It was a great weekend in Liverpool, and even if the beer in the Liner wasn't wonderful there was Cains bitter to be had at £1 a pint in the Edwardian splendour of the Crown Hotel! The themed decor of the Liner hotel was meant to suggest the floating palaces of the great ocean liners but as the (purely decorative) deck walkways ran round the room I was all at sea as to whether the room was meant to represent an open deck or an internal ballroom and dining room.

There were some good singers in the Saturday afternoon singarounds, but I don't think anyone won the Stan Hugill Soundalike Trophy. Cicely Fox Smith should have had second billing for the weekend as I lost count of how many of her poems were sung. Inevitably some shanties were duplicated over the weekend, and sitting at the back with Monkey's Fist I had to laugh as they were compelled to cross off song after song from their list as others got in first! But they still had some great songs in reserve when they finally got their turn. It was a treat to hear Mick Tems sing as well on the Saturday.

Sunday was another good day; Trim Rig and a Doxy turned up a day late after having major trouble with their car and did a delightful spot in the afternoon.

Amid all the shanties it was quite a relief to hear a couple of 'normal' songs - Dan Milner sang a superb 'Flying Cloud', and the Irish singer Mary Canniffe sang 'If I was a Blackbird'. She and her husband also sang 'The Holy Ground' which I haven't heard anybody do for years; it sounded quite fresh after all this time and it went down really well. Sadly Bonnie Milner only had time off from her duties as joint MC to sing one song - but it was lovely, and I hope she got her chance to sing more later at the Everyman on Tuesday.

Tony Davis (the tall one from the Spinners - now in a wheelchair, but definitely not deceased as my neighbour had supposed!) sang a few old songs as well and got a really good welcome from the audience. Nordet, from Britanny were hugely enjoyable, swishing their kilts as they sang! - they were about the only group from Europe who actually sang in their own language.

John Connolly sang a Breton song in English by way of revenge I suppose,and a Charles Causley poem, and then sang his own 'Fiddler's Green' with everybody joining in. The running order went a bit astray at one point and Johnny Collins looked a bit miffed when someone else was announced for his 'turn' and I think Jan Lardner and Bonnie Milner had to haul him back for a song but as he got a big kiss and hug he seemed well content. I liked the shanty groups Baggyrinkle, Stormalong John and The Original Shanty Crew but some of the others just sounded a bit too well arranged to my ears.

Anyway the climax came with Stormalong John reminiscing about singing with Stan, and then Hughie Jones led us all in 'The Leaving of Liverpool' before it all finished with Stan's sons joining in 'Leave Her, Johnny'.

Congratulations to all involved in putting on this event; to Jan and Ken, Hughie and Chris, Dan and Bonnie, Tony and Beryl, and especially to Bronwen, Philip and Martin.