Bored

well here I am saturday night sitting in my bedroom bored. I bet Dave and Graham are down Hardy's having a few pints and listening to some good sounds. Bill's probably down the Monty Club saying Grrrr! i went to Paddington station yesterday to meet my daughter returning from a trip to cornwall with her college. I went to eltham this afternoon. Argos and then Sainsbury. Apart fom that I haven't been out since Thursday 20th sept. I'm off medication now but have to take things easy. as Pete D'Hat would say "what a palaver"

Tudor Barn Update

Folkmob Chairman tells me that the Tudor Barn lease has been sold to Johnny Arnold and is therefore likely to remain a pub after all. Let's hope that the new landlord will still allow folkmob to meet there on Wednesdays.

Tudor Barn

I hear a that Greenwich council may not be renewing the lease of The Tudor Barn! It is currently leased as a Public Bar & Restaurant. The current leaseholder has allowed Folkmob to use the upstairs area for their weekly meeting/session for the last 11 years. There have been several rumours going about regarding the plans for the building. Here are some of them:

• Stephen Lawrence Hall : A meeting place for young black students
• Tudor Balti: Indian Restaurant
• A Mosque
• A Gospel Church
• Hostel for homeless refugees.

Whatever it turns out to be, it's unlikely that it will be a pub, unless somebody can persuade the council and buy the lease

Rhino Insertion

I just got over the worst experience of pain and physical torture in my life! It started on Thursday evening. I went to Orpington folk club with my mate Brian Bruce, I was going to make my performance debut there so I brought my guitar with me. When we got there, I was sitting tuning up when Steve Jennings said "there's blood on you're guitar" I noticed that my nose was bleeding! It wouldn't stop so Brian kindly drove me all the way back home again. Now I was coughing up blood clots as well, so an ambulance took me to Lewisham hospital where they performed bi-lateral rhino insertion, which involved shoving these two long things right up both nostrils as far as the can go and by golly it hurt! Then the worst was to come, they inflated them while they were in! This is supposed to stop the bleeding. The kept these rhinos in for 48 hours! that meant total pain and no sleep. I'm out of hospital now but have to take things easy to keep the blood pressure down. Other than that ha ha! I enjoyed last wednesday at the Tudor Barn. Sion's last song was excellent - can't remember the title but I will ask him to do it again soon.

Knockholt

A bit belated - but what a great time we all had down at Knockholt! Beautiful weather, good people, great music, and good beer. Fantastic new wood supplier from Dover. Where were all the sheep? I think that the farmer had advance warning about certain sheep fanciers amongst our number! The steak & Ale pie at the Tally Ho was excellent. Richard Bridge's guitar playing was exceptional. Poor old John Barden was struggling with a throat infection but managed to entertain us in his inimitable way on Friday night, as did the fantastic Kevin the shirt murderer. On the left is a picture of the campfire just before midnight on Friday. Rachael Hayes celebrated her 40th birthday- happy birthday Rachael! Special thanks to Graham for supervising the marquee erection and looking after the fire Wednesday to Friday and Richard Phipps for taking over fire duty for Saturday night.

June seems like ages away - roll on!

Rough Pubs

I am amazed at the state of pubs in the SE London area. I worked for Courage brewers in the seventies. Back then if you wanted to run a pub, you were thoroughly vetted and also if you were not a married couple it was unlikley that you would be considered. You also went through rigorous induction training. You had to keep a good house otherwise the area manager would have you chucked out. I was in a pub on Thursday and was disgusted by the way it was run. Some low-life people were lingering in the bar area and theperson serving had about one brain cell and that was damaged! Here is an exchange that happened at the bar.

"Excuse me could I have a bottle of red wine"

"wassat?" guffaws of laughter from the scum at the bar

"Wine, red wine"

"I better phone the boss" ......... she picks up the phone and dials "wos bottle of wine? have we got red?"

"We've got a bottle of red but it's only got a little bit init cos nobody ever drinks it" more guffaws of laughter
"boss says we got a bottle of white" she grunted

"is it chilled?"

"waa?"

"Has it been in the fridge"

"No it's warm"

"Oh give me a pint of lager then"

"That was a twenty I gave you"

"was it? are you sure?"

Walking back through the bar I nearly got impaled by a metal spike sticking in the middle of the foor. £2.90 for crap lager as well.