Early Ball/Zayle Fayre pictures can be found here and here

Here is a picture of a bluebell.

Here is another picture of a bluebell.

One, so I believe, is a good bluebell, a bluebell that believes in tolerance, fair play, warm beer, doing the right thing, helping poor and feeble bluebells and even types of bell that are not blue; a bluebell that is a bulldog kind of bluebell.

The other is a fiend bluebell, an alien, a bluebell that has one mission in its vegetative life and that is to displace and render lifeless the poor bulldog bluebell.

So I am told.

The only thing is, we have both sorts in our garden and they are both really rather nice. But I have to destroy the alien bell apparently!

But which is which? Can you help?

Do you ever go to Church House? It is a great place for intimate concerts. We went there back in February to listen to the 'Calderon Duo'. It was not one of those boisterous occasions, typical of our community, when the musicians have to do battle with the general hubbub. It was a rather more serious event, but in many ways a very refreshing contrast. I find it heart warming to come across young people who are not slaves to the latest craze; and while the music was seriously enjoyable, the meal afterwards in the Seven Stars with the artists provided sufficient evidence that you don't have to be serious all the time.

Click on the photo shown to access the Calderon Duo slideshow.

Quite by chance I thought I would take a snap of the old garage at Ford Cross. You get so used to it being there you don't notice it – until it is gone. Here it is – or was. Click on the picture to see the sequence.

St George's Day.........ah.........St George's Day!

The TV cameras were there, and I was in trouble for taking pictures in the Kings Arms just while the reporter (whoever that was) was reading the weather forecast live and hence I starred, so my daughters tell me, in the live report. I remember being frowned at by whoever was behind the camera.

What is it about television cameras that makes people go all wobbly when they appear? I must say that it all leaves me rather cold! I firmly believe that all visitors to the parish should be made welcome, including TV people, but they can forget the cameras.

But it was a good evening. The brawlers and the mummers strutted their stuff. The Prince of Paradine and the King of Egypt were particularly impressive having had about 4 days to learn their parts. St George carried off his immortal line "For here thou knowest not who thou'st got" without swallowing his tongue – something that it has taken him about 5 years to achieve without laughing!

What with the traditional songs from our friends from Exeter, sea shanties from 'Mariners Away' and local musicians all plunging in whenever they got the chance the Kings Arms was reverberating with music for some hours. It has been some time since that last occurred.

Click on the picture to see the slide show.

Finally, we attended John Christian's excellent exhibition of his latest works in Church House in early May – some extraordinary pictures which my photos do no justice to I am afraid – I couldn't get the lighting right alas! If you didn't go, make sure you do so next year. Click on the picture to see more.

And finally, finally, I dashed down to the Flower Festival at St Andrews in South Tawton first thing on 11 May and grabbed these shots of a wonderful, musical orientated display. The lighting is impossible but I did what I could!

That's it. See you next month.

Robin Tilley - May 2008