This is a collection of tweets from CCR 2023
Final shot of the day at magnificent St Mary de Castro, Leicester, standing in for the cathedral. St Martins remains closed for redevelopment. Peter, Sue, and Sophia.
You can almost sense that Geraldine McEwan is just around the corner, plotting hard as Mrs Proudie..
Reverend Canon Dr Rowan Williams, Canon Precentor, Peterborough Cathedral saw us away. She knew Francis Jackson, perhaps the most talented organist around during my youth. He died recently at 104. Tuba Tune, by Norman Cocker on the York Minster Organ, is probably the best recording of it ever. It featured on EMI’s “The King of Instruments LP in the 1960s.
While Rowen was giving the blessing for our ride the Peterborough organ ssounded, played stunningly by the Cathedral’s Organ Scholar. It was almost too much. The good wishes overlaid by that fabulous instrument could have tipped us (me, anyhow) over the edge. The organ was only recently raised to concert pitch via a heroic project – it has a tremendous sound in the hands of the Organ Scholar.
The blessing was:
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rain fall soft upon your path.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen.
We stopped for lunch in Chatteriis. I hit the wall. Our group kindly drafted me. The idea is that by moving into an area of low pressure behind another cyclist it reduces the wind resistance and the amount of energy required to pedal. However, my luck was in and I slowly recovered strength sufficiently to lead on to Ely and its magnificent and unique cathedral. We were treated royally by the cathedral staff and we took tea on the lawn sharing stories of a great day.