I hope IB is still looking in. I really want to go for a drink with him sometime. So long as it's not feckin' mead. Mind you, mead is as scarce in the pubs round here as are bells in the streets, citterns in barber shops and 'pottage of the day.'

Newcastle sounds great. I'm going up soon for the first time. It sounds like a wonderfully vibrant city. I look forward to looking in on the folk degree and spending time with some great English singers and musicians who, like IB, have forgotten more than WAV will ever know about the English tradition.

Btw, wavey davey: Martin Carthy also said that the only harm you can do to a folk song is not to sing it. Given his participation in projects like the Imagined Village, I'd guess his vision of England, and of what is acceptable to do with English music, is a lot closer to IB's than to yours, and if I know the Carthys, no member of the family would want their words hijacked and misinterpreted to support the sort of xenophobia you espouse. Eliza has told you as much herself, and I don't think her dad would feel any differently.