
This is the, "what's been happening at FAF" column.
Here you'll find regular updates on FAF activity, trivia and gossip......
28/1/2025
To get ourselves through and dark winter and the recent Blue Monday, we had an evening with a good selection of humorous songs, also raising £200 for mental health charity Mind. Stuart was our MC and we kicked off with Richard in usual jocular mood and a blow up saxophone doing Football Crazy and My Last Cigarette (Sidney Carter). Martin was next with Jez Lowe's The Wrong Bus and the old FAF favourite Brighouse On A Saturday Night, Gary sang It's Going To Be One Of Those Days and You Can't Eat Bang (about a cheap Suffolk cheese given to sailors) and the first of two Sues sang Ugly Bug Ball and Only 73 (her take on Only 16). Our next Sue sang a lovely version of Vincent, Roger did You Are My Sunshine and his own Is This The Start Of Global Meltdown? (about the LA fires) and Dominic gave us a witty little story, a poem by Yeates The Song Of The Wandering Aengus and sang Burns' Ae Fond Kiss. Pondlife came with props for The Ballad Of Barry And Freda and These Boots Were Made For Walking, Sandie played The Black Joak/The White Joak (a joak being an 18th century dance) and The Moon And Seven Stars and Sean sang Hugh Laurie's Mystery and his own I've Got A Whatnot. John was next with a little known Dylan song Lord Protect My Child and was joined by Mick for It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry, Suzanne read Cling To Me Nigel and Valerie read pieces from The Wit And Wisdom Of Gardening. Alan (assisted by Steve) sang Lay Your Head Upon My Pillow and Hold On To Me Babe, Steve himself did The Hedgehog's Song (ISB) and Tangled Up In Blue and Mick sang his own Someone Tell Me Is It Really Folk? and She Loved A Portuguese. Rob was next with The Crafty Maid's Policy and The Ballad Of Robert de Middlecote, Monk and Bob finished with Rhubarb Pie (a sad tale of addiction!) and We Love To Boogie.
14/1/2025
We welcomed the New Year with Pete as our MC and an evening dedicated to Gordon Perret, who was an occasional visitor to FAF (he sang at our Christmas special) and who we recently lost. Richard got the year going with The Bristol Song and This Land Is Your Land, Roger sang Drink Up Thee Cider and If I Loved You and Christine was accompanied by John for It Had To Be You. John himself sang The Twelve Days After Christmas, Jake Thackray's The Brigadier and Joyce The Librarian, Paul read his poems Deity and Piazza Vecchio and Sue sang the Cure song Pictures Of You. Stuart & Pete were next with The Foggy Dew and The Napoli, then more poetry from Suzanne with Swans and Ode To Robbie Burns and Valerie reading Barking (Pam Ayres). Bob did Empty Bed Blues, Tina Louise and Mystery Train, Sue sang Dream Little Dream, Islands In The Stream and City Of New Orleans and Carrie & Stuart did delightful versions of The Urge For Going, Nowhere Man and Why Worry? (Dire Straits). Our second Roger sang his own Expectations and Dylan's It Hurts Me Too, Dominic gave us The Ferryman and another Dylan song Lay Down Your Weary Tune and Martin sang Drink Old England Dry and Al Stewart's Palace Of Versaille. Stuart sang Alcohol (Ray Davies), Sandie & Sean did Liberty's Sweet Shore, Sandie played a German tune and Sean sang Once I Had A Sweetheart.
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