Coincidence or skill?

A broadside from the Bodleian Libraries
(if the picture doesn't appear, try clicking to see
the link but please come back to read the rest)

A reasonably good turn out again with some faces we hadn't seen for a while and some "visitors", more of whom later. It was good to see Lesley after a long break; not quite back to normality yet but obviously on the mend.

Mike, being ill, was largely absent except for turning up to take Maggie home at the interval, so Colin was MC for the evening as had become his habit of late.

The evening was started off by Derek singing The German Musicianer (Roud 17774). One of the visitors, being rather well-oiled, went over to Derek when he had finished singing to give him a great big hug. Derek seemed surprised if a little perturbed by this show of affection. At least he can't say the audience wasn't appreciative. It (the song, not the hug) led to Lesley giving us her rendition of The Clockwinder (Roud 241) which is not only similar in ethnicity but also in it's double entendre bawdiness.

At this point the visitors left. The well oiled one proclaimed his undying love for the music and liberally spread hugs around the people present before realising that he didn't have to leave after all, and staying on for the next couple of songs.

Another message from the Substitutes' Bench

SS Orsova (1954)

In the absence of the Head Blogger, may I take the opportunity to thank Simon for all the effort he expends on this blog. The research he puts into linking songs to sites throws up lots of valuable information – some deliberate, some serendipitous. Last week he put up a link to a YouTube performance of the somewhat obscure song Charlie Cassidy's Courtship. I wasn't, in truth, greatly impressed by the performance, but when it finished I was exposed to YouTube's usual selection of 'If you enjoyed that, why not try these'. One of those selections was of a Joe Doherty singing Glenswilly. On a whim (oh all right: I was confusing him with the late great Irish fiddle player John, brother of Michael!) I clicked on it and was rewarded with one of the best performances of that fine ballad I have ever heard. If you do nothing else this week, give it a click!