onionbagblog

To St Mary’s! …on Saturday morning. Well, technically to St Mary’s Churchyard, for the annual Art on the Railings in Wivenhoe. What are church railings for, if for not to hang fine art upon? Not to keep folk out, nor to keep folk in for that matter. It’s all very inclusive, especially so when art is invited into the space, dahhhling.

And you don’t get any more inclusive than Shane Diggens, Wivenhoe May Fair and the Montessori. All were welcomed into the churchyard for a celebration that has become something a little more than simply Art on the Railings.

The live music added a gentle introduction to the start of the Jubilee weekend. Yer man Shane was looking the part with his tunes from the shows; other Open Mic singers and strummers provided the perfect soundtrack for all those cup cakes about to be consumed.

Ah yes - about the invasion of cup cakes…

I’m not quite sure when fairy cakes were first gobbled up to become cup cakes. But cup cakes is where the brisk trade comes from, especially so at a village Art on the Railings morning where hangovers need to be nursed.

Every corner of St Mary’s seemed to be selling the glorified fairy cakes with wings. Which is no bad thing - it’s the SUPERSIZE me of home confectionary. It seemed rude not to buy up half a dozen from each local society that was selling the supersizers.

Room for a small one?

Which was also the message as I shuffled along the pews indoors, and made the most of the St Mary’s Nave, now transformed into a cafe. But there was to be no cup cake blessing from above. In what was something of a denominational cake-decorating switch, carrot cake was called for.

Not quite puritanical, but without the rock ‘n roll of the cup cake orgy-taking place outside.

Please Sir, can I have some more?

A step outside for more of the same. But with an added twist.

The Battle of the Town Criers (Sunny Colch Vs Wivenhoe) was a friendly rivalry. The plural term for a collection of town criers was answered by Wivenhoe’s Obi-Wan. It’s probably not best repeated in a blog post that is celebrating the inclusivity of the church.

Keeping it in the family was the lovely Julia Diggens, reading a Jubilee poem in celebration of the weekend in Wivenhoe:

“Once in a life time experience
We will never witness again
Queen Elizabeth the ll
Sixty years of British reign

Many people celebrating
Everywhere a colorful sight
Street parties, events and venues
Will display blue, red and white

It’s also British Olympics
Another event for us to see
We can all take pride rejoicing
In this moment of history

Congratulations to our Queen
An eventful time it will be
Enjoy this special occasion
Of the DIAMOND JUBILEE”

Hear, here.

I’ll eat a cup cake to that.

Nom nom nom.