back from Whitby Folk Week

Well, we have returned from Whitby; all blogging ceased during Folk Week, because there was simply too much to do! Firstly, tried loads of violins for size and fell in love with the first one that Geraldine Stephenson got out of the back of her van. It's about 100 years old, and comes from France via the Shetlands; it's lovely and has transformed the sound I produce when I play. Then, it was ceilidhs and other assorted related dances every night 'til 1, and up at 8 to go to workshops! Phil and I managed not to annoy quite as many people with our dancing this year, I think we only got things badly wrong about three times, and that was also other people getting it wrong. I'm sorry to have to report there were still a couple of very sour faced people who crossed our paths once or twice during the week. What an amazing week though, and what a brilliant holiday. During folk week, the whole town becomes infused with folk music- all kinds of it, dancing is everywhere, some of it village green type morris dancing, and some more extreme like the Wytchmen- how I wish I got to see them and their exciting band more than just on the first night.
There was an Abba Ceilidh, with the classic tunes done ceilidh band style, and a band formed by Eliza Carthy for the occasion. Her dad Martin played the electric guitar for the occasion, all the band and the caller, Martyn Harvey dressed up 70s disco style. It was excellent, and Phil and I managed to join in quite a few dances without stuffing them up. It really is an incredible feeling dancing with about 500 other people, holding hands and swinging each other about. I'm going to avoid the polka in future though, it's dangerous, as the young people tend to charge about manically and I received a polka related injury when Phil and I, too, were charging about in a rather stupid way and collided with another couple; well, they were dancing crazily too and collided with us. I fell flat on my bum right in front of the band. The band Pete Cooper, my fiddle guru was playing in. Embarrassing as well as painful.
The last night was especially moving. They had a ceremony that we hadn't noticed last year to do with a 'heather garland.' It was brought in serenaded by the Goathland Plough Stots. Early in the evening, children were all encouraged to take a sprig of heather, and then later the adults. Before we took a sprig, everyone sang 'Will ye go Lassie Go'. It was very moving, probably about 5-600 people there, maybe more, all singing gently together. Lots of not very dry eyes in the house as a result. The heather is supposed to bring us back next year. I don't need heather for that, but took some anyway.

sockie meltdown

I'm sorry to have to report that sockies do not like washer/dryers. This year and last we have stayed in flats/houses in Whitby that have a washer /dryer. The temperature of the drying heat is too much for the poor sockie. Bits of molten sockie have been discovered embedded into other items of clothing. Lakeland take note.

nearly folk week

Well, it's Friday, and there has been a distinct shift in the type of tourist crowd milling about. We can observe this at leisure from our vantage point overlooking the harbour. The regatta is well and truly over and things are mellower. Folk week is about to begin. The menfolk (Phil and son) have gone on a three hour fishing trip. Geraldine Stephenson has rung to say she is here, with a couple of fiddles for me to look at- I feel sick with excitement and after I finish here, am going to see her to check them out!
I've browsed through the folk week programme- almost too much to choose from, and lots of things are on at the same time, or a long way from each other so there isn't enough time to get there. Went for a coffee with Phil at the Pavilion earlier and people were setting up PAs and stuff in readiness!
I'm amazed that son has really got into things now. He's gone from being really bored on Tuesday, to begging to come for two weeks again next year...oh if only our annual leave was more generous, we'd spend the whole summer here, bliss...will blog about Folk week in a day or two.

