Monday 15th December 2008

Well into Yule / Saturnalia now and heading for the festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicta on the 25th. OK, Pope Julius hijacked it for Christ's birthday in 349 AD in a good bit of PR and then the Victorians did unspeakable things and lastly the High Street finished it off. Well one good thing is that it is the only day now in the year when the majority of the shops are shut! Still, mulled wine was a decent invention.

On the session front, the Irish session is still suffering low turn-out but struggling personfully on and actually not doing too shabby a job. It means more variety (slides, polkas, jigs etc) than is usual for our session and more people start sets which is good. The session joke is still a regular feature I'm glad too say and if a none-too corny one crops up I'll let you know it here.

A new session has been established at the Simple Parrot or Simon's Parrot or some such in Canterbury on the first Sunday of the Month from 8:00 pm. We shall see how it goes. Having been down this road before when a pub has changed hands, it's a testing time. Do they want us because they like us or because it might attract punters? Answers on a postcard please ......
I hope it's because they like us. Mind you at £1.50 a time, it's the only venue where we have to pay to park! Thank you Canterbury; why don't you really encourage people into the city at night? Or any time for that matter. Oh and while we're on the subject, there'd be a lot less congestion and traffic in Canterbury if you'd finish off the two A2 junctions. You can't get off Northbound at the North-Western end nor on Southbound at the South-Western end (Wincheap). Madness. I think somebody looked on a map rather than tried to drive it. IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Believe me.

I feel better now.

Meanwhile, at the Mixed Lumpy Session which is the Bear in all its newly painted glory (It's not the same without a brown ceiling) it just gets better and better. Well, in terms of numbers it does. Last week there were 21 people with some kind of noise making device. Up from last week but not the record. It is different every week (one of Mike's sayings) and we now have a regular Nykelharpa player - Barbara, and although we haven't seen him for a couple of weeks, a Hammer Dulcimer wielded by Bill. How they get them under their chins I do not know.

Apparently the Tilmanstone session (Third Monday) is still going and there is a session at Smeeth I believe on Mondays which may or may not be in the Woolpack. On the Irish front, apart from the new Simple Simon's Parrot and the regular Anchor, there is still the irregular Chequers at Challock.