Andy Roberts Musician on the Isle of Wight

Thursday, April 29, 2010

LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL, FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK,

NINE ITEMS OF FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR MAY

1] LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL 7 -10th OCTOBER 2010.
The two Lewes folk clubs are combining their efforts to promote this
festival, largely based in their own clubrooms and other venues in the
town. Watch this circular and elsewhere for updates on the
guests/programme etc. If you would like to receive an email of the
programme for the festival (as it stands at the moment) please email
folk@brighton and the .doc file of the programme will be sent to you
The programme is reaching its final shape and the following artosts
have agreed to appear: - SHIRLEY COLLINS, JOHN KIRKPATRICK, CHRIS COE,
JOHN ADAMS, PETE COE. SUE COE, CHRIS PARTINGTON, THE COPPER FAMILY,
BOB LEWIS, PEPPERS’ GHOST and a notable number of display dance teams
have also indicated their willingness to participate. The website at
http://www.lewesfolkfest.org/LFFindex.php is being developed as plans
become finalised.
We are delighted that Shirley Collins has agreed to become the
festival’s patron.
Advance tickets will go on sale from June 1st.
***********

2] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK
Station Street, Lewes
Enquiries: - (01273) 478124 or 881316
Email tinvic@globalnet.co.uk.
Here is the programme for the rest of our season up until the end of July:-

April 29th * £6.00 * ROGER WATSON & MUSA M’BOOB
The English singer and melodeon player and the Gambian master drummer
who work together brilliantly in Boka Halat bring as their
exhilarating music

May 6th * £6.00 * ÉAMONN Ó BRÓITHE & CREENA MULCHRONE
Éamonn is an outstanding exponent of the uillean pipes and Creena is
the wonderfully talented young Irish singer who has been gracing our
club lately

May 13th * £6.00 * PAUL BURGESS
One of England finest fiddle players (Old Swan Band, English Country
Dance band etc.) is also a talented singer

May 20th * £6.00 * JEFF WARNER
Singer, musician on banjo and concertina, folklorist
, Jeff’s performances are musically satisfying as well as being entertaining

May 27th * £6.00 * DEBBY McCLATCHY
The first visit of this expert entertainer who performs with wit and
imagination. While she plays a variety of acoustic instruments, when
touring she just takes banjo and maybe a fiddle

June 3rd * £8.00 * BLACK UMFOLOSI 5 (from ZIMBABWE)
An amazing coup for us! We bring you one of Africa's outstanding vocal
harmony groups singing in Shona and English ***ADVANCE TICKETS - PHONE
OR EMAIL***

June 10th * £6.00 * PETA WEBB & KEN HALL
Peta & Ken's artistic ability and warm, informative approach and their
visible enthusiasm for singing have deservedly won many friends and
admirers.

June 17th * £6.00 * CHRIS FOSTER
Thoughtful, passionate, intelligent, nerve-jangling performances of
English traditional songs and ballads. One of the folk revival's
greats.

June 24th * £6.00 * KEITH KENDRICK & SYLVIA NEEDHAM
Making their first appearance for us, they bring entertaining
performances of traditional songs and ballads of both land and sea.

July 1st * £6.00 * BAYOU SECO
From Silver City, New Mexico, Ken and Jeannie present a vibrant,
stunning range of the rural musics of the southern states of the USA

July 8th * £6.00 * REG MEUROSS
The remarkable singer/songwriter who last played here to a capacity
crowd in the company of Hank Wangford.

July 15th * £6.00 * THE OTHER BAND
Perennial local favourites, Marilyn, Iris and Gary perform their
catholic repertoire to the highest musical standards

July 22nd * £6.00 * KAREN RYAN, PETE QUINN & BRONA McVITTIE
Three members of the superb band, "The London Lasses" bring us the
Irish tradition in song and music on fiddle, harp and piano.

July 29th * Free Admission * END OF SEASON OPEN NIGHT
All performers welcome - particularly those who have not performed for
us before.

Our Future Guests will include:-
SPIDER JOHN KOERNER * JOHN CONOLLY * THE CLAQUE * JOHN KIRKPATRICK *
DANA & SUSAN ROBINSON

Our websites are at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/
and
http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

Those of you who arrange listings are politely requested to include
all of the above.

***********
3] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK ON "MYSPACE"
Our MYSPACE profile enables us to provide sample tracks of coming
guests as well as show photos and biographies of coming guests. It is
at http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes
Currently on our MYSPACE we have the following tracks by coming guests:-
Roger Watson [with Musa M'Boob] "Gulliver" - (April 29th)
Jeff Warner - "Come Take A Trip In My Airship" - (May 20th)Mat Green &
Andy Turner - "Quicksteps" - (March 4th)
Debby McClatchy - "Charlie Poole's Ramble" - (May 27th)
Black Umfolosi - "Summertime" - (June 3rd)
Peta Webb & Ken Hall - "Yodel It Over Again" - (June 10th)
Chris Foster - "Lord Bateman" - (June 17th)
Bayou Seco - "Lazy Heart" - (July 1st)
The Other Band - "Dark Eyes" - (July 15th)
Spider John Koerner - "The Danville Girl" - (September 2nd)
The Claque - "The Devil's Questions" - (September 30th)
After each gig the songs will drop off to be replaced with another by
an upcoming guest.
In addition there are videos by each of the following coming guest artists:-

ROGER WATSON & MUSA M'BOOB April 29th
JEFF WARNER May 20th
BLACK UMFOLOSI June 3rd
CHRIS FOSTER June 17th
BAYOU SECO July 1st
SPIDER JOHN KOERNER September 2nd
JOHN CONOLLY September 16th
THE CLAQUE September 30th
JOHN KIRKPATRICK October 7th
***********
4] SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE - UPDATED
For all the listings of folk music, song club, dances, festivals in
and around Sussex, have a look at http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk
This site all always kept updated with the latest events and those
currently listed cover all the dates up until the end of May 2010 .
***********
5] THE FOLK DIARY
Most of the listings on the Sussex Folk Guide website are taken from
the paper magazine, THE FOLK DIARY. Issue no 243 covers the months of
April & May. They are packed with adverts for various folk festivals,
folk music record companies, specialist shops, instrument makers and
other services as well as details of all the folk song and dance
events in our area. To obtain copies of this free magazine as it is
published, please send SAE's to Vic Smith at the address below.
It is also the address to send album review copies to. Potential
advertisers are also asked to contact Vic for a statement of our
advertising rates.
The copy date for the June/July is April 30th is on us now. However,
it should be mentioned for future issues that once the available space
has been filled, no more adverts can be accepted even if they are
received BEFORE the copy date. With this in mind, it is worth
contacting the editors before the copy date to state your intentions
and reserve advertising space even if you have not got final details
or you copy prepared.
Please contact
JIM MARSHALL 01273 559750 jimars@globalnet.co.uk
Or
VIC SMITH 01273 478124 tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
The current issue is number 242 covers the months of April and May and
is now available.
**********
6] THE FOLK DIARY ON LINE
THE FOLK DIARY is available on-line at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/fd.htm You will need Adobe ACROBAT
READER to read the pages. The size of each page is given by each page
link and the content of each page is indicated. The following issues are now
on-line and are listed here with the content of each page:-
ISSUE No. 242 APRIL - MAY 2010
Page 1(3815kb) Barber, Taylor & Reed Open House Brighton, Twagger Band
Eastbourne, Meltdown Ceilidhs Haywards Heath, Northern Harmony
Chichester, Folk Camps.
Page 2 (337kb) Spyboy Presentations.
Page 3 (937kb) Lewes Saturday folk club, Folk at the Royal Oak, Lewes
(Thurs), Copy dates and contact details.
Page 4 (1601kb) Seaford Folk Club (Fris), Croydon Folk Club (Mons),
Folk On the Coast Bognor (Fris), SEFAN meeting, White Horse Folk Club
Bodle St. Green (Mons).
Page 5 (1565kb) Blakewood The Blue Coconut (Thurs),Acoustic Sussex
presentations.
Page 6 (449kb) Tonbridge Folk Club (Mons), Hat Music Films, The
Ceremony Of May, Horsham Folk Club (Suns).
Page 7 (1419kb) Electric Voices presentations.
Page 8 (1361kb) Amberley folk club (Tues), Brighton Acoustic Session
the Nelson (Mons), Bluegrass & Old Timey sessions, Andy Franks obit.
Piggies Open Mic Uckfield (Tues).
Page 9 (1231kb) (385kb) Mid Sussex Folk Singers (Weds), Rude
Mechanicals (Weds), Lamb Folk Club Eastbourne (Weds), Fee Calls
Ceilidhs, Crawley Folk Festival, Brighton folk & blues club (Fris).
Page 10 (2784kb) Barry Murphy banjos, Beacon Tunbridge Wells, (Mons),
Garry's Live Music Club Coolham, Vince's fiddles, Six bells Chiddingly
(Tues)
Page 11 (3495kb) Bellingham All Acoustic Festival, Broadstairs Folk
Week, Hobgoblin Music
Page 12 (1094 kb) Songs of the South Downs Lands, Komedia Brighton,
Kate's Kitchen Band, Gigar Box guitars, Elsie's (Sats), Sussex Folk
Association.
Page 13 (3412kb) (385kb) Tenterden Folk Festival, CD & DVD reviews.
Page 14 (1019kb) Willows Arundel (Weds), CD & DVD reviews
Page 15 (2991kb) Lewes Folk Festival, Tenterden Folk Club, CD & DVD reviews
Page 16 (2830kb) St. George's Day Orchards Shopping Centre, Haywards Heath.
**********
7] LEWES WORKSHOPS AT THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE
The workshops last a full Saturday or Sunday and the tutor performs at the
club in the evening. The programme for 2010 will be:-

