Time flies
when you are having fun. It’s been a while since we posted an update on our
website, and that’s not because nothing has been happening!
We have been
having a busy time in recent weeks doing some very varied “gigs”.
At the end
of October we found ourselves performing twice in the space of a few days at
Wembury Village Hall (in the South Hams) for different events. Nice venue once
we had found it, but quite a challenge to the navigating skills in the dark. We
now proudly tell people that we have headlined at Wembury twice, and hope they
think we said Wembley.
Then it was
off to Cargreen in Cornwall to celebrate Trafalgar Night at their Sailing Club.
We have become firm fans of Trafalgar Night celebrations; some serious nautical
history in the background but combined with people determined to have a great
time. It’s as if New Year’s Eve has arrived in October.
November got
off to a flying start with the Tars providing the entertainment at the opening
of the international conference of the Association of Environmental
Archaeologists at Plymouth University. It was reassuring to see that people
from around the globe who spend a lot of time studying fossilised chicken
droppings know how to let their hair down.
That was
followed by our annual contribution to the Remembrance Day service in St
Andrews Church in our home village of Bere Ferrers-always a moving experience,
and an opportunity to perform something other than our usual repertoire of
shanties and songs of the sea.
On the 16th
November we were in Clovelly in North Devon for the annual Herring Festival.
Clovelly is such a lovely location, and the Festival is always so well
organised. And we get to sing on what must be one of the most spectacular
“stages” in the land- a balcony on the front of an old sail loft which looks
out over the harbour and the Bristol Channel. If that doesn’t make you want to
sing a shanty nothing will!
Most
recently we were in Lyme Regis helping our good friends at Seasalt celebrate
the first anniversary of the opening of their shop in the town. That gave us
the chance to try out a couple of new numbers which have a flavour of Christmas
to them .Seasalt had caused an outburst of creativity amongst the Tars by
asking if we had any “Christmas Shanties” they could use on their website. The
answer was no, but within a few days we had recorded three offerings which have
become part of our “seasonal offering”. We now have the “Christmas Shanty” sung
to the tune of “The Leaving of Liverpool”; “We saw Three Ships” sung to the
tune of John Kanaka; and “What shall we do with the Drunken Santa” which needs
no further explanation!
SEASONS
GREETINGS FROM THE TAVY TARS
