BASKETTCASE

Back from a lovely weekend with Joe and Sally in Stone. We chose this weekend because Sally and her sister Liz were singing in their choir. They were performing Paul Field's 'Daybreak', a series of choral pieces and solos with narration, based on the experiences of the various characters involved in the Resurrection of Jesus. It was originally written for a youth choir, and this choir of mostly middle-aged women coached and conducted by a 23 year old professional choirmaster had a very youthful style. The sound was magnificent, and Sally and Liz's 8-strong group of supporters were unanimous in expressing their appreciation and enjoyment.

We went on from the church hall in Erdington to Shaffer's Indian restaurant in Stone, where we finished our meal at half past midnight. Home at last we finished off the evening with a glass of Joe's gooseberry wine, made with our gooseberries.

Breakfast at Liz's house, Staffordshire oatcakes in sunshine in the garden. It was obvious that we were not going to be hungry enough for lunch before driving home to Norfolk, so we took off in Joe and Sally's new motorhome to Les Oakes' in Cheadle. Not sure what you would call it - a huge Steptoe's, reclamation centre, re-cycling centre? Huge buildings built entirely of reclaimed materials, with unlikely decoration, preposterous stone lions, acres of domestic and farming antiques, milk churns, harmoniums, doors, windows, stone urns and animals, even a church pipe organ. One building contained furniture, and we bought four upholstered dining chairs. We were disappointed at the failure to haggle, but the price was good already. By the time Dave and Joe went to get them we had brewed up in the van, and the chairs came in useful to drink tea in the car-park. All a bit surreal!