22 May JOE PENLAND North Carolina song & society
5 June MIKE O'CONNOR & BARBARA GRIGGS Cornish tunes from source manuscripts
6 June MIKE O'CONNOR Songwriting in the tradition
10 July KAREN TWEED O'Carolan's music (any instrument)
18 Sept MOOR MUSIC Dartmoor music (any instrument)
9 Oct JOHN ADAMS Village Music Project (any instrument)
10 Oct CHRIS COE Ballad forum
31 Oct MARTIN CARTHY Guitar
13 Nov FRANKIE ARMSTRONG Singing & vocal techniques
20 Nov TIM LAYCOCK Concertina (all systems)
The website for more details is
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/workshps.html or contact Valmai
Goodyear on (01273) 476757 or email ValmaiGoodyear@aol.com
The Lewes Saturday Folk Club has a new domain name -
http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/. This will work in parallel with
the old name http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/ for the time being but
they hope to phase it out so please change your bookmarks.

********
8] MONTHLY SESSION IN LEWES
There are very enjoyable Sunday afternoon sessions in the bar of the
Royal Oak in Station Street in Lewes. These will be on the last Sunday
of the month from 3.30 – 5.30pm. Dates for the next sessions are
~~~~~ May 30th - June 27th - July 25th ~~~~~
They will be run by Vic & Tina Smith.
********
9] OTHER REGULAR SESSIONS IN THE LEWES/BRIGHTON AREA
Bryan Creer has taken on the task of detailing these, and they are posted at
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/Sessions.php
Have a look and if there are any you think that Bryan has missed - contact
him on Bryancreer@aol.com
********
>
...And if you are ever looking for a good barn dance band, look no
further than THE SUSSEX PISTOLS - though you should get in quickly -
available dates for 2010 are being snapped up quickly. They performed
once again for the largest and most prestigious dance in our area, the
BRIGHTON MIDWINTER CEILIDH at the Corn Exchange in Brighton on
December 20th. As usual, the 500 plus tickets sold out very quickly.
Contact Tina on 01273 478124 or email her at tinasmith226@yahoo.co.uk to
book the band. The band's website is at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm and they have a
MYSPACE profile as well at http://www.myspace.com/thesussexpistols
__________________________________________

VIC & TINA SMITH
26 Ferrers Road
LEWES
East Sussex
BN7 1PZ
England

Tel & Fax:- 01273 478124
Email:-
tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
folk@brighton.co.uk

ROYAL OAK WEBSITES:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic
http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE:-
http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk

LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL WEBSITE:-
http://lewesfolkfest.org/

SUSSEX PISTOLS BARN DANCE BAND WEBSITE:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm

COMPOUND SOUNDS WEBSITE
http://www.compoundsounds.com
http://www.myspace.com/jalisherrifokonteh
________________________________
No virus found in this message
Checked by AVG Free Edition.

No virus was found as a result of that scan.

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

DARTFORD FOLK CLUB UPDATE

BBC Radio 2 Folk Club of the Year 2008 – check out the following link:

http://www.dartfordfolk.org.uk/dfc_award08.htm

Dartford Folk Club meets on Tuesday from 8.30 to 11.00 p.m. at
Dartford Working Men’s Club in Essex Road, Dartford.

* Floor Singers Welcome – ring Pam or Alan on 01322 222553.

* Drinks at club prices, including up to 15 real ales! Coffee & tea
also available.

FORTHCOMING GUESTS:

MAY 4TH – MEGSON
http://www.megsonmusic.co.uk/)

Stu & Debbie Hanna hail from Middlesborough. Classically-trained
singer Debbie is a multi-instrumentalist. Stu has played punk rock
and works as a music producer. Together, they perform traditional
folk songs and their own compositions. They have twice been nominated
as best duo in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Expect captivating songs,
beautiful harmonies and impeccable musicianship.

MAY 11TH – STEVE ASHLEY
(http://www.steveashley.co.uk/)

Steve Ashley began singing folk songs in 1961 and was a founder of
Maidstone Folk Club in 1964. He then came to wider attention as both
a performer and songwriter and was lead singer in the original Albion
Country Band. He has since worked in various line-ups, as well as
solo, and is renowned for his songs, which have been recorded by many
leading artistes, including the likes of Phil Beer and Fairport.

MAY 18TH – VIN GARBUTT
(http://www.vingarbutt.com/)

Vin Garbutt discovered folk music while still at school and, at the
age of 21, threw caution to the winds and became a professional
musician. Early on, Vin established himself as a singer and
songwriter of fine socially conscious, and environmentally aware
songs. Now, he is one of the most sought after performers on the folk
scene and is renowned for his intertwining of anecdotes. He is a real
must see!

MAY 25TH – DEBBY MCCLATCHY (USA)
(http://www.debbymcclatchy.com/)

Debby McClatchy is a regular visitor from her home in the Appalachian
Mountains and is a firm favourite at Dartford. She is an expert
entertainer, performing mainly her own, powerful songs in a
traditional style, and is one of the finest frailed-banjo players
around. Debby combines goodtime, old-time banjo and glorious singing,
with occasional outbreaks of mountain fiddling and freestyle
Appalachian stepping.

COMING UP IN JUNE

June 1st – Isambarde (http://isambarde.co.uk/)

June 8th – Dave Burland (http://www.daveburland.com/index.htm)

June 15th – Jerry Donahue (USA) & Doug Morter
(http://rockartistmanagement.com/page/donahue_and_morter)

June 22nd – Kerr Fagan Harbron (http://www.kerrfaganharbron.co.uk/)

June 29th – My Sweet Patootie (Canada) (http://www.mysweetpatootie.com/)

For more information on the club (including directions on how to get
there), listings of guest performers past, present and future and a
tribute to Paul Homer, our late editor, please visit our website at
http://www.DartfordFolk.org.uk/.

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

The Last Nail

The Last Nail

The Last Nail – St Monan’s Boatyard

Originally uploaded by AndyRob

The Last Nail – A Song

The Last Nail is a recently finished song for the old boatyard at St Monan’s in Scotland, with general reference to traditional craft industries.

The Last Nail Lyrics

Above the stone walled harbour, or down the winding hill,
That’s where they built the boatyard, and the structure stands there still.
Not much boat building happens now, just repairs and fitting out
but when the wind rattles the boatmasts, you can hear the old boatbuilders shout:

Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Our grandfathers put up the boatyard, to build the fishing fleet,
more than fifty boats in the harbour, and shops all down the main street
then the steam age brought in the drifters, boat builders became engineers
Now the wind blows straight through the boatyard, there’ll be no more boat building here

Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

With a keen eye for staying in business, they switched over to build leisure craft
And the weekend yachtsmen snapped them up, no expense spared fore or aft
Then wooden hulls went out of fashion, the order book emptied last year
So the bankers foreclosed on the boatyard,
and there’ll be no more boatbuilding here

Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Now the Vikings invented the clinker for both strength and shallow seas
and the herring boats followed the coastline, until the canning ships found the key
There’s a regatta here every August, and the whole village turns out again
But the Sea Queen’s no real competition, and it’s guaranteed to rain

Will you pass the last nail over and I’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

Above the stone walled harbour, or down the winding hill
that’s where they built the boatyard, and the skeleton stands there still.
No more boat building happens now, not even fitting out
but when the wind rattles the boatmasts, you can still hear the old boys shout:

Will you pass the last nail over, we’ll knock it into place,
Then with four more coats of varnish, she’ll be ready for the race.

the last nail

Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blog

The Last Nail

St Andrews Day

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Recent Service Experience

On behalf of Toyota Motor Sales, I would like to thank you for
servicing your 2000 Camry at Longo Toyota on April 6, 2010. I hope
that your service experience was truly enjoyable.

Toyota and its dealers are committed to providing you with the highest
level of customer service. Your thoughts and opinions are very
important to us. Please take a moment to share with us your service
experience. The information you provide will be used by Toyota Motor
Sales, USA and Longo Toyota to continuously improve our products and
services.

Please click on the link below to complete the survey. The survey is
available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese
languages.

Should you experience any technical issues with accessing the survey,
