Evidently I'm the sole survivor from yesterday's magnificent BBQ/Sing at John and JennyO's, or more likely everyone else has staggered off to work.

Well, Brett, you've finally seen some of Australia's fabled "outback," complete with tarp and BBQ. As we cautiously approached the site in the midafternoon, flattening ourselves against the brick wall of their house, we could hear laughter and shouts from the assembled folkies. As we turned the corner they came into view as they dashed to retighten various lines supporting the tarp, reinforcing the tarp hardware by hammering it back together with a 2X4, John was very much in command as he shouted orders and scrambled up the stepladder for the more dangerous work aloft. When everything was coiled down again, we all settled in for singing and food preparation, until the next wind and rain blast.

There were instruments a-plenty. In addition to the usual guitars, there were concertinas, a banjo, a bazouki (?), a bag pipe and a hurdy-gurdy. And there must have been 20 or so singers and storytellers. There were at least 8 or so Mudcatters attending and if the pictures come out we'll have documented proof of this assembly. The ones I remember besides Judy and myself are Naemanson, Bob Bolton, JennyO, Sandra in Sydney, JennieG, and Caillie; there were at least 5 or 6 other members and lurkers. People from the sea music group "Roaring Forties" included Margaret Walters and John Warner. Another treat was Gavin Phillips, a sailor and sea music singer from the tall ship James Craig, whom we'll be singing with aboard the Craig this Thursday evening.

There was plenty of food to sample in addition to the chicken and lamb kababs that we brought. Very little tofu, I will note, primarily various forms of dead animals cut into steak-like or sausage components and charred to a lovely finish. And there were quantities of beer, ale and wine.

We started with mostly sea shanties, and outrageous parodies of the same. When things moved inside to John's train room, the music continued in more varied fashion, more stories were added including John's prize-winning story about the rural fire brigade's incredibly powerful new pumper...

Bob Bolton kindly ferried a somewhat boisterous us back to our respective hosts in Darlington and Glebe, some time after midnight.

Thanks for another fine time!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, sleeping in late again