shewhomust | Strange conjunctions

Yesterday was odd, not because anything was odd in itself, but because it threw together so many ill-assorted things.

The day began with guests for breakfast: the final stage of a visit from the Bears for the Lumiere weekend (more about Lumiere another time, I hope). Instead of seeing them onto their train and waving goodbye from the platform, though, we accompanied them on the train as far as York, to go to the funeral of

durham_rambler's uncle. So that was odd.

The train journey wasn't odd, exactly, but being en route to a funeral put me in a frame of mind to be sensitive to every newspaper open at the same story, and the young woman across the aisle wearing her 'I heart Paris' T-shirt, and the train announcer inviting us to join in a minute of silent reflection at eleven o' clock (and then making another announcement to let us know that the minute was over, because you can overdo the silent reflection, I suppose). We came in to York past flooded fields and rivers overflowing their banks: après moi le déluge...

durham_rambler had plotted an easy walking route to the church where the funeral was being held. We set off on a footpath beside the railway, and came dry-shod to the footbridge over the river, though the riverside path lead away under the water to either side. But on the far side of the bridge our way was barred by a floodgate: some fit young people were scrambling over it, but we turned back, and went the long way round, which wasn't very much longer. We had some fine views of the river lapping at the city walls, though.

The funeral was as funerals are. We had brief conversations with people we are close to, and met cousins we haven't seen in decades, and people who are only relations i the loosest terms, and all stages in between. Then we came home, and made a pot of tea.

Then we went out again, and heard amazing banjo music. Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn:

This was the first thing they played, and I'd have been happy to listen to banjo tunes all evening. I enjoyed Abigail Washburn's banjo playing, and her singing - but I'd have enjoyed more banjo and less gospel even more...