Brett, glad you arrived back safely and everything was still there. Did you get through the mountain of emails yet?

I suppose you have now listened to the Solidarity Choir? You said you know Nkosi Sikelel'iAfrica, so I imagined you singing along. Just as a matter of interest, the little call at the beginning, "Ma kube njalo" was done by two of the Touchwood people - Kate (Chicky) the soprano in Touchwood, and Terry, who was at the BBQ but you didn't really meet him, I think you said. They are in the choir photos on the CD cover and insert, as well as Callie, the other Touchwood singer. In fact, you will spot a few familiar faces in the photos - me, of course, tho my hair was shorter and redder then, Miguel and Tony who were at the BBQ, Simon, whom you saw at the Loaded Dog, and Amalina.

I've just been up on the Central Coast myself. I was visiting my little grandson Max, at North Gosford, and I spent Sunday night and half of yesterday at Simon's place at Kincumber, so I would have been quite close to Charlie, geographically.

Actually Charlie, I'm quite familiar with that area, having lived in several locations on the Central Coast in a previous life. In the 1970's, when I was married, we lived at North Avoca, just over the hill from Terrigal. We used to go out in a small power boat from Terrigal Haven and fish over a reef about 12 miles out from Terrigal. We were able to find the spot regularly by lining up certain buildings on shore. One day, when the outboard motor was quite new, we had had a successful day's fishing, and were coming back with several quite large snapper.

At about the point where we should have been swinging round to the left to come ashore at the Haven, the motor died, and we were faced with the prospect of riding the breakers in to Terrigal Beach. It was all very dramatic. He said - "Sit up on the front and be ready to jump off and swim when I tell you". All I could think about was what a shame it was going to be to lose the lovely 9lb snapper I had caught if the boat tipped over.

So I did what he said, and was poised ready to jump. Then the moment came - he said "Jump!"..................




































































.......and I found myself wading in water just past my knees. So we walked in to the beach pulling the boat, feeling pretty silly. Later, another boat owner towed our boat round to the Haven.

Another thing that I remember happened during the time we were living there - there was a caravan park at the base of the Skillion (I don't know if it is still there or not). One night there was a very bad storm and a huge wave came in and flooded the caravan park, carried tents away and knocked caravans over, and generally made a real mess of the place. I don't remember whether there was any loss of life, but if there isn't a caravan park there now, it is probably because they decided after that, that it wasn't a safe place to have one.

BTW Charlie, have you noticed the sound of the bellbirds - "ping, ping, ping" ? It's one of the most noticeable things about the Central Coast IMO.

Now if you guys think we just put on extra sessions and things to make you work harder while you were here, you should know that the night after you left, John and I went to a big BBQ and session at Kurrajong, at the home of a friend of ours, Warren Bishop (who calls himself Arch Bishop). With the exception of a few diehards like us, Sandra and Jane Faulkner, it would have been a whole new set of people for you to meet, had you still been around, many of them fine musicians too. What a shame you didn't hear Mick Griffin play the didgeridoo or John Grenenger do one of his silly songs, or Arch doing "Shopping trolley rage" (funny poem), or Duncan Chalmers with his fine voice, or Toni and Aitch (Lost and Found) .................
I see, Charlie, that you did get to hear Lost and Found anyway.

And that's not all - tonight there's a session at the Riverview, a pub in Balmain, and my folk club is on Thursday night. We're just a bunch of party animals, that's what. We'll be happy to wear you out any time.

Brett, you mentioned letting you know about festivals and things up in Queensland. I know this is pretty soon, but there is one coming up in Woodford just after Christmas. It happens to be the biggest festival in Australia. John and I will be there, as the Roaring Forties will be performing, and we will be helping to run sessions in the Singing Shed. Here is the official website Woodford Folk Festival and the unofficial one, Woodford Folk Festival Fun Site which gives you more of a feel of what the festival is like. I believe there will be other mudcatters there as well. Bob Bolton has already made Mudcat badges for us to give to rich-joy, John in Brisbane and Margret RoadKnight, and there will be others, including Miguel and another one of his choirs - "Ecopella" - Tony and the Touchwood people are in that one.

Jenny