Blogging from Whitby

Here I am in the Coliseum again, what a useful place, a nice cafe, cinema, theatre and all round community resource. £1 for half an hour. Bargain. Although it was relaxing when we arrived on Saturday, it's really chilled out now, all the regatta crowds have gone, and there is a several day lull before the folkies arrive. Time for me to get some serious fiddle practice in, if I am going to be fit to participate in any way fiddle-wise. Son had a low half day yesterday, claiming to be bored....after sleeping for the drizzly afternoon, we went for a reviving meal at the Khyber, and he is restored to good humour, enjoying a late night 'creepy' walk with Phil and a lot of gazing at various views with us both today.
After seeing a few bods fishing on the jetty by the lifeboat house, he announced that he wished he'd brought his fishing rods to Whitby after all, and could we front him with the funds for another. We agree, as he will be able to while away a good few hours doing this, which will be particularly useful when Phil and I are doing various workshops etc during folk week. He even said it would be quite nice to live here, a concept that Phil and I toy with on a regular basis. Whitby is so great, but really a pain to get to, which probably enhances the feeling of 'away from it all' remoteness that I love. The return journey will take about seven and a half hours, but has the advantage of being only by train all the way (apart from Kings X to Waterloo).
Tonight we may go to The Magpie; Ingrid Flute gave me a £10 voucher to use in there, as I'd mentioned their agency on this blog. Am not snacking on anything until then, so that I'm good and hungry for that treat. And no, I'm not going to partake of their famed fish and chips, but something more interesting of their varied menu. Hopefully we'll get a table by the window, as I can't get enough of soaking in the many and various views available. Was speaking to Nick, who I think manages the Coliseum, and he said he had only moved here recently, and what had stopped him doing so previously was, as with Phil and I, the responsibility for an ageing relative, in his case, his mum. She had told him to go, but I can't imagine my dad saying that, also, visiting him is a pleasure, too. It gives us space as well, to think about what we will do when he's not around any more, as it will be quite an opportunity to look at change. Hey ho, more soon, back to the flat for that fiddle practice.

sockies at Donna's

The first day of the holidays we spent, as always, with Donna, Ken and Harriet. It was excellent as always. A constant round of eating, drinking and falling about laughing. For some reason, we talked about the pain of odd socks, and how to avoid them occurring, or we could've been discussing the Lakeland catalogue...whatever. I had to show them the miraculous creation that is the sockie, a little piece of plastic that looks like pince-nez which takes your pair of socks undivided from the washing basket to washing line, and home to the drawer again. Donna, ably assited by Harriet and her boyfriend Tom, cooked a nutritionally balanced meal of chicken fajitas, with plenty of veg. We added various other sayings to the understated praisings. Perfectly accetable, and adequate, made it to the collection. Phil has been ordered to complete his Billy Bunter/Biggles musical within the month-10th Sept, and e-mail it to Donna; quite right too, and we all tried to work out what superpower we would have, in readiness for Harriet's 18th in February. We got as far as Phil; he would be Sensitivo. We established this a bit earlier when we'd been discussing the series Heroes. No-one else could think of a superpower. Harriet's celebrations may now involve a night at the bingo, with us all dressed as fictional or real Londoners, maybe pearly kings and queens.
Later we got the fiddles and guitars out and Donna and I relived our teens by playing 'Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley'; Jake Ken and Donna playing a mean guitar. The tv didn't go on once, we realised later, aren't we good.

here I am

Here I am in Whitby again; we arrived on Saturday afternoon, Monday today. SO relaxing; we knew our flat would be perfect and it is, thanks again Ingrid Flute. We're in a modern flat with a clear view of the harbour, the Grand Turk and Church St from the two big sitting room windows. We were starving when we arrived and went straight to the co-op and back to the flat to gorge ourselves on french bread, cheeses and other bits and pieces. Sat and tried to take in the view; almost too much. I'd been looking forward to this since leaving Whitby last year, and here we are again with the teeming intensity of the harbourside on Regatta week Saturday right smack bang in front of us! So brilliant. We went out for a walk to try and work up an appetite for our promised first night dinner at the Khyber, but even three hours later couldn't eat it all. We had a great time though, looking at the views from the Khyber windows, and drinking a lovely dry white wine and feeling very full.
Phil and I went for a walk along the beach towards Sandsend, and then up a zigzag to the cliff-top. Clean fresh air and uninterrupted views out to the North Sea. So magical. Son, who had been at the amusements with two quid, summoned us by the magic of mobile to meet him in the little cave- type aperture by the Khyber. He just wanted to stare and stare at the view; this from the boy who didn't want to come to Whitby yet again this year. When we got back to the flat, he stayed up later than us, staring out at the night-time harbour; more transfixing than the tv.
I've discovered the Coliseum-thanks to a poster on Whitby online - where the've got an internet cafe, so will be able to blog live from here every couple of days or so. Took me about half an hour to remember my blogspot username and password to begin with, but all ok now, phew!

