When will it ever end?
For those of us who have been ‘at it’ for years, the means of extending our knowledge of methods was simply a matter of opening our copy of ‘Standard Methods’ and soaking up the pattern of the blue line, in readiness for the next practice night at our local tower.
Nowadays, however, widening of our repertoire so often occurs via the content of this publication, with methods even introducing new routes for the treble ringer, as well as fresh complexities for those of us ‘inside’. ‘When will it ever end?’ less advanced ringers might be thinking, as they hear the conductor’s voice call them into rounds once more. The solution may be to return to the habit of our schooldays, when we had plenty of homework, soaking up a particular subject in readiness for a test back at school. Failure then – for me, at least – would mean ‘staying in’ after the regular hours!
For us in the tower, the answer may well be to stay hooked on to the plain and simple. Remembering to consider nearby residents (who may hear our bells ringing louder than we do inside the ringing chamber!), we are also grateful for the enthusiasm of ringers from nearby towers who are prepared to stretch our minds as we grasp the intricacies of Difficult Doubles.
And I’m personally grateful, too, for the reassurance of understanding ringers from nearby, whose willing readiness enabled me to ring once more (as recorded on p.632) on the eve of my 95th birthday. Their support, and a ground-floor ring, overcame my current inability to climb the 34 steep steps to the ringing chamber in my own tower.
Michael Stephens,
Clerical Guild of Ringers.