In A South Downs Way

 

After a long sleep in the middle of the day, then, leaving me to gather a meal together which is most unusual, since he is the self proclaimed king of the kitchen, Steve slowly made something of a recovery during the afternoon yesterday. I had thought that I might press gang a friend to join me for the evening in the Minerva, (My very favourite theatre), in Chichester last night. I had been looking forward to this performance of a new piece of music ‘In A South Downs Way’; it is the inaugural album from the Walk Upon England project. I bought the CD as soon as it was released because I was quite excited about it and could not wait to hear it. During these weeks approaching the performance I have been playing it in the car and find it as peaceful as the countryside it hopes to musically describe. Poetry drifts in and out smoothly, written and spoken by Hugh Bonneville, beautifully. The music was written by Damian Montagu. 

I was worried about Steve coming along, but he dosed himself up with this and that in the hope that he would not cough during the performance.

 

 

On entering the foyer of the theatre Steve went to buy a bottle of mineral water and a few moments later when I joined him, I was a bit confused because he started pushing me toward the further end of the foyer and I had no idea where he wanted me to go or what he wanted me to see. He continued to gently push me, with his hand on the centre of my back until we reached a notice board. It had information about the South Downs Poetry Festival and as I started to try to make it all, out a man stepped in closely to me and asked “Are you interested in The South Downs? Do you like poetry” then a hesitation; “Do you write?” I was a bit taken aback and was reading his tee shirt that warned; ‘Dangerous, Contains a Poet’, but Steve, to the rescue, burst in saying, Yes, yes and yes, all of those things, she writes a blog and poetry and runs on the downs”. I had my email address taken and was told that I should look out for the Festival of Poetry next year.

 

 

The first part of the evening entertainment started with a woman walking in singing, so simply and prettily with such a lovely voice, she sang a folk song about the downs. She had the perfect voice for the music and Steve was quite smitten I could see. It continued with more works of famous South Downs countryside poets and writers, read by the charming lady singer, (I really must check and see who she was), I am ashamed that without my hearing aid I just missed her name. Hugh Bonneville and Christopher Timothy read a collection of works about our own lovely countryside, written by authors who have lived there, as well as short interesting talks about our landscape and the art it has inspired. The second half was the performance of the music that we both enjoyed, but Steve said he thought did not have enough light and shade which is a fair comment because there is an abundance of light and shade bought about by the weather and seasons the birds and animals.

 

Steve bought me the book that was on sale there compiled by Michael Chevis another resident of this lovely part of England. Steve saw me flicking through the book and picked it up, taking money out of his pocket saying, “If you want it, why don’t you just say so because I know you, you will only say, ‘I wish I’d bought that book’ when we get home”. Yes, he does know me, really well, inside out and backwards.

 

There is a page of Sussex Superstitions and Sayings in the book. I liked this one: Blackberries must never be picked or eaten after October 10^th. On the night before this the devil comes round and spits on all the bushes to make them his own. Certainly after this date they get mushy and unappetising.

 

 One of my own little superstitions is that when I am out running, I run through the centre of all the fairy rings and make a wish, Steve, who is usually as big a romantic as myself, sadly calls these; ‘The bits where the fertiliser has worked best!’