If you go down, not to the woods, but to Duchesne House on a Sunday afternoon, you will find, not a picnic, but a veritable feast of readings and poems, provided by the Senior Bears of the Province.
I was fortunate enough to be strolling by the other Sunday and was invited to join the fun, which had the added bonus that day as it ended with another feast; the late celebration of Mary Hindes birthday!
Duchesne House Story time takes place from 2.30 to 3.30 on Sunday afternoon, and is open to all who wish, with the invitation to bring story in prose or verse to provide mutual enjoyment and entertainment.
On this particular Sunday the menu was as follows:
- A Joyce Grenfell monologue, featuring Sidney, read by Prue Wilson
- The Love Affair from The Young Visitors read by April OLeary,
- The Story of Peter Rabbit, read by Liz Smith,
- Little Trotty Wagtail, read by Elizabeth Hughes,
- Washing up from a Pick of Punch 1951 read by Mimi Goddard,
- Every Bears Life Guide read by Mon Barudi,
- The Gurus Cat, read by Margaret Nourse.
As you will see from the list many of these items were very amusing and lost nothing in the telling by the enthusiasm and expressions of the readers!
Apparently, other Sunday treats have been readings from TS Eliots Book of Cats (Denise knows them all by heart); Mary reading some of Bernard Bassets stories and Liz treating them to Pooh stories with wonderful impersonation!
It was such an entertaining feast I came away having had many good laughs, and rejuvenated by hearing some well-loved readings, and by the energy and enthusiasm of the participants.
At the end all of the community arrived for tea to celebrate Marys birthday!
Marion Charley RSCJ