please click here and you should receive a response back within 1-2
business days.

If you have any additional comments or would like to discuss your
experience, please contact the Customer Relations Manager at Longo
Toyota at (626) 580-6000 or Toyota's Customer Experience Center at
800-331-4331

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

Sincerely,

Dave Zellers
Vice President - Customer Retention

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

St George's Day

St George’s Day

St Georges’s Day falls on April 23rd each year and has been quietly celebrated, or perhaps largely ignored in England since the 18th century. Before that it was a major feast day and national holiday dating back to 15thC. It is however, England’s national day since St George holds the position of the patron saint of England.

English people tend to have mixed feeling about St George’s day and the St George cross, which is the flag of England, due in some part to the confusion which persists over the difference between identities of England and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A sizeable proportion of English people and probably a majority of non UK citizens consider English and British to be synonymous, which causes problems particularly for the Scots and Welsh who are most definitely not English, whichever way you look at it.

The 23rd April is also William Shakespeare’s birthday and his death day.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of the use of the St George cross, the English flag, for events such as International football matches with the England team, and that should be welcomed as a correction of the previous use of the Union flag when it’s not a UK-wide team. Some people feel uncomfortable at the sight of the red and white though, sensing a connection with right wing nationalist politics which has not been historically aligned particularly.

St George's Cross - The English flag

The most effective advocates of celebrating St George’s day are the breweries, who noticed that people drink a lot more alcohol around St Patrick’s day and would like to see the same happen on as many other occasions as possible, that they can promote.

The George, Wansted

Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blog

St George’s Day

St Andrews Day

Recap of Meeting

Good Day!

I want to thank each of you for supporting this first time event. I
appreciate each thought, suggestion, and help! This event is going to
rock and we will be the folks behind the scenes that bring it to
fruition. Thank You!

I did not make deadline on the fliers, but will circulate them on
Tuesday morning to each of you and anyone else you think would be of
service. I want to reflect on our meeting today and recap.

1. The major concern is ticket sales; and each of you were given
worksheet with names of individuals & telephone numbers who received
sponsorship letters "3" weeks ago. Please call and follow up on the
sponsorship letter campaign.

2. We spoke about what the event is all about....highlighting the
literacy development program, the reproduction of the spring
collection of the NY Couture fashion show, and The Grape Tree Bay
Resort Hotel; a major sponsor.

3. The fliers will be reworked to reflect outlets that include Masters
Insurance, Moniques Beauty, and Freudian Slit (dress shop in Sunshine
Mall) PLEASE LISTEN TO CARIBBEAN COUNTRY TO HERE THE AD WHICH INCLUDES
THESE OUTLETS. The flier will reflect the purpose of the show, and
designers will be listed

4. We spoke about the schedule and interviews on May 4th, in the
morning the press will be around Zebos about 10AM and will work their
way to Polly's at the Pier at 3PM for interviews with Andres Aquino,
executive team, Dept of Tourism, and Cheryl Francis- or a
representative. On that day an interview will be held at Caribbean
Country Radio as well.

5. Vicky & Evon will work together for silent auction items and an
administrative team will assist in preparing items for auction.
Millie is checking out the UVI fashion show this weekend to find
young ladies or gentlemen, particularly in the field of
fashion interest to help with checking guest in at the show.

6. We are looking for talent to participate with the program which is
as follows:

    6-7 Champagne Reception & Open of Silent Auction
    7-8 Savory Reception with 20 minute intervals of auction
reminders, Prayer ,Presentation of young talent,
          Auction closes at 8PM
    8-9 The Show commences
    9-10 Acknowledgments & Presentation of check to Governor John P
deJongh Jr. (Literacy Development), Reminder to
            pick up auction items
    10-11Cash Bar, Music By Tony Romano & Dancing

7. Everyone was given "numbered" tickets and asked to keep track for
accounting purposes

8. I invite all of you to to the Champagne Brunch at the Grape Tree
Bay Resort Hotel Saturday morning 10AM

9. The models will also be given yacht tour on Saturday

10. Horse back riding, checking for participates who are willing at
"no charge" to be published by press core

11. I WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH YOU WEEKLY BEGINNING NEXT
WEEK...WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
PLEASE ADVISE ME WHAT DAYS AND DAY-PARTS WORK FOR YOU......

IF I LEFT OUT ANYTHING, PLEASE ADD TO THIS LIST INCLUDING SUGGESTIONS,
AFTER-THOUGHTS, OR COMMENTS

Thank you

Regards

Anita

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Sunday, April 18, 2010

How to pronounce Eyjafjallajoekull

Airports all over the UK have been closed by a volcanic ash cloud spreading from Iceland where a volcano has erupted. The fragments in the ash cloud are said to represent a serious threat to airline engines, so the closures however inconvenient, are on safety grounds, starting with Scotland and now affecting London’s Heathrow Airport as well. But how do you pronounce Eyjafjallajoekull? ( also spelt Eyjafjallajökull and Eyjafjallajokull)

Thanks to Louise Joly for providing the link to a sound file which answers the pronunciation question:

Eyjafjallajökull.ogg

( original sound recording by Jóhann Heiðar Árnason )

More information about the volcanic ash cloud coming from Iceland

It’s the first time UK Airspace has been completely locked down as an emergency since 9/11

Hundreds of twitterers have posted “Dear Iceland, we said ’send Cash‘ can’t you read?” #ashtag

People’s travel plans have been completely Bjorked.

Steam Pump – Eyjafjallajökull Eruption

photo by Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson

Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blog

How to pronounce Eyjafjallajoekull

Ash Grounds Planes, Rest Of World Cut Off

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

Ash Grounds Planes, Rest Of World Cut Off

The rest of the world remains isolated today as the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull eruption continues to ground nearly all flights in or out of UK airports for a third day. People are only just starting to understand the implications of this drastic shut down for the airline industries and for the wider economy, and to think twice about how reliant so many human activities have become on air freight and passenger services.

If you want to get back to the UK today there are only two ways to do it – by taking to the now crowded international (eg Dover – Calais) ferry routes or through the channel tunnel by Eurostar or shuttle.

@HeathrowAirport No flights arriving or departing from Heathrow until 6am tomorrow, at the earliest. Next update due at 8pm this evening #ashtag

The obvious advice during this unprecedented period is not to set off without a booking, and if due to fly next week, keep checking the flight news before leaving for the airport. Nobody knows how long it will take to get everything back to normal, or how long the ash cloud will persist. The volcano is still emitting plumes of ash and the weather conditions remain stable with the dangerous (to jet engines) cloud spreading all over the UK and Europe.

The disruption in travel is costing airliners roughly 148 million euros in lost revenues per day. After Friday, about 16,000 flights were cancelled, making it the largest airspace shutdown since the Second World War.

Volcano Information and Flight News

Some links via Joanne Jacobs

Iceland Meteorological Office: Earthquakes last 48 hours table
UK Met Office: Volcanic ash advisories;
Natural Environment Research Council: Update on research of plume (including image)
Finnish Airforce images of damage to engines from ash on 15 April
NASA Earth Observatory picture of the ash plume
Norwegian Met Office calculations on dispersal of the ash plume

Staying Grounded

For people who aren’t planning on going anywhere the skies are uniquely empty of aircraft noise and jet trails bringing a surprising tranquility to areas which don’t normally think of themselves as bothered by flight paths, and for photographers the light conditions are perceptively different, with unbroken hazy blue sky scapes.

@MarinaPepper Deeply textured bird song – no deep rumbling roar or whining. Hadn’t realised how horrid Gatwick noise was even here in #Lewes #ashtag

Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blog

Ash Grounds Planes, Rest Of World Cut Off

How to pronounce Eyjafjallajoekull

Thursday, April 08, 2010

ORDER CONFIRMATION FOR ORDER 9258628945-001

Dear Randy Roberts:

Thank you for ordering from dickssportinggoods.com. This e-mail
confirms that your order 9258628945-001 was received on 04/08/10.
You will not be charged for the item(s) that you ordered until you
receive an e-mail confirming that they have been shipped.

VIEW YOUR ORDER STATUS
The link below will supply you with the most recent order status.
Please allow up to one(1) hour for this information to update
from the time you receive this e-mail.

http://www.DicksSportingGoods.com/checkout/index.jsp?o=9258628945&c=1821816233

Shipping Address:

Randy Roberts
4 Floyd Way
Center Barnstead, NH 03225

Your order includes the following item(s):

Item: 555653
Description: .177-.22 Rimfire Micro Kit
Quantity: 1 @ $12.99
Shipping Method: Standard Ground
You can expect to receive your item(s) between 04/16/10 and 04/22/10

Sub-Total: $ 12.99
Order Total: $ 12.99
___________________________

ScoreCard Number:

Please note that if your item(s) require different shipping methods,
your order will be shipped in multiple packages and our website will
provide you about the status of each package. Your total shipping charges
for this order will not exceed the amount shown in the above order summary.
Please retain a copy of this e-mail for your records.

Please visit our online Help area, http://www.DicksSportingGoods.com/helpdesk,
for any questions about your order. If you are unable to find the answers
you need, you may contact one of our Customer Service Specialists through
our online e-mail form, also found in the Help area of our website.
Please note: This e-mail message was sent from a notification-only
system that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.

Thank you for shopping at dickssportinggoods.com. Please visit our
website often as we are continually expanding our product assortment to
serve you better.

Best regards,

Customer Service
dickssportinggoods.com

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Boat pictures

Here are the pictures of the boat I promised to send. I will send
everything else this morning. Thanks

Tim McGrath
V.P. Customer Service
Business Solutions Division
Office Depot
6600 North Military Trail
Boca Raton, Florida 33496
T+ 561-438-0720
F+ 561-438-3726
mail code C375
tim.mcgrath@officedepot.com
Delivering Winning Solutions That Inspire Worklife™

Andy Roberts

http://distributedresearch.net/blog/

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Ronda Gorge

Ronda Gorge
Originally uploaded by AndyRob

This is the amazing gorge at Ronda in southern Spain.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Havering Folk Club News March 7th 2010

Havering Folk Club News

7^th March 2010

Hi gang,

Pete here once again with this week’s edition of Havering Folk Club News.

Wednesday, 3^rd March:

This was Simon Oliver’s featured evening and what a terrific evening it was. Simon hasn’t sung all that often just recently and one tends to forget how good he really is. He certainly reminded us in tremendous style on Wednesday as everyone I spoke to agreed. Well done mate!

We still managed to fit in 18 floor spots as well, albeit for one song only each. As Pep was MC for the evening, he and Terry got us off to a fine start and they were followed by Smolowik, Mixed Spice, Foxen, JoJo, Margaret Brown, Maureen & Bernie Pilgrim, Shiela Step-Dance Grainger accompanied by Bernie once again, Andy Roberts, Dave Worley, Linda Worley, myself, Bert Dady and Keith Petty, Tony Thomson, Jane Thomson, Mick Brown (plus the Phantom Harmonica-Player), Kriss Pouch and finally, Rosie Varey.

Haverfolkies’ Outside Activities:

Occasional Haverman Richard Staines has a gig in Norwich on Saturday 13^th March at 13.00. It’s at the Café Bar of the Norwich Arts Centre, so if you’re up that way, he’d be delighted to see you.

Saturday 6^th March also sees another Jerry Spangles open mic night at the Plough Inn, Wood Street, Walthamstow, with an appearance from Al Neville. I’m still not sure what the frequency of these sessions is as there are no others on Al’s gig list, but I feel sure he’s going to Email me to let me know – aren’t you Al! Meanwhile Al and Jerry would like as much support as possible to get these new sessions off the ground.

Other Stuff:

A couple of obituaries this week. Richard Webb tells me that Fred Wedlock, who found fame in 1980 when his record “Oldest Swinger in Town” made No 6 in the charts, passed away recently. This following link is to his Times obituary - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7051601.ece

I also understand that Dennis Rookard passed away this week. Dennis was a former BBC Essex folk music presenter and folk music archivist and researcher. Although he was never able to visit the club, he was nevertheless a recipient and keen reader of this newsletter.

Back to HFC:

The first of our new Saturday Specials takes place on 20^th March when we have the enormously popular Askew Sisters as our guest artists, supported of course by our own Dennis Homes. If anyone’s able to help publicise the event by printing off the flyers I attached to last week’s newsletter and posting them somewhere where they’re likely to be seen by interested parties, then we’d be most grateful. If you’d like me to print off a couple of flyers for you, then just reply to this e-mail and let me know. Dennis has now sent me through some far better photos of himself than I had on file, so I’ll use these from now on.

Meanwhile, next week, Wednesday 10^th March is another open session, so Make it a date – Wednesday at eight! at Havering Folk Club – the feelgood folk club.

Havering Folk Club, The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford, RM1 1HR

01708 724544 haverfolk@yahoo.co.uk www.haveringfolkclub.bravehost.com

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Monday, March 01, 2010

FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR MARCH 2010

TEN ITEMS OF FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR MARCH

1] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK
Station Street, Lewes
Enquiries: - (01273) 478124 or 881316
Email tinvic@globalnet.co.uk.

Every Thursday 8.pm PROMPT START
Here is our programme for the coming months:-

March 4th * £6.00 * ANDY TURNER & MAT GREEN
A welcome return for this talented pair. Andy sings and plays melodeon
and anglo-concertina. Mat dances morris jigs and plays fiddle. Their
playing really creates sparks of excitement.

March 11th * £7.00 * TIM VAN EYKEN
Following his great success at the National Theatre and the West End
in "War Horse", Tim returns to solo performing and this will be one of
his first gigs since doing so. Ex-Waterson:Carthy

March 18th * £10.00 * MARTIN CARTHY, NORMA WATERSON & CHRIS PARKINSON
>>>ADVANCE TICKET ONLY – NOW SOLD OUT
March 25th * £6.00 * JIM McFARLAND
One of Ireland's top singers of traditional songs is making a short
English tour from his home in Derry. Jim has a great voice, many
excellent songs and he decorates his singing in a beautiful way

April 1st * Free Admission * ALL FOOLS DAY OPEN NIGHT
Anything is possible!

April 8th * £6.00 * HAZEL & EMILY ASKEW
Traditional songs and music with melodeon and fiddle played with
attack, verve and imagination

April 15th * £6.00 * ROSIE DAVIS, JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST
The vibrant trio of an English woman, an American and a Canadian
combine to give us a stunning combination of bluegrass, Old Timey and
flat-foot dancing. This replaces the booking for these three cancelled
in January because of bad weather

April 22nd * £6.00 * JOHN ADAMS & CHRIS COE
John and Chris combine forces to present their own lively and
absorbing brand of (mainly traditional) songs and tunes

April 29th * £6.00 * ROGER WATSON & MUSA M’BOOB
The English singer and melodeon player and the Gambian master drummer
who work together brilliantly in Boka Halat bring as their
exhilarating music

May 13th * £6.00 * PAUL BURGESS
One of England finest fiddle players (Old Swan Band, English Country
Dance band etc.) is also a talented singer

May 20th * £6.00 * JEFF WARNER
Singer, musician on banjo and concertina, folklorist
, Jeff’s performances are musically satisfying as well as being entertaining

Later in 2010, our guests will include:-

CHRIS FOSTER * KEITH KENDRICK & SYLVIA NEEDHAM * BAYOU SECO * SPIDER
JOHN KOERNER * JOHN CONOLLY * THE CLAQUE * JOHN KIRKPATRICK * KEN HALL
& PETA WEBB (replaced the recently postponed date)

Our websites are at and
http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

Those of you who arrange listings are politely requested to include
all of the above.
***********
2] LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL 7 -10th OCTOBER 2010.
The two Lewes folk clubs are combining their efforts to promote this
festival, largely based in their own clubrooms and other venues in the
town. At the moment this is still in the early planning stages but
