Everyone was on good form at Monday's Lewes session, cheered, no doubt, by the relief of just missing a torrential downpour (except Tina who wasn’t so lucky when she arrived earlier)! Ten of us assembled in the upstairs room of The Lewes Arms (our best venue yet?) and, starting with a rousing rendition of “Twanky Dillo”, sang our way lustily through twelve songs,
The other old favourites and songs for the current and upcoming seasons which we warmed up with and enjoyed were: “Three Maidens”, “Fields Lie Silent”, “Lammas Carol”, “Constant Lovers”, “Run of the Downs”, “Searching for Lambs” and “Pleasant And Delightful”.
We also spent some time tackling three that were new (or newish) to this group. “Michaelmas” with new words by Amaryllis from our Worthing group set to the tune of “Poor Froze-Out Gardeners” has been sung a couple of times previously but benefited from reminding ourselves which words are stressed. “Riding on a Donkey” is the well-known sea shanty with new words by Alan from our Chichester Group, written especially for the East Clayton Farm event.
In contrast to all the other pieces this evening “Sing You Now After Me” is an ancient (15thcentury) Sussex round which some of us originally sang as part of the Big Sing Festival several years ago. This last song had five lines and, given that there were ten of us, worked well.
Jane and I informed the group that we are on the move again - even further east - to Eastbourne, where our proposed new house is within spitting distance (almost literally) of the Lamb - a pub that became famous (as you know) through its inclusion in my “East Sussex Drinking Song” which I composed in response to Belloc’s existing “West Sussex Drinking Song”.
I also mentioned that I had written a song about the appalling state of Seaford's loos but, as yet, it has no tune. Tina immediately volunteered to write one. This was the spur for Dave T to announce that he has written a song about Brighton's toilets - not so much the state of them, more the dramatic decline in number due to their conversion to other uses. Production of the “Lewes Lexicon of Lavatories” is now underway ....
I also mentioned that I had written a song about the appalling state of Seaford's loos but, as yet, it has no tune. Tina immediately volunteered to write one. This was the spur for Dave T to announce that he has written a song about Brighton's toilets - not so much the state of them, more the dramatic decline in number due to their conversion to other uses. Production of the “Lewes Lexicon of Lavatories” is now underway ....
To raise the tone once more we ended, as we often do, with “Thousands or More” before heading home.
Adrian
Adrian
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