For the last 36 hours or so, I've been out in the wasteland, where there are no phones and no internet. Well actually, yesterday morning I discovered there was no phone line working, and I had a devil of a job getting to the bottom of it.

Because my phone company uses Telstra's line (Telstra is the big and original phone company, before our phones were privatised) Telstra wouldn't tell me anything about why my line was not working. I had to ring my phone company and get them to ring Telstra. All from my next door neighbour's house, of course. So nobody could tell me anything, except that there seemed to be a fault (d'oh!). It was still down this morning, and I was waiting for a phone call on my mobile from somebody to tell me what was going on. I guessed that possibly Alinta, the mob who have been disrupting our street for the last couple of months putting in huge gas pipes, might have had something to do with it.

Anyway, this afternoon it came back on, and yes, it was all their fault, and apparently we are lucky. Some other customers had their lines much more badly damaged and will be without their phone service for some time yet. The next door neighbour's phone would have been all right because we are on a corner, and he is round the corner from where the works happened. Strange that it should happen now - it's been a couple of weeks since they moved on down the street, and they are now several blocks away where I can't even hear their heavy machinery any more. Odd. Anyway, I'm just glad to be back in contact with the world. That's why I didn't return your call last night, Sandra.

Anyway, my tent, and freda's, have been handed over to Duncan of Black Joak Morris, and our homes-away-from-home will be waiting for us when we get to the National. Luxury!

I got another charger for my camera batteries tonight too - the other one seemed to be cactus - so I'll be able to take lots of pictures! Goody!

The Roaring Forties are also doing a spot in the Union Concert, filling in for the Fagans, who couldn't make it. The New Improved Program (in paler yellow and black writing, complete with mistakes of one page missing and one page repeated) is still not all that easy to read, but it looks like they are on at 5.10pm Saturday in the Budawang.

Also to add to the list, there is Cloudstreet, who say "We'll be around the festival all weekend, but look for us especially as part of Keith McKenry's Lost Folk Songs of Australia concert in the Trocadero on Saturday morning at 11.00 am."

So here is the updated list:

Bugsy & Mrs B
Rowan
Sandra in Sydney
JennyO
freda underhill
Bob Bolton
Chris Maltby
JennieG
Hrothgar
Canberra Chris & a couple of other Shiny Bums whose Mudcat names I've just found -
idp-qbn
Clownfish
Jack Halyard
DaveA
Notferjo
SqueezeMe
Andrez
Grubby
hilda fish
Cloudstreet


with guests Kenny & Gerry & Branno

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Possible places to meet -

We have such an impressive list of names, it would be really nice if we could all get together at some point for a group photo. Any ideas? Some years we have met up on the Thursday night, the first night of the festival. There's a concert at the Troubadour that might be a good first meeting place!

Apart from that --

1. EVERY NIGHT - late night singing sessions in The Singing Room (Restaurant, above the Session Bar) AND/OR the Stairwell between said Restaurant & Session Bar

2. Hrothgar's Hymn Singing Session Sunday.
2 years back it was invaded by folks from the Church service who thought it was a continuation of that event. But it's not - it's a great singing session. The first year I went my Jewish friend knew more hymns than me, but then I had left sunday school when I was 12 & he had been going to festivals for decades!

3. Bugsy's apperance @ the Troubador (times, please Bugsy!)

4. any performance of the Shiny Bum Singers.

5. any performance of the Roaring Forties

Friday 2.10pm, Trocadero: CD launch of Yarri of Wiradjuri

Saturday 2pm, Singing Room: Shellback Sheilas (songs of Cicely Fox-Smith)

Saturday 5.10pm, Budawang: in the Union Concert, which actually starts at 2pm.

Sunday 2pm, Troubadour: another CD launch of Yarri, in case you missed the first one.

6. lunchtimes somewhere in the Session Bar 12ish?? (coupla' years back we sometimes met in the area near the door that leads to the Arena) I'd say any time between 12 and 1.30 in the Session Bar on any day.

7. any performance of Cloudstreet: "We'll be around the festival all weekend, but look for us especially as part of Keith McKenry's Lost Folk Songs of Australia concert in the Trocadero on Saturday morning at 11.00 am." I might add - wherever you find Martin Pearson, they will probably not be too far away!