A bit of rain won't hurt us - we're British

They’ve been pretty lucky with the weather for the opening event for the past few years, but we live in a country where you have to accept that you can never rely on the sunshine.

As predicted, Saturday’s weather was unpredictable.

It was one of those days when you really weren’t sure what to wear, and going along to the Cathedral Close for Close Encounters, we were wearing several layers and carrying several more, along with wet weather gear and umbrellas.

Two of our party had optimistically dressed for the sunshine. They had to go home and change.

It was cold and murky, we got soaked, and there definitely seemed to be considerably fewer people there than last year.

However, the children in our group had a fine old time trying out circus skills and making various things with the help of the cheery souls in the craft tent.

And we found that a few glasses of wine worked wonders when it came to warding off the chill.

Nuno Silva and the Soul of Fado was effectively atmospheric, and for those who held out against the weather until the bitter end, the fireworks were great - as they always are with our beautiful cathedral as the backdrop.

It may have been a bit on the soggy side, but we’re British - we can cope.

The weather didn’t matter for Wordsmiths and Warriors at Salisbury Arts Centre on Sunday.

Centre staff had wisely turned on the heating, and David and Hilary Crystal took us on a lively jaunt through the history of the English language.

They conveyed their love of words with a catching enthusiasm, and I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of language as a living, breathing, changing thing that can’t be pickled and preserved.

David Crystal isn’t a linguist with the pernickety focus of those who get a bit faint at the use of Americanisms or ‘new-fangled’ words.

On the contrary, his fascination with its changeability was clear – from his quotations of Shakespeare using the accent in which it would have originally been spoken, to his explorations of the influence of the internet on different dialects across the globe.

“No one owns English,” he told the audience. “By learning it, people earn the right to modify it.”

A refreshingly modern and unstuffy approach from an engaging and entertaining speaker.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here