name should have the word ninja in it.

      cheers, parsnip

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  4. Anonymous5:11 pm

    You won't be burning your bum with toilet bleach again, will you?

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  5. What a true statement, "there is no peace for a terrier owner," and from me, another one, that I didn't even know that a Bishop needed a curtsy, but I know they like a good lunch! :-)

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  6. Blimey John, that's got to be the campest blog ever written. If you could have slipped in a comment about antiques it would have been a perfect storm....

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    1. I'll go back and will ammend my mistake

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  7. "in his best Shirley Bassey number" - chuckles :)

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  8. I've been trying to picture the Prof attempting to perform a curtsy while dressed as a hassock... Oh, wait. Never mind.

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    1. Inshall get a photo of all of the cassocks tomorrow...watch ths space

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  9. Doesn't Sandi look great in that pic? and I'm sure the answer is no but can any of the dogs get through a cat flap? All the best for the Prof tomorrow John.

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    Replies
    1. Mary is the only one, and only when she's chasing albert!

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  10. I am definitely going to see if I can get Chain Reaction... I need it today !!
    That is some huge willow arrangement .
    I grew up in the South ... tell the prof I can curtsey with the best of them...if he needs tips.
    Balance is important ... lol .. very important. Nothing more irritation than falling over mid curtsey :)

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  11. I do hope you bash the bishop in the church yard. Your photos are not downloading for me.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, they just did. John Betjeman playing the bishop, and Miranda Hart as the other one. Lovely.

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    2. P.S. It looks as though the bishop is reaching out with his Thalidomide right-arm and clutching Miranda's left breast. If only real life was so interesting.

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    3. Remember michael bentine's potty time?

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    4. No, but I was mates with Bruce Lacey who made his technical effects. Potty Time sounds scatalogically interesting.

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    5. Anonymous7:03 am

      So glad I wasn't the only one who thought she looked like Miranda. Thought I was going mad.

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  12. that restaurant looks marvy! can't wait to see tomorrow's pix!

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  13. Anonymous8:44 pm

    I don't know Coren-Mitchell but Toksvig is very funny. Last I heard she was resigning from all BBC positions and running for parliament.

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  14. Looking forward to the pictures

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  15. Anonymous9:11 pm

    Oooh, we were at Bryn Williams last week. I had lobster roll and husband chose smoked haddock and poached egg, lovely food and a great atmosphere!
    I hope nobody confuses cassock and hassock, I'm sure the prof wouldn't be pleased being knelt on! Now John, get your mind out of the gutter! X

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  16. The only Bishops I would give a courtesy to would be if I go back to play Chess. Nuff' said.

    I totally agree: Terriers are a hoot, we had a couple many years ago and we were a riot when I went out with them to terrorized the straight lace neighbors. My husband of course was never home when we did it. I guess he always wondered why the loooks from neighbors were so funny when I was out with him and the terriers. Then,we behaved which may have seem truly strange.

    No running or skip and jump anything in front of us and singing, yes singing. For some reason Adelaide -aka Adee- use to howl in perfect pitch when I started singing, which of course was a riot all on its own. Good times, great memories.

    Allegra

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  17. "in his best Shirley Bassey number" -- LOL

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  18. Once again, I thank you for your wonderful takes on the village where you live, the life you lead. You inspire me in so many ways.

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  19. John, you live such a jammed-packed interesting life!
    I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in church tomorrow!! Yes, looking forward to pics too!!

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  20. The pussy willow arrangement is awesome.

    Palm Sunday is a big affair in many places.

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  21. "I do hope the Bishop is impressed by Gaynor's pussy" - Mrs Slocombe

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  22. All those frocks and jewels; it sounds terribly camp, but I suppose that's the idea.

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  23. Oh, what a treat it would be to see a picture of the Prof in his spangly cassock - but as there's nil chance of that happening how about having him pose for us in leather chaps, complete with butch boots, peaked cap and dangling chains?

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  24. The chain reaction interview Coren/Toksvig is on BBC4 Extra next Wednesday morning at 7.30am. I heard the previous interview with Ian Hislop and Victoria last week. Excellent programmes. Hope the Bish's visit goes well!

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  25. I agree with everything you said about ST and VC on Chain Reaction, both are witty and intelligent women and the programme was hugely entertaining.
    Lisa x

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