The Bluesman gig (Eric Bibb at Snape)

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This year, at the third of four concerts, Eric Bibb appeared at the Proms on Friday night, accompanied by a slide guitarist,  bassist and percussion but missing piano. As is customary with Bibb, his genial in-between song patter betrayed his current less than relaxed opinions about his own homeland and beyond. We have lost count of the number of times we’ve seen Eric live, sometimes …

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Barbara Dickson – two of four!

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Well it’s Saturday night……..and another trip to Snape to see Barbara perform at the Proms. Good to hear such a strong voice in her 70th year, she understandably and justifiably focused the majority of the set around the folk recordings of recent years. A few throwbacks to the past, including a Blood Brothers number, a nice take on ‘Another Suitcase’ and a couple of Gerry …

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Clare Teal – Snape Proms 2017

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So, our first visit to our yearly Snape Proms selection yesterday, sadly tempered by the knowledge that our last visit was pre stroke but with atrial fibrillation in full swing. Clare Teal (with Hollywood Orchestra) was the first of four visits this year, and this time she was celebrating the work of Ella Fitzgerald, post stroke but still AF encumbered. The sort of musician with …

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Delayed Cambridge Visit…

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And by delayed, I mean by about 20 years, as this is the first time we’ve actually stayed in Cambridge since we came down here from the North East. It can be a bit pricey to book a decent hotel but a Secret Escapes deal got us in to the newly opened Tamburlaine and made it good value for a two night break including what …

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Car Trek Touring

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Another trip, this time a short journey by car around the South of England. Initially designed as a foray into the small villages of Dorset, we wnded up taking small breaks in Woodstock (The Feathers), Milton Abbass (Hambro Arms), Inn With The Well near Marlborough and finally a night near St. Neots on the way home.

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Lake Como

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First weekend back from a week’s holiday in Menaggio in Lake Como. Another step on a long recovery from a serious stroke, this break was actually booked before the incident and booked to share with friends we have known for 17 years, ever since first meeting in China.

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Heritage Break

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Back from our first holiday since the stroke. over three months after the dreadful deed. Unusually, Denise arranged it all, booking us into the Flitwick Manor for three nights DB&B, which was nicely situated for both the English Heritage and secretive world of the codebreakers.

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Do you want the good news……..?

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Well, the good news is I’m still alive. And in a ‘for what it’s worth’ sort of a way, so is Denise. The reason for the complete lack of activity on the site is that we’ve both been very unwell. Denise went down with the very nasty ophthalmic shingles and in a desperate attempt not to be seen as some pathetic, peripheral outsider, I attracted attention by pulling off a (literal) masterstroke. The core of the story and the whole sorry timeline went something like this….

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Keeping On Keeping On

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Wednesday evening at the Riverside to catch the documentary on Alan Bennett, based on the year leading up to the publication of his latest diaries (“Keeping O Keeping On“). The film seems typically Bennett (or at least as I imagine him to be), a writer who seems as bemused as ever by his own popularity and is still as irreverent in his 80s as he was in his 20s. …

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Madrid Meander

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Just back from a Monday to Friday break in Madrid with friends. Have to say we were extremely fortunate weather wise; although a little on the chilly side most days were bright and sunny, perfect for wandering around a major city and general sightseeing. On the first afternoon, initially disappointed with our first impressions of the city, but that soon changed when we dug a little deeper and learned that to see Madrid architecture at its best you had to forget about ground level.

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Carcassonne Midweek break

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Just back from a Monday to Friday break in Carcassonne. Ashamed to say we knew nothing of this Unesco site until we saw a “48 hours in” feature in one of the Sunday papers, decided it looked promising and made a note! Decided we needed a boost after a few health issues (some ongoing) and hoped October would still be holding some warmth and that the worst of the tourist crowds would have diminished a little.

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Show Of Hands – Snape 25th August 2016

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Following the excellent surprise that was Le Vent Du Nord the previous evening, on Thursday we were back with old favourites Show Of Hands, with Steve Knightley and Phil Beer again accompanied by the double bassist and vocalist Miranda Sykes in the now familiar trio setting. The set was split between the newer material in the first half and a selection of favourites in the second.

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