2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007

Subject: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 01:05 PM

We are going to New England for a holiday, we will be at the shanty sing in Portsmouth on Saturday 20th of Oct, for catters at Sinsuls in South Portland on 21st and at the British Brewing Company (pub) in Sandwich, Cape Cod on the 24th. Look forward to meeting everyone
Pete

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 10:22 PM

I too just started a thread on their visit to Maine. Let us know if you will attend.
SINS

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 11:38 PM

Very cool! I have told Night Owl, who is near Sandwich and needs to get more music in her life these days!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 05:19 AM

Follow your mate up

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: Banjiman
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 07:00 AM

Good luck with the tour guys.....look forward to seeing you at the KFFC Winter Warmer Weekend in February!

If you come across anyone over there who you think might want to put Wendy on...we are planning a trip to the States next summer (or failing that summer 09)... please let me know!

Paul

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 01:18 PM

up up and away hey hey

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 06:28 PM

and again

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: Barry Finn
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 06:43 PM

Hopefully I'll be catching you in NH & Maine but diffinitly in one place or the other. Looking forward to seeing & hearing you again Peter. Soon!

Barry

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 12:56 PM

blow the ballast!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: PeadarOfPortsmouth
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 01:57 PM

Figures...my girlfriend's birthday is on the same day that the shanty session will have special guests. I'm sorry I'll miss your visit, but hope to meet you another time.

Peter

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 04:28 AM

another blast of hot air!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 06:41 PM

ARISE!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 04:31 AM

"WE FLOATS UP"!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 02:34 AM

Ell, we set off at 5AM tomorrow getting on with packing now!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 01:50 PM

see you soon

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: stallion
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 06:34 PM

packing finished, wine and bed!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 07:16 PM

Peter et al-

Let's hear it for packing!

Do you have a spreadsheet and little check marks? Or do you do it all by ear?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 19 Oct 07 - 12:28 PM

Have you landed yet? Check in when you get a chance - Tom

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 12:24 AM

Peter, there's also an open shanty session (pretty good one, too) on Tuesday in Gloucester. You can find out about that at the Press Room tomorrow if you're interested.

Barry

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 11:15 AM

Counting down...flannel sheets, beer and a little single malt. All set.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 03:37 PM

Menu:
Make your own sandwich platter-assorted cold cuts and cheeses.
Crab Salad
Potato Salad
Sweet and Sour Meat Balls
Cheese Sticks (hot)
Something Mexican (hot)
Rolls, Wraps and Bread
Pizza if we run out.
Beer, wine, soft drinks.
Some hard stuff
Birthday Cake (note to self: wear sunglasses)
Biscotti
Coffee & Tea
And whatever comes in the door.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 03:38 PM

OOOPS! Wrong thread.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 09:20 PM

A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon/evening. My voice is a bit weary but still working. There were wonderful songs, and brain-buzzing harmonies in rafter-rattling volume. I wonder if we can keep them...

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: curmudgeon
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 10:12 PM

The question of the day was, "Can it get any better than this?"

The most common response ran along the lines of, "Well, maybe if Jeff and Barbara were here..."

Sorry for those who missed it -- Tom

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Oct 07 - 09:48 PM

Refresh!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Oct 07 - 08:31 AM

Peter (aka Stallion) on Sinsulll's 'puter

A brilliant time , lots of singing, throats struggling after Portsmouth, would be handy if I could start songs in the right key but it gets difficult after copious quantities of ale, quote of the day, evening sat 20th, at Molly Malones, Portsmouth, Ron to Martin " Martin give me an E", Young tipsy marine sitting opposite Ron "can I have one?"

Pete

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 27 Oct 07 - 11:29 AM

Weell, A belated diary.
Day 1.
Arrived in Boston at lunchtime after a 5am start and a serious time shift, 12 hours travelling and it was only lunchtime.

I went to pick up the hire car at the airport and copped for a raft of hidden extras which almost doubled the cost of the car for a week, we booked through a third party which sold us their insurance as part of the deal( not obvious whilst navigating their website that it is their own and not the hire care co's.) this insurance wasn't recognised by the Alamo car hire company and by the time I had finished it actually cost me eighty pounds more than booking direct with Alamo, Caveat Emptor!

