I believe the hotel management has a problem with fire regulations (the building looks as if one match might well wipe out several hundred years of history - like the big 1899 hotel (derelict) that went up over the weekend further down the coast (? was it Margate), and apparently the middle and back doors are the fire escapes, so that when the occupancy exceeds so many hundred people (or whatever) they have to be locked open - and PC plod and the bureacrats were checking.

Personally, I think the middle bar in the Gordon is the best for a sinaground during Sweeps.

We need to revive the tradition of the booked guests popping in for a quick song, as used to happen in the Eagle in the good old days - even some of the local amateur names or ex-names did not oblige. For example a number of the Morris singers no-showed, including the old Vulcan's Hammer, Del deLorme whizzed through silently, the musical director might have given us one song (possibly Das Wild Dachshund), Cliff Bayliss didn't, and someone must embarrass Colin Reece by getting him to sing that kids' song he wrote with the chorus (it's about a maiden chained to the train tracks, like in the silent movies) that goes "puff puff puff puff puff puff squelch".

No Worries did their duty (in this respect)- but Sussed did not.

Will and Judith (Fiddlefit) came past with instruments several times - but never stayed even long enough for Jeff and me to get them to join in on "Grandmother's feather bed".

And thanks to Brian Bruce for letting me borrow one of his treasured Taylors for long enough for me to do one song in DAGDAD to save me re-tuning. I know that means I've arrived!