Preparations

Busy busy. Whilst we should be preparing for when we shoot off on the boat next week (to Aynho and back), we have other more urgent and important matters to attend to. Friday is the day of Pete's funeral and memorial bash and we are not only rehearsing a lot of music for it, but I seem also to have been put in charge of purchasing and collecting a rather alarming quantity of real ale.

Today we drove up to collect 72 pints of Sidepocket (yum!) from the Tring Brewery, so to make a day of it we took Grace to the Natural History Museum in Tring. If you are ever up in Marsworth or Bulbourne, take a walk down into Tring and go and see it. Absolutely brilliant -a stupendous collection. It was packed today with little kids holding clip boards and following the customary spot the this and that trail.

Then being in the area we thought it would be rude not to drop in for lunch at the Anglers at Marsworth. Then we took a short stroll by the reservoirs which I am happy to report are fuller than I have ever seen them.

Tomorrow I have to visit Windsor to pick up 72 pints of Windsor Knot ale from the Windsor and Eton brewery. I'm looking forward to tasting that. I have heard excellent reports. You may think that would be enough beer but I am told that a similar amount is also coming from elsewhere. Dear old Pete enjoyed a pint and it looks like we'll be celebrating that in style. I shall attempt to be moderate whilst honouring Pete's memory.

As to the music, we are playing at the memorial service and at the wake afterwards. The memorial service will be tough. Playing whilst in an emotional state is never easy but we have strength in numbers because a lot of Pete's friends sing and play. He will not go quietly!