More information regarding Water Stratford HERE
A rather cold and damp Rogation on the 17th May was attended by 16 people and 4 dogs, our walk took us round village houses and gardens and across local fields including the site of a spring, the source of the village water supply until mains water arrived about 100 years ago. Thanks to all read poems, prose and verses from the Bible.
Twelve friends from Water Stratford and surrounding villages gathered in the sun-drenched churchyard on the 21st June to enjoy Hymns, Pimm’s and refreshments as we shuffled our chairs around to make the most of shade cast by the old Hawthorn tree. Thank you, Sara, for playing the organ in the full sun!
The Music in Quiet Places concert on the 4th July in St Giles was a great success. Di had worked hard and 65 tickets had been sold beforehand. Extra chairs were needed at the back of the church which is normally a cool refuge in hot weather but was very warm on that evening. The lovely performances and interval drinks were greatly appreciated, approximately £400 was raised for church funds. Thanks to Sarah for the use of her paddock for parking. The bring-and-share Lammas picnic, again in the churchyard, took place on the afternoon of July 19th. Historically, Lammas is a festival celebrating the first fruits of the year, and usually falls a couple of weeks before the grain harvest begins. It was perhaps appropriate that, in this unprecedented summer, harvest had already started. Poetry readings interspersed with relaxed conversation made for another enjoyable community bonding occasion.
We seem to have had more than our fair share of road closures in the area this summer, and not all because of HS2. At the end of July, the village was closed for several days while repairs took place to the little stone bridge over the Ouse. This bridge probably dates from the 1800’s, and would have originally been designed to take horse drawn carts, wagons and carriages. Incredibly, it now has to cope with 42 tonne articulated lorries!