watch this circular and elsewhere for updates on the guests/programme
etc. At the moment the following artists have agreed to appear: -
SHIRLEY COLLINS, JOHN KIRKPATRICK, CHRIS COE, JOHN ADAMS, PETE COE.
SUE COE, CHRIS PARTINGTON, THE COPPER FAMILY, BOB LEWIS, PEPPERS’
GHOST and a notable number of display dance teams have also indicated
their willingness to participate. The website at
http://www.lewesfolkfest.org/LFFindex.php will gradually be developed
as plans become finalised.
***********
3] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK ON "MYSPACE"
Our MYSPACE profile enables us to provide sample tracks of coming
guests as well as show photos and biographies of coming guests. It is
at http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes
Currently on our MYSPACE we have the following tracks by coming guests:-

Mat Green & Andy Turner - "Quicksteps" - (March 4th)
Tim Van Eyken - "Barleycorn" - (March 11th)
Chris Parkinson [with Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson] - "Scotch
Measure/Mount Hills" - (March 18th)
Norma Waterson [with Martin Carthy & Chris Parkinson] - "Sheepcrook &
Black Dog" - (March 18th)
Martin Carthy [with Norma Waterson & Chris Parkinson] - "Georgie" - (March 18th)
Jim MacFarland - "Reynardine" - (March 25th)
Emily & Hazel Askew - "Fare The Well, My Dearest Dear (April 8th)
Rosie Davis [with Joe Locker & Bob Winquist] - "My Blue Heart" - (April 15th)
Chris Coe & John Adams - "Peeler Creek Waltz/Dog In Difficulty" - (April 22nd)
Jeff Warner - "Come Take A Trip In My Airship" - (May 20th)

After each gig the songs will drop off to be replaced with another by
an upcoming guest.
In addition there are videos by each of the following coming guest artists:-

TIM VAN EYKEN March 11th
MARTIN CARTHY March 18th
NORMA WATERSON March 18th
JIM MacFARLAND March 25th
ROSIE DAVIS JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST April 15th
ROGER WATSON & MUSA M'BOOB April 29th
JEFF WARNER May 20th
CHRIS FOSTER June 17th
SPIDER JOHN KOERNER September 2nd
THE CLAQUE September 30th
JOHN CONOLLY September 16th
JOHN KIRKPATRICK October 7th
***********
4] SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE - UPDATED
For all the listings of folk music, song club, dances, festivals in
and around Sussex, have a look at http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk
This site all always kept updated with the latest events and those
currently listed cover all the dates up until the end of February 2010
.
***********
5] THE FOLK DIARY
Most of the listings on the Sussex Folk Guide website are taken from
the paper magazine, THE FOLK DIARY. Issue no 241 covers the months of
February and March. They are packed with adverts for various folk
festivals, folk music record companies, specialist shops, instrument
makers and other services as well as details of all the folk song and
dance events in our area. To obtain copies of this free magazine as it
is published, please send SAE's to Vic Smith at the address below.
It is also the address to send album review copies to. Potential
advertisers are also asked to contact Vic for a statement of our
advertising rates.
The copy date for the April/May issue has just passed. However, it
should be mentioned for future issues that once the available space
has been filled, no more adverts can be accepted even if they are
received BEFORE the copy date. With this in mind, it is worth
contacting the editors before the copy date to state your intentions
and reserve advertising space even if you have not got final details
or you copy prepared.
Please contact
JIM MARSHALL 01273 559750 jimars@globalnet.co.uk
Or
VIC SMITH 01273 478124 tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
The next issue will be number 242 and will cover the months of April
and May and will be available from Mid-March.
**********
6] THE FOLK DIARY ON LINE
THE FOLK DIARY is available on-line at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/fd.htm You will need Adobe ACROBAT
READER to read the pages. The size of each page is given by each page
link and the content of each page is indicated. The following issue is now
on-line and are listed here with the content of each page:-
ISSUE No. 241 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010
Page 1(640kb) Beacon Tonbridge Wells (Mons), Vinces Fiddles, Six Bells
Chiddingly (Tues), Nanci Griffiths at De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill.
Page 2 (938kb) Pokey Lefarge at the Blue Coconut Pulborough, Grub's
Music Bar East Grinstead, White Horse Bodle St. Green (Mons), GBH
Ceilidhs Godalming (Sats), Elsie's (Sats), Folk On The Coast Bognor
(Fris).
Page 3 (861kb) Lewes Saturday folk club, Folk at the Royal Oak, Lewes
(Thurs), Copy dates and contact details.
Page 4 (1601kb) Amberley Folk Club (Tues), Brighton Acoustic sessions
at The Nelson (Mons), Kate's Kitchen Band, Brighton Cellarfolk (Tues),
Piggie's Open Mic sessions Uckfield (Tues).
Page 5 (1688kb) Hobgoblin Music, The Hawth Crawley, Gary's Live Music
Club Coolham (Sats).
Page 6 (449kb) The Blue Coconut Pulborough, Mid-Sussex Folk Singers
Ashurst (Weds) Rude Mechanicals Shoreham (Weds), Fee Calls Ceilidhs,
Lamb folk club Eastbourne (Weds), Brighton Folk & Blues Club Open
House (Fris).
Page 7 (1667kb) Meltdown Ceilidhs Haywards Heath (Sats), Sussex Folk
Association, Acoustic Sussex.
Page 8 (474kb) Seaford Folk Club (Fris), Brighton Singers Club The
Pond (Weds), Tonbridge Folk Club (Mons), The Sussex Song & Ale,
Croydon Folk Club (Mons), Barry Murphy's banjos.
Page 9 (1339kb) (385kb) Blue Coconut Pulborough, Horsham Folk Club
(Suns), Jolly Brewer Brighton (Suns), Electric Voices Guildford area.
Page 10 (1241kb) Willows Arundel (Weds), CD reviews by Jim Marshall
and Vic Smith
Page 11 (938kb) Folk Music in Tenterden (Fris), CD reviews by Jim
Marshall and Vic Smith
Page 12 (942 kb) Spyboy Presentations
**********
7] LEWES WORKSHOPS AT THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE
The workshops last a full Saturday or Sunday and the tutor performs at the
club in the evening. The programme for 2010 will be:-

27 March BEN PALEY Fiddle
17 April SHIRLEY COLLINS Trad song masterclass
18 April SHIRLEY COLLINS Trad song masterclass
24 April ISSEY EMENEY Melodeon
22 May JOE PENLAND North Carolina song & society
5 June MIKE O'CONNOR & BARBARA GRIGGS Cornish tunes from source manuscripts
6 June MIKE O'CONNOR Songwriting in the tradition
10 July KAREN TWEED O'Carolan's music (any instrument)
18 Sept MOOR MUSIC Dartmoor music (any instrument)
9 Oct JOHN ADAMS Village Music Project (any instrument)
10 Oct CHRIS COE Ballad forum
31 Oct MARTIN CARTHY Guitar
13 Nov FRANKIE ARMSTRONG Singing & vocal techniques
20 Nov TIM LAYCOCK Concertina (all systems)
The website for more details is
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/workshps.html or contact Valmai
Goodyear on (01273) 476757 or email ValmaiGoodyear@aol.com
The Lewes Saturday Folk Club has a new domain name -
http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/. This will work in parallel with
the old name http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/ for the time being but
they hope to phase it out so please change your bookmarks.

http://www.theworkshopseries.co.uk

On 20th March we have Horses Brawl, which is a real classical/folk
crossover act, as you may already know. It's just a small venue -
about 50 seats - and we have at least 20 left at this stage.
Many thanks
Robin
Barn Cottage,
Ruckmans
Okewood Hill
Dorking
RH5 5ND
>
...And if you are ever looking for a good barn dance band, look no
further than THE SUSSEX PISTOLS - though you should get in quickly -
available dates for 2010 are being snapped up quickly. They performed
once again for the largest and most prestigious dance in our area, the
BRIGHTON MIDWINTER CEILIDH at the Corn Exchange in Brighton on
December 20th. As usual, the 500 plus tickets sold out very quickly.
Contact Tina on 01273 478124 or email her at tinasmith226@yahoo.co.uk to
book the band. The band's website is at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm and they have a
MYSPACE profile as well at http://www.myspace.com/thesussexpistols
__________________________________________

VIC & TINA SMITH
26 Ferrers Road
LEWES
East Sussex
BN7 1PZ
England

Tel & Fax:- 01273 478124
Email:-
tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
folk@brighton.co.uk

ROYAL OAK WEBSITES:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic
http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE:-
http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk

LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL WEBSITE:-
http://lewesfolkfest.org/

SUSSEX PISTOLS BARN DANCE BAND WEBSITE:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm

COMPOUND SOUNDS WEBSITE
http://www.compoundsounds.com
http://www.myspace.com/jalisherrifokonteh

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Welcome to Campus Dining Services

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Campus Dining Services!

Attached, please find a document called "Dining Hall Managers". This
is your contact list for all of the food service operations on campus,
