Peace as a starting point

International Day of Peace logo

It was great last Friday to be joined by Steve C and Jane to make us properly quorate for the first time since the harvest. The pub was very quiet, so we had a good session.

Colin MCed as usual and kicked us off by announcing that it was International Day of Peace. As it happens I knew this because I'd heard the Dean of Bristol Cathedral asking the cathedral bell ringers to mark it by ringing a special "touch" at their practice. Colin sang Where Have All The Flowers Gone (Pete Seeger, Joe Hickerson).

Derek said he hadn't worked out a song for the day, 21 September, but he had songs for 20th, 22nd and 23rd. His first three songs were therefore Kevin Barry (Roud 3014) who was executed for his part in an ambush which took place on 20 September 1920, The Gresford Disaster (Roud 3089) which took place on 22 September 1934, and The Boys From Gwent (Meic Stephens) who on 23 September 1962 hampered construction of the Tryweryn Dam which would flood the village of Capel Celyn.

Twins and triplets

(Photo: The Berkshire Eagle)

The most important announcement from last week was that two weeks previously our harvest sessin raised £50 for the BBC Radio Bristol Alive Appeal. Thanks to those who came along to support us; that was not a bad haul for the small group that was present.

Back to last week, while Mike brought a theme and sang three songs to it, joined by some sort of clairvoyance, for he had not announced the theme, by Derek, it seems that the performances fall nicely into many sets of two or three, so that is how I will present them.

Mind your language

The Rosetta Stone (Photo: Tony Hall)

I'm afraid last week's session was marked by a very low turn-out - only four of us to keep the tradition going. Nevertheless we got through a good selection of songs: 37 in total; nowhere near a record but pretty creditable.

Colin, the MC, started off with a song often sung by our friend Gary H: Sea Dog by Bob Zentz, from a poem by Burt Franklin Jenness. Only later did Colin tell us that his personal theme was miserable songs, a theme which Derek, by his own admission, is able to follow anytime without any particular intention and to prove it before it had even been mentioned sang The Twa Brothers (Roud 38, Child 49).

Simon marked the Last Night of the Proms with Isabel Makes Love Upon National Monuments (Jake Thackray - "On the last night of the Promenades she waved to the conductor").

Harvest 2018

(Photo: Herry Lawford)

It was a disappointment that we could only muster six people for our annual charity Harvest session; six is enough to make a lively musical evening but not to make a fortune in money raised for the BBC Radio Bristol Alive Appeal. It was however to good to see a brace of Terries (C and H).

MC Colin sang the first song, All Of A Row (Roud 1474). Derek asked whether this was in fact the Suffolk Harvest Home but it seems not, because that is apparently a version of Roud 310 ("Here's a health unto our master... drink, boys, drink").