This week we have news from Fraser and Tricia about their recent move, a tale of ‘derring-do’ by Peter in aid of the Birks Cinema refurbishment fund, and the latest from the Book Club.
First of all, Fraser gave the Blog this lovely reflection on the stresses and strains (and rewards) of moving house……
“Everything came together very quickly near the end of our stay in the village and really, before we knew it, we were away to Perth still thinking we had loads of time for farewells to friends.
The trauma of the move is not something we will undertake again, thank goodness. We had accumulated so much ‘junk’ (well my wife and daughter thought it junk) that we readily lost count of trips to the municipal dump and charity shops, and I anguished over decisions outside my control when articles and artifacts were destined for places anew. Perhaps I was being optimistic, and in reality they were being buried, burnt or recycled – but I like to think that some of my old bits and pieces were found to be useful.
We are well ensconced in our new home, and many of the packing boxes have now been returned to the removers. The first day in our new home was not without its distractions. I managed to break the front door key inside the lock with us locked in, and the heating boiler decided to pack in – but this was solved by new fuse in the thermostat.
We have a fine elevated view over Perth with the hills melting into the mist in the distance, so it is not too bad. I knew I would miss the magnificent views from Fearnan, but this is fine, and the neighbours are especially nice and welcoming.
Do call in and say ‘hello’ if you are around.”
Thank you, Fraser and Tricia! Do keep in touch and we hope you’ll also come back and visit us in Fearnan – you will always be welcome at any of our events or get-togethers.
Meanwhile, Peter has been risking life and limb by abseiling to help raise funds for the refurbishment of the Birks Cinema auditorium and cafe bar. Once he had both feet firmly back on the ground, he wrote this great piece for the Blog.
“Well folks – I’ve been and gone and done it ! On behalf of the Birks Cinema a BIG thank you to all of you who generously sponsored me in this fund raising stunt ( basically everyone who was at the April FVA Coffee Morning!).
I’m minded to comment that my abseil from the roof of the Birks Cinema was a positive experience in a number of ways; the support I received through your sponsorship definitely being one such. Thank you all very much indeed.
As a complete novice to abseiling, I’d admit that I was a tad timorous (of the dry-mouthed variety) about the whole malarkey. As such, I would really like to pay tribute to the absolutely superb work done by the local Wee Adventures company. To a person, they were all calmly and encouragingly supportive.
As a fund-raising exercise for the Birks Cinema, I can only imagine it has been a total success. The sum total of donations I have received currently stands in the region of £600 (before Gift Aid ).
Thanks again to all of you for your input.
A number of you had given me cash donation in respect of your sponsorship at the Coffee Morning. For those of you who have still to make your donations, I would be very grateful if I could “collect” from you at the upcoming Coffee Morning on Tuesday, 8th May.”
Unusually, Peter left his camera behind on this occasion – which was good news for us, as it meant that Sheila was able to use it to snap away and provide us with this action replay.
Well done, Peter! A great achievement and a tidy sum of money raised for the Birks Cinema.
As Peter says, the next Coffee Morning is on Tuesday 8th May at 10.30 in the village hall, and the next one after that is on the 5th June.
Fearnan Book Club
Many thanks to Linda for the following summary of the discussion at this month’s Book Club:
At our April meeting, we discussed The Witchfinder’s Sister. The general feeling was that it was not one of our favourite books and we won’t look out for this author again. It was described as a slow burn but one of the group felt that it was so slow that “the candle went out”!
However, it certainly promoted a wide range of lively discussion covering a range of related subjects. It was felt that it was not particularly well written and lacked detail that would have evoked a feeling for the historical context and atmosphere and there were missed opportunities to develop characters. We wanted to feel what it might have been like to be there.
We discussed the characters of the Witchfinder and his sister in greater detail bearing in mind the historical period and the chaos of the civil war. We concluded that the Witchfinder definitely had sadistic tendencies and was obsessed by his role. He appeared to be a self-appointed megalomaniac who enjoyed his power and sought to extend it. His sister, a widow, was restricted by the role and position of women in that historical period. We understood why she perhaps wasn’t as feisty as we would have liked her to be.
The lively discussion extended to historical witch hunting in Scotland and the Salem witch trials in America. We discussed how a witch was defined in this period and light-heartedly considered which of us might fit into the category!
Conversation then digressed to the topic of hanging trees and ghosts in Fearnan. This was fuelled by chocolate and tea! Considering this was not one of our favourite books and the gravity of the subject, there was lots of laughter and light-hearted banter.
It has to be said that a highlight of the meetings is that you never know where the discussion will end up!
The chosen book for May is The Other Hoffmann Sister by Ben Fergusson described as a gripping evocative read about two sisters set in pre-WW1 Germany. For Ingrid Hoffmann the story of her sister’s disappearance began in their first weeks in Southwest Africa… … The meeting will be on May 9th.
For our discussion in June, we are returning to Jane Harper, an author we have previously enjoyed, and her new book Force of Nature.
The Mobile Library will visit Fearnan next on the 1st May, and thereafter on the 15th and 29th May. It will be in the hall car park between 16.00 and 16.30 on those days.
Fearnan Village Association 
Good to hear from you,Fraser. Thanks for your news. I hope it wont be the last we hear of you.Best wishes. Sue