What shall we do while the City Folk Club is on enforced holiday?

Here are a couple of suggestions.

This evening you could tune in to Chichester Hospital Radio.
From 6.00 to 7.00pm Ken hosts an entertaining broadcast, Folk for All.
That's at AM1431 on your old-fashioned listening device, or you'll get better reception by listening on-line. Just follow the above link.

That other folk club, Chichester Folk Song Club, is operating throughout the summer every Tuesday evening.
Next week, (5th August,) Mick Ryan and Paul Downes are special guests ...

Believe me, they are particularly GOOD!
You can read about them by clicking here
I suggest you get there early; doors open 7.45pm.

Then, next Thursday, (7th August,) our own Miss Lucy-Belle will be performing as Ken's guest on the Folk for All programme on Chichester Hospital Radio.
Lucy has promised to learn some 'proper' folk songs!

If none of this attracts you you can stay at home and just sing it yourself!

Being the 18th of July, 2014 ...

Angela, in charge, brought a much-admired instrument.
Here's Mick in admiration mode ...

If polydactyl Mick likes it, then it must be good.

Angela accompanied herself singing about birdsong ...

Roger provided Holy wisdom ...

Here are The Byrds ...

; /

Oh, to be 16 again!

"Is it 'folk'?" you ask ...

Who cares?!

Did you like that?

Roger does his own sensitive renditions of the first two tracks.

... and we've all had a go at 'Tambourine Man', haven't we?

We visited three TFL railway stations ...

...just as the sun was rising!

Stone is no place to sleep.

March!

Someone asked if this was a surgical appliance ...

"No," said Lorna, (welcome back ... and Nat,) explaining that it is the mouthpiece of a bass recorder ...

Lucy took us on a delightful country walk ...

You'll remember me when the West wind moves ...

Angela, in reality, did not drown in the deep, blue sea ...

We finished with Paul and Angela singing about a train journey...

Please, Mr Conductor ...

All ended well, and a little boy got home to see his dying mother.

Thanks to a significant detour made by Nat and Lorna, even Dogsbody didn't have to go home on the last train.
Thank you!

Please remember ...
The club will not be meeting on Friday 25th July, nor 1st August.
You all know why.
After that, we await news.

Epilog ...

On this day in 1918 was born a man of great wisdom and humanity ...

Being Friday the 11th of July, 2014 ...

On this day in 1848 the London and South Western Railway opened a very large station in London ...

All aboard for Southampton!

That anniversary was of little relevance to the assembly, so we just got on with music under Paul's sensitive direction.

Angela demonstrated a new use for redundant male neck-wear ...

It is the tie that is redundant ...not the male!

Ken, knowing his place, initially occupied the naughty corner ...

Elayne sang in Japanese, French and Yiddish.
(She only stumbled in English.)
Elayne complained bitterly:

Nobody comes to dinner now.

We'd only eat them anyhow!

We welcomed Jane and Jonathan again ...

Burn your bridges down, sang Jane.

Jonathan was a big tease with all those apnoeaic intervals.

Lynda was easy and slow ...

"Stop this now, Albert!" cries Victoria-R.
"We only permitted one to lift the royal petticoat to buckle our royal shoe."
... oh, alright then, but be quick about it!

Mave gave account of enjoying 'spooning' on the upper deck ...

We had hoped that there would be no executions during the evening. However, Ken was released from naughty corner.
He sang and played, (extraordinarily well,) about the passing of Lady Jane Grey ...

Angela and Elayne took us to visit a beautiful royal garden ...

We went home joyfully after singing 'Happy Birthday' ... to Lynda.

(But, don't tell anybody that. We could be in trouble about copyright.)

UPDATE ...
The club will meet as usual on 18th July.
Then we have a holiday on 25th July and 1st August because the builders will be in the hall.
After that, keep an eye on the informative blog and look out for messages in your inbox.

Being Friday the 4th of July, 2014 ...

Yes ... the Fourth of July!

On this day in 1776 thirteen (British) colonies in North America adopted the Declaration of Independence from the motherland.
Let’s face it … Britain lost!

