On Stage With Paul and Poppy!

I’m afraid I’m in something of a dash tonight. I’m busy packing as I head off tomorrow morning on a mini five day tour along the south coast. I’m opening Monday night in Hurstierpoint at Danny House, a beautiful Tudor mansion with my “Hooray for Hollywood” show before making my way along the south coast to Fishbourne, Chichester and finishing in Farnham. I’ve a busy week ahead of me and I need to make sure I’ve packed everything I need and I have all the right costumes.

I’ve been performing every-day this week so I haven’t had much time to be in the office, which is why I’m in such a dash now to get everything done before I go away. Last weekend Paul and I had the pleasure of performing for Rob Bailey’s Birthday party in

Rob and I with his Grandmother!

Wheathampstead. We had been booked to perform songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s and Paul delighted the party audience with his Sinatra classics. I sang everything else from Cliff Richard, Abba, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield to Chuck Berry and we finished our sets with “Come Fly with Me” and “Thank-you for the Music”.

Where Paul goes Poppy goes and she enjoyed being out and about in the garden as we entertained Rob’s guests with all the popular musical favorites from these three decades. Rob’s father displayed his classic 1970s motor cars and we

Meeting Up with Reenactors at Bletchley Park!

all enjoyed a wonderful tea and homemade birthday cake made by his mother who is renowned for her superb cooking!

These last few years have been very intense and I don’t get many days off. If I’m not on stage performing, or travelling from A to B, I’m usually working late in the office catching up on paperwork. I don’t get much down town but today was a little different. It was one of those rare days where I was able to enjoy some free time which coincided with Bletchley Parks 1940s weekend.

Rob in His New Suit from Froggy Went Courting!

Rob is very new to the 1940s scene and he asked if I could accompany him to Bletchley Park as his fashion advisor and help him choose a 1940s civilian outfit. At 23 Rob has youth on his side and a fantastic figure which means he can get into all those wonderful vintage suits which the rest of us can only dream about. It can take time finding the right out-fit but when you are tall and slim like Rob that task is made considerably easier. Today we had a terrific time shopping for vintage and by the end of the day Rob was certainly turning heads as he invested in an original Donegal tweed suit which he was able to purchase from Andrew

Meeting Up With Adrian in my New Coat!

Laws  stall http://www.froggywentcourting.co.uk

Incase you don’t know unlike Harris tweed, Donegal tweed is made using traditional hand-weaving techniques and is made from high-quality wool. It’s flecked with different colours to give the tweed a distinctive look and it was very popular during the 1940s for its versatility and durability. Rob was also able to pick up a vintage tie and Fedora which will be a good investment. I too was able to find a beautiful red 1940s coat which I will be wearing for one of my Christmas shows later this year.

Crikey I’ve just seen the time and I must get to bed!

Enjoying the 1940s Event with Reenactors!

Enjoy my photos Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

Shopping for Vintage Fashion!

Off on a WSR Adventure!

It’s been an astonishing week where my feet haven’t touched the ground. I’ve performed 19 shows in 14 days, been to West Somerset and back and I’m completely fully booked through to next week too. This week I’ve been busy performing Battle of Britain shows and I’m pleased the weather has started to cool a little. It’s not much fun having to perform in uniforms made of barathea while everyone else is wearing cool cottons. Fortunately I have glamour alternatives which have proved to be invaluable this week but now I’m back performing in full RAF, WAAF uniform as I fly through to the end of the week with Battle of Britain shows.

I confess I’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings but it’s good to be busy and today is Battle of Britain day. I’m getting ready for my first show of the day which will be taking place in Oxford and then I’m over to Luton for the evening.

On Stage at Bishops Lydeard!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of performing for the West Somerset Railways 1940s event. It was my first time there and I had been booked to perform at Bishops Lydeard which is at the start of the line. Apparently WSR is the longest standard gauge independent heritage railway in the United Kingdom. It operates just over 20.5 miles between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard and I was the first act of the day opening at 9.30am.

I offer a unique package to 1940s events where I perform 3 x 45 minute non repetitive costume

All Set for My Stars and Stripes Set!

shows daily plus there is also the option of a free Saturday night dance thrown in which all comes in as part of my weekend package. All my shows are different  and 99% of the tracks I use are bespoke musical arrangements. I’ve been in showbusiness for over 30 years and it’s true what they say you don’t get older you just get better and you have to be ready for every eventuality. If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail and it’s important to have all the equipment you need and not rely on others.

I carry as standard a 50 meter extension cable

Meeting Up with Lee on the Station Platform!

plus a commando plug which proved to be essential items at Bishops Lydeard. Not every artist would think to equip themselves with a commando plug but I first needed one when I performed for the Isle of Wight Steam railway’s Victorian event  many years ago and I’ve been carrying one ever since along with continental plug adapters which I use when I perform abroad.

The devil is always in the detail and I made a point of checking out the stations lay-out the night before. Experience has taught me to be thorough

Rob and I between Show Sets!

because you can’t afford to leave things to chance. There’s always a lot to do first thing in the morning and you haven’t got time to mess about and waste people’s time. My get in time was 8am which on the face of it seems really early but once you start lifting equipment and carrying in costumes it’s amazing where the time goes. An important part of any performance is social media and I always try and film a quick short for facebook which keeps things fresh and exciting.

On this occasion I was very lucky to have a friend with me Rob Bailey who had come along under his own steam

The Best of British!

to see the event. It was only by chance he was there but thanks to his help and youthful strength we were able to share the load which made the setting up considerably easier. Being taller and by working together Rob was even able to decorate my gazebo with bunting which made the stage look pretty for visitors.

West Somerset Railways 1940s weekend is a big event and they have artists working at various stations up and down the line. The baulk of the event is focused around Minehead and Watchet

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree!

which is where most of the artist are billetted for the weekend. Minehead is over 20 miles away from Bishops Lydeard and the railway very kindly booked me into the Lethbrdge Arms which is ideally situated for  the station.

The Lethbridge Arms has recently been taken over and sadly they no longer serve breakfast. When you are working hard and to a tight schedule this can be tricky especially as I’m a type one diabetic. I inject 6 times a day with insulin and I have to be extremely organised. I can’t take risks and go with-out food especially first thing in the morning.  Fortunately Rob had found another B&B in the village called The Mount where I was able to book myself in for a 7.15 am breakfast. This was literally a life saver. I had brought extra food with me but because of the extreme heat and no fridges in the rooms all the food I bought ended up going off and rancid.

Meeting Up with Johnny Victory at the Saturday Night Dance!

In many ways I was very lucky  because not all the rooms at the Lethbridge have en-suite. When I left the hotel in the morning there were people queuing in the corridor to use the loo and another queue for the bathroom so I was very lucky indeed to at least have a loo and shower. The lady very kindly allowed me to stay in my room for two consecutive nights but initially she would have expected me to move to a room with-out an en-suite. I think when she saw my luggage and understood that I’m a costume artist and I wouldn’t be around to move my things, she took pity on me and allowed me to keep my room. Phew!

I always try and do my very, very best for clients and cover every angle. Show business is a tough life and it’s not for the faint hearted. Last weekend the weather was extremely hot and I thought it wise to bring some glamour costume alternatives for my US WAC and WAAF shows. This proved to be a good call because by the afternoon temperatures sored.

Meeting Up with 1940s Visitors

Whatever the weather the show must go on and thank goodness for my little gazebo which event organiser Robin Wichard very kindly put up for me on the Friday evening.

I had come prepared to perform a show for the Saturday evening but as it happens I was given the night off so Rob and I decided to attend the Saturday Night dance at Minehead Station. They are very lucky there because the Station platform is completely covered which makes for a wonderful performance venue. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet up and have a chat

Meeting Up with Tank in the Signal Box!

with fellow artists May Blossom, The Liberty Sisters, Winston Churchill and Johnny Victory. I last worked with Johnny at Sherringham Station in 2012 for the North Norfolk Railway so it was good to catch up.

Come Sunday we had a sprinkling of rain first thing in the morning but it soon cleared and it was business as usual as I continued to perform 3 costume shows. I always like to open with a uniform show because I very rarely have time to change and it’s easier to set up in flat shoes than heels.

Cho Cho Ch Boogie!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Rob for his amazing help and all the staff and volunteers at the WSR and Bishops Lydeard for their hospitality and kindness. I’d also like to thank Robin and his family for recommending me, with a special tip of the hat to Lee for allowing me to use his office as a changing room. It was a pleasure to sing for you all.

Tomorrow I’m in Wheathampstead performing for Rob’s Birthday Party which is promising to be an amazing afternoon. Last night I was finishing off my show plans and Paul Marsden will be joining me on stage as we perform popular tunes from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. I shall leave you with a few of my favourite photos from the weekend. You can find more on my facebook pages by clicking the facebook icon at the top of this page.

Thank-you for Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

Fun at Bishops Lydeard Station!

Shopping On Holiday in Hastings Old Town!

I’m sorry I’m so behind with my blog this week since returning from holiday I’ve hit the deck running. I’ve had a heep of paperwork to address and shows every-day so I’m quickly trying to catch up now.

It was lovely to get away with Paul and Poppy and stay at The Powder Mills Hotel in Battle. I adore this part of the world and I’ve had many happy memories there. It was wonderful for us to visit some of my favourite haunts although so much has changed since the pandemic. Businesses come and go and when it comes to old Hastings so

The Powder Mills Hotel!

many of the vintage fashion shops where I use to shop have changed hands and are now selling a different style of vintage.

All the 1940s dresses which use to be in such abundance back in the early noughties have all been bought up and no longer exist. It’s all about the 70s and 80s now and trying to find those forties treasures is getting increasingly more difficult. When I look a vintage fashion shops these days, I realise I have far better sitting at home which is why I have to be very selective about what I buy. I have a couple of filming

Paul and I at The Powder Mills Hotel!

projects I’m working towards and fortunately I was able to pick up the perfect Gatsby style dress at KoKo in Battle. I want to film a 1920s postmodern take on the song “All About that Bass” in January so this will be ideal.

Holidays are all about taking it easy and our hotel room had a beautiful view overlooking the lake. Poppy loves to walk on grass and the Power Mills Hotel is very doggy friendly. A lot of the visitors are regulars who like to bring their dogs with them as we enjoyed morning walks around the lake. The hotel also has a swimming pool although

Poppy Enjoying her Holiday!

it was still a bit too cold for me to venture in.

Our holiday really consisted of just pottering about with no particular plan as we visited Battle, Hastings, Bexhill and St Leonards. St Leonards is just out-site of Hastings and has really come up where in the nineties it was a bit run down. It’s very bohemian and we enjoyed visiting the old cinema which has a coffee shop and a beautiful auditorium where they stage live performances. Another theatre I couldn’t not visit was the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill. I’ve played there many times although nowadays they like to refer to it as an Art Centre.

The Beautiful de La Warr Pavilion!

On the first floor they had a display of thought provoking art which didn’t float my boat at all. They had a lady guarding it which might be to protect it from adverse physical criticism. On the face of it it looked like a lot of it was made from plasticine and I think one piece featured sheep’s legs with-out a body and a broken chair. All a bit too deep for me as we decided to move through onto the first floor balcony to enjoy the sea views.

Nothing to misunderstand there – Oh I do like to be beside the seaside and all that!

I love the De La Warr it’s a beautiful Art Deco theatre which was built in 1935. I’ve performed there many times with my shows “We’ll Meet Again”, How Hovis Won the War”, “Down Paradise Row”, “From Cobbles to Rock” and in the concert with “You are My Heart’s Delight” with Opera South East and in

Oh I do Like to be Beside the Seaside in Bexhill!

“Three Diva’s in Oh My Beloved Father”. I’ve also performed there when they use to stage a 1920s festival so it was good to return and to see the theatre again.

Afterwards Paul and I took Poppy for a walk along the prom which has a beautiful view of the see.

Holidays are always over far too soon and now it’s full steam ahead as I head off next weekend to West Somerset Railway to perform for their 1940s weekend 9th & 10th September. It’s promising to be an amazing event and I hope the

Inside the Old Cinema at St Leonards!

lovely weather continues. I’m opening the event bright and early at the start of the line at Bishops Lydeard. I’ve been booked to perform 3 x 45 minute shows daily. Check out my shows and performance times:-

Saturday 9th  – 9.30am ATS – “Well Meet Again”, 11.45am Stage and Screen “Hooray for Hollywood”, 2pm US WAC “GI Jive”

Sunday 10th – 9.30am Wrens “The Fleets in Port Again”, 11.45am 1940s Glamour “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”, 2pm WAAF

Beautiful Battle!

If you are able to make it along it will be delightful to see you all.

That’s all my news for now. Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

Poppy and I at the Hotel!

Straighten Up and Fly Right!

I’d like to begin tonight by thanking everyone who came to see my show last Saturday at Bletchley Park. It was an amazing day as I performed two sets in the ballroom. Initially I had been booked to perform on the lawn for the concert series but due to the changeable showery weather we relocated to the ballroom which proved to be the right decision as the heavens decided to open later that afternoon.

It’s always a great honour to perform at Bletchley Park. Famous for code breaking during WW2 the heritage site is steeped in history. It’s fascinating to read up about it as the estate dates back to the 11th century and was even mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The name ‘Bletchley Park’ was first used after Samuel Lipscomb Seckham bought the estate in 1877. He sold the property to Sir Herbert Samuel Leon in 1883. Leon extended

On Stage in the Ballroom!

the house and in 1938 the mansion was purchased by a builder who then sold the property to Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair.

Admiral Sinclair was the head of the SIS (later to become M6) and he wanted a headquarters for the SIS and the Government Code and Cypher School (later to become GCHQ). The government approved the idea but had no budget for the purchase so Sinclair bought the property with his own money, paying £6,000 for the mansion and the 581 acre sight.

The location was perfect for its intended purpose; it stood beside the Bletchley railway station, on the direct line between Oxford and Cambridge with easy access to London. Sinclair anticipated that most of the codebreakers housed on sight would come from the Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Personnel at Bletchley came from a wide variety of backgrounds,

Bletchley Park Library!

from linguists to people good at solving cryptic crosswords, but most importantly, mathematicians. Formally trained mathematicians such as Alan Turing, Peter Twinn, and Gordon Welchman were recruited. Many of the top codebreakers were men, but Joan Clarke was one of the few female cryptanalysts who rose to become the deputy head of Hut 8 – the Codebreaking Hut where the Enigma machine was finally cracked. By 1945 there were 2,660 civilian female personnel working on site, 2594 Wrens, 1,096 WAAF and 408 ATS.

Dressed for my Second Set!

This was my third appearance at Bletchley Park and I always like to do something different. Music is a wonderful way of paying tribute to the men and women who worked at Bletchley during the war years and having performed my ATS “We’ll Meet Again”and Wrens shows “The Fleets in Port Again” in the past. Last Saturday I returned with my  WAAF show “Straighten Up and Fly Right”. I included all sorts of aeronautical classics from “Dambusters”, “He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings” to “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” to name but a few.

Meeting Up with Alan Turing!

It’s important to include plenty of variety and for my second set I returned with favourites from the Hollywood movie musicals, Postmodern and concluded with a Last Night of the Proms, Best of British finale. I also performed a couple of my favourite arias singing in Italian and French “O Mio Babbino Caro” from “Gianni Schicchi” and the “Flower Duet for Lakme'”. Both went down extremely well with the audience, especially my Lakme’ as it was written in 1883 about the same time when Bletchley Park was built which suited the ballroom perfectly.

Out-side Hut 11A!

This week I’ve had shows every-day and today I was booked to perform Postmodern. This type of music is very on trend at the moment and it’s all about reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, from the early 20th century such as swing and jazz. Today I was performing in Enfield and I sang a mixture of songs including Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call me Maybe”, Gloria Gaynor’s “I will Survive” and my favourite Meghan Trainor’s “All About the Bass”. I’m also a big fan of  Caro Emerald’s work and “That Man” and “A Night Like This” are two of my favourites which suits this type of show and genre well.

I’m constantly learning new material and I will be back in the recording studio on the 28th picking up tracks and commissioning arrangements for Christmas and next year. Postmodern is something I wish to develop further and it’s great fun to sing something modern in a vintage way. Who’d of thought

Bletchley Park’s Famous Door Griffin!

I would be singing Lady Gaga! Another one I have on my radar is Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise so keep watching this space – seeing will be believing!

Next week I’m away on holiday as I head down to one of my favourite haunts Battle near Hastings. I can’t wait to have a few days away while I recharge my batteries. In the meantime I will leave you with a few of my snap-shots from Bletchley Park. My best photos are yet to come and I shall keep you posted. Harry is away at the moment but I hope to get his photos back when I return home from holiday. I look forward to sharing my photos with you then.

Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

Wings Over Carew at Cheriton!

It’s been an amazing week having just returned from Pembrokshire, South Wales. Last Saturday I was engaged to perform for the “Wings Over Carew” event which takes place annually at The Control Tower, Cheriton, Carew. The last time I performed there was back in 2018 for “Millfest”, so it was thrilling to be invited back now things are starting to open up again after the pandemic.

This was my third visit to the control tower and there is a wonderful community of local people who work especially hard to maintain the control tower as a museum which is set out just as it

Out-side the Control Tower!

would have been during the second world war. The Control Tower is a unique wartime airfield museum which has been lovingly restored and where visitors can enjoy a huge array of exhibits including the Stanton Air Raid Shelter, military uniforms, RAF maps, radio equipment, ration books, Bren gun, Enfield rifle and many more.

It was great to be back and meet up with so many friends. Especially as I had the pleasure of staying with my friends Mike and Sue who very kindly invited me to stay with them at their Farm House

By the Stage all Dressed for My Glamour Set!

in Llanyeanfn. It was wonderful to see them again after so many years and catch up on old times. Thank-you Sue and Mike for your fabulous hospitality and for making me feel so welcombe I couldn’t have wished for anything more – you were amazing!

There is a wonderful community spirit in Pembrokshire and the “Wings Over Carew” was very well attended despite the tempestuous Saturday weather. The organisers were extremely worried because the Red Falcons parachute display had to be cancelled due to the high winds and for parachute safety. I had been booked to

Meeting Up with Re-enactors!

perform 3 x 45 minute shows during the day and later that night at the Saturday Night Dance which was taking place at The Snooty Fox at Martletwy, Narberth.

The show must go on what ever the weather and on Saturday we had it all, rain followed by sunshine, more rain and then the wind as it started to get stronger and blew the clouds away. Mike and Sue had erected me an out-door stage which took quite a battering from the Walsh wind, however I played on regardless as I performed my  three sets. I opened with my WAAF show “Straighten up and Fly Right”, followed by a Glamour Hollywood set and

GI Jive!

I concluded with my American “GI Jive” WAC show.

Events can be pