Special Arrangements for This Week

Because there will be Warm Water Hydrotherapy sessions at the Guide Hall on Saturday and Sunday, the hall will be used on Friday to set up the 2ft-deep pool in the hall, fill it and heat the water. The pool will take up about two-thirds of the floor area. The good news is that they've said that the setting-up will be completed by the late afternoon, and that the club can have free use of the pool in the evening! So, bring your swimming cozzies and your maritme songs! Bring a metal or plastic tray(s) to put your drinks/music/whatever on and float them in the pool, Caribbean-style! (Large plastic bags will be provided to keep instruments dry). We won't be allowed the usual special lighting, but floating candles will be provided. Should be a nice atmosphere. Come and wallow in the warm water, and in the usual City Folk Club music!

CFC's Nautical Adventure 2011

That canal trip I told you about (more-thoughts-about-summer) is confirmed.

M.V. Richmond will depart from the Canal Basin at 19.00 hours on Saturday 25th June for a midsummer cruise.

The vessel will return to the Canal Basin at 22.00 hours.

During the voyage, in between staring in wonder at the cornucopia of waterside wildlife, you will be invited to share music and songs.
You will also consume your own picnic-style food and self-supplied beverages.
There will be a quiz that will test your knowledge of maritime history, nautical terminology, geography and all things inconsequential.

Tickets will be available at the club as from Friday 1st April.
The price, subsidised by the club, will be £5.00 per head, with no discounts for seniority.
Credit/debit cards and cheques cannot be accepted.
CASH (in Pounds Sterling) is the only currency that will secure your berth.

Places are limited, so please let Colin know if you'd like to join the crew as soon as you can.
Tel: 01243 574021
Email: dbsandw@googlemail.com

Directions:
Satnav users need postcode PO19 8DT.
Here's a map I produced:

There is a better map and advice about parking at http://chichestercanal.org.uk/find-us.php

That Was Red Nose Day That Was

Despite Dogsbody foisting his 'herring substitute' off on an unsuspecting Lucy, (Dogsbody was canned as well as the pilchards), we had a jolly fine evening. Bill 1:*'/;-?1 was particularly venomous with his "Thou lie!" responses and was forced to retreat at speed at one point, and the spot prizes were liberally distributed by Dogsbody, (some with dedications which were more of a swipe at their partners, harumph). On the money side: Lynda donated sweets, which we enjoyed for a donation; the Pick a Pose sweepstake sold out and Pam & Les got half the readies (the rest to Comic Relief); the pot contributions were donated to Comic Relief. Proceeds from the above, plus a further contribution from the Club, a hefty bump-up from a Wiltshire resident (in the area for the day, but had a better offer on the night) - and not forgetting the Far East contributor also - brought the total donated to Comic Relief to £165! Well, well, well, everything: I think we done well with our jolly herring, sorry, RedCityFolkNoseClubDay. Thank you, City Folk Clubbers, once again, for your generosity - and your music.

Today is Red Nose Day ...

Come along this evening.
Join in.
You might win a valuable prize that looks thus ...

It's good on toast.

No, I don't mean dog's body!

More about Herring ...

Whilst on the subject, and as we approach Comic Relief, I am moved to share this pearl of humorous wisdom ...

The Herring is a lucky fish,

From all disease inured.

Should he be ill when caught at sea:

Immediately - he's cured!

(Contagion, Milligan, S., 1918 - 2002.)
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/contagion/

Perhaps a spot prize could be awarded to anyone who can set these words to an orginal tune in the hypomixolydian mode?

Red City Folk Nose Club Day

Red Nose Day - the Comic Relief headline day - falls once again on a Friday! The 18th of March, in fact - NEXT FRIDAY!! By a strange coincidence, the City Folk Club will be meeting at the Guide Hall that evening. The Red Nose Day fund-raising theme is "Do Something Funny for Money", but, seeing as most of what goes on in the club is already funny (either ha-ha or peculiar!), you needn't feel obliged to do anything especially funny (although you can if you want to!) - just come along with some spare cash. If you want to dress up, or sport Red Nose Day merchandise (visit Sainsbury's, Oxfam and other stores, or buy from http://shop.rednoseday.com/), well, you'll probably be thought very silly - but go ahead!

Now, we know how marvellous you were back in November, raising an amazing £500 for Children in Need, so we're not making a big thing of Red Nose Day. The City Folk Club is primarily about making music, not raising money for charity. However, we thought Red Nose Day couldn't be passed-over completely, so, we intend to:-

a) have an official Red Nose Day 'Pick a Pose' sweepstake - £2 a go, with half the proceeds to the winner (i.e. £30), and the rest to Comic Relief;

b) have Spot Prizes - but the categories won't be announced until the night! (but - if you were thinking 'red'/ 'most ridiculous trousers/ hat/ underwear'/ 'most trenchant observation on the rightful place of the ukelele in contemporary music' - I'm afraid that confidentiality agreements restrict me from confirming or denying - but you might not be wrong);

c) the usual £2 admission in the 'collection pot' will go to Comic Relief - plus, of course, any other contributions you care to make.

Comic Relief helps people in the UK and Africa. See the BBC site at www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday Please, please also watch the two-part documentary "Famous, Rich and in the Slums", where Lenny Henry, Angela Rippon, and others are sent to live in Nairobi's Karibe slum - Africa's largest - home to 1 million people, without proper sanitation. Part One is viewable on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z6dnn , Part Two on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zfxm0 . Lenny Henry's harrowing account of his experience there is in the 5th-11th March edition of Radio Times. You will find it difficult to view/read these and not be moved. We don't know how lucky we are, really.

