Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 18th January 2018

Seventeen of our most stalwart singers braved the dark and cold to come out to the Chichester Inn on Thursday night to enjoy yet another lively evening of drinks and songs. After wishing everyone a Happy New Year, we set about singing the songs for the “Worthing Sow & Grow” event scheduled for Saturday 10th February 2018. Amaryllis has chosen some cracking songs for this. We warmed up singing: Oak, Ash & Thorn and Pleasant and Delightful and then sang The Magpie, Brisk Young Ploughboy, On Sussex Hills, The Turnip Hoer, Country Life, Poor Froze-out Gardeners and The Woodcutter’s Song before stopping for a break and a bit more socialising. In the second half we had a go at Barbara Shaw’s Worthing Grower and sang Jim the Carter Lad and the Farmer’s Toast before tackling a couple of new songs. Alan introduced us to his traditional Sussex version of The Lark in the Morning and was very successful in getting us to master this unfamiliar new melody. Dave then went on to present two more Kipling songs. The first one Rolling Down to Rio was sung to Peter Bellamy’s tune (not the Sir Edward German one!) The second was The Bee Boy’s Song which was very positively received and, with its echoes of old country lore, deserves to be learnt as a companion piece to The Magpie. Alan and Dave were delighted and not a little embarrassed to be presented with a lovely bottle of wine each from the Singers in recognition of their efforts in running the Chichester Group sessions over the past year. And Julie T was also given some chocolates for keeping us all regularly informed through emails and twitter. Thank you everyone, but we all enjoy doing what we do! Time was quickly running out so we sang a rousing version of Thousands or More before we set off for home. Our next group sing will be on Thursday 15th February at the Chichester Inn in West Street, Chichester. We hope to see lots of you there!

Local Group Report – Lewes – Tuesday 16th January 2018

New Year but Old Songs. Tina started us singing with Ale, Glorious Ale and The Farmer’s Toast, Poor Froze Out Gardeners, Where Stormy Winds Do Blow, before Apple Wassail, Sugar Wassail and Wassail Wassail. Then it was time to turn to spring with The Nightingale and Magpie (we still can’t find the harmony in the fifth line of the chorus!) We spent some time on Seasons Turn and were not too sure why some of the words have been changed, but stuck to the original as written by Sylvia Watts because a small group of us will be going to The Star at Alfriston on 13th February to sing two short sets at Mac’s Folk Club and we want unity in the ranks! That is why we sang The Woodcutter’s Song and Ha’nacker Mill too.

We did well with a few pub customers making a point of walking through to our snug and listening appreciatively and a couple who were visiting from Lincolnshire joining in singing with us.

After a refill break we had a surprisingly good run through Littlehampton Collier Lads and The Brave Eleven without Geoff and John who attended Secret Shore Workshops and also Dave’s seven-verse song titled Caburn Hill, together with harmonies. We finished with Thousands or More.

Transition Town Worthing Sow & Grow, Saturday, 10th February 2018

Update 4th February: Use this link to download the organiser's programme for this event. Please note the revised times for singing, as given in the programme.

Seed Swap & Spring Fair

We hope you have had a great festive season and are now contemplating losing some calories by rummaging in your undergrowth, harvesting your turmuts and manuring your plots.

What better way to prepare for this than to support the above event with some of our songs.

The performance area will be in/on the Foyer/stairs as last year, for two short sets at 1.45pm 1.30pm & 2.55pm (please be there by 1.15pm) which we are advised will avoid clashes with the opening speeches and the raffle at the end. Any changes to this arrangement will be posted here, as will the full programme when received. Make sure you wrap up against the cold.

If you do not want to pay the £2 entrance fee, please email me by the 4th February so your name can be added to the list on the door.

First Set:

1. Oak, Ash & Thorn
2. Pleasant & Delightful
3. The Magpie
4. Brisk Young Ploughboy
5. On Sussex Hills
6. The Turnip Hoer

Barbara has provided us with some alternative verses to The Turnip Hoer, download here.

Second Set:

1. Country Life
2. The Woodcutter's Song
3. Poor Froze-out Gardeners
4. Thousands or More
5. Jim the Carter Lad
6. The Farmer's Toast

John C.

Local Group Report – Worthing – Wednesday 3rd January 2018

For the first Worthing meeting of the new year 35 SDFSingers gathered, still in festive mood, to sing a mix of seasonal songs – all sung with pleasure, some just for fun and others in preparation for our Wassail social on 20th January and our first public performance of the year at the Worthing Seed Swap on 10th February. We started with the Falmer Carol, including the extra verses David in our Chichester group has discovered. These were written by the Coppers and we have their permission to use them (if attributed). They make the carol considerably longer and richer, and we look forward to singing them again next Christmas. With the Seed Swap in mind we sang The Turmut Hoers and Poor Froze Gardeners before returning to the festive season with The Twelve Sheep of Christmas, a variation written by one of our singers, Hannah, and much enjoyed. The fun continued with The Three Moles, a song created by another of our singers, Gordon, in the Chichester group in honour of the pub where they used to meet in Selham. After a break we bridged the seasons with the Woodcutters Song, Oak, Ash and Thorn, and The Farmer’s Toast, before going back to a carol when Emily introduced and taught us a verse from Remember O Thou Man. This had been performed by Keith at the Chichester group’s ‘sing-around’ before Christmas, and it’s another one to try again next Christmas. Country Life, then Sugar Wassail and Apple Wassail followed, and we finished our evening with The Holly Bears a Berry. Happy New Year!