I am pleased to report that the tail end was long enough to flip me in the eye during Sunday ringing last week. Furthermore, a knot was required in a too long rope on Saturday. Normally, I do not enjoy a hefty eye flick, however, when it is the first of the season and it heralds the longed for change in the weather, it is worth celebrating. For the first time since November, we did not need to shroud the ropes in their foam jackets, which is ironic since throughout my childhood, all sorts of church things were shrouded during Lent. I used to hate those ghoulish purple shapes that lurked in corners, ready to scare small children because, just perhaps, people were hiding under the material and might jump out and grab an unsuspecting little girl if she misbehaved.
If you ring in a leaking, medieval church that is located on the edge of marshland, then seasonally affected ropes (SAR) can be a problem. Without any ambient background heating, the ropes harden and shrink to an alarming degree. It is no wonder that some of us ring with an agricultural style – we suffer from Rural Rope Syndrome (RRS), a little appreciated complaint that has the power to drive away people with poor handling skills. Ringers from smart city towers possibly have no idea of the challenging ropes that we sometimes experience.
Hopefully, we are moving into warmer and drier times and bells that have been inaccessible to me, become manageable once again. I do hope so because I am fed up with the current situation. Winter has felt very long and rather miserable.
Wishing you all a Happy Easter!
The Accidental Ringer 