The local church has been looking to get an extension added so that it can add some more modern facilities. However, with the church being a gazillion years old, and listed to the umpteenth level, getting planning permission is rather protracted and extremely bureaucratic. I have stayed well away from being involved in helping as I don’t have the time, and certainly not the patience when dealing with all the layers of people you have to work through. I take my hat off to those in the village who are doing this.

As part of the step for obtaining planning permission, it has been necessary to have an archeological dig in the area where the extension would be. Tricia and Robbie went up to the church yesterday to have a nose. Part of the dig has revealed some unmarked graves… Tricia got a little happy with the camera

These first two shots are of the uncovered skeletons…

This is looking at the dig from up on the church roof.

Tricia then went up the bell tower and took these pictures looking out across the village..

Of course whilst up the bell tower she found the date on one of the bells… 1765, and looking closely at the walls found some markings for old sun dials.

Of course, whilst the camera was out, Robbie couldn’t help himself….

During the day, Ellie’s school did their version of ‘schools got talent’. Ellie did her dance, and people said she did very well, and her year sang a song … ‘Three lives on my gameboy’, to the tune of ‘Three wheels on my wagon’. I have tried explaining that Three wheels on my wagon (a favourite of mine when I was about 6) was the original, but she isn’t having any of it.

Tricia and I went to the last dance class until September last night. The cha cha cha went well again, but I do need a break from the jive, which whilst I was just about getting it in the end, is still far from polished. Tricia has been a bit under the weather recently, particularly with an irritating cough, which gets worse when she lays down. Of course that is no good when you want to sleep ! It wakes her, and me up. The doctor thinks she has a small amount of fluid on the lung and an infection. She is on a course of antibiotics now, hopefully this will resolve the problem, as we both want to sleep through at least one night undisturbed.

Nikki came back for the weekend, from her first week in St Maragrets Hospital Epping. She got back in time to see Ellie in her last performance. Ellie was pleased her big sis got to see her. Nikki had had a good day, and being given a written reference on how well she had done, so she was pleased how well the week had gone after a difficult start. In passing conversation last night she mentioned that the hospital had been officially opened yesterday. Intrigued we asked who had opened it….’oh, some bloke’ she said, ‘I spoke to him’… but no clue who it was. So I looked up the hospital this morning and found it was Alan Johnson the Health Secretary…. just some bloke!

Robbie has broken up with his girlfriend. He doesn’t seem to upset about the whole thing, and I suppose it means he will spend a little less time on msn, so that at least is a good thing.

Tricia, Ellie and myself are off to see a charity show tonight. It is done by a group of session musicians, who do the ‘Pepper’ concerts. Basically, they put on an evenings entertainment, all sorts of pop / rock songs, but a lot of it is Beatles music….

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, They’ve been going in and out of style
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile, So may I introduce to you, The act you’ve known for all these years
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band….

Looking forward to it.