Foxwood at Donnington Roundabout and Berkhamstead

So this is it: we are venturing out of Leeds, and wending our way down to Hemel Hempstead wherein grew up singer, pan player and artist extraordinaire, my good friend [and yours, Debs], Charlotte. And in the sunshine we spend a couple of cheerful hours - me, Bex, Gig and Nat, hanging out on the roundabout of one of the few Motorway Services that are nowhere near the motorway itself. I find a handy cat basket in the car and voila, we have a picnic table.

Rick, Diz and Chas are in the van; they set up the pans as the rain clouds gather. Eventually we think we have solved the problem; no water. You want water, say the Skies. At Berkhampstead Gold Club we play Singin' in the Rain under the gazebo and then retreat to the Club Lounge. The AA man can recognise a split hose when he sees one and voila, four hours late, we are back in Leeds.

Foxwood at the Malt Shovel Armley Leeds

Dear Debs

As you know I have three main bands [used to have four, but that nice Mr Edwards cancelled the Royal Park Steel Pandas when he cancelled Royal Park School], and each has their own strengths. Simplifying and summing it up, the Sparrows can take on a few really really hard tunes and practise them to death and to success; East Steel can cope successfully with a much bigger repertoire, and get all the nuances; Foxwood will sight-read their way through more or less anything.

They also each have failings, but none so much as Foxwood in a confined space. And yes, here we are at the Malt Shovel again. The volume is going from fff to ffff; not saying it's not good; it's exciting, but heavens it is loud. Phew, now it's Your Song. Only the Foxwood Doves, and those of us who are also pan teachers know this one. By virtue of it being only half the band playing, we can show the Malt Shovel that we can also do subtle.

Oh no we can't.   As Stewart said later, well I think I got that. And yes, Stewart, you did, and you and the rest of you played it at the same the same volume that you played the Trini roadsongs.

Yo!

We were me, Gig, Lizzie, Bex, Stewart, Diz, Varshika, Natalie, Amy, Joe, Vicky, Mig and Charlotte, and we played indoors on the one day in half-term that Jubilee week that it didn't rain. And Joanne definitely didn't want to be pictured!

Foxwood and Foxwood Doves do the Jubilee in the Rain One: Adel

Well, as I republican I should have spotted, at the point of asking, why we had been booked to play all these street parties, and possibly might have declined. And I was just thinking what a nice idea all this community togetherness was.  Anyway, union jack bunting or not, they were a very nice idea. And Adel, thanks to Sophie's mum, Barbara, was a very nice idea.

But now it's raining. We are at The Drive Adel. We are gloomily contemplating getting the PA stuff moved off the stage that is the lorry, when I spot a handy gazebo. As it turns, out a rainproof gazebo. We are Amy, Joe, Tim, Bex, me, Stewart, Georgia, Sophie and Vicky.

We play Singin' in the Rain, and If It's Raining, it's Raining, as you do on these occasions. It makes folks smile, and after all that's what we're here for - to spread a little happiness.  The good people of the Drive then started dancin' in the Rain, and afterwards we all go home - some to work, some to look after their kids, and some of us, who were, in previous lives, both barmaids and mothers of young children, now retire to the implausible plots of the UK detectives programmes. [And unload the van later].