Firstly, congratulations to Steve and Jennifer on becoming grand-parents. Understandably, they had more important things to do, and weren't with us to receive our congratulation in person.

We had a few themes running through the evening:

    
• As has become customary at this time of the year, we had My Funny Valentine from Pal Joey by Rosie and Alan. Karen and Roger added the lovely Give Yourself to Love, which Kate Wolf apparently wrote in the couple of hours before she was due to sing at a friend's wedding. Later Vicky sang Love That Can Never Grow Old from Brokeback Mountain, accompanying herself on guitar.    
    
• Roger played a couple of tunes from the Low Countries - Valse Voor Polle by Belgian piper Wim Poesen (hence the tune also being known as Wim's Waltz) and the Dutch tune De Rijke Boer (the rich farmer). John followed with the Dutch shanty Skipper Jan Riebec. Rosie and Alan's Valse Eric Rocher was from a little further south.
    
• Delia went back to her schooldays with the sing-along They Built the Ship Titanic. John saw the story from the other side with Les Barker's Have You Got Any News of the Iceberg.
    
• The surprise of the evening was Rosie's version of By the Sea. This song is from Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which is now a feature film starring Johnny Depp (a much better singer than you'd expect), Helena Bonham-Carter (not so) and a great deal of fake blood. To set the scene, Rosie had to recount the gruesome plot that involves the barber killing his customers, who then end up in pies. No cannibalism or spilling of blood was required for her performance though. Vicky sang 2 songs learned from Kate Rusby's singing: Drowned Lovers and Love in April. Both of these end with the death of the main protagonists.

The snowdrops are out and the sun has been shining, so Dave started with Snowdrops, Crocuses, Daffodils and Bluebells and later added his New Orleans song and Connemara Horse Trade Fair.

Dick topped and tailed the evening with Dido Bendigo and Man in the Moon, and also added Twas On One April Morning and She Loved A Portuguese

Despite her better judgement, Karen was persuaded to risk her throat's recovery to sing Katrine Polwart's lovely Follow the Heron Home.

Rosie and Alan's other tunes were all hornpipes: Cronin's & Alexander's (concertina/guitar),The Nightingale (melodeon/guitar) and Stuart's (mandolin). Roger led Peg Ryans.

And to underline our roots as a Folk Club, we re-instated the raffle and had a beer break!

Next week we'll be at The Prince Albert at Freith. It's a proper old pub with great beer. Why not join us to sing, play or just listen?