Friday 10 October 2008

Harvest Festival

Little J's school had their harvest festival today in St Andrew's Church, Bishopthorpe. Next year I shall know to camp outside the night before to get a place near the front. A good thing about where I sat though, was that it was right behind Kay, one of the only 4 people in York that I know so far, making me feel a little less like Ruby-no-mates. She's the mum of one of Little J's new friends, and we had exchanged a word or two in the playground.

Then during the service, the vicar got up to say his bit. I admit, I was only sort of half listening to him but I suddenly became aware of him saying " ... and then you just say to yourself, 'Oh God! I can't be doing with this!' " I noticed Kay in front of me leaning across to the lady next to her, and whispering: "Did he just say Oh God?" So I leaned forward between them and said, "He did! He said Oh God!" And we all sat looking at one another in a nice, companiable, astonishment sharing session.

Afterwards, Kay invited me back to her house for coffee, and showed me round the village of Bishopthorpe. She's going to introduce me to another one of her friends next week. So it seems I will soon be knowing five people in York :-)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember the harvest festivals I used to go to.
I remember my mother sending me along with a tin of hienz spagetti hoops to donate.

Christina S said...

Yep, that's quite a good donation though. Spag hoops are brilliant (but not as good as alphabetti spaghetti). I remember we used to root all the things out of the cupboard that we'd no idea why we'd purchased and would probably never use. So you'd probably get some old person somewhere with his donated box staring in horror at a can of spinach in brine.

Anonymous said...

Juk, as an Italian purist, I cannot think of anything worse that spag hoops or alphabetti spaghetti! Awful awful and awful. Spaghetti are so easy to cook that you don't really need to get them in a tin! Anyway, have a nice weekend. Ciao. Antonella

Anonymous said...

I had to laugh! I went to my son's last week, and was told that tinned goods were preferred to fresh, for the elderly of the village. We don't eat many tinned things so we ended up with tinned pineapple, soft herring roes, artichoke hearts and anchovies! Poor old people.
I'm so glad you're getting to know people. It's hard when you move.

Picklesmum said...

We usually send tinned prunes though how they actually get into my cupboard in the first place is a complete mystery!
Your vicar is not as cool as our bongo playing one!
Spaghetti hoops rule! Alphabetti used to but now they put fish in it so we can't have it anymore :(

Almost Mrs Average said...

Went into BSE today and saw a few of the local dignitaries hanging around in their posh clothes outside the Angel Hotel and it struck me that it must have been the County harvest festival today. I remember going to it when I first arrived in Bury, turned up with little J in a buggy and me in my jeans...I saw the procession and thought oh bugger and felt it best to bugger off. I now realise is was a ticketed event...how mad is that!

I made own version of spaghetti in tomato sauce today...home-made soup with chopped up spaghetti in it. The kids call it "Worms in Mud". I think that was a compliment. ;-D x

Patricia said...

Poor Ruby - don't feel too bad - I've lived in this little town outside Cleveland for about 10 years, and they are just starting to accept me.....!!!

Z said...

I'd tell the school that they are patronising elderly people who are trying to eat good fresh food, like the rest of us and don't live on Spam and tinned peas.

When I moved here I had a small child of 2 years, who was very useful in getting to know people. but I'd find it hard now.