Being almost the end of January ...

No, we didn't meet on 29th, so let's look forward to better weather ...

Being Friday the 22nd day of January, 2016 ...

Perhaps our joy was tempered somewhat consequent upon recent losses from the world of commercial music...

 

RIP all.

(John observed that Barry Manilow hasn't been looking to well recently either!)

Berry took the chair.
We remain bewildered regarding this adornment of his guitar ...

Is it something to do with
refined tuning?

Sylvia brought an instrument of exquisite shape ...

"Please can we play something in D?"

We recycled our milk bottle tops ...

Please save the planet by using this facility.

Then we got on with the proper business of making/sharing/recycling music and song.

Not content with the losses documented above, Sylvia cried out for death!

Angela obliged ...

Bury me under ...

So did Lucy ...

What more reasons do you need to die?

We engaged the other customary themes.
The weather seemed to be important ...

Bloody January again!

Frost turns cobwebs to stone.

Paul was observed to be playing his kazoo upside-down ...

"Ah ..." said Berry. "That's where I've been going wrong!"

Dogsbody abandoned emotional continence as Les performed ...

Mike sang of an old church bell ...

... no longer ringing.

Roger sang of an outlaw of great notoriety ...

Debbie and John posed a grammatical conundrum ...

2 + 2 = 4

4 + 4 = 8

 ... and so forth.

Of course, the above is arithmetically correct.

Consider this grammatically, however ...

Should it be 'two and two make four'?

Or should it be 'two and two makes four'?

If that word 'two' is a singular noun, the verb would be 'makes', not 'make'?

On the other hand, there are two twos. It becomes plural, for which the verb becomes 'make'.

Ken, being the authority on all things grammatical and lexicographical, we eagerly await his verdict on this paradox.

Have I just mentioned Ken?

Yes, well, see this www.eastergateplayers.org.uk

Ken will shortly be appearing thus-clad ...

... and shaven!

We went home in the secure knowledge that none of us would need to tell lies about where we had been ...

Now remember ...

We will not be meeting on Friday, 29th January.

All back to normal on Friday, 5th February onwards.

The Forthcoming Stuart Coupe Broadcast ...

Here is an email that we have just received from our friend, Stuart ...

Dear Friends,

Just to let you know that I shall be a guest on BBC Radio Sussex's 'Sunday Breakfast' this coming weekend at around 8.20am. There will be a couple of songs from the CD and some chat about my music and the development of 'The Chapel.'

Listen in if you get the chance and the programme is available to 'listen again' for a few days afterwards if it's not your routine to be out of bed so early on a Sunday.

Best wishes and see you soon,
Stuart

So, let's all tune in to 95.3/104.5FM on Sunday morning. 

Being Friday the 15th day of January, 2016 ...

A well-attended evening during which one might be forgiven for thinking that Paul, in the position of authority, had construed to accompany everything.

Early on he said, "Now, we'll make a racket."

Phil and Jane came along ...

These people are not to be confused with Phil and Dawn who were also there.

Dawn once again occupied the arms of a celestial being ...

While Phil took to the water ...

Hallelujah!

Max and Sylvia sang of hidden secrets ...

Roger delighted us with his self-penned masterpiece ...

Leave all sorrows in the past.

There was mining ...

... where the copper, the clay,
the arsenic and tin ...

Eventually we all went home to a song that had an appropriate refrain ... 

GOODNIGHT!

Being a New Year: Friday the Eighth Day of January, 2016 ...

Yes, we met, (well, some of us!) for our first gathering of the year.
Let us hope for a good one ...

Dogsbody took the chair and opened with a Christmas left-over.
Tony asked about the song dubiously accredited to John Jacob Niles ...

(Placido Domingo sings it better!)

An account of how JJN acquired the song can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wonder_as_I_Wander#

There was further holiness as Paul built a sea-going vessel in the desert ...

And Angela hoped to make Heaven her home and booked her ticket on Life's Railway to get there ...

Mike P. lost his way trying to find Gibraltar ...

Is it left or right?

Bob demanded another badge for performing a third song ...

Phil and Dawn sent us home to an old favourite ...

No, there were no scantily-dressed dancing ladies present!

Addendum ...

We received a very nice letter of thanks from the Friends of Guiding, transcribed below:

Dear Colin and Members of the City Folk Club,

Allan and I really enjoyed being with you for your Christmas party on Friday 18th December, listening to your lovely folk songs, carols, music and delicious refreshments.

Thank you for inviting us and for the generous cheque for £100 I was presented with for our ongoing Friends of Guiding fundraising for improvements to the Guide Hall.

I wish you all another happy and healthy year making music in our hall during 2016.

Yours sincerely

[Pat]

Treasurer and Booking Secretary.