Its been a CLASSIC week, starting at Urban Lawns Music Festival in Axminster last weekend where we recorded some excellent music, worth giving your ears a treat, put your headphones on and slip away into the atmosphere. Besides great music, this has to be just about the best organised and friendliest Music Festival I ever attended, we wish we could have stayed longer. If I've got any personal favourite session, it would have to be the Anna Page Band, intelligent relevant, philosophical sardonic country music at its best. I'm still singing the chorus of 'My Gods Better then Your God' more than a week later. Find out more about Anna at this location: http://www.myspace.com/annapagemusic. Was really pleased also to walk into our old mates Karmadeva who were performing in the evening. Karmadeva played ot our own LymeRegisRadio Launch event a couple of years ago, and I love their music, darkly gothic folk rock fronted by Jane Stanness, we have their CD playing on the 'Urban Lawns' page too, and somewhere in our archive, I think you could still find thier original show for us in Lyme Regis.
A total change of pace on Weds when I chatted with Sally Holman, our new Mayor (thankyou Your Worshipful!) down on the seafront, a sunny day, seas rolling in the background, seagulls crying, and Sally talking about her plans for the year ahead.
Friday afternoon saw us at Davey Fort welcoming the Creully Football Team for the Annual Twinning Event with our own Lyme Football Team. After the greetings and the ritual drinking of beer, we were all outside where the French Flag was raised, the National Anthem was sung, followed by the Marsellaise, and theres no doubt that the French contingent sang their anthem with much more enthusiasm than our lot. And yes, before you ask, being personally a known Republican, I sat down for the Queen, and stood, glass raised for the Marsellaise. Vive La Republique!
Our usual spot on a Friday evening is of course the Royal Lion, and even though we recorded Pip Evans weekly news at Davey Fort, we strolled down the hill, having chips on the way, arriving at the Royal Lion around 7.30. Good company as always, with the Beard, Colin Dawes, and the surprise company of Ken & Jo Whetlor, who had been eating out at the Lal Qilla Indian Restaurant.
On Saturday, though we missed the England v France footie match, which we hear England lost due to drinking less beer than the French team, we were at By the Bay in the evening for the Celebration Dinner. Our good friends Derek and Elaine laid on a spread of fabulous proportions, couldn't be beat! But first there were the formalities, speeches and presentations. Our Worshipful Sally Holman was present, loads of pictures were taken, we met Gerard and Gerard from Creully, Mary got chatted up by Silvo, we collected up a lot of email addresses, and maybe we're off next year on the trip to Creully too........
We ended the week on Sunday afternoon at Rousden Social Club, a nice little venue, where Dave Emmett was launching his new album. Dave took part in our Open Audio sessions last year, and we were only too pleased to join quite a goodly crowd to wish him well with his musical venture. Thanks for inviting us Dave, and all the best with the album.........
And thats all for now folks!