almost there

Packing our cases, writing lists of what to remember- racking my brains to remember everything that needs to go on the lists. Have flicked through the programme for Whitby Folk Week, too much to choose from, but we're determined to get our money's worth after buying passes for the whole week. Can't wait to see Donna, and have nutritious, delicious dinner; gin and chocolate brownies for pudding, chat and laugh with her, Ken and Harriet; always a good start to our break. What will our flats be like in Whitby; a week by the harbour, another week up on the West Cliff. First night definitely dinner in the Khyber. Will try and blog from Whitby, but will be relying on internet cafes, otherwise no blogging until I'm back. Good old fashioned pen and paper will have to suffice...then will painstakingly transcribe it onto the mac upon my return. Will have to wait and see if my dancing and fiddling passed muster. Have a good Summer one and all; if the yummy mummies and daddies check in, hope wales was wonderful (and not too wet), let's all have a great summer!

cheeseboard of the brentford/ealing borders

Went out with Philly and Ali on Saturday to sample the cheeseboard at The Ealing Park Tavern; when Ali had phoned to enquire of the existence of such a thing, they were so nice about it on the phone, and enthused about the other lovely bar snacks available, how could we resist.

A lovely evening - the cheeseboard arrived, four different cheeses, with lots grape, apple and interesting and tasty biscuits, and a pot of spiced apple. I don't know what the different cheeses were, but they were delicious, a waxy yellow one, maybe comte, a creamy blue cheese that looked like it had been cut from a loaf, a white goats' cheese, and I can't remember the other one! We ordered a slice of aged manchego with quince paste for good measure - that was my favourite. We also drank a fair bit of wine - the house rose is particularly pale, dry and delicious. All the bar snacks looked great, I could happily work my way through all of them, maybe not all on one night though. We did get asked to leave three times for lingering too long. This felt quite unpleasant, I must say as the man said I've asked you three times now. Ali took her drink with her and was apprehended, and made to return the glass. I give the cheeseboard a 9 though, just to give other cheeseboards something to beat. Back to Ali's afterwards for more wine and conversation about life and death. Left at 2.15am; Phil can't remember being at Ali's at all; he fell asleep on the sofa at about 1.

Nearly time for Whitby

Last night, made the last pilgrimage to Pete Cooper before we go to Whitby; yes Whitby!!! I've looked forward to it since we came back last year. Can't wait. The programme for folk week arrived this morning....no molly dancing this time, might try clog instead. I'm having an afternoon of immersing myself in folk music today; having read two Guardian articles yesterday, one on Fairport Convention, and one on Anne Briggs.Well, the Guardian was raving on about the album Liege and Lief, so downloaded it from iTunes, but it's a bit of a disappointment compared to Full House (in my opinion!). Sandy Denny's voice rather weedy when compared to Anne Briggs'. Could be the mixing on the album, the remastered version. The vocals sound weak, the music not as interesting as on Full House. Anyway, phoned Donna to arrange what time to meet, when she said she was going to do some food shopping, I resisited the urge to say make sure it'll be nourishing. One day Donna had cooked us a fantastic meal, and Phil said 'very nourishing....' never to be forgotten.
Anyway; last night at Pete's we rushed up the hill as we were a few precious minutes late and arrived very hot and sweaty-I was nervous and flustered and couldn't play anything properly, even things I could play alright at home. Was enjoyable anyway, but I'm not quite ready to join in a session yet! lots of workshops though, and the anticipation of all the other joys our trip up North will hold,