Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

It was Tuesday morning again & every third Tuesday in the month I know will be a good one because it’s Prime Timers. So I went along, full of anticipation of a great morning with my birthday all behind me.

I had forgotten about the birthday announcements, which are done every month by our leader, Joan who does the roll call. Joan calls Cheryl the ‘bridesmaid’ & it’s her job to light the candle on each little cup cake.

My birthday, being on the 2nd of the month was called out first, along with the announcement that Dawn was ninety nine years old! Everyone laughed (as they should)! Joan can afford to be cheeky as Joan & David already have their sixty little puddings in their possession to be given at our Christmas party next month & it’s a pleasure to still be able to do it for them.

Anyway, with that last birthday greeting it meant that I had the longest birthday ever; lasting for nineteen days; an amazing & memorable birthday.

I was looking forward to the gathering this month as the Rainbow Sisters were performing & I love watching them. There is about a dozen of our members in the group who go along each month for practice as they do a lot of gigs at nursing & aged people’s homes.

They look quite smart simply dressed in black slacks, a very neat white tee shirt with a little flower pinned on the neckline to one side & a gold glitzy hat on top of their heads. They also have a triangular skirt around their waists with the gold disks attached adding an accompaniment to their music as they move.

Some of The Rainbow Sisters: Bev Crawford, Bev Holt, Terry Walters, Cheryl Ford

They play the tambourines which are small percussion instruments with small shallow discs in slots around the edge, played or being shaken or hit with the hand in time to the music. The ladies do a good job of doing this & to make it more effective usually little streamers are also attached & I find it fascinating to watch.

It looks very easy but so does line dancing & I guess it is not as easy as it looks. The girls make it look easy as they shake, hit, move them from side to side, up in the air, around their backs & are very deft looking quite skillful as they make their moves.

Judging by the looks on their faces & their exuberance they all thoroughly enjoy what they are doing.

As well as the Rainbow Sisters to entertain us, we were all given a song sheet. We had little bouts of singing some favourite songs in between the Rainbow Sisters entertainment. This is good for us too, as Joan plays the ukulele & husband, David plays the piano accordion & are very good at it.

Then when all had been concluded & the ladies were getting our sandwiches & slices organised for lunch, Joan announced she was going to play on the stereo a song being sung by Neiil Diamond (I think) & for everyone of us to be very quiet & after it was over we could chatter all we liked.

Well, oh my goodness but what should come out in the silence that ensued was the song/hymn:

Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible say,
Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day.
Hark the Herald Angels sing,
A new King born today
And man will live for evermore because of Christmas Day.

I am a real sentimentalist at heart & whenever I hear this hymn it really tugs at my heart strings & nostalgia sets in. I will tell you why.

When Philip was in his early years, he & his friends recorded this song in our home. Involved in this were Philip’s very good friends,:David Berryman, Bob Cox & Philip’s girl friend at the time, Denise Bull.

David was a sound technician; Bob played the guitar; Philip played the organ; & Denise had a voice like an angel, I always thought Denise would go a long way with her singing, but she married instead.

The four enthusiastic young people rehearsed this song for weeks together. All electrical equipment in the house had to be switched off & anyone inside the house was scarcely allowed to breathe lest they made a sound.

After many weeks it was perfected & a tape was produced.

I know this may not sound such a big deal, but I had so much enjoyment in being there to watch & listen to the music & Denise’s glorious voice that it did become a very important memory as I witnessed the pleasure it gave to these four young people in producing the tape.

I had that tape in my possession for almost forty years until long after Philip went to live in LA. & never a Christmas would go by without I played that tape, plus many times in between.

And I would have tears in my eyes every time. I loved the lyrics, loved the hymn, & loved the memory of the young people taping it all. It was without a doubt one of the loveliest memories I have of these young people & when the tape broke I was more than sad.  (I think I wore it out.)

I took it over to Philip hoping with all his technical expertise he could put it together again, but some of his even more technical friends were able to make a digital recording that can be copied over and over.

So you can imagine the nostalgia I felt when it was played at Prime Timers. Joan had no need to worry about this girl making a sound as I bit on my bottom lip. I tried to stop my eyes from swimming, but they really were happy tears Sometimes I get very nostalgic,

I thoroughly enjoyed our togetherness at Prime Timers & could watch the Rainbow Sisters for hours, it was indeed a lovely morning & I feel sure they will be on our menu again in the New Year. I love being part of this wonderful group of people, it is important in my life.

God Bless & Much Love. Dawn X O X O