including directions to the office where you need to report and punch
in for all shifts.

A few reminders:

Your shift belongs to you. If you are unable to make your shift, you
are required to find a substititute for yourself, as well as keeping
your manager informed of your efforts. First line is to post a sub
slip at least 5 days before the date of absence. A second option
would be checking the sub-list on-line at
http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/employment/substitute.html and making
contact via phone, email, or in person with your fellow students to
see if someone is available to work for you. Report directly to the
manager on the status of your substitution the day before the date of
absence.
If you are ill and must call off sick, you must do so by phone direct
to a manager on duty at a minimum of 2 hours before your scheduled
work time. Emailing is not an option. Do not contact me - I am not a
manager. You are permitted to leave voice mail if your call is made
in plenty of time ahead and direct to the Dining Hall in which you are
scheduled.
Make sure you arrive for your shift in time enough so that you are
ready in your working position at your scheduled time. If your
schedule says 5:00, you need to arrive early enough before 5:00 to
wash your hands, get your hair net on, punch in, and be in place to
perform your work when the clock says 5:00.
Pants have to be long ones, shoes must cover your toe and heel, shirts
must have at least a short sleeve and cover your middle even when you
raise up your arms. Neat and clean is required.
Use of cell phones, ipods, or any electronic device is prohibited
while on the clock.
Please avoid bringing valuables to work with you. Although action is
being taken to improve security, Oberlin College and CDS are not
responsible for goods lost or stolen while on the clock.
If you have not done so already, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TAX
PAPERWORK with the Student Employment Office in Carnegie. You can not
get a paycheck until you do so. If you have ever received an Oberlin
College pay before, you do not have to re-do this paperwork, but it
must completed once! I need to be notified via email when this has
happened. More information is available at:
http://new.oberlin.edu/office/student-employment/

To further clarify your responsibilities as an employee, a copy of the
student manual is also attached. This manual will provide you with
basic information regarding all CDS Student Employment policies in
general. Do not hesitate to contact any manager to discuss the
details of any issue you may have.

If you have questions or aggravations about your work, the schedule,
or pay, please contact me at this email address, by phone at
440-775-8101, or stop in to see me on the first floor of Stevenson,
Griswald entrance.

Happy Spring!

Download now or preview on posterous

Dining Hall Managers.doc (27 KB)

Download now or preview on posterous

Student Empl Training Manual.pdf (458 KB)

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The Kittiwakes at FR on Fri, 26th Feb

Dear Forest Roots

If you came in from the cold and were at last months Forest Roots you
were certainly warmed up by all the fantastic acts that performed so a
big thankyou to The Bonfire Band, TenStringFever, Nick Pickett,
Whatever Next, Stew Simpson, Annie, Richard and Sue, Angus and last
but not least, David who gave the address to the haggis. Let's hope
they come back and perform for us again soon. Oh yes, and a special
thankyou to Stan Gordon for doing the sound and Mark McGlynn for
sorting it when it went wrong.
Lots of you said what a good night it was but you are all in
for another treat this month with the Kittiwakes, an english folk trio
singing truly evocative self-penned songs inspired by the Lofoten
Islands. You can check them out at www.thekittiwakes.com.

looking forward to seeing you all

stay forever young

Jenny and Caroline

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Short breaks in London with a Show | London Theatre Breaks

Short breaks in London with a Show
February 12, 2010 at 2:44 PM

Short breaks in London with a show are a great choice for mid-week or weekend holidays. Here are my top 3 recommendations for shows this coming Spring. Couples who just want to see a show as part of a trip to London, perhaps as part of a special occasion have lots of choice when it comes to shows and things to do. London is a great place for short breaks and there is a lot for couples to do and see. There are all the art galleries, lots of classy shops and, of course, the sights of London. That’s the thing about the capital it’s still fun even if you’ve seen it all before.

When you are choosing the show for your short break I’ve got three top recommendations for you at the moment.

Choose Your Show

Les Miserables

In your position I’d go for Les Miserables as a first choice. Tickets have got a little bit trickier to get hold of due to the SuBo effect but the theatre break agencies still have plenty of availability. If you can be flexible about your dates and can travel mid-week there are some brilliant deals for Les Miz. Traveling mid-week also gives you a good choice of 3* and 4* hotels at very reasonable rates. Les Miserables is one of the longest running shows but it still remains one of the best. People always seem to enjoy it a! nd it still seems as fresh as it ever was.

Dress Code: best frock or jeans, this is London – no one cares!

Hair

However if semi-classical score is not to your taste you could try revisiting the 60s and trying something brand new but re-cycled. Hair is coming to the West End in April and it’s going to be huge. This is the full Broadway revival production, all singing, all dancing, full of colour, life and energy, just like time traveling back to those days. They say if you remember the 60s you weren’t there but Hair is all that you might have missed and more. There is flower power, hippies and The Age of Aquarius, not to mention a bit of nudity and other, rather innocent naughtiness! Dress code: Afghan waistcoats, bell bottoms and patchouli (only kidding!). Though it might not be a bad choice of costume if you want to join in with the onstage party at the end of the show:

Jersey Boys

Maybe Jersey Boys is more your scene, sing along as you watch the story of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons unfold. Walk Like a Man, Sherry Baby, and a host of other tunes you’ll enjoy discovering you still know all the words to are woven into the story of five young lads from New Jersey.

Dress code: Very snazzy Trilby hats available in the foyer of the theatre

So there you are three top shows to choose from, all of them ideal to fit in with your short breaks in London with a show.

Posted via email from London Theatre Breaks

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010

Posted by Andy Roberts on 10/2/10 %u2022 Categorized as Calendar, Food and drink, London

The Chinese New Year festival falls on February 14th this year, 2010 but celebrations in London%u2019s Chinatown take place for a week or more around that time. It%u2019s a moveable feast, also referred to as Chinese spring festival, and just as much belonging to south east Asia as China.

No related posts.

Tagged as: China, Chinatown, Chinese, chinesenewyear, feast, february, festival, New Year

2 Tweets
2 Comments

theatre_breaks
February 10, 2010 %u2022 6:26 pm

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010 /DARnet Andy Roberts/ %u2013 Chinese New Year February 14th %u2026 http://tinyurl.com/yb38dlw

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

Reply

aroberts
February 12, 2010 %u2022 12:10 pm

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010 http://ff.im/-fOEMe

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

Reply

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010

Leave a Response

Cancel Reply

Additional comments powered by BackType

via distributedresearch.net

Chinese New Year February 14th 2010

Better than Valentines Day!

Posted via web from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Monday, February 01, 2010

NINE ITEMS OF FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR FEBRUARY

1] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK
Station Street, Lewes
Enquiries: - (01273) 478124 or 881316
Email tinvic@globalnet.co.uk.

Every Thursday 8.pm PROMPT START
Here is our programme for the coming months:-

Feb 4th * £6.00 * MARTYN WYNDHAM READ & IRIS BISHOP

One of the finest voices on the folk scene in the company of one of
the most talented and sensitive accompanists.

Feb 11th * £6.00 * JEZ LOWE

'One of the best writers to come out of England' Richard Thompson.
'One of our best songwriters' Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2

Feb 18th * £6.00 * CHRIS BARTRAM, NEIL BROOKES & TONY WEATHERALL

A new trio from Shropshire that combines the excellent singing of
Chris with the a pair of the finest exponents of English dance music
on fiddle and melodeon

February 25th * £6.00 * PETA WEBB & KEN HALL

Two great singers whose voices combine wonderfully well. Their