To seek to administer colonies, occupied by disenfranchised ex-Brits on the far side of a vast ocean before the advent of video-conferencing was surely a no-brainer, wasn’t it, Georgivs Rex?

In succeeding centuries the USA has become a global power ...
Champion of democracy, capitalism and free enterprise, self-appointed security-guardian of the terrestrial firmament, defender of the rights of all ... (to bear arms (... What?!)) emitter of vast amounts of CO2, perpetrator of irreversible planetary damage, and otherwise generator of widespread havoc and conflict.

"The American way of life is not up for negotiation."
Who said that? Where? When? Why?

Homo Sapiens is possibly doomed, yet our American brothers and sisters still celebrate across the pond.

Please understand that the above unsubstantiated observations do not represent the opinions of The City Folk Club. These are simply the naive considerations of an insignificant humanoid, possibly worthy of discussion in less than 2000 words … elsewhere!

Had Angela been with us, she would have commanded thus:
“STOP THIS NONSENSE, NOW, Colin!”

So, we got on …

Dogsbody opened with a traditional tale of seduction, adultery, deceit and two violent deaths ...

How could little Musgrave refuse such an invitation?

You can find the full story by clicking here.
For the Fairport version follow: http://youtu.be/1it7BP5PckI

Now, that's a proper folk song!

Mike H. sang about a seasonal agricultural activity ...

Harvest Time, Lambourne, Berks.
Henry Hillary Parker, 1858 -1930.

Tony sang about somnolent inactivity ...

"I'm in the middle of a dream ..."

Simon, newly-welcomed to our gathering, gave us commandments ...

Set my people free!

Then Debbie, also newly-welcomed, provided instruction on how to produce illicit spirit ...

Here's Debbie who saved the world ...

Wow ... that's clever!

That's 'Mother' to Debbie's right.
We never discerned her name, so I apologetically referred to her as 'Mother'.

Mother, after only subliminal pressure, obliged us with the first verse of a song we might know: Early one Morning ...

Some years ago Dogsbody posted a true anecdote about that song.

You can be reminded by clicking this link.

Mike P. lamented about a famous Irish boxer who died in poverty ...

Elayne delighted us with The Ash Grove ...

... where bluebells were ringing.

The recently-named 'Havant and Hambrook Soup-Kitchen Chorale' visited the Lake District ...

Straight-way for Kendal ...
Over yon white mountain ...

There were nods to that trans-Atlantic anniversary.

Elayne was corny as Kansas in August ... high as a flag on the Fourth of July.

Tradition celebrates John Paul Jones as the Father of the US Navy ...

John Paul Jones, 1747-1792

History, however, documents John Paul Jones as 'mercenary', 'privateer', 'self-serving opportunist'.

Following such erudite deliberation, shared intelligence and humorous camaraderie, we stumbled home having been educated about the imperial capacity of beer barrels ...

So, bring forth the puncheon ...

Here endeth the lesson!

However ...

You all need to know that our occupancy of the Guide Hall on Friday, 11th June is confirmed.

18th June ... almost certainly.

After that?

We'll let you know.

Forthcoming Event ...

Here is news from the North ... (well, Billingshurst, actually.)

Below is a message that I recently received from Stuart of the Evershed Arts Folk Club.

We know those wonderful people: Stuart, Jan and Jane.
Several of us have visited, (even featured at!) Evershed over the past couple of years.
Stuart writes thus ...

Hello everybody,

Saturday [5th July] sees our final Evershed Arts Folk Club for possibly a few months.

As you know, the Chapel has been successful in getting an English Heritage grant which will mean some substantial works to the fabric of the building, including a new roof, restored woodwork and effective drainage.

We are hoping to use the opportunity of the break to also install some more effective heating and decorate the space. It will be at least December before the work is complete, and we may just hold off until early spring before relaunching ourselves again.

The grant offer was made to a significant degree on the strength of community use of the Chapel and so we thank you all again for your support over the last couple of years.

On Saturday there is no guest-spot at the folk club, so there should be plenty of time for floor-singers. Jane is organising cream teas at half-time, so please come along, sing, play, listen and socialise for what will be our last time together for a while.

Best wishes,
Stuart, Jan and Jane.

Hm mm ... cream teas, eh?
Shall we all go?