Looking forward to seeing you for the usual fun - and more - on the 18th for Red City Folk Nose Club Day
Ken Hobbs, Minister Without Portfolio*
* I think I Ieft it in the kitchen in the hall about two months ago - if anyone finds it , could they pass it on, please?

Regarding Red Herrings ...

Now, here’s a fine song.
Well, it’s nonsense really, but it needs audience participation.
We can do this!
It’s about red herrings.

Have you ever seen a herring of this hue?
The chorus goes as follows:

All: Well why hasn’t told us so?
First voice: So I did long ago.
Spoken with gusto: Thou lie. Thou lie!
All: Well, well, well, everything:
I think I done well with my jolly herring.

There are other versions out there in the public domain. Some of those have a cumulative chorus, but that requires memory that is beyond me.

Be warned: I am working on this!
Here is my first effort:
http://soundcloud.com/dogsbody-1/red-herring-song

Red City Folk Nose Club Day - March 18th

Red Nose Day - the Comic Relief headline day - falls once again on a Friday! The 18th of March, in fact. By a strange coincidence, the City Folk Club will be meeting at the Guide Hall that evening. The Red Nose Day fund-raising theme is "Do Something Funny for Money", but, seeing as most of what goes on in the club is already funny (either ha-ha or peculiar!), you needn't feel obliged to do anything especially funny (although you can if you want to!) - just come along with some spare cash. If you want to dress up, or sport Red Nose Day merchandise (visit Sainsbury's, Oxfam and other stores, or buy from http://shop.rednoseday.com/), well, you'll probably be thought very silly - but go ahead!

Now, we know how marvellous you were back in November, raising an amazing £500 for Children in Need, so we're not making a big thing of Red Nose Day. The City Folk Club is primarily about making music, not raising money for charity. However, we thought Red Nose Day couldn't be passed-over completely, so, we intend to:-

a) have an official Red Nose Day 'Pick a Pose' sweepstake - £2 a go, with half the proceeds to the winner, and the rest to Comic Relief;

b) have Spot Prizes - but the categories won't be announced until the night! (but - if you were thinking 'red'/ 'silly hat'/ 'most lugubrious interpretation of a Shakespearean joke set to music': secrecy would forbid us to comment);

c) the usual £2 admission in the 'collection pot' will go to Comic Relief - plus, of course, any other contributions you care to make.

Comic Relief helps people in the UK and Africa. See the BBC site at www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday Please, please also watch the two-part documentary "Famous, Rich and in the Slums", where Lenny Henry, Angela Rippon, and others are sent to live in Nairobi's Karibe slum - Africa's largest - home to 1 million people, without proper sanitation. Part One is viewable on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z6dnn , Part Two is on BBC1 on the 10th of March. Lenny Henry's harrowing account of his experience there is in the 5th-11th March edition of Radio Times. You will find it difficult to view/read these and not be moved. We don't know how lucky we are, really.

Looking forward to seeing you for the usual fun - and more - on the 18th (if not before!) for Red City Folk Nose Club Day.

7th Anniversary of the City Folk Club

The 27th of February saw the 7th anniversary of the club's founding. A 'birthday' card was fabricated, and signed by those present on the 25th of February 2011.

Being the Fourth of March 2011

It was a bitter night with a fresh polar-continental breeze blowing from the North-East.
The clear, starlit sky, however, encouraged eighteen hardy individuals to don thermal underwear and attend the City Folk Club.

The absence of our usual MC was widely regretted. It is notable that, since accepting the role of orchestrator of our Friday evening activities five (?) years ago, David has been absent on only two previous occasions that I can recall. One of those was the day we sent him and Linda off to a Richard Thompson concert. The other was New Year’s Eve when he was suffering something rather unpleasant that had to do with mucus. That is a truly remarkable record that demonstrates a commitment worthy of our commendation and heartfelt gratitude.

I digress.
Dogsbody took ‘the chair’.
This is what we sang/played:

Johnny be Fine: Colin
She’s Like the Swallow: Lynda
I Left my Heart in San Francisco: Brenda & Berry
If I Could Only Make You Love Me: Berry
Galway Shawl: Eddie
What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor: Lorna & Laura
I Keep Forgetting: Les
Somewhere Along the Road: Laura & Colin
Down in the Boondocks: Ken
Let No Man Steal Away Your Thyme: Mave
Never Any Good: Mike
Spellbound: Mick
I’m on My Way: Richard, Angela & Roland
Let the Mystery be: Angela
Della and the Dealer: Paul

Now, at this juncture, having completed the circle, Dogsbody noticed that people seemed to be acquiring additional layers of clothing, and that Brenda had put on her gloves.
An interval was declared, during which time participants were invited to congregate around any nearby radiator.
“But they’re cold!” was the universal cry.
Indeed they were, even though the electronic console suggested that the central-heating was in ‘continuous’ mode.

CFC is fortunate to have a resident central-heating engineer in the delightful form of Angela. Within minutes warmth was restored; thank you, Angela.
Thus, having regained functional body-temperatures, we continued as follows:

Mingulay Boat Song: Mike, Mick & Colin
Loving and Free: Lynda
The Very Thought of You: Brenda & Berry
The Night is Young: Eddie
New York Girls: Laura & Lorna
Please Don’t Talk About Me when I’m Gone: Berry
Venezuela: Laura & Colin
Margaritaville: Les
Donegal Danny: Ken
Frying in the Rain: Mave
Elizabeth (or Catherine) Kerry’s, or Wandering Spirit: Mick & Mike
Sweet Fern: Angela, Roland & Richard
Little Bitty Tear: Paul
When the Saints …: Angela, Roland, Richard & full cast.

Then, after clearing up the room, (thanks to everybody,) we all went home.

And nobody had to …errr … get the bus!