repertoire of songs come from England, Ireland and

America and they are noted experts on traditional singing.

March 4th * £6.00 * ANDY TURNER & MAT GREEN

A welcome return for this talented pair. Andy sings and plays melodeon
and anglo-concertina. Mat dances morris jigs and plays fiddle. Their
playing really creates sparks of excitement.

March 11th * £7.00 * TIM VAN EYKEN

Following his great success at the National Theatre and the West End
in "War Horse", Tim returns to solo performing and this will be one of
his first gigs since doing so. Ex-Waterson:Carthy

March 18th * £10.00 * MARTIN CARTHY, NORMA WATERSON & CHRIS PARKINSON

>>>ADVANCE TICKET ONLY

March 25th * £6.00 * JIM McFARLAND

One of Ireland's top singers of traditional songs is making a short
English tour from his home in Derry. Jim has a great voice, many
excellent songs and he decorates his singing in a beautiful way

Later in 2010, our guests will include:-

* ROSIE DAVIS, JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST (replacing the band weather
cancellation evening) * CHRIS COE & JOHN ADAMS * JOHN KIRKPATRICK *
JEFF WARNER * BAYOU SECO * DEBBIE McCLATCHY

Our websites are at and

http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

Those of you who arrange listings are politely requested to include
all of the above.

***********

2] LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL 7 -10th OCTOBER 2010.
The two Lewes folk clubs are combining their efforts to promote this
festival, largely based in their own clubrooms and other venues in the
town. At the moment this is still in the early planning stages but
watch this circular and elsewhere for updates on the guests/programme
etc. At the moment the following artists have agreed to appear: -
SHIRLEY COLLINS, JOHN KIRKPATRICK, CHRIS COE, JOHN ADAMS, PETE COE.
SUE COE, CHRIS PARTINGTON, THE COPPER FAMILY, BOB LEWIS, PEPPERS’
GHOST and a notable number of display dance teams have also indicated
their willingness to participate. The website at
http://www.lewesfolkfest.org/LFFindex.php will gradually be developed
as plans become finalised.

***********

3] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK ON "MYSPACE"
Our MYSPACE profile enables us to provide sample tracks of coming
guests as well as show photos and biographies of coming guests. It is
at http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes
Currently on our MYSPACE we have the following tracks by coming guests:-

Martyn Wyndham Read & Iris Bishop - "The Foggy Dew" - (February 4th)
Chris Bartram, Neil Brookes & Tony Weatherall - "Barleycorn" - (February 18th)
Tony Weatherall [as part of Bartram. Brookes & Weatherall]- "The
Woolsack - Oh What A Row - Reel" - (February 18th)
Mat Green & Andy Turner - "Quicksteps" - (March 4th)
Tim Van Eyken - "Barleycorn" - (March 11th)
Chris Parkinson [with Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson] - "Scotch
Measure/Mount Hills" - (March 18th)
Norma Waterson [with Martin Carthy & Chris Parkinson] - "Sheepcrook &
Black Dog" - (March 18th)
Martin Carthy [with Norma Waterson & Chris Parkinson] - "Georgie" - (March 18th)
Jim MacFarland - "Reynardine" - (March 25th)
Rosie Davis [with Joe Locker & Bob Winquist] - "My Blue Heart" - (April 15th)

After each gig the songs will drop off to be replaced with another by
an upcoming guest.
In addition there are videos by each of the following coming guest artists:-

MARTYN WYNDHAM READ & IRIS BISHOP February 4th

JEZ LOWE February 11th
TIM VAN EYKEN March 11th
MARTIN CARTHY March 18th
NORMA WATERSON March 18th
JIM MacFARLAND March 25th
ROSIE DAVIS JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST April 15th
JEFF WARNER May 20th
CHRIS FOSTER June 17th
***********
4] SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE - UPDATED
For all the listings of folk music, song club, dances, festivals in
and around Sussex, have a look at http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk
This site all always kept updated with the latest events and those
currently listed cover all the dates up until the end of February 2010
.
***********
5] THE FOLK DIARY
Most of the listings on the Sussex Folk Guide website are taken from
the paper magazine, THE FOLK DIARY. Issue no 241 covers the months of
February and March. They are packed with adverts for various folk
festivals, folk music record companies, specialist shops, instrument
makers and other services as well as details of all the folk song and
dance events in our area. To obtain copies of this free magazine as it
is published, please send SAE's to Vic Smith at the address below.
It is also the address to send album review copies to. Potential
advertisers are also asked to contact Vic for a statement of our
advertising rates.

The copy date for the April/May issue is February 26th. However, it
should be mentioned for future issues that once the available space
has been filled, no more adverts can be accepted even if they are
received BEFORE the copy date. With this in mind, it is worth
contacting the editors before the copy date to state your intentions
and reserve advertising space even if you have not got final details
or you copy prepared.

Please contact

JIM MARSHALL 01273 559750 jimars@globalnet.co.uk

VIC SMITH 01273 478124 tinvic@globalnet.co.uk

The next issue will be number 242 and will cover the months of April
and May and will be available from Mid-March.
**********
6] THE FOLK DIARY ON LINE
THE FOLK DIARY is available on-line at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/fd.htm You will need Adobe ACROBAT
READER to read the pages. The size of each page is given by each page
link and the content of each page is indicated. The following issue is now
on-line and are listed here with the content of each page:-

ISSUE No. 241 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010

Page 1(640kb) Beacon Tonbridge Wells (Mons), Vinces Fiddles, Six Bells
Chiddingly (Tues), Nanci Griffiths at De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill.
Page 2 (938kb) Pokey Lefarge at the Blue Coconut Pulborough, Grub's
Music Bar East Grinstead, White Horse Bodle St. Green (Mons), GBH
Ceilidhs Godalming (Sats), Elsie's (Sats), Folk On The Coast Bognor
(Fris).
Page 3 (861kb) Lewes Saturday folk club, Folk at the Royal Oak, Lewes
(Thurs), Copy dates and contact details.
Page 4 (1601kb) Amberley Folk Club (Tues), Brighton Acoustic sessions
at The Nelson (Mons), Kate's Kitchen Band, Brighton Cellarfolk (Tues),
Piggie's Open Mic sessions Uckfield (Tues).
Page 5 (1688kb) Hobgoblin Music, The Hawth Crawley, Gary's Live Music
Club Coolham (Sats).
Page 6 (449kb) The Blue Coconut Pulborough, Mid-Sussex Folk Singers
Ashurst (Weds) Rude Mechanicals Shoreham (Weds), Fee Calls Ceilidhs,
Lamb folk club Eastbourne (Weds), Brighton Folk & Blues Club Open
House (Fris).
Page 7 (1667kb) Meltdown Ceilidhs Haywards Heath (Sats), Sussex Folk
Association, Acoustic Sussex.
Page 8 (474kb) Seaford Folk Club (Fris), Brighton Singers Club The
Pond (Weds), Tonbridge Folk Club (Mons), The Sussex Song & Ale,
Croydon Folk Club (Mons), Barry Murphy's banjos.
Page 9 (1339kb) (385kb) Blue Coconut Pulborough, Horsham Folk Club
(Suns), Jolly Brewer Brighton (Suns), Electric Voices Guildford area.
Page 10 (1241kb) Willows Arundel (Weds), CD reviews by Jim Marshall
and Vic Smith
Page 11 (938kb) Folk Music in Tenterden (Fris), CD reviews by Jim
Marshall and Vic Smith
Page 12 (942 kb) Spyboy Presentations

**********

7] LEWES WORKSHOPS AT THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE
The workshops last a full Saturday or Sunday and the tutor performs at the
club in the evening. The programme for 2010 will be:-

20 Feb STEVE TURNER Concertinas for song accompaniment
27 Feb COOPE BOYES & SIMPSON Vocal harmony
27 Feb GEORGINA BOYES Folklore seminar (pm)
27 March BEN PALEY Fiddle
17 April SHIRLEY COLLINS Trad song masterclass
18 April SHIRLEY COLLINS Trad song masterclass
24 April ISSEY EMENEY Melodeon
22 May JOE PENLAND North Carolina song & society
5 June MIKE O'CONNOR & BARBARA GRIGGS Cornish tunes from source manuscripts
6 June MIKE O'CONNOR Songwriting in the tradition
10 July KAREN TWEED O'Carolan's music (any instrument)
18 Sept MOOR MUSIC Dartmoor music (any instrument)
9 Oct JOHN ADAMS Village Music Project (any instrument)
10 Oct CHRIS COE Ballad forum
31 Oct MARTIN CARTHY Guitar
13 Nov FRANKIE ARMSTRONG Singing & vocal techniques
20 Nov TIM LAYCOCK Concertina (all systems)
The website for more details is
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/workshps.html or contact Valmai
Goodyear on (01273) 476757 or email ValmaiGoodyear@aol.com

The Lewes Saturday Folk Club has a new domain name -
http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/. This will work in parallel with
the old name http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/ for the time being but
they hope to phase it out so please change your bookmarks.

********

8] MONTHLY SESSION IN LEWES

There are very enjoyable Sunday afternoon sessions in the bar of the
Royal Oak in Station Street in Lewes. These will be on the last Sunday
of the month from 3.30 – 5.30pm. Dates for the next sessions are

