Shopping on Saturday, Church on Sunday

Courtesy Keeper's Nursery, Lawford - and Wivenhoe Farmer's market

For those of you new to this blog I must make it clear that I am modestly sponsored by Roman River Music (alright, they gave me a few tickets) but I work hard for it - visiting venues, turning up for previews and rehearsals, getting the right photos, well, you get the idea. But this morning was all pleasure - shopping at the excellent Wivenhoe Farmer's market for local fruit, veg and pork (thank you Primrose Pork, the best you can buy! - a tenderloin marinated with herbs, oil and a dash of cider vinegar is great gently grilled on the last of the summer's BBQ). Then on to Abberton church for the solo violin concert by Fenella Humphreys, as part of, well, you guessed it, the Roman River Festival.

From Left to right; Orland Jopling, Artistic Director, Roman River Festival, Fenella Humphreys, and composers of two pieces she played, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Adrian Sutton. An adventurous programme based around Bach's Partita no. 3. I enjoyed the thrill of the new, and shall write more on this tomorrow (so that's just my mum reading then...). For something completely different, there's still tickets for tomorrow evening's concert at St. Michael and All Angels church, Copford. English songs, mainly from the 20th Century. With Roman River, you can be sure the musicianship will be of the highest quality, in this case Sally Matthews and Simon Lepper. And you can always look at the wall paintings (some of the most interesting in the country, another hidden Colchester gem). And all for just £12, or £6 if you're under 30. See you there! With thanks to the Churchwardens at St Andrews, Abberton.