Views of Eastbourne Town Hall
We had the joyful experience of attending a wedding today, of two of Hazel's colleagues. The actual wedding ceremony was held in Eastbourne Town Hall, where we were treated to some nice George Gershwin piano solos very well played and which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a treat for me not to have to actually be playing on this occasion! The room where the ceremony was held was quite imposing but it wasn't really large enough for the number of people who attended. Nevertheless, it was a lovely occasion and it was really good to see such a large representation of friends and relatives of the bride and groom in attendance, especially these days when people seem to be so busy with their own agendas.
Following the wedding ceremony we proceeded to Alfriston where the reception was due to take place at the War Memorial Hall which is situated by the Cuckmere river right next door to the Parish Church. This brought back to me memories of when I lasted visited Alfriston to play the organ in this church. It was during the time when the Cuckmere had burst its banks and it was only possible to get into Alfriston via one of the back roads which hadn't been immersed in water. It was quite an unusual sight to see car rooves peeping out above water in the main car park. My main concern at the time was as to whether or not I would get out of the church after the service before my car was also submerged in water or the other roads were blocked by water, it was still raining heavily at the time. I discovered that a member of the choir owned a bed and breakfast establishment in the village and they were prepared to take me in if the need should arise. Fortunately I managed to get out of Alfriston all right before the water rose any higher.
Parish Church, Alfriston
What a contrast it was there today, the Cuckmere was reduced to a mere trickle and the cows and calves were grazing peacefully in the field next to the river. There were a lot of serious walkers and hikers out on the path which runs alongside the Cuckmere and a more peaceful rural scene would be hard to envisage. It's hard to believe that this lovely rural treasure is only about 4 or 5 miles from my home in Willingdon Trees! I hardly ever seem to get out and about to enjoy such delights, I really must make more effort.
Alfriston War Memorial Hall
View from War Memorial Hall towards the Cuckmere
The wedding reception went really well and we enjoyed some really nice music sung and played by a young lady soloist accompanied by a talented pianist. They performed mainly jazz standards and songs from musicals, including 'What a Wonderful World', 'Bewitched' and 'Someone to watch over me', the sort of songs I always enjoy hearing. We had a wonderful buffet with lots of different food to choose from and some nice wine and champagne. We departed before the evening entertainment began, which was going to be more like a disco/dance, something that we tend to leave for the youngsters to enjoy. On returning home about 6.15p.m. it was still a pleasant Summer evening and the wind had dropped a little bit.
I hope that now the school Summer holidays have begun we will get some nice hot days minus the strong winds that seem to have been so prevalent lately. If you are going away I hope you enjoy your Summer break, and for those of you who are staying at home why not try to visit some of the local rural villages like Alfriston? This is just one of many local villages that I hope to explore in the near future.
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