Just arrived home and reporting in.

Haad a great time. Ran into a couple of Madcats wearing the regulation Mudcat T-Shirt. I missed out on the Middle Bar of the Anchor because I like to breathe when I'm singing and drinking. So I tended to use the Theatre Bar instead for singing, when I wasn't charging around trying to see performers.

Mudcatters Sam Pirt and Ralph Jordan were both well in evidence on stage, in various guises, and doing good stuff. It occurred to me, looking at Ralph up there with the Fraser Sisters on Friday night, that he'd make a great Puddlegumif they ever want to do an authentically musical version of The Silver Chair by CS Lewis.

I gather from people who saw The Incredible String Band that sadly they demonstrated the truth of the old proverb "here are no birds in last years' nests". Which doesn't mean thta people can't keep on performing, whgichg woudl be crazy to say in the context of folk music, but that you can't just recucle your gretest hits.

But I can't say for sure, since I missed them, and I went instead to the Cosmotheka Productions presentation of The Bakelite Boys' Pop Goes the Century, which was brilliant.

But one of the highlights was Shirley Collins re-emerging to give three brilliant talks in the Arts Centre about folk music, illustrated with tapes - in the course of which she sang once more - the ballad of Dives and Lazarus.

And then a few minutes later her eyes lit up and she charged over the window and threw her arms round this skinny guy leaning in - and it was Nic Jones, first time in Sidmouth for 20 years or so, and looking pretty good.

And later on at the end of the concert to raise funds for Tony Rose, at the end on came Tony and Nic together, along with all the people who had performed, and they joined everyone in singing The Summer Time is Coming. Magic.