Thanks to Phil Ringnalda's Blogger archive script generator I've got the archives working now. The Show All / Fewer is a bit pointless at the moment, will have a bit more meaning when this site is more than 4 months old.

Also my digital camera arrived yesterday, so expect some pictures soon. You lucky, lucky people.

And to demonstrate the new camera, here's a picture of St. Albans Abbey tower that I took at lunchtime:

The Ancient Society of Efquire Drivelling Youths

Trumpington, Cambridgeshire
SS Mary & Michael

Saturday, 23 February 2002 in 2:47 (10)

5088 Spliced Treble Place Major (5 methods)

On Saturday the twenty third day in the month of February in the year of our Lord MMII (Anno Drivelii IV) the following gentlemen did ring a true and exquisite peal of spliced treble place major, being 5088 changes of the following methods (with all of the work for all of the bells and one hundred and twenty eight changes of method) according to the most excellent composition of E A Barnett Efquire, arranged and rotated by Cairngorm J McWomble Efquire, and conducted in a masterly fafhon by Simon C Farrar Efquire:

Percy's Tea Strainer Treble Place Major
Lou's Carrot Treble Place Major
Drivel List Treble Place Major
Ancient Society of Efquire Leeds Youths Treble Place Major
Cambridge Treble Place Major

Call'd Bobs: Simon C Farrar

1 Ian J Wells Efquire
2 Stephen W Percival Penney Efquire
3 Phillip M Orme Efquire
4 Clive G Smith Efquire
5 C James Hustler Efquire
6 Philip J Earis Efquire
7 Andrew J W Tibbetts Efquire
8 Simon C Farrar Efquire

First peal for the society at the first attempt.
Believed to be the most spliced treble place major
Percy's Tea Strainer Treble Place Major:
b -38-14-58-16-12-38-1478-78
Lou's Carrot Treble Place Major:
b -58-16-12-38-14-58-1678-78
Drivel List Treble Place Major:
b -36-14-58-36-14-58-3678-78
Ancient Society of Efquire Leeds Youths Treble Place Major:
b -38-14-58-16-14-58-3678-78

My mini digital camera should hopefully arrive early next week, which will mean I can put photos on this blog of stuff. I can tell you're excited.

Found this:

"A new bell-frame was constructed and fixed in the south-west corner, and the whole peal received an entirely new set of fittings by Warner and Sons, of Cripplegate. The 21st December, 1871, was a day to be remembered by those in St. Albans who were fond of campanology, for then the College Youths rang out a glorious peal ; the long period of forty years had elapsed, more than a generation had passed since the former peal had been rung ; none but the old and middle aged had heard their glad sound, except when chimed, and their recovery to their old life seemed to give infinite pleasure and satisfaction to the good people of St. Albans. May their sweet music long continue to gladden the hearts of this generation and of fututre ones!"

- John Chapple, "The restoration of the Abbey of St Alban", 1874.
An appendix to "Middlesex & Hertfordshire Notes and Queries" Volume II (1876)
(My links)

Still recovering from the Welsh Colleges dinner weekend. Managed to get my speech finished in time, just.
At the AGM, the fools voted me in as Social Secretary, so the society is surely doomed. I've got the Easter tour to sort out now, which is worryingly close (so get on with it Percy).
All in all a very enjoyable weekend, and I'm looking forward to the MUGS dinner in March, at which I've got another speech to give. Send me any suggestions for what I could talk about.

Speech writer's block
I've got my Masters speech to do for the Welsh Colleges dinner on saturday, and still have absolutely no idea what to talk about. I've had a few ideas, but they've all been pants. If you've got any suggestions, then please let me know.

Got the archives working, sort of. Might be able to make them look a bit better using this.

Made the date headers a brighter colour (i.e. white instead of black!), and the whole blog text a bit larger too, so it should be a bit easier to read now.

Went to see Oasis last night with IWD, who I managed to lose by the end of the evening. The third time I've seen them, and the smallest gig too, which meant I was much closer to them than I'd been before. The size of the venuedidn't affect the energy they put into the songs however, the atmosphere was still as electric as ever.
My memory is a little hazy as to what the set list was, they did a couple of new songs, the second of which was "Hung in a bad place". Took a wild guess at the first one, so I may be wrong. The songs, as far as I can remember, and undoubtedly in the wrong order were:

Go Let it out
Columbia
Morning glory
Acquiesce
Fade Away
Supersonic
?Hindu Times?
Gas Panic
Cigarettes and Alcohol
Hung in a bad place
Slide away
She's Electric
Live Forever
Champagne Supernova
Rock n roll star
Don't look back in anger
I am the walrus

Looking foward to the new album "Heathen Chemistry", out in May.

Was supposed to be going to Cardiff this weekend so I can ring a peal at Brecon Cathedral tomorrow. Unfortunately, I've just found out that the peals been cancelled. Fortunately, those nice people at TheTrainline offered me a refund for the tickets.

Apparently people are having problems viewing this site, especially the blog date headers. As soon as I find out why I'll see what I can do to change them