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Category Archives: singing

Action Calendar, Paul Robeson and A Film

New for November

The great actor, singer, and socialist Paul Robeson died on this day in 1976. He was a great friend to the mining community in Britain. Here he sings for miners during a visit to Britain in 1949. This song was played at my Dad’s Humanist funeral and is a great favourite.
I grew up hearing and loving Paul Robeson’s voice and in the year that my Dad lived in Cornwall before we were able to join him (I was only 6 years old) Mum played ‘Just a Wearyin’ for you’ every evening and it can still bring me to tears as I remember how much I missed my Dad and it’s only now that I realise that she wasn’t playing it for me but for herself. How they must have missed each other that year. They’d already had five years apart during the war and now Mum had three of us to look after and a fourth on the way who was born just ten weeks before we eventually moved to Cornwall and were all together again and living by Pill Creek as I wrote about here.

We have just come home from watching Official Secrets, the story of Katharine Gun, whistle blower extraordinaire. See it if you can.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 1, 2019 in Happiness, music, Postaday 2019, singing

Tags: film, Katharine Gun, Official Secrets

No Protest Fatigue …..

19 Oct

…. if we all take it in turns to breathe.

Michael Moore’s words

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 19, 2019 in community, Peace, Postaday 2019, quotations, singing

Tags: protest

Saltash, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Ann Glanville

22 Jun

The Suitcase Singers went by train all the way to Saltash Regatta & Waterside Festival 2019 today to sing in the glorious sunshine, the highlight of the day being singing ‘Ann Glanville’ around her statue. It was a brilliant day out, singing our hearts out and interestingly, being underneath the Brunel Bridge for a change!

Boat full of flowers on Saltash station

The Suitcase Singers with Ann Glanville about whom our lovely Claire, choir leader, has written a song

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

His bridge

View of the bridge from up the hill

Blue plaque to Ann Glanville

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 22, 2019 in Cornwall, mural, Photography, Postaday 2019, singing

Tags: Saltash, The Suitcase Singers

Breakfast, Shanty Festival and Bunting

16 Jun

It’s Father’s Day here in the UK and so breakfast was the lovely Mr S’s favourite, French Toast with Summer Fruits, Creme Fraiche and Maple Syrup.

Breakfast

It’s been the Falmouth Shanty Festival this weekend and my choir was singing. There are shanty singers around every corner and in every venue throughout the weekend. It is enormous fun.

My choir, The Suitcase Singers, at the Shanty Festival

We went to watch The Jolly Strumpets in which a friend sings and then Femmes de la Mer, run by my choir leader and with many of my friends singing. They are brilliant.

The Jolly Strumpets

Femmes de la Mer at the Shanty Festival

Bunting in the streets

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 16, 2019 in Cornwall, Falmouth, festival, Food, music, Photography, Postaday 2019, singing

Tags: Falmouth Shanty Festival, French Toast with Summer Fruits Creme Fraiche and Maple Syrup, The Jolly Strumpets, The Suitcase Singers

Super Blood Wolf Moon, Paul Robeson and A Fox

21 Jan

I set the alarm for 4am so that I could get up to see the Super Blood Wolf Moon, hoping that the skies would be clear. They were, the stars were very sparkly and the Moon amazing! I watched as the shadow crept over the moon and it began to go red leaving a white glow on one side. I stayed up for an hour until it was total and red. Sadly, my photos don’t do the colour justice. It was much redder to the naked eye. In the midst of the starry silence and the moon magic, I heard an Owl hooting.

First sight

Almost total

We are sorting out our cds with a view to giving away those we no longer listen to. One definitely to keep is the Paul Robeson. When I was just five years old, my Daddy was away having moved to Cornwall ahead of the family. What was supposed to be a short time turned out to be a full year. I used to ask all the time for Just a Wearyin’ for You by Paul Robeson to be played and I would weep along to the song, missing my Daddy so much. Heaven only knows how Mum coped. Playing it this morning, I cried again, remembering how it was all those years ago and missing him all over again.

On my way home from singing tonight, not far from home, a beautiful ginger fox strolled across the lane and went under a gate into a field. What a treat!

Last Night’s New Song, A Poem and A Vegan Supper

15 Jan

The Ingleheart Singers are learning a beautiful new piece, ‘Crossing the Bar’ an arrangement of Tennyson’s poem with the music by Rani Arbo and arranged by Peter Amidon. We managed just the first verse last night and here it is. It’s a four part harmony and each verse is going to be different. We love a challenge!

Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,  
  And one clear call for me!  
And may there be no moaning of the bar,  
  When I put out to sea,  
  
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,  
  Too full for sound and foam,  
When that which drew from out the boundless deep  
  Turns again home.  
  
Twilight and evening bell,  
  And after that the dark!     
And may there be no sadness of farewell,  
  When I embark;  
  
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place  
  The flood may bear me far,  
I hope to see my Pilot face to face  
  When I have cross’d the bar.

I found a delicious sounding vegan recipe this week, Spinach, Chickpea and Lemon Pilaff and it tasted as good as it sounded!

Spinach, chickpea and lemon pilaff

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 15, 2019 in community, Food, music, Photography, poetry, Postaday 2019, singing, Uncategorized

Tags: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Crossing the bar, Peter Amidon, Rani Arbo, Spinach chickpea and lemon pilaff

Mele Kalikimaka, Dog and Horizon

18 Dec

Last night, thanks to our brilliant organising committee, was the Ingleheart Singers’ fabulous Christmas party, the best yet! After the most delicious bring and share supper came the cabaret and we all laughed and laughed! One of the acts was a Hawaiian Christmas where a lovely song was introduced. Claire, our leader, remembered that my kid sister lives in Hawaii and had the idea that we should wish her a Happy Christmas and sing a carol for her. Here it is, with love.

We had to go to Newquay this afternoon on a mission and on the way back followed this chirpy dog who, I’m sure, would rather have had his head out of the window!

Dog in a van

As we come home from Newquay we drive West into the sunset. I have been trying to get a photo of this particular engine house for years and today, it worked! It’s on a very long zoom and taken from a moving car but I caught the moment.