~~~~~ February 28th – March 28th ~~~~~

They will be run by Vic & Tina Smith.

********
9] OTHER REGULAR SESSIONS IN THE LEWES/BRIGHTON AREA
Bryan Creer has taken on the task of detailing these, and they are posted at
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/Sessions.php
Have a look and if there are any you think that Bryan has missed - contact
him on Bryancreer@aol.com

>
...And if you are ever looking for a good barn dance band, look no
further than THE SUSSEX PISTOLS - though you should get in quickly -
available dates for 2010 are being snapped up quickly. They performed
once again for the largest and most prestigious dance in our area, the
BRIGHTON MIDWINTER CEILIDH at the Corn Exchange in Brighton on
December 20th. As usual, the 500 plus tickets sold out very quickly.
Contact Tina on 01273 478124 or email her at tinasmith226@yahoo.co.uk to
book the band. The band's website is at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm and they have a
MYSPACE profile as well at http://www.myspace.com/thesussexpistols

__________________________________________

VIC & TINA SMITH
26 Ferrers Road
LEWES
East Sussex
BN7 1PZ
England

Tel & Fax:- 01273 478124
Email:-
tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
folk@brighton.co.uk

ROYAL OAK WEBSITES:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic

http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE:-
http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk

LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL WEBSITE:-

http://lewesfolkfest.org/

SUSSEX PISTOLS BARN DANCE BAND WEBSITE:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm

COMPOUND SOUNDS WEBSITE
http://www.compoundsounds.com

http://www.myspace.com/jalisherrifokonteh

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous