The Green Fields of France - Creeping Bentgrass

For Remembrance Day. There are only a few gigs where it is appropriate to play this song but whenever we do it is not uncommon for me to get a lump in the throat and to hear a catch in David's voice.

Remembrance and Chatsworth

It's the 11th of November - to mark the moment of the signing of the Armistice of the First World War it has become tradition to pause for two minute's silence at 11 o'clock on the 11th of November.

Whether you are religious or not, it can be a time of reflection and respect for all those who gave their lives to protect a free way of life through two world wars and countless others before and since.

Every family has been affected by war at some stage in its past. My Grandad fought on anti-aircraft guns in Burma and the far east. Fran's dad was a prisoner of the Japanese for almost four years and his health suffered from it until his eventual death almost 50 years later. I had a Great Uncle who was in submarines in World War One. Now that must have called for a certain amount of bravery!

So this entry is my own small tribute of respect to all those who fought and served in other ways through war. To those who came back. To those who fell.

The photo of the poppy was taken in the gardens at Chatsworth House in 1996.

The Chatsworth negatives have just surfaced to the top of the pile, so there's a few photos of the house and grounds at my Flickr account.

Large Versions of the Photos: poppy, Chatsworth House

More Music News

Talking of online music to download (see previous entry); as it's Remembrance Sunday, I've uploaded a track from our new CD for free download.

It's The Green Fields of France a beautiful song that sums up the day. Click on the song title to download it.

Yesterday I got out the keyboard and microphone and spent the afternoon recording a version of The Beatles' song "This Boy", one of their earlier tracks as it was the B side of the hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand. Thinking about it, it may even have been a double A side in fact - someone with a better memory give me a prompt!

I had great fun sneaking a guitar bit in from "Oh Darling" from their "Abbey Road" album! It'll turn up on the Billy Fury site some time next year - though it may be as far as March before I've a chance! There's a waiting list of songs.

Next month should be good as the artists are sending in two tracks for Christmas. Ours have been especially recorded and are the Greg Lake "I Believe In Father Christmas" and David Essex's "A Winter's Tale" both of which sound quite nice to my ears, but I'll let you be the true judges next month!