The Guest List

The Guest List

 

The party was in full flow
Friends and neighbours all
some I liked, some I didn’t,
The short, the fat, the tall.

Hardly a rave, but nevertheless,
A lively gathering,
All members of my social set
Blithering, Swaggering, jabbering.

Sashaying around the village hall
While the Violets were shrinking,
I’ll introduce the ones I know,
Talking, drinking, winking.

 

Luce Lizzy, déshabillé of course, was there,
Flirting with Slack Edna – loose and sloppy – as usual

Wally Batty, shooting pigeons, most out of character.

Nora Bittov enjoyed nibbling the peanuts.

Hans Zupp showed willing, as usual.

But Dai La Finn enlivened proceedings when he keeled over,

Ivor Ed Aike left early, claiming he wasn’t feeling well’

Jackie Tallin also soon threw in the towel and went home early.

Eva Brick had another tantrum and started throwing crockery,

While G. G. Dunnit spread fertiliser on the garden.

Randy Hertz, indulged his masochistic bent with two Gentlemen of Verona

While Googie Withers wilted by the radiator.

Dai Dinderwool kept telling the same old jokes he did every time we met.

Tara Korsetzov threw caution to the winds and did a streak across the tennis court.

Dickie Bird gave us a rendering of ‘A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’,

followed shortly by Jim Khana jumping over the bar and helping himself to a flagon of Johnny Walker.

Which, of course, he shared with Don Keedarby.

Sam U Rye crossed swords with everyone he met.

Winnie Bago drove everyone mad with her erratic manoeuvres,

While Frank Insents did his best to spread his fragrance around.

Eileen Dover at the table gave Flo Tingvota her seal of approval.

Abel Toobegood was busy trying to cheer up Elle  Hathaway,

While Ann A Babtist and Ann T Boddy reverted to chat on their favourite subjects of religion and Covid-19.

 

Having long ago decided that this was getting a bit too fractious and quite unsuitable for my daughter’s 5th Birthday party
I thanked them all, even the uninvited, for turning up
And we ended by all joining Hans Toogether
and singing a resounding chorus with
Will Yenokumbakaggen.

 

Songs My Mother Sang

Song Book: Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The songs were of chill and anguish,
Sad songs with wistful themes,
Telling of loss and longing,
Songs of uncertain dreams.

Wistful, anxious, plaintive,
Sung in the dark days of war,
As though no end to suffering
Would reach us evermore.

She sang of the wandering gypsies,
The old lady sweet and kind,
Of old Barbara Frietchie’s flag,
And the boys who were left behind.

But though her words were sombre
I knew as she held me tight,
Her clutch was so warm and tender
The darkness would turn to light.

 

 

 

 

The WESTMINSTER CHORUS

THE WESTMINSTER CHORUS  is an all male A Capella, Barbershop, Choral singing group based in Southern California.   I would like to recommend them to all my blog followers.

Many of their recordings are available on YouTube,  but I have chosen one in particular as being a particular favourite of mine.  In order to get the finest quality of acoustics the group recorded a number of sound videos in a church in Germany.   The sound quality on this particular YouTube recording could be improved, but nevertheless I hope you will find their singing of this beautiful song highly  impressive and will recognise that it reaches perhaps the highest possible level of a capella choral singing.

Westminster Chorus, singing a David Phelps arrangement of the George Matheson Hymn, “Oh Love, That Will Not Let Me Go” in the Petrikirche, a Protestant church (start of construction 1322) in Dortmund, Germany.  The church is famous for the huge carved altar (known as “Golden Miracle of Dortmund”), from 1521, which consists of 633 gilt carved oak figures depicting 30 scenes about Easter.

Click on the link below to watch and listen . . . 

‘OH Love, That Will Not Let Me Go’

Adjust the volume as you wish and expand to full screen.
The group recorded more songs in this particular setting, and there are many more recorded in a variety of settings.   The group’s personnel have changed over the years but their standards remain exceptionally high.   It is well worth exploring their other recordings, many of them on YouTube.