G'day Martyn,

It's nice to hear from you on the Mudcat (and interesting to hear your view of the strange seachange that befell Sailor Home from the Sea in Fureyous Irish waters!).

The tale of the Sailor's many tunes is another that benefits from your viewpoint. It is interesting that the Mike Leyden tune caused so much angst after publication in Tradition ... when it sounds totally different in performance, since the tempo and emphasis are so different. (But the "dots" do look very similar ... presumably, the complaints came from those who knew it only in print.)

Anyway, relax back in the balmy air of La Jeusseliniere - just keep in mind that it may be the northern hemisphere vernal equinox, as you pack up for the (Australian) National Folk Festival, 2004 ... but it is our autumnal equinox ... and Canberra strikes a lot of the locals as rather cold!

(And I won't mention anything about Anglo-Australian 2-CD sets that take longer to be 'launched' in the Antipodes than was the norm in the days of square-riggers ...!)

Regards,

Bob Bolton