Isle of Wight weekend - 27-29 September 2013

All photos courtesy of Angela Barber.

SDFS singers to entertain at Birch Trees Nursing Home on Thursday 17th October

We have been invited to sing a few rousing songs for the elderly residents at the Birch Trees Nursing Home in Hollist Lane, Easebourne, GU29 9AD, at 7.00 pm on Thursday 17th October.  We will entertain for 30 minutes before retiring to the White Horse Pub to continue our monthly session.  Singers from the Easebourne group of SDFS and any others from further afield are most welcome to join us on this occasion.  Please indicate your intention to come by sending Shirley Blott a note to her e-mail address: shirleyblott@gmail.com so that we have an idea of numbers.

Songs to be sung will be:

Fathom the Bowl
Sussex by the Sea
Twanky Dillo
On Sussex Hills
Rolling in the Dew (or Drink Old England Dry)
Thousands or More
West Sussex Drinking Song
Jolly Good Song

So many songs - so little time.  Lets make a gladsome noise out there!

Dave G

Isle of Wight weekend

Have a wonderful time if you are off to the Isle of Wight this weekend!

Take lots of pictures - maybe some small groups or individuals (we have quite a few of 'all' of us) and they can go in the Photo Gallery here on the blog..

If you'd like to write something for the blog about it, that would be great too: just e-mail it to me and I'll work it into something.

Adrian F

Wednesday at the Beechwood

At Wednesday at the Beechwood next week, we'll be singing / refreshing / learning(?) all the stuff we oughta know by now.  Most of the portfolio is fine but there are occasionally songs that folk say they have seldom sung or didn't learn at their workshop or just don't know very well.

Please have a look at the Learning New Songs page.  And if you have any particular songs you'd like to go over, let me know.

See you next week.

Adrian F

Apple Fair - not happening

The Apple Fair at Middle Farm will not see the SDFS this year.  We finally made contact today when I rang them and they told me that a) an external promoter handles all the appearances and b) it starts being organized in April.  And they're full.  One has to 'apply' to perform there, it seems and even morris dancing has been rejected this year too.  They were quite apologetic that the promoter had not responded to John (the farm were aware of John's e-mails but had passed them on, understandably) but I gained the distinct impression that it's not our sort of gig.

Ho hum .... onwards and upwards!

Adrian F

Photo gallery

Yes, we now have a photo gallery!

Bit of a posh thing to call it, really, but despite that, I have finally started to put the photos up.

More will appear when I get a moment and when I'm done, I'll post to that effect and if you've any that are not featured that you would like added, please send them to me!

Adrian F

HELP! HELP!

help n. 1. act of helping; person or thing that helps, esp. in context of running folksinging groups.  2. cry or appeal for assistance, e.g. when requesting same in order to promote and develop a folksinging group or groups.

(See the Help required! tab .....)

Adrian F

Local Group Report – Easebourne Thursday 19th September 2013

17 enthusiastic members of the Easebourne contingent of the South Downs Folk Singers met at 7.30 pm at the White Horse Pub in Easebourne Street, just north of Midhurst, for their monthly sing.  Phil & Angela Barber, Anne Sartain & Alan Wheeler, Stephen Allberry, David Garrard, Beryl, Sue Crawford, Wendy Revill, Ian Bartle, Rebecca Laughton, Julie, John Kydd, Viv, Christine and Margaret ably led by our esteemed organiser Shirley Blott, sang until 10.30 pm, revisiting many of the songs that we are less familiar with and practising some of the Christmas Songs including the Sussex Mummers Carol, Wassail Wassail, and The Moon Shone Bright that we know we will probably be singing at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Xmas Market on Sunday 17th November.  We even gave The Cruel Mother a good airing as, despite its length, our members do enjoy this song!

We were having such a good time and singing so well that we attracted the attention of a gentleman in the bar who came through to congratulate us and request that we sing half a dozen songs to the residents of the Birch Trees Nursing Home in Easebourne next time we all get together.  This has now been organised for Thursday 17th October – see  Latest News page for further details.  By the way, the South Downs Folk Singers just love singing for pleasure but we are delighted when we are given the chance to sing in public!

Dave G

Easebourne Thursday

Yep, it's tonight!

Don't stay at home: come and sing!  If you've stumbled across this blog and don't know who we are and you live within 50 miles of Midhurst, do the following:

a) read the blog from end to end (it's Jolly Interesting)
b) come to the White Horse at Easebourne* at about 8 tonight
c) when you get there, find the South Downs Folk SIngers and start singing!

"With my here it goes and there it goes, all the fun's before us!"

Adrian F

*it's near Midhurst.

New singers at Lewes!

Last night, we were delighted to welcome Nick & Isobel Moore from Uckfield and Ruth & Steve Robotham from Henfield into our merry gang.  Nick and Isobel found out about the SDFS at a Hares gig (Chris, Ann and Sam) at Anne of Cleves' house in Lewes recently whilst Ruth & Steve were at Findon and tripped over us there.  A warm welcome to you all.  There's more about last night's session on the Local Group News page.

Adrian F