Forest Green

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It has taken me ages to work out how to start my journal today AND this is third time round as I’ve lost my typing twice. Argh!

Today we went driving through the Surrey Hills exploring the area and some of the small villages on our doorstep. Shere, Peaslake, Ewhurst, FOREST GREEN, Abinger Common, Friday Street, Leith Hill, Wotton were the main ones. I particularly wanted to see Forest Green (explain in a bit) and Friday Street. Friday Street because it is such an unusual name; Forest Green because it is the name of my favourite tune to my favourite carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

My blip is of the Parish Church. A really neat, simple and well-kept Church (look at that cute organ); not very big AND they use Songs of Fellowship!! The same music book we used for Pathfinders! I was thoroughly impressed! The Millennium wooden seat outside was interesting too.  Didn’t climb to the tower at Leith Hill and took pictures of curvy trees in the car park in Friday Street, but Forest Green won today.

Going back to names of Tunes*… I’m amazed at how many are named after places! I’ve been wanting to visit Camberwell for AGES. Haven’t got there yet. Still hoping. I have got to Aberystwyth, Austria, Bristol, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Westminster, Winchester, Wye Valley and Yorkshire! There you go. I can’t say I like all those tunes, but Forest Green and Camberwell really stand out.

*Any church musicians out there will know that old hymns were written in metre, and sometimes different hymns use the same tune.

PS. A personal note: Had my parents still been alive, they would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary today!