Spread the Gospel

As you problably know music does not figure prominently on my radar but I do like gospel music. We saw a poster advertising a gospel music concert to be given by a local choir so we decided to go. First problem we had no idea where the venue was so we thought we would do a "reci" during the day. Ah hah we saw a postman and managed to gather from him that it was a school we were looking for and it was somewhere near the cemetery. There was a lot of arm waving and I hadn't got the nerve to tell him that I had no idea where the cemetery was. Better try someone else. We spied some people leaving a judo class so I stopped a lady (she was clad only in her judo suit and it was zero) and she told me that we were no where near the place and then went on to explain very complicated directions. John was observing the extensive arm waving from the warmth of the car and when I returned he was sure that it had been a waste of time as I would not have understood a word she had told me. But that was last year, now I understood 50% of what she said and miraculously we found it!

The concert was due to start at 8.30. We had found the venue in the morning but how did we get in. There were no directions and no lights on. We eventually found the hall and John then went off to find some other people who we had met in "the maze" as he said they would never find it. I don't think there are too many of us gospel fans in Gourdon as there were about 40 of us there.

As normal, things did not get under way for some time (John thought they might be awaiting the arrival of the mayor- but he was obviously not a gospel devotee). The accompanist, a very strange fellow, wandered up and down a lot and we decided he looked far more like a classical pianist than a hallaluha(?) stomping sort. I thought it was a good start when at one stage he walked into the lid of the grand piano. It all reminded me of one of Eric Sykes silent comedies. To continue, low and behold he was a classical pianist (performing just as Eric Sykes would, with dead pan exaggerated gestures). Well this was obviously not to the taste of the gospel lot in the back who proceeded to talk all the way through his performance. His bit eventually finished and with much set-moving he was moved to the stage to accompany the choir. On come the singers, one of whom was blind, so on came his dog as well. Fido lay down in the middle of the stage and slept throughout the lively proceedings (he was obviously confident that he would not get trodden on during "Swing Low Sweet Charriot"). The concert may not have been of the highest quality but we did enjoy it and it was in aid of "Telethon", the French equivalent of Children in Need.

Don't we live it up round here!!

A bonus was our tour of the Christmas lights. Last year I thought they were good in Gourdon but this year they are magnificent and I was like a kid ooh ahing. We are equally amazed that the small villages put on a lovely display.