Whilst Ron and family and Jo and I were at "The Langham" on a special deal Martin and Family booked into "The Bulfinch", Jo and I would join them at the Bulfinch on Wednesday and Thursday nights as no special deals were available at the Langham.

The Langham is a sumptuous luxury hotel with every extra one could wish for and palatial bar and eating areas which reflected in the "black hole" which appeared in the wallet, not for the feint hearted where the spending of cash is concerned but a worthwhile experience.

We all met for supper in the evening in Downtown Boston but found it difficult getting a place to eat finally alighting on a "Tex - Mex" eaterie with tables to spare, bless em they did their best. The clue was in the spare tables. However I shall not dwell on that, in fact the only place I spent a great deal of time all that night was in the sumptuous bathroom trying to remember the last time I had had a Kebab and if it felt like this!

And so the morning and a trip to Portsmouths Press Room for a sing!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Oct 07 - 11:40 AM

LOL
So sorry, Peter.
Next time, pack a lunch. When will that next time be? We did enjoy you guys!
Mary

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 27 Oct 07 - 02:09 PM

Day 2 Portsmouth

The drive to Portsmouth was quicker than anticipated and, after booking into the the Hilton Garden Inn (salubrious name for a functional hotel), we sallied forth to explore the delights of Portsmouth and find a bar showing the Rugby World Cup. Strangely enough, in unison, a cry went up, "this looks good", although the name escapes me we had chanced upon the U.S. equivalent of a Brew Pub and, on entering, ordered up a plethora of beverages including Pumpkin Ale which was surprisingly delicious, regrettably there was no sign of the rugby world cup on TV and so our quest was continued.

After searches and a quiet sojourn to the Park to practice, which, incidentally, we managed to clear of vagrants, drunks and beggars, we mosied on down to Molly Mallones which had a reassuring sign "Rugby World Cup here", being stopped along the way by locals for our performance in the park and thanking us for clearing the park of undesireables. All was not as it seemed in "Molly's", there was much wrestling of cables and ariel leads before finally the Stade de France burst upon the screen to the tumultous applause of the English and a couple of R.S.A. supporters complete with springbok shirts. It would be fair to say we had had a couple or two or three "sherbets" by kick off and we were not alone, the national anthem and a round of "Swing Low" in various keys and melodies and we were off - to the Press Room for the Shanty sing.

The crowd at the press room were brilliant, people had come in from far and wide, Gloucester crew were in great voice, the effervescent Barry Finn in brilliant form and what a voice, if you get a chance do buy the CD "fathom this" it is not only packed with songs, Barry has a style all his own, better still get to see him perform he produces a great performance, Tom has a style very reminiscent of Stan Hugill but with, I think, a better voice (and yes I did see Stan sing live)
Charley and Judy excellent as ever and us, worse the wear for copious quantities of Good Ale sang ourselves hoarse. It seems unfair to mention a few by name when there were so many great performances so if i have missed you out I apologise, it was an excellent and very memorable session, thank you all.

Around 8pm we returned to "Mollies" for supper and to listen to the resident band who, as one might have expected, were friends of Charley. At this point I have to say that the food we had there was as good as we got anywhere, a gem of a find, such an unpretentious place fighting well above it's weight in the food department. Alan had a great voice and soon conjured up a spare fiddle for Martin who had been twitching and itching through the tunes before finally pitching in. Elevated as we were from what had now been an all day binge we belted out more songs until we were about to fall over and retired disgracefully to the sanctuary of The Hilton Garden Inn and instant sleep!

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 07:15 AM

Day 3

No one admitted to a hangover but my head was sore and I had to drive to South Portland, I must have had a breakfast for I was charged for it but I don't remember eating it. The "car lady", or as some would have it "the bitch in the box", took us all the way to Mary's in South Portland via some very interesting places on the coast although time was pressing so we just viewed from the car as we shuffled past. The "Bitch in the box" done good and got us right to the door in spite of others contradictions!

It was obvious from the journey that Ron's voice hadn't recovered from the previous days revelries and so would limit the range of our singing however we would manage.

