Worcester Festival has a week still to run and has been thoroughly entertaining so far. The Gugge 2000 band blasted us out of our socks outside the Guildhall to launch the 17 days of events, activities and fun. Gugge 2000 are festival regulars and are always invigorating.

Festival mascot, Percy the Peacock, was dancing and strutting his/her stuff. Does anyone know if Percy is really a boy or a girl? If you find out, let me know. Whatever the answer, Percy certainly adds to the atmosphere.

Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed the festival launch at the Swan Theatre. I am planning to do some of the Cathedral tours. They sound utterly fascinating. Secret Egypt at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum sounds spooky. I may also try that. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been an absolute delight for audiences at the Commandery – and thank goodness the weather has been kind. At this point, I haven’t even begun to look at the music festival events, which would be a pity to miss.

The week would not be complete without international visitors to the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall. This week, we welcomed a charming group of Japanese students who are visiting Worcester University.

We rounded off the week with bell ringing at Old St Martin’s. The bells of St Martin’s are quite an experience. They are a mix of old and new, with five pre-Georgian bells, an old Sanctus bell and a new ring of ten bright modern bells. The sound was glorious! I was not surprised to learn that the bells of Worcester are among the best in the world.