Being the 29th July, 2011 ...

I believe that Berry MC-d.
Lynda tells me that this is what was heard:

I am a brisk lad: Lynda
Lowlands away: Roland
Bright Morning Stars: Angela
Williams Rufus: John
The Costermonger's Song: Sylvia
Jesus Saviour, Pilot me: Jane
The Owl & the Pussycat: Roger
I Only Want to Be with you: Yvonne
Cockles & Mussels: Mike
A bag of boiled sweets (from Les bonbons - Jacques Brel): Tony
Early One Evening: Howard
Johnny my man: Nigel
One More River/Fire down below/Mademoiselle from Armentiers: Lorna
Hold me Like a Baby (?): Mike P.
Angie: Mick
I Could Easily Fall in Love with you: Berry
Am I that easy to forget?: Lynda
The Conscripts: John
Ballad of Bethnal Green: Sylvia
John Barbary: Jane
Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child: Roger
Mrs Bennett's Eyes: Yvonne
Just a Simple Love Song: Mike
Maggie/Silver threads among the gold: Howard
Love me tender: Nigel
Geud Man of Ballengigh: Lorna
Fire and Rain: Mike P.
Itzikel: Mick
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie: Berry
The Lavender Cowboy: Sylvia
Tomorrow is a Long Time: Jane & Roger
Butterflies: Mike & Yvonne
The Trees they do Grow Tall: Nigel
A Reel: Mick & Mike P.
Theme from the Godfather: Mark

Lynda added the following personal note:

Thanks to Berry for being a brilliant MC, to Nigel for putting up and taking down the lights, and to everyone who helped set up and clear away.

We had a lovely evening as always, with lots of laughs.  As I turned off the lights I thought how lucky we all are to be able to get together and sing and play, and leave with a rosy glow of contentment. 

Being The 22nd of July, 2011 ...

A person who once appeared thus occupied the MC's chair ...

That's how he had dressed for the Royal Wedding, even though HRH forgot to invite him.

Here's what we heard:

John Barleycorn: Colin

Part of You: Paul

Who'll be a Soldier: Brian & Laura

The Coast of Peru: Roland

How Many Biscuits: Angela

Just Walk Away, Renée: Roger

Daughter of Heaven: Lynda

The Lock Keeper: Tony

You Know who I am: Jane & Roger

Tickle Dew: Mick

Some Day Soon: Margaret

Where's the World News I Knew: Berry

Davey-Davey Knick-Knack: Laura

Bold General Wolfe: Nigel

Make it, Mend it: Ken

Scarborough Fair: Mave

Trip Over the Mountains/Hewlett: Bill

Unicorns: Colin

Dreamin': Paul

Over the Hills and Far Away: Brian & Laura

Andrew Rose: Roland

Il était une Bergère: Angela

Blow my Blues Away: Roger

My Lady is a Wild Flying Dove: Lynda

Fare ye well ye Banks o' Sicily: Duncan

Three Polkas: Mick

Tonight Will be Fine: Jane & Roger

Sadness: Margaret

Another You: Berry

Thirty-foot Trailer: Nigel

My Grandfather's Ferret: Ken *

Come By the Hills: Mave

I've Got Sixpence: Bill **

*   It did not go unnoticed that Ken was funny, but he's already had a badge for that.

** Bill's bizarre mathematical understanding qualifies him as a creative accountant.

     I think we should appoint him as treasurer!

Good night, all!

Love Your Park ...

Clearly it is picnic season.

There will be a musical event in the Bishop's Palace Garden near Chichester Cathedral on Wedneday, 27th July, 12.00 - 2.00pm.

By virtue of the City Folk Club's friendship with the Chichester Folk Song Club, we are invited.
Details are on CFSC's website - click here: love your park

Shall we go along?
(That sky looks ominous!)

Being The 15th July 2011 ...

Once again Angela occupied the chair and was presented with another badge for her collection.
It was one of those cosy evenings with just sufficient numbers to pay the rent.

It started to rain outside as Angela led off optimistically with 'You Are my Sunshine'.
We all joined in enthusiastically.

Then:

Like a Bird on a Wire: Paul
The Streams of Lovely Nancy: Lynda
Old Gospel Ship: Margaret
Don't Think Twice ... : Mike
Just a Song at Twilight: Mave
Tout le Monde est Malheureux: Tony
Take a Look at that (,) Baby/Doc's Guitar: Mick
Dives and Lazarus: Roger
Two Jews: Bill
The Carter: Nigel
The Happy Man: Colin
Awake, Awake: Angela
If You Love Me: Paul
Andrew Laimie: Lynda
Jesus Met the Woman at the Well: Margaret
Dans les Bras: Tony
Farewell, Farewell: Mike
I Don't Know Just Exactly Who You Are: Mave
Kerfunken Jig: Mick & Mike
Hobo's Lullaby: Roger
The Constant Lovers: Nigel
(?) Johnston/Princess Beatrice: Bill
Reynardine: Colin
Battle of New Orleans: Paul
(Title awaited): Bill
Farther Along: Roger

Paul and Tony discussed cognitive dissononce.

A badge was awarded for a rude song, although Lynda, in all innocence, had not realised the possible rustic metaphor of her song. Dogsbody's obscure interpretation of 'The Streams of Lovely Nancy' was hotly contested.
Angela thought Bill was funny, so he got a badge.
Having exhausted our supply of awards for being rude, Tony had to content himself with a badge celebrating 'free association'.

Folk on the Meadow ...

It went rather well.

Thank you to those twelve CFC participants who came along to the picnic at The Old Bridge Meadow in Bosham on Sunday 10^th.
I was particularly pleased to welcome Frank, an all-too-infrequent visitor to CFC gatherings.

