Well dressing

The well dressing is probably the biggest event on the Aston-on-Trent calendar.  I'm often surprised by how far people come to go to the well dressing.  People from as far away as Nottingham have heard of it and are willing to travel the distance to come.  I've also seen it advertised in a what's on in Derbyshire guide.  In case anyone was wondering what a well dressing is, it's one of these:-

It's made with all natural materials such as petals, seeds etc stuck into clay.  People from village come in and stick a few bits in each.  That one was made by the well dressing commitee.  Other groups make them such as brownies, and the local schools.

There were also stalls and people performing music and drama.  There was a puppet show and a teacup ride.  The church had several displays in it.  There were the old stocks and historical records of the market.  Also a display of what school was like in the Victorian times.  They had some finger stocks to put the fingers in of children who fidget too much in school.

The Malt shovel got the barbecue on.  They did some very good chips.  My only complaint was that there wasn't enough of them.  It wouldn't have hurt to fill the box to the top instead of half full.  My son had a burger and that disappeared very quickly, so I guess that means he enjoyed it. The church people made some really nice cakes to sell and  they'd put out chairs and tables in the church yard.  It was very pleasant sitting out in the warm sun eating cake and chatting.  The weather was perfect the whole weekend.  Sunshine all the way.  Well some people might have complained that it was too hot, but that's very British.  We like to complain about the weather whatever it's doing.

In the evening the pubs put on live bands so the well dressing festivities continued in the evening too.

Girl Guides

There is a notice up in Weston village hall about the Guides.Weston Guides is in a bad position at the moment.  One of the leaders is stepping down and if no-one else comes forward to do the job then it will shut down.  This would be a shame as Aston Guides has already shut down, so Weston Guides takes in the girls from Aston as well.  The girls only option if this happens is to go to Scouts, which is already full to the seams and has a massive waiting list.  (These days, under equal opportunities laws girls can't be turned away from Beavers, Cubs or Scouts, and although these groups are still mainly boys, they do have girls in them). However I've never known any boys try to get into Rainbows, Brownies or Guides).

Girl Guiding is a great organization.  It teaches girls life skills, explores faith, encourages them to be kind and helpful to others and be community spirited.  They have great adventures and fun too.  They have experiences they may not normally have had otherwise.  It also helps to keep them out of trouble.  If anyone can step forward and become a Guide leader it would be much appreciated by Weston Guides, even if it's once a month on a rota basis.  It's on a Thursday evening.  While we're at it, Brownies and Rainbows need more leaders too.