A May time Adventure ...

There is a folk club in Billingshurst at the Evershed Arts Centre, based at the Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel.

Stuart and Jan Coupe, who operate said organisation, have been welcome visitors to CFC a few times in recent months, and Stuart is a fine performer. Jan is lovely.

They have invited us to join them for a May-time celebration on Saturday 4^th May for the evening.
To this end we have booked corporate transport on a 24-seat coach to make the return trip from Chichester.

This coach will depart from the Market Car Park in Chichester at 1800 hours, and return leaving Billingshurst at 23.00 hours.

The cost of that transport, subsidised by our club, will be £6.00 per head. (Cash only, in advance. Please see Colin during an evening at the club.)

What will we do?

Make and enjoy music and share good company, of course.

In addition, Jane R. has generously volunteered to provide some finger food for us to enjoy during the interval. We are invited to take cake to share.

Naturally, there are probably people for whom that corporate transport might be inconvenient or uneconomic. You could choose to make way independently to Billingshurst. That’s fine. The post code is RH14 9Q, and there is a public car park near Billingsgurst Library, post code RH14 9JZ.

If you park at the library, walk uphill to find Lakers Meadow on your left. Follow that road downhill and you’ll find the Unitarian Chapel on your left.

No, Berry, you may not bring your grand piano!

...

Addendum, 22nd March.
Stuart writes ...

It's true. Jan is as lovely as Colin makes out! Being married to her is just great. Being married to her and inviting fine people to Evershed Arts to perform music is great too.
We really look forward to welcoming as many from CFC as are able and willing to come over on May 4th. And oh yes, we do have a piano but feel free to bring your own if you like.

Being Friday the 22nd of February, 2013 ...

 

Not a lot to report from an evening which was attended by 10 individuals who braved the freezing weather.

 

Dogsbody was perturbed the following day when he learned that someone had described The City Folk Club as an organisation for 'beginners'.

Harrumph!

How can anyone say that about performers like these?



 

From left to right you see Doo, Wah and Diddy...
playing a Blues in E.

A miscellany of enigmatic quotes:

• "Did Elvis sew on his own sequins?"
• "Blues I learned in down-town Chipping Camden."
• "Coarse, heartless ... wasn't that bonny ..." (Here is described Dogsbody's sister-in-law!)
• "Obadiah gets around, doesn't he?"

Ken summarised a laudable sentiment with this self-penned lyric:
True friendship is gold, where e'er it is found.

So, in spite of the weather, we all went home with warm feelings.

Beresford Greene Speaks, Twenty-first fit ...

 

Berry sends the following dressage:-
Please forgive my absence tonight [Friday 15th] as I feel a little horse. I was speaking on the hoof when I first noticed it was a restriction too far that was reining me in. Brenda was addressing me in her usual clip-clop tone - the mare, but I have repeatedly said neigh to her offers of ox-tail soup because as we all know it's purity cannot any longer be relayed upon.

Galloping on Find us with a blinkered approach to most fences and when the going gets tough - well we quit despite any use of the now illegal whip. The News is heavy going what with Oscar in denial about murdering his filly - they say with one of his blades. He is whinnying on despite being obviously legless at the time.

Noreen Dorres claims a photo finish for her legitimate expenses citing the causes of any increase being due to contaminated cottage pies & increased cooking times for the new ingredients. She claims these expenses are entirely on course and within the rails & Tote in line with the three line whip needed for her to purchase sufficient oats - even in Australia.

The garage boss in Coronation St has denied accusations of doping his fillies with a view to increasing their stallion activities or race fixing. DPP suspicions of some horse-play are completely unfounded, he said.

With money on the nose it is still too soon to know if these stories have any legs or at least as many as four. The authorities feel that they have been caught on the hop or jump. Getting into a leather strop over any of these matters isn't going to help. It's far better to stay in harness.

Regards , get the bit between your teeth & sugar lumps to you all.

Berry

Being Friday the 15th of February, 2013 ...

By 20.35 hours we had successfully dragged 15 people off the streets. Dogsbody was anxious lest people might have misunderstood an earlier announcement that the club will not be meeting on 15^th March.

Dogsbody explained the term ‘fenestration’ in the context of folk song: it is legal and quite painless.

 

"Shhh, Dear ... They'll hear us."

Ornithology was represented by one lark, a sparrow and an uncertain number of crows on the march that got frightened off by a bag of rags.

 

 

Corvus brachyrhynchos

 

 

"Lay me down and love me."

 

 

Elayne achieved ‘a first’ at the club when she sang in Japanese ...

Teo Torriatte

Several trains belonging to ex-LNWR territory were mentioned, as was one from the Crimean peninsula.



Above, an 0-6-0ST by E B Wilson & Co of Leeds, c.1865.

The "Alliance" and "Victory" which ran on the Grand Crimean Central Railway 1855-1856 were probably similar.

Did you know that Kilnamona in Co. Clare translates as Church of the marsh or boggy field?

Site of a popular barn dance.

Being Friday the 8th of February, 2013 ...

Paul, in the chair, opened proceedings with a delightful little number about a warming, popular, non-alcoholic beverage. Then Lynda, accompanied by Paul, sang about pleasant weather. The climate was all downhill from there, with rain, snow, wind etc!

A highlight of the evening was Mike’s debut performance, accompanied by Mick, of Mike’s self-penned appreciation of Chichester Harbour.

Just a few images from the evening …

Resident wynde person

 

 

 

Resident dreamer

 

 

 

Now, what's his name?

 

 

 

That was Patrick.
He sang a song suggesting that this
male dancer is saying:
"Stop it. I like it!"

Being Friday the 1st of February, 2013 ...

Mike turned up in good time and responded to the extraordinary pressure with his usual expertise.




Is this a cooking utensil?

 

 

No, it's a bodhrán.

The evening seemed to develop a theme related to partially-sighted mammals that live underground ...




talpa europaea
Is there another term for euphemism?



Moving on, we had at least 10 maritime deaths, some unrequited love, some lost love, an arranged marriage that ended in tragically premature widowhood and a single reference to lust.
There were a few examples of short-term memory loss and the customary smattering of holiness saved us all from an iron-chested lady ...




"My iron chest you have broken through!"

 

 

How long have I got, Lord?

 

 

Eponine ...
"I'm all alone!"

 

Interestingly, at least three performers regarded their mobile phones as tuning devices.
Was it just coincidence that Molly’s phone rang as she sang a song about the very essence of silence?

Seriously, there was so much good music that to continue with frivolous images becomes puerile nonsense.
However ...



 

“No, the journey doesn't end here,” says Gandalf.
“Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it … white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
“Well, that isn’t so bad,” says Pippin.
“ No, no it isn’t,”
Gandalf smiles.

Thanks, Elayne.