before Costa Rica

After the concert for Gaza, I spent Friday evening in the company of the City folk club. There are plans to raise money for Children in Need with a sponsored sing, but as I shall miss out I sang Quiet Joys of Brotherhood for Colin. Mave asked me to sing Julian of Norwich and I obliged her on Tuesday 10th Nov. when we had a club night at the Chesnuts.
Not very musical...well, I certainly wasn't....was the Whitby reunion on 1st Nov. The five of us from the Tuesday club who went to Whitby this summer got together to eat, drink, be merry and show off our photographic skills. We had a great night on all counts...roll on Whitby 2010.
Tuesday, 3rd Nov saw the talented Brian Peters at the Chesnuts. We had a great evening and I sang Sheepcrook and Blackdog, which encouraged Brian to sing Lucy Wan. The versions of both songs were collected by George Gardiner in the early 1900s.
I had a lovely week with friends which ended up with a trip to Essex, then London and a meal with my daughter for her birthday.
Before I knew it it was Tuesday evening again and I was back at the Chesnuts for a singaround. Apart from Julian of Norwich, I aired a "new to me" version of the Blacksmith. This time collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1904 from the singing of a Mrs Veral of Monksgate near Horsham, Sussex.
Then the last"folk fix" before my travels was the fantastic Martyn Wyndham Read at the Willows on Wednesday evening. He is such a fantastic man and I love the songs he sings and plays and the people he surrounds himself with. I've booked a ticket to see his Maypoles to Mistletoe evening in Crawley in December and I know I won't be disappointed.
So, just the final touches to the packing and Costa Rica here I come.