Two Firsts in a Week…

… and indeed a good week’s ringing.

A few weeks ago Olivia started coming to our Town Church practices and it is great to welcome her. Some of us were used to ringing with her at the Elizabeth College practices over the years but now, having consulted her homework timetable and deciding that there wasn’t a lot that needing her attention on  Thursday evenings she has become a regular ringer at our practices.

And she’s storming ahead in leaps and bounds; as is Will, a young man who now regularly rings with us on Thursday evenings. Will has been plain hunting from an inside bell to give him experience of looking both ways but it also let many of the band have their first experience of ringing Plain Bob Doubles with a bell other than the treble as the hunt bell.

Olivia has learned St Simons and St Martins, as well as Plain Bob Minor and some treble bobbing. And her finale on Thursday was to ring her first blows of Cambridge Minor. She was thirds place bell while we rang a touch with singles. Just 4 more leads to learn now Olivia!

Our other rising star is Joe who is making fast progress at the Elizabeth College afternoon practices.

We had a special Plain Bob Triples Practice this afternoon; just 8 of us so we had plenty of rope time. Olivia and Joe joined Judy, an occasional visitor from Forest/St Peters. None of them had much, if any experience at plain hunt triples and our own Judith has only rung a couple of plain courses of Bob Triples but has decided (or did Duncan decide for her?) that her “first’ for the District Ringing Master’s “November Firsts” would be a QP of Bob Triples. We progressed well starting with plain hunt on 5 with 6,7,8 cover, through minor with 2 cover bells to plain hunt triples and finally a course of Plain Bob Triples. A very useful hour and a half and if we can repeat this another couple of times we are going to be fighting for a rope in future quarters of triples.

The finale of this afternoon was Olivia ringing her first QP of St Simons and she was excellent at it. I heard that a quarter of spliced St Simon & St Martins is on the cards pretty soon.

I’m not sure when Olivia started ringing handbells but not long ago. And I did spot a QP at an address I din’t recognise in Guernsey last Saturday. Yes, it was Olivia’s first in hand.

Congratulations Olivia!

On Saturday, 14 October 2017
Guernsey, CI
Polmear Lodge Tenor: size 15C

1440 Plain Bob Minor

1-2.   Olivia Palmer
3-4 .  Helen M McGregor
5-6.   Duncan Loweth (C)

First in hand: 1-2

On Friday, 20 October 2017 in 43min
Guernsey, CI
St Peter Apostle and Martyr (Town Church) Tenor: 11cwt
1260 St Simon’s Bob Doubles

  1.  Judith Lainé
  2.  Olivia Palmer
  3.  Jane Le Conte
  4.  Sue Le Feuvre
  5.  Duncan Loweth (C)
  6.  Joe Berry
    First in method: 2