The rain held off, thankfully. So, I turned to my faithful metal steed and headed to Swanage for the annual church fete.
As always, it was beautifully organised by David Edginton and his team. And, as midday approached, the lovely Mayor, Cllr Ali Patrick, arrived to officially open the event.
After the charming Rector had done his introductory piece, John handed the microphone to Ali, who made a very short speech, before residents poured into the church garden. There was lots going on: storytelling, picture drawing, organ recital and of course the Swanage Town Band playing all our favourite tunes from across the decades.
The money raised will go to the church and to Gully's Place Trust Fund at Poole Hospital. The team that made the sandwiches need to be congratulated. I heard they'd made hundreds! This year, barbecued pork was on the menu and by golly that was good. I still don't know how you avoid burning the crackling and I forgot to ask.
With the fete in full swing and the rain still holding off, I hopped back on to my motorbike and headed to Weymouth to judge the annual barrel rolling contest run by the charity MV Freedom. The event takes place in and around Pete Whittle's pub, The King's Arms, and he is one of the stars of the show. Organiser Nina Blondeau and former policeman Colin House both need praising from the rafters too. I, the charming Deputy Mayor and Roland Boulton judged the four entrants and our choice of winner was unanimous.
They were a team from Essex who'd made a tremendous effort, both with their fancy dress and of course competing in the first place. The beer flowed, the music played and everyone had a lot of fun.
I headed home late in the afternoon having had a fun time.
The money raised will go to MV Freedom and the Weymouth lifeboat, which is crewed by the most dedicated and professional bunch of volunteers you could ever hope to meet.