"I would never criticise or turn a 'good deed' down but I believe it is sexist when you begin to treat people differently because of their gender as much as it is racist to treat people differently according to the colour of their skin
I would assume the man holding the door for me would hold the door for anyone else"


You see, that's the bit I just don't get. I am really *happy* to be a woman. And I don't consider myself to be the same as a man, in many ways. But I don't see this as a threat. I'm not out to prove that 'I can do anything a man can do' because I know I can't and besides, I don't want to.

I've never seen myself as 'the weaker sex' at all, although I fully appreciate that men are a damn sight stronger physically than women..and they're that way because nature made them that way, as She, I presume, had it in mind for men and women to do different things...That's why, until comparitively recently in our history, the men went out and hunted, built the houses etc...and the women raised the children....

Nowadays, everything's gone arse over whatsit..and women are out to prove they're every bit as good as men.

Well, what the f*ck is that all about?

Of course we're every bit as good, but not at the same things, that's all.

This crazines of "Hey, there's just men doing that job...and ****I**** want to do it!!" drives me a little bats at times.

It's like the women who wanted to be soldiers in The Sealed Knot, carrying 16ft pikes into battle, because "Hey, I'm just as good as a man!"....until one day, a woman got one of those pikes through her spleen and so...women were banned from the battlefield..Shock! Horror! I was happy to be a Camp Follower, tending the 'wounded' and doing what Camp Followers did (up to a limit, of course) ;0)..but no, there were some gals who just had to put the soldiers outfits on and soldier..

I guess if you want to do that, well...that's OK, but killing people goes against creating them, which is, whether women like it or not, 'what women do' in many cases...


Oh, and Dave, you may have not noticed, but I rarely write about the music that I love any longer.   I rarely even go into the music section. If that makes you feel that you've 'won' something, then it just shows me what a sad situation the English folk world is in, because to feel some sort of victory has been scored by getting people NOT to write about the music is very sad indeed....and it explains totally why so many good people walk right away from English folk music.

I didn't realise that the success of Sidmouth was entirely down to you, Joan, I do apologise most humbly. HOW could I not have realised that...(raises hand to head yet again!)   Good to hear a profit was made this time round though, as last I heard, they were worried sick about it, and certainly the town wasn't as full as in many years past...In fact, since the new team took over from Steve Heap and had that first very successful year, it hasn't been the same...and where once you had to queue to get along the seafront, as it was so festooned with musicians and dancers, now you can walk along unhindered, all week long..

Sidmouth's yours now, so I hope you enjoy it. It's nowt to do with me any longer. I'd got to the point where i couldn't wait for it to be packed up and out of town...That's what you and your pals did. Again though, if that pleases you, it shows me how sad your world is.

I have new music to love now...and it's music that's not played by stressed out people who are always so controlling or live in fear of upsetting those who want to control. It doesn't come with rules or regulations either, but is just played for the love of it and left to be loved by those who appreciate it.

Good luck with Show of Hands..and I'm still waiting to read some reviews from you about them...and from their other new fans on Mudcat and fRoots who gained so much respect for them recently. I'm sure your reivews will be excellent. Please don't keep us waiting too long though.