Here’s Frank …

Bill played his mandolin …

Then Bill fiddled. Click - waltz & pugwash
You’ll find Les singing about flowers here – http://youtu.be/rvd-jELyays

Fortunately, we were blessed with fine weather and all musicians performed as excellent advocates for what we do at the club.

Brian, (chairperson of the meadow friends,) came along with his wife, Audrey.
Rachel, (hon. sec.) came along with strawberries and ice-cream!
Other local people wandered along and some delightful youngsters plied us with biscuits.
One lady even made a request that Paul fulfilled with his customary aplomb.
(No, that is not a rustic metaphor!)

Brian welcomed us warmly, and he was enchanted by Mave’s rendition of The Boy I Love. Mave obliged us all with an encore.
Then Brian kissed Audrey ... click -> to play:



Thank you, Friends of the Old Bridge Meadow.

Thank you, everyone who abandoned the British Grand Prix to come along.

A conversation that Jane had with Brian included the questioning phrase: "Next year ... ?"
Hmmmm ...!

Brian wrote to me later as follows:
"So many thanks to you and your friends for a wonderful afternoon;  truly magical! It was of even more special for Audrey & I."

Being The 8th of July, 2011

Mike P. was the latest recipient of the recently designed MC's badge.
He handled us all very gently during an evening that was constrained by time.

Roland was so anxious not to miss anything that he brought his dinner with him:

Onlookers salivated profusely.

Remarkably, we had a quorum by 8.00pm and music began only shortly after.
Proceedings had a distinctly French feel as we were delighted to welcome Roland and Angela’s cross-channel friends:  From left to right: Fleur, Anne-Marie and Anne ...

Here’s what we performed ...

Free Traders: Mike
The Rose: Lynda
Let it be: Les
Seasons of the Year: Mave
A French Song: Ken
I Wanna go Home: Berry
J’ attenderai Toujours: Angela
Santiano: Anne-Marie, Anne, Fleur, Beatrice, Roland & Angela
Gipsy Rover (Rover Gitan -?): Anne
I Went to Market: Tony
Seashore: Mick
Bold Princess Royal: Roland
Galloways: Colin

During free association Lynda graciously accepted a birthday card from Ken:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYNDA!

Then we got on with ...

Caledonia: Mike
Molly Bawn: Lynda
When the Saints ... : Anne & the French/Selsey Ensemble
I’ll Fly Away: Roland & Angela
L’eau Vive: Anne-Marie, Anne & Fleur
Il y à Longtemps que je t’aime: Tony and the French quarter
All Over the World: Les
No, No Courgettes: Mave
English Channel no. 5: Ken
Jambalaya: Berry & Ken
Breton Gavottes: Mick & Mike
Aux Champs-Élysées: The French/Selsey Ensemble
Twa Corbies: Colin

Then everybody helped to pack up, and we were out of the building, (as requested,) by 10.30pm, having secured une vraiment entente cordiale!

So, when we all be invited to visit our French friends?

Advance Notice about Friday 8th July ...

Please remember that we are hoping for a prompt start at 8.00pm with music on Friday.
This is because we will need to begin packing up at 10.15.

Doors will open at 7.30pm, and an Ancient Mariner will occupy the MC's chair.
Here he is:

Anyone who dares to attend in the guise of an albatross will be shot, thus:

It might tempt you to come along when I share the fact that we will be graced with the company of Anne-Marie, a French friend of Angela and Roland.
Some will remember that Anne-Marie engaged us with a rendition of Santiano last year.
I have requested that she perform this anthemic piece once more.
The chorus and some youtube links to the song are on this blog at http://cityfolkclub.blogspot.com/2010/07/santiano-more-like-this-please.html
I thought this was rather a good song:



Yes ... there are a lot of words, but all you really need to remember are these three common French words:
"Hisse et Ho!"

Being The 1st July, 2011

A sufficient number of people abandoned watching Wimbledon on their television sets to generate a quorum at the City Folk Club.
(A 'quorum' means that we can pay the rent.)

Three delightful ladies, Lynda, Laura and Margaret turned up early.
They ran out of things to talk about so they sang songs before anyone else arrived:
Meet me on the Corner
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Dogsbody was enchanted.

Paul graciously accepted the badge of authority as MC.
Here is the noble countenance that shined upon us:

The recently designed badge appears thus:

Then we got under way:

You are the New Day: Colin
La Vie en Rose (en Français!): Laura
Stewball: Lynda
Copper Kettle: Margaret
Hold on Tight to Your Dreams: Berry
Shall I Tell you about my Life: Roger
Bermuda Triangle Exit: Mick
The Jolly Waggoner: Nigel
Lovely Joan: Jane W.
Raining in my Heart: Paul
Tougher than Most: John
Spencer the Rover: Colin
The Flagship: Laura
She's Like the Swallow: Lynda
Black is the Colour: Margaret
It's All Just Talk: John
You Won't See Me: Berry
Romeo and Juliet: Roger
St. Louis Tickle: Mick
The Oggie Man: Nigel
The Song of Gilgalad: Jane W.
Your Mother and I: Paul
Banks of Sweet Primeroses: Colin
I'll Get Over You: Laura
Kathy's Song: Lynda
The River is Wide: Margaret
I'll be Your Sweetheart: Berry
Lay me down a Pallet on your Floor: Roger
Harvest Home/Kilomona Barn Dance: Mick
La chanson des vieux amants (Song for old lovers): Jane W.
I Wish I Knew You Before: Paul
Here's a Health to the Company: Colin
Down in the Easy Chair: Laura
Caleb Myer: Lynda
Rolling Home: Nigel

Then, in happy and contented spirits, we all rolled home!