If you’ve read the Rotherhithe saga, you will know that the acquisition of some free carpets has been causing a little bit of housework up various belfries.

Andrew Clark, not exhausted by his efforts at Rotherhithe, immediately offered his services (on a weekday!) at St John’s Waterloo Road, to prepare the tower for the installation of the unsolicited floor coverings. So Trisha took a day off work, and the two of them spent hours scraping, wire brushing and ultimately sealing the peeling paint off the walls in that ringing chamber.

Andrew Clark modelling the latest hoover

It was time for an excursion to the church cellars, where there was a choice of leftover paint. Magnolia, or Ivory? Trisha opted for Ivory.

Sunday came, and being Remembrance Sunday there was no ringing practice, so the call went out for someone to help paint. Joe Tilley was the valiant volunteer.

“You do know how to do this, don’t you?” said Trisha.

“Never done it in my life,” confessed Joe.

But true to form he was an instant expert, and took to rolling paint as easily as he took to Grandsire Doubles. Bless him.

Another picture of Jo

At the end the day the tower was transformed. The bad news is, it should have been Magnolia, so the second coat will be with the right paint!

Joe using the wrong paint