This was one of those evenings in which the tendency to forget words or lose the tune spread around the room. Nevertheless, we had a fun and convivial evening.

Dick, now one week into his 71st year, wore the much-admired cardigan that Rosie knitted him for this birthday. Rosie tells me that she'd be happy to knit similar cardigans for others if she's provided with the wool and the zip!

Dick sang Let Union Be, Walking Your Bulldog and Bank of Sweet Primroses. Rosie didn't get the chance to sing last week, so she sang Fair Rosamund for Dick this week.

As always, Dave H sang his own songs - this week's offerings were The Albatross and The Age Of Steam. We also had originals from Steve (Island) and Dave F (The Rainbow).

There was a sequence of American songs. Steve Earle's My Old Friend the Blues from Rosie and me, Jesse Colin Young's Darkness Darkness from Alison (apparently, during the Vietnam War this was considered an "anthem" to the soldiers for it described what they felt while in the jungles), Red Clay Halo from Dave F and Across the Great Divide from Steve.

This week's left-field contributions were The Verve's The Drugs Don't Work from Gerry and the theme song from Ring Of Bright Water from Dave F. This was sung on the film soundtrack by Val Doonican, who probably doesn't get classified as 'left-field' or alongside The Verve very often. Maybe he'd like to add one of Rosie's cardigans to his collection.

Other songs and tunes were:

Rosie and I: White Petticoat / Out On The Ocean, If Love Is a Red Dress, Mazurkas
Me: Lord Inchquin
Alison and David: Up And Down The Valley, Long Time Travelling
Steve: Sweet Music
Dave H: Speed The Plough, Blue Eyed Stranger
Delia: None But Angels Touch You, Where Ravens Feed
Stuart: Eastpark Side on the concertina, Tavistock Goosey Fair
Gerry: John Denver's Sunshine On My Shoulders
Simon: I Have Been A Rambling, Shepherd's Hey (preceded by a song mentioning the tune)
John: a parody by Richard Littlejohn of Times They Are A Changing on the theme of MPs expenses