"So here hath been dawning........"

Trent Bridge - and a beautiful blue sky.

Only a week ago much of the country was still shivering under some unseasonal May weather. We, like many others, still had the central heating warming our home. This weather was following hard on the heels of one of the wettest springs anyone can remember so the first bit of blue sky was a welcome relief.

Thomas Carlyle

I’m very much not a sun worshipper – usually at the first sign of hot weather I head for the shade. It’s not the dangers posed by the sun’s rays and the potential health damage that worries me – they, I believe, are a much overstated case – but the fact that I just get too hot and bothered! When we go abroad on holiday, I wish I could lie out in the blazing Mediterranean sun, but as soon as I try it I know it’s not for me.

The Trent Bridge Inn, overlooking the
cricket ground and part of the
nation's heritage

Having said that, however, the glorious weather that we have been experiencing in the UK for the past week – and due to end in the next day or so – really has been great. Endless blue skies, a light breeze, a clear warming heat – little humidity to make one feel “sticky” and few clouds to drift across the sun and make everyone rush for a sweater.

Yesterday, Pat and I sat in the garden enjoying a morning cup of coffee. It was glorious and as we sat there I looked up into the cloudless blue sky and the words of one of my favourite school hymns came into my mind –Thomas Carlyle’s wonderful “So here hath been dawning another blue day”. It was a short hymn that I have stood in assembly and sung hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times over the years. We both, coffee cups in hand, sat and sang it - the neighbours must be getting seriously worried about us!

So here hath been dawning 

Another blue day: 

Think, wilt thou let it 

Slip useless away? 

Out of Eternity 

This new day is born: 

In to Eternity 

At night will return. 

Behold it aforetime 

No eye ever did: 

So soon it forever 

From all eyes is hid. 

Here hath been dawning 

Another blue day: 

Think, wilt thou let it 

Slip useless away?

Harold Larwood (left) and Bill Voce
in their England blazers - ready to
cause sporting history in the
 "bodyline" series

Carlyle (1795 – 1881) was primarily a historian and essayist. His father was a small farmer in Scotland, and Thomas was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he showed particular promise in mathematics. Following graduation he worked as a teacher and then returned to University to study law and later, German literature.  In 1834 he and his wife moved to London, where he published a history of the French Revolution, which received both serious acclaim and popular success. He had a very high regard for strength of character combined with a belief in a God-given mission, and regarded Oliver Cromwell as the greatest English example of his ideal man. I think this shines through in the words of his little verse. He produced four volumes of Oliver Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches and was later installed as rector of Edinburgh University in 1866, His wife died suddenly shortly afterwards, and, sadly, Carlyle never fully recovered from her loss and wrote little in his later years.

Australian Captain Bill Woodfull
 ducks to avoid one of Larwood's
"body line" fast balls. The huge Adelaide
 crowd behind showing their anger at
the English tactics. 

Perhaps the sentiments in Carlyle’s verse sound a bit twee and old fashioned today but I like them. I also love the wonderful words, the sound of them, the feel of them as they roll off the tongue – no concessions here to the awful Plain English Campaign which is simply a euphemism for "couldn't care less English"! What a lovely word is "aforetime"; and "out of eternity this new day is born, into eternity at night will return" - what wonderful use of language, it pinpoints exactly the uniqueness of every hour and  day but says so much more with the choice of words like "eternity", "born" and "return"! As Pat and I sipped our coffee and looked up at the azure sky yesterday morning the words and sentiments seemed just right: another blue day..... a new day that is totally unique and will never again be repeated......when it ends it is gone, forever..... are you going to waste it.....don’t waste it.......... . When I was teaching I often used the words as a prayer when I was leading assembly or as a piece of handwriting for the class. Perhaps some of the children I taught will remember it - I'd like to think so.


And this morning – another beautiful blue day – I went out in my car. The sun shining, the air con on (yes, bad for the environment, I know!) and a lovely morning for a drive. On my way to the local shops I drove past Trent Bridge Cricket Ground here in Nottingham – one of the six great Test Match venues of England: Lords, the Oval, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Headingly and Edgbaston. Although it was early the crowds were already gathering for the fourth day’s play in the England v West Indies Test.  Young men and women, older married couples, gentlemen and ladies with walking sticks and straw sun hats perched on their heads and all carrying their plastic bags or shouldering their rucksacks full of picnic items for a long day at “the test”. The gates were open and as I drove past I caught a glimpse of the greensward which is the outfield and in the middle the twenty two yard strip where the action takes place – the wicket.