We recieved a hearty welcome from Sinsull, Jaqui c, Trubrit,Curmudgeon, Kendal, Ranger1,Jeri and Charley Noble and Judy B arriving shortley after(if I have not mentioned anyone then I apologise) We tucked into copious quantities of ale and food and had a splendid afternoon and early evening of music, Ron wheeled out stuff I hadn't heard him do for years, like wise I indulged myself similiarly leaving the others to "busk" it! In all we managed to "collect" if not pinch a couple of songs from Jeri(with permission) and of course Charley has given life to so many songs we will be having a go at in the coming months. It was heartening to hear Kendal, I/we applaud his grit and determination and confide that if guts and effort are rewarded then he will make a full recovery. It was only a couple of days before Sinsull's birthday so we had cake and the song before, as most good things do, the evening drew to a close.

M'colleagues, Jo and I ventured into Portland to see the sights ably guided by Tami (Ranger1) and Jason, sadly we only managed one pub before failing with exhaustion.

Jo and I had never really reconciled our body clocks to US time so we awoke around 5am, after some minutes we agreed to go on an adventure to the loo downstairs, I say adventure because we were aware that we should not wake Mary and putting the light on may have done that, it was only after we returned that I realised, after standing on my mobile phone, that indeed the mobile would have given sufficient light for us to avert disaster. Like a vision from WW1 I proceeded to falter my way downstairs with Jo's hand firmly on my shoulder. On reaching the bottom of the stairs I put my hand on what I perceived to be a rather thin Newell Post, as i leant on it and it moved, a tad confusing but I did manage to recover my balance, it turned out to be a near life size model of a Swan. The ablutions were fairly uneventful if only I had refrained from flushing, a growl from below, like cerburus clearing their collective throats, resonated through the quiet of the house and quickly stumbling up stairs like a couple of naughty kids we reached the safety of the bedroom only to witness Mary's light being switched on. I consoled myself that Mary did say she would get up at 5.30, any way we felt so guilty we were soon off to sleep.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: jacqui.c
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 08:20 AM

LOL. That was probably Mary making loud sleeping noises. (She doesn't snore, you know.)

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 10:59 AM

I think you only forgot me, Peter, but you're forgiven...I've done it often enough myself on threads here after shanty sessions, etc.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 07:16 PM

oh no Linn how could I, I am mortified, I must confide that I was pretty hung over when I arrived and the "hair of the dog" soon had me wobbly and the effects on my memory are quite devastating!
a thousand apologies
Peter

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 07:22 PM

I don't snore!
And the light would have been less of a distraction than the whispering and fumbling in the dark. I couldn't imagine what you two were up to - especially when you went into the bathroom together. LOL.

Next time, stay a little longer and get used to the time. Portland deserves a day or two for seeing lighthouses, museums, and numerous pubs.
She who does not snore

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 07:48 PM

I don't know about the flock but Jo and I will be back at a more leisurely pace in the near future, maybe the other flockers will come too, I think it might be better without families in tow, Jo has a new Job, we got a call 5am Thursday morning and spent the next few hours pinching each other!
Pete

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 29 Oct 07 - 10:28 PM

Mary - you do snore but not as much as Jacqui C!!!! Peter, Mary is right -- Portland deserves more time that you were able to give to it.......next time we'll all show you more of the city.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: jacqui.c
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 08:00 AM

And we would love to hear more of your music.


jacqui.c, who knows she snores and admits it, unlike certain other evil twins........................

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 10:27 AM

Congratulations on the new job!
M, also in a new job.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: ranger1
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 11:56 AM

MARY DOESN"T SNORE!!!!!

Tami, who knows which side her bread is buttered on.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: jacqui.c
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 01:07 PM

I didn't say she snored - she just makes loud sleeping noises.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: ranger1
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 04:54 PM

No, but TRUBRIT did.

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: stallion
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 07:20 PM

enough ladies, I can assure you all it was definitely the toilet and, besides, I am the champion snorer of the UK if the house was rattling it was more likely to have been me.
Peter (Gentleman)

Subject: RE: 2BS&S in Mass, Maine & NH - 20-24 Oct 2007
From: curmudgeon
Date: 30 Oct 07 - 08:07 PM

Ladies do not so much snore as they do "purr."