Coleshill bellringers’ start to Christmas ringing was nearly washed out after a blast of very wet weather started a flood in the ringing chamber.
Anything which could hold water was found to collect the deluge met on arrival to ring for Sunday service. A quick inspection when the rain eased found that pigeon poo had blocked the spire drains and forced the wet stuff to find another route through part of the belfry, right through the clock room beneath and into the ringing chamber.
Ringer John Parkinson suggested a chorus of Ringing in the Rain. And yes, raindrops did keep falling on some heads until the flood stopped.
With everything dry, ringers rung a couple of traditional Coleshill handling exercises - otherwise known as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Little Donkey. They test ringers’ ability to stand a bell at hand - and backstroke first time (avoids clashes) and rope sight (gets the rhythm right).
Some call changes on the ten bells produce a couple of bars of vaguely familiar pop songs.
Roy Orbison’s 24 hours from Tulsa, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson’s Sing Little Birdy, (which took second place at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest), and Billy Cotton’s Bandshow wake up call Somebody Stole My Gal are easily recognised by ringers of a certain age.
There might have been some income from the more than 20 bags of the white stuff collected by contractors, but a pigeon's gift to your car is not saleable as a fertiliser. Seabird poo (guano) is, but we’re a long way from the sea.
The picture by bellringer Sue Rogers shows the spire and tower lit for Advent.