"The Rain Sounds So Cool ....

....When it hits the barn roof And the horses wonder who you are Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees."

Prince's lyrics were misheard and that's how The Lightning Seeds got their name.

I don't think today's unrelenting rain sounded cool. When I photographed the autumn colours of the vines at New Hall last autumn I walked up to Purleigh church and learnt that the tower is open once a year on August Bank Holiday.

Ever the optimist, I set out in pouring rain hoping that it would clear. It didn't. I had a lovely chat in All Saints church with the chairman of The Leica Society who was displaying his collection of pipes.

On to the tower. The first flight was a wooden spiral. Then some wide but steep wooden steps. I was met by a woman who explained how cramped the climb was to be. She tucked my camera and long lens into my jacket and zipped me up tightly. The next flight was near vertical wooden steps to where the clock is. Two men then encouraged me upwards through the narrowest part, I had to go sideways. I was now in the bell-tower. The last climb was up a vertical aluminium ladder and I had to crawl onto the roof through a trapdoor. The slippery lead sloped both ways. I felt a bit seasick and unfortunately I couldn't see for miles in the pouring rain. :(

I've got the lightning conductor in shot to prove that I was at the top. :)