SOTU 397 "And Is There Honey Still For Tea?"

Her is my tribute to the Motherland....

Her Majesty - Lennon/McCartney - Abbey Road - 50 years since the release of this album

hmmm - got to get a belly full of wine...

 
And after that splendid bit of flag waving, the breaking news that here in the UK, we DO actually live in a democracy!!! (Sorry ... not allowed to be political here; but anyone who wants to know more should have a look at the BBC website!)
 
Can’t imagine compiling a list of quintessential English songwriters without including Ray Davies, who writes so beautifully and evocatively of this, for all its problems, lovely country I call home.

At least one more to come from Mr Davies before the week is out.....hopefully.
 
The ladies go dancing on Whitsun

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It's fifty long springtimes since she was a bride,
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But still you may see her at each Whitsuntide
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In a dress of white linen with ribbons of green,
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As green as her memories of lov - ing.

The feet that were nimble tread carefully now,
As gentle a measure as age will allow,
Through groves of white blossoms, by fields of young corn,
Where once she was pledged to her true-love.

The fields they stand empty, the hedges grow free --
No young men to turn them or pastures go seed
They are gone where the forest of oak trees before
Have gone, to be wasted in battle.

Down from the green farmlands and from their loved ones
Marched husbands and brothers and fathers and sons.
There's a fine roll of honor where the Maypole once stood,
And the ladies go dancing at Whitsun.

There's a straight row of houses in these latter days
All covering the downs where the sheep used to graze.
There's a field of red poppies (a gift from the Queen)
But the ladies remember at Whitsun, [COLOR=#212121][FONT=&quot]And the ladies go dancing at Whitsun.[/FONT][/COLOR]
 
Here's an original song about honey. My dad kept bees for many years, so I actually have a lot of experience with honeybees.

P.S. Lil, the thing we call a "biscuit" is--I think--not the same thing you call a biscuit.



Well you can put it in your coffee
You can put it in your tea
You can sop your biscuit in it
Yeah it's all good to me
But there just ain't nothin' better
In the heat of summertime
Than the smell of cedar smoke
And honey straight from the hive

You strip some bark from off those fence posts
Not too green, and not too dry
And you make a little bundle
Don't let the smoke get in your eyes
Just give it a little puff
Don't burn it too hot
We'll take the lid off this super
And we'll see what we got

Careful with the frames now, don't hurt those bees
They've been working all summer in the whitebrush and mesquite
Slice off the caps, but don't damage the cells
Them bees been workin' hard, they've done their job well

It's been many years now, since my ol' dad and me
Spent those hot summer days robbing the bees
It was hard work, and sometimes painful, 'cause sometimes they'd sting me
But I'll never forget the taste of cedar smoke and honey
 
And "Good Morning" again from deepest - and darkest - France. Many thanks to Rob for bringing that lovely song, which I've never heard before and which is, indeed, quintessentially British in its subject matter, and to Alan for his great "honey-based" original. On the thorny subject of being divided by a common language, Alan, I found this definition of "biscuit" ...

"In the UK, a cookie is a soft, squishy, moist "biscuit" (for lack of a better word) ... A British "biscuit" is an American "cookie" and an American "cookie" is a British "cookie" and an American "biscuit" is a British "scone" and an American "scone" is something else entirely."

So, there you have it! The Playlist is up to date ... please keep the contributions coming.





 
Possibly, probably, my last for this season. We Brits are renowned tea drinkers, so I had to have a slurp at the start and end....
 
I looked up Cooksferry to find out where it was in London.Turns out Richard Thompson has invented a fictional unsalubrious suburb.The narrator Mulvaney appears to be a gangster Kray type character.One reference suggested the possibility of a London club called the Cook's Ferry which RT may have used as name prompt.The Thames gets a mention.I think that's a real river:)
I got a couple of sms messages during the recording.So there are a couple of random notification rings.
 
I'll give this one a shot...Scarborough Fair. It is a traditional English ballad, popularized by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966. Apparently, the Scarborough Fair was a late Middle Ages annual trading fair in Scarborough, Yorkshire, which attracted traders and entertainers from all over the country. The fair lasted 45 days and started every August 15th.

The lyrics are about a man trying to attain his true love. In Medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.

 
Possibly, probably, my last for this season. We Brits are renowned tea drinkers, so I had to have a slurp at the start and end....


Terrific little uke riffs here John - brought so well - and of course it reminds me that we have a state here in Australia called Victoria. Oh, and a state called New South Wales and a state called Queensland, thanks for that.
Sheesh....
 
Season of the ukulele #397 is songs about England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. My understanding is that Tommy Sands wrote Season of the ukulele #397 is songs about England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. My understanding is that Tommy Sands wrote "Down by the Lagan Side" at the time of the IRA ceasefire in 1994. It's a lovely song of hope. As for our rendition - we employed a strategy of hope, what with our single run through to learn it. But it was good fun to sing in any event...

 
Good morning again from deepest France and etc.! And a big "thank you" to the Haberkorn Family for that splendid rendition of "Down By The Lagan Side" ... songs of hope are always welcome! The Playlist will be up to date in a minute ... please keep the songs coming. (Joko, I need you to be the Queen!)
 
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