Greetings

Welcome to Francis’s ninth electronic Christmas Newsletter. As usual, I don’t buy cards, but make a charity donation. Some of my friends and relations (mainly any who are still off line) will get paper copies of this.  

Doctor Judith

Headline news this year is Judith's completion of her thesis on The Distinctiveness of Quaker Prose 1650-99: A Corpus Based Enquiry. After six years' assiduous research she was awarded her doctorate at the University of Birmingham on June 10th. Sam and myself were in attendance. Judith is now busily engaged in post-doctoral research and the preparation of academic papers, one of which is to be delivered at a research gathering in Boston MA next year. And as I write this webpage, for the first time a letter arrives addressed to “Dr. and Dr. Roads”.

Globetrot 1: Czechia

The European Go Congress was held this year in Liberec, in the Czech Republic. It is a town in the north of the country near the German border, so my schoolboy German was quite useful, the Czech language being quite impenetrable. We met in a sport and entertainment centre in a converted textile factory, so if I wanted a swim between rounds I didn’t have far to go. I didn’t do particularly well, but the organisation was good, and Liberec is a pleasant enough town.

A highlight was a trip to a nearby glassworks, where as well as viewing some stunning hand made glassware, we were encouraged to make our own item. I chose to make a beermug. As you would expect. I chose the mould, and did some blowing, rotating and holding, but the dangerous stuff near the furnace was done by a professional.

Judith’s 70th birthday

I left the congress early for a more important event. Some people have a birthday party: Judith preferred a boat trip on the Thames. Nick, Mary (J.’s brother and sister-in-law), Sam, Lizz and myself made up the party for a there-and-back trip on a motor boat. J.’s family are sailors, so Nick was appointed helmsman.

Globetrot 2: Isle of Man

I have lost count of the number of my visits to the IOM; getting on for 20 I think. This was a particularly poignant visit, as it was to be for the last of the 12 IOM Go Festivals, held as usual in Port Erin. Following the sad death of the main organiser, the IOM Go Society has decided to discontinue these festivals. There is no go event anywhere in the world which I have enjoyed more. (And I have played go in four continents).

It was in 1993, at the second of these events, that I first looked at the Colby manuscripts (of West Gallery church music) in the Manx National Heritage Library in Douglas. To cut a long story short, my 2002 PhD from Liverpool University was based on my edition of and research into these manuscripts. And I wouldn’t even have been there but for the go festival. My love for the island is unabated, and I am going to try to continue some small scale go meetings there.

Beware Flybe. We had intended to attend the funeral of our Manx friend. At Stansted airport Flybe announced one delay after another, until it was clear that even if we waited, we would miss the funeral, and probably the return flight too. Later we discovered that the flight had been cancelled at an early stage, and that we had been strung along by Flybe. Or Flymaybe, as it is known on the IOM.

Globetrot 3: Northern Ireland

Judith and I had visited the Irish Republic on several occasions, but never the UK bit, so that was our choice for our annual holiday together. We started at a farmhouse near Coleraine, which is a good centre for trips to the north coast, where viewing the Giant’s Causeway is more or less compulsory, a ferry trip across Lough Foyle to Greencastle in the Republic, and to Derry. Here I saw for the only time on the trip evidence of the bitterness which still persists: a large hoarding reading; “Derry still under siege; no surrender”. A depressing sight.

We then spent two days in Belfast. It’s a pleasant enough city, vaguely reminiscent of cities of the industrial north in England. We found plenty to interest us, including in particular a visit to the Ulster Museum, exhibiting the achievements of Ulster men and women throughout the world.

West Gallery music

London Gallery Quire continues to flourish. Until this year we were in the quite exceptional situation for an amateur choir of being bottom heavy; short of female singers. That situation has now been rectified, and we are as well balanced as ever. Our serpentist can no longer play regularly for medical reasons, but one of our three clarinettists has advanced to bass clarinet, so we have a reasonably well balanced band as well, including also flute, oboe and bassoon. There has been a shift in our commitments towards more concerts and fewer services. This gives us more opportunity to use newly edited pieces, and is a welcome development. At the time of writing we are preparing for a high profile carol concert at the National Portrait Gallery on December 18th; fingers crossed!

As Hon. Sec. of the West Gallery Music Association, my main function seems to be to arrange and minute Committee meetings, and to answer all manner of questions about our music and activities both from members and the public in general. Our third research meeting at Southampton University was unfortunately not well attended. I am hoping for better things at our fourth in Bristol next February, when I shall present a paper on the research I have done this year into all the parochial music of John Bishop. No, not that one, John Bishop (1665-1735), organist of Winchester cathedral.

Pembroke College

I continue to pay convivial visits to my old college, as the accompanying picture shows.

Playing go

I don’t get to as many tournaments as formerly, owing to advancing years. But I do still play regularly locally, usually two or three times per week. My rating has slipped from a former four dan to one dan. This is only partly owing to a reduction in my own playing strength. The rating system is not stable, and many British dan graded players have suffered similarly.

Wassail

I wish a joyful Christmas and New Year to all my friends and relations.