The Adelaide Oval -  a beautiful
ground - and a lovely blue sky!

I turned down Radcliffe Road at the side of the ground and past the world famous Trent Bridge Inn - a building which is soaked in the history of cricket and with it the history of England and Empire. As I slowed in the traffic I glanced up Fox Road which runs along the back of the cricket ground and I could just see the sign for the Larwood & Voce Tavern. The very name conjures up pictures of mighty deeds and great sportsmen  – Larwood and Voce.  Two of the greatest - and both  sons of Nottinghamshire. Harold Larwood and his partner Bill Voce were the two great fast bowlers, lowly Nottinghamshire coal miners, who tore Australia and the great Don Bradman apart in the infamous bodyline test series of 1932/33. In doing so they almost brought the British Empire to its knees and were instrumental in making the Ashes tests between England and Australia the keenly contested encounters that they always are.


As the traffic again began to move my mind drifted back to a few years ago to when Pat and I were in Australia and I visited the Adelaide Oval with our Australian friend, Gary.  The Adelaide Oval is the great Australian test match ground where Larwood and Voce did so much damage to the Australian batsmen in the third test in 1933. The day we visited was another beautiful, azure day (the norm in South Australia!) and as we toured the ground and looked at the memorabilia, walked on the hallowed turf and gazed at Bradman’s illustrious statue I can remember reflecting on how Adelaide and Nottingham, two places on the opposite side of the planet, will be forever connected because of the deeds of Larwood, Voce, Bradman, Woodfull and the rest on those few days in January 1933. When I was on my tour of the ground we were in a small group of about eight or ten. The gentleman leading the group, proudly sporting his South Australia Cricket Club blazer and tie  asked each of us where we  were from. When I replied "Nottingham", his face lit up and he shook my hand warmly – even though seventy five years earlier the fifty thousand plus Adelaide citizens were baying for the blood of those two sons of Nottinghamshire, Larwood and Voce! As he shook my hand  I'm sure that I heard him mumble something like "Bloody cheating Poms" but I'll forgive him for that! Wonderful man!

Outside the Adelaide Oval with
our guide

In the trophy room looking at
the photographs of the 1933 test

And half an hour later, this morning,  as I drove back from the shops and back past the Trent Bridge ground and saw its world famous outline against the blue sky, the crowds were now thronging in as eleven o’clock approached. It all seemed right: the sun shining, a brilliant blue sky, not a cloud in sight, a test match in progress, the archetypical English summer's day. The problems of the economy and austerity, the shallow celebrity culture that dominates so much of modern Britain, the horrors of terrorism and middle east wars, the awfulness of Rupert Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks and their News International cronies, the dubious practices and beliefs  of  politicians, bankers, Premiership footballers and the rest, the commercialism, crassness, jingoistic nationalism and tat of the coming Royal Jubilee and Olympics and all the other ills of the world........they all seemed to pale into insignificance against the blue sky and the smiling fans

Robert Browning

And, as I drove the couple of miles on towards my village  another few lines of verse came into my head. Again, like Carlyle’s words, perhaps old fashioned and a bit twee today, but a wonderful use of words and language.  Like Carlyle’s piece I also used to use this in school, in assembly and for handwriting practice or sometimes as an idea for a piece of creative writing or art work..... Robert Browning’s “Pippa’s Song”: In just a few short words it captures the very essence of a lovely morning.

The year's at the spring, 

And day's at the morn; 

Morning's at seven; 

The hill-side's dew-pearl'd; 

The lark's on the wing; 

The snail's on the thorn; 

God's in His heaven-- 

All's right with the world!

Indeed it is, and as I finish this blog, I’ve just heard that England have won the Test Match against the West Indies – Trent Bridge will be emptying, thousands of happy people will be wending their way home through Nottingham's streets. Everything is indeed  “alright with the world”!