Sunday, March 29, 2015

Being Friday, the 27th of March, 2015 ...

Doors opened early.
A new and very colourful individual arrived very promptly ...


"Hello, I am Brian"
Welcome, Brian.
Now, Berry, and others, we really must talk about start-time.
Poor Brian had to leave at 20.20 hours.

Before leaving early, Berry very accommodatingly gave Brian the opportunity to sing about a ferry...


If anyone tells Neil Young about that ...
you'll have to die!

"Boo!" said Gigi to Les ...



Welcome back, Gigi!
Later, Gigi sang about a febrile illness ...
What a lovely way to burn!

Pam extinguished the fire by making it rain again with an instrument full of nails.

Den came back.
It is always encouraging when unsuspecting people come back.
Den gave us a solo-guitar rendition of the 'orange-juice concierto' by Rodrigo ...



We closed our eyelids, slowed our breathing and heart-rates while imbibing the music through the very pores of our souls.
We wanted more.
Den's supreme dexterity was not 'wobbly' at all!

Brian's maritime theme was followed by 
Marion and Mick who gave us offering about a ferry ...



To conclude, Mick and Marion invited us to engage these optimistic thoughts ...

Here's to you, all our friends ...

Maybe next time.

Friday, March 27, 2015

City Folk Club invades The Willows ...

On Wednesday several of us visited The Famous Willows Folk Club in Arundel ...


http://www.willowsfolkclub.org/

Chris welcomed us all warmly ...


"Hello, what's your name?"

As invited in earlier CFC dispatches, we were there to enjoy a 'showcase' of Angela, Paul and friends.

Dogsbody tried to take some real-time photographs, but his cheap mobile phone was not cooperating.
Here's an image I borrowed from the Willows website ...



From the floor large Graham and perfectly-formed Jo performed a couple of charming songs.



Mick was competently and delightfully instrumental.
Stuart took a break from chapel decorating and came all the way from Billingshurst.
Dogsbody's only contribution to the floor was to simply kick over his beer.
SORRY!

Then the spotlight ...
Paul (guitar and vocals) and Angela (ukulele, vocals and percussive feet) gave a very professional presentation of songs that we always enjoy hearing again, and joining in unobtrusively.
Friends: Roger (guitar, mandolin and vocals) and Lucy (bass and vocals) were included.
Chris on mandolin was featured.
Roll on Kentucky Moon and Kiss me Mother, (I am Weary, Let me Rest,) were absolute knockouts.
Cue for roof-raising applause!

An interval ... Dogsbody apologised for his earlier incontinence, helped mop up under his seat ... then purchased another beer.

The second showcase consisted of CJL.
'J' is Chris Janman; we are pleased to see him fairly often at The City Folk Club.
'L' is Ian Llewellyn on double bass and pork-pie hat; he came along to us once.
'C' is Peter Clifton; I've not met him before.
Here's another image I pinched ...



Dogsbody stayed for a couple of numbers which were very pleasing, but regrettably had to leave early in order to get his bicycle on the last train home.

On arrival at Arundel Station he hears the following announcement:

  • "Southern Railway regrets to announce that the scheduled 10.52 train to Portsmouth has been delayed by fourteen hours and twenty-five minutes due to the late arrival of an earlier train.
  • "Southern Railway apologises for any inconvenience this may cause to your journey.
  • "Please listen for further announcements."

Dogsbody thinks, "Hmm ... was that really 14 hours and so-many minutes?"
(One seriously wonders how they can be so precise, particularly about those minutes ... and how many seconds, please?)
A potential fellow-passenger volubly demonstrates his alarm to non-existent station staff, before departing.
Dogsbody hears unrepeatable Anglo-Saxon expletives from the footbridge.

Here's an image from the down-platform of Arundel Station at 23.00 hours ...


Look carefully, now ...
You can just discern the headlight of
an oncoming train.

Dogsbody frantically jumps up and down, waving his arms furiously.
A freight train trundles by ... oh-so-slowly!


Some fourteen minutes, (yes, thankfully, 14 minutes,) later a passenger train draws into the platform.

  • Dogsbody boards.
  • "Tickets, please," says a a weary-looking conductor.
  • Dogsbody shows his return-ticket.
  • "That won't do," exclaims the conductor, "That's for yesterday!"
  • "Yes, it was when I bought it."
  • A non-physical confrontation follows.

Dogsbody takes a seat and hums this well-known S & G song ...
(OK, skip those annoying adverts.)



So ... was his love waiting silently for [him]?
Well, yes ... Jane had locked the door!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

A Message from Eddie and Margaret ...




My personal thanks go to Pam and Les for their kind attention to Eddie and Margaret, and for conveying our thoughts
... and to all those folkie-friends who contributed 'cheery words'.


We are surrounded by wonderful people!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Being Friday the 20th of March, 2015 ...

The day begins with a solar eclipse ...



We are promised a perigee moon ...



We fear that these celestial happenings might be portents of some global cataclysm.

Then, fortunately, the UN declares the International Day of Happiness, so all is well ...



At The City Folk Club we celebrate a birth ...


cavia porcellus minimus debbiae


Berry brought along an instrument of the eclectic variety ...

We think that Berry cobbled this
together himself.

We welcomed Den and Angie, new to our gathering ...


Here's Den proudly sporting a badge
that was awarded for his song about
Leytonstone.

In-keeping with such a Day of Happiness there were no deaths, just some fisticuffs, a bit of bruising and hurt pride inflicted upon a Londoner by a plough-boy ...



Oh now, me London Cockney, you know what I know!
(Yes, it was rivalry about a woman!)

There was a note of sadness:
It has been reported, (thanks to Pam and Les,) that Eddie is rather poorly.
Many of us sent Eddie and Margaret our good wishes.
In tribute, Angela and Paul finished off with this grand song from Eddie's repertoire ...




We all joined in.

Be well soon, Eddie.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

So, what's been happening at The City Folk Club recently?

First ... an apology.
Dogsbody has been just a little poorly, whereby he was unable to attend of 27th February and 6th March.

Then ... particular gratitude to Angela and Paul and everyone who turned up, mucked in and contributed to what are reported to have been two successful evenings.

It is rumoured that a heavily pregnant guinea-pig attended on 6th inst., but failed to perform ...



13th March:
With renewed vigour, energy and enthusiasm, Dogsbody occupied the seat of benign authority.

Let's start with a good hanging, he sang ...




The mood lightened somewhat when Ken gave account of a rustic activity ...



Mave contributed to the avian-noise theme ...


Cheep, cheep, cheep, she sang.
... and I was one of the worms!

Then ... oh dear ... we were obliged to cover our ears for this offering ...



Well, it was Red-Nose Day, after all.

Notwithstanding the above nonesense, there was considerable quality.
Sylvia sang to this charming melody ...



To Dogsbody's delight there was a very long train ...




Somebody mentioned, "Open G-strings and suspenders."
We think that possibly relates to obscure guitar tuning, but otherwise the relevance is unclear, (and images are unsavory!)

We finished on two chords, D and C, while Angela donned her dancing shoes for Old Jo Clark ...



Here's a gift that Angela fabricated from paper plates and donated to the Brownies ...


Monday, March 16, 2015

Being the Feast-Day of St. Patrick ... well, tomorrow!

Irresistible ...



Saw summer sunsets,
Asked for more!

Here is Saint Patrick ...


Here is his epitaph ...


Here's is Ireland's Atlantic sea ...

Achill Head