| Sun Oct 16, 2016 |
A productive tower-cleanup after post-service ringing today, putting the house in order in readiness for our anniversary event that we'll soon be hosting, with many visitors expected. The anteroom below the ringing room has been transformed from a storage area to an attractive parlor, with furniture and seating nicely arranged and many bulky and unsightly items (such as all those pieces of wood) cleared away. Our vacuum cleaners also saw lots of service time. |
| Sun Oct 9, 2016 |
The first of this month's two 10th anniversary celebrations took place this weekend, beginning with a peal attempt on Saturday afternoon. New York Littleport Little Surprise Caters has its challenges, and we plan to have another go it later this month. Two quarters were scored, one of the New York Littleport Caters dedicated to the anniversary, and another of Stedman Caters dedicated to the engagement of Chapman and Rebecca. A lively dinner party that evening with about 15 local band members was good fun. Sunday saw some fine service ringing, and a special liturgy was incorporated into the service by which the new sharp 2nd was blessed, including live streaming on the church's video screens from the ringing room, as we rang open during this part of the liturgy. |
| Sun Sep 18, 2016 |
With many of our regular ringers out of town for a College Youth weekend in Atlanta, a NAG meeting in Victoria, Canada and a host of other reasons, we were delighted to have five accomplished ringers visiting the tower today, four from England (York, Hull and London [x2]) and one from Perth, Australia. Many thanks to all of them for joining us, enabling our ringing on this "Celebration Sunday" (an annual event at Trinity) to add to the event's theme of the many ways to contribute to Trinity's parochial life. Grandsire, Plain Bob and Stedman Triples, Cambridge Minor and rounds and call changes on 10 were all nicely rung. Thanks also to Lynn for staffing the ringers' table at the parish event. |
| Sun Sep 11, 2016 |
Today was the 15th anniversary of the events of 9/11/2001. The bells were half-muffled for all of today's ringing, which began at 8:46 a.m. (the time of the first strike) and continued until the start of the 9:00 a.m. service at Trinity. A quarter peal of Yorkshire Major was then rung, followed by pre-service ringing for the 11:15 service. Both the front 8 and the back 8 were used, all were half-muffled. The middle six were rung down in peal, open (no sound control). The Archbishop of Canterbury (at the time Dr. Rowan Williams) was in New York as a guest of Trinity Church at the time of this tragic event, and wrote a book of his reflections on the experience ("Writing in the Dust: After September 11"). St. Paul's Chapel was heavily engaged as a place where food, rest and a quiet place were available for work crews for several weeks during the aftermath. |
| Wed Aug 24, 2016 |
Lots of exciting stuff going on in the tower this summer. An enjoyable quarter peal of Stedman Triples on Sunday August 14 was the first on the new diatonic front eight. The following Sunday, August 21, a fine peal of Stedman Cinques was scored by a band made up of local and visiting ringers from three Anglican cathedrals - Washington DC, Worcester and London. Thanks to Tim for conducting both. Our Tuesday practices for newer ringers have been a great success, and we're looking at the possibility of extending them beyond the summer. Sunday attendance has been great, and with visitors and locals combined, Trinity's congregants and visitors have heard some fine 10 and 12 bell ringing. A special word of thanks to Dave Bassford from St. Paul's London, who's contributed much to our activities over his five-week visit to New York. |
| Mon Jul 4, 2016 |
With so many of our ringers away for the holiday weekend, including several who were in Toronto for their 12-bell weekend, service ringing was cancelled on July 3. But the bells weren't completely absent, as Tom Farthing of Chicago, assisted by Tony Furnivall, gave a presentation of the mechanics of tower bells using an apparatus designed to demonstrate how the wheel, the rope and the bell all interact with each other. The demonstration drew much interest, with Tom at one point using a simulator to "ring a plain hunt on 16 so I could claim I outdid the folks who did the fancy ringing in Toronto." Well-done, Tom and Tony! |
| Wed Jun 22, 2016 |
Our summer Tuesday evening sessions for newer ringers are off to a good start, providing for them more instruction and ropetime than would be possible at the Wednesday practices. Handling, ropesight, plain hunting, place-making and dodging are among the skills that are taught, and the group is enthusiastic and keen to advance their abilities. Peter, Kira, Ryder, Alison, Mary Catherine, Eva and Carsten are among the regulars, and we hope that Matthew and Jonathan and others who have expressed interest will also be along as the weeks progress. Tim leads the sessions, assisted by several local band members providing a helping hand and a supportive band. |
| Wed Jun 8, 2016 |
The first practice with the new sharp 2nd in place - as one ringer commented, "what a difference a semitone makes." A beautiful diatonic octave now sounds from the front eight, greatly adding to the beauty of the music produced by methods like Stedman. Andrew Mills from Taylor's, who installed the bell with the help of volunteers from the local band, was on hand for the practice. |
| Fri May 27, 2016 |
This year's Memorial Day weekend will be remembered as a successful and enjoyable extended 12-bell weekend (Friday through Monday). Many accomplished ringers from the UK, Boston and Washington DC joined with us for 12-bell ringing that included Bristol Max, Stedman Cinques and Littleport Cinques. The event was organized by Martha Partridge as a way of celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary - congratulations, Martha and Tigg! Peals, quarter-peals and practice sessions on tower bells, handbells and Tim's miniring (set up in Trinity's Manning Room), together with a festive dinner on Saturday and a delightful barbeque on Sunday, all combined to make an event that will be one of the principal highlights of 2016. It was also our first opportunity to try out the new ringing circle, modified to accommodate our sharp 2nd - the installation of which was paused for this event. The bells will shortly be taken out of service again for a few more weeks to complete this project. |
| Sun May 15, 2016 |
Today saw the second of our two planned regional tower visits, with 11 Trinity affiliated ringers descending upon the Kent School in southwestern Connecticut for a go on the bells housed on its gracious campus. As in Orleans, we joined with the local band, many of whom are students at the school and keen to advance their ringing skills. Ryder Sammons, now at Kenyon College and an alumnus of Kent, was among the ringers. Keeping with the best traditions of ringing, the event ended with a visit to a local pub. Many thanks to Paul for organizing this very enjoyable afternoon. |
