Anniversaries - don't extract the urine

Gresford Mining disaster memorial (Photo: Richard Hoare)

Friday's session once again saw Steve C joining us. We're not doing too badly recently for bums on seats but with me, the scribe absent for the next two weeks, the deputy scribe will be taking over and more singers and audience are definitely required.

Colin, back in his role as MC after a week's break, started the evening off with Pleasant And Delightful (Roud 660, Laws O30) accompanied as usual by strange sounds and gestures from others present.

Derek noted that his favoured cricket side, Glamorgan had won the Second Eleven 20 20 (SET20) competition and sang a strange song of celebration which went something like "Glamy, Glamy, Glamorgan".

Simon, armed with his complete portfolio of songs, randomly picked Boney Was a Warrior (Roud 485).

Geoff had found a fascinating set of explanations for common phrases and sayings. No doubt some are apocryphal but others sounded plausible. One he mentioned in particular was that "making felt from woven wool fabric back in the day involved a process that depended upon animal urine as a chemical that could break down wool fibers into a felt-like fabric; folks involved in gathering animal urine were a destitute lot – piss poor as it were." This caused Derek much later to sing My Old Man (Roud 240) from the singing of Jack Elliott of Birtley and not as polite as the version I have linked sung by Joan Baez. Here is a better approximation to Derek's words although importantly Derek's includes the work "chammily" which is apparently a word meaning "bleach made from fermented urine". Simon threatened to sing his waulking song but was pleased he didn't find it in time. Here is a recording of it anyway.

Steve C gave us a rendition of Blue Cockade (Roud 191).

Mike was the first to mark an anniversary, referring to the Battle of Alma on 20th September 1854, singing Heights Of Alma (Roud 830, Laws J10). He later returned to the Crimea with Sebastopol (Roud V5007).

Derek was next with an anniversary, it being 23 September for Boys Of Gwent (Meic Stephens) who protested against the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in north Wales in 1965 to create a reservoir serving the city of Liverpool.

Geoff threw a googlie with Little White Bull (Lionel Bart, Mike Pratt, Tommy Steele). We hadn't hard it for years but were still able to sing along.

Another anniversary came on the 22nd September with Derek singing The Gresford Disaster (Roud 3089).

Derek closed the evening with Avanti Populo.

Here's a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 6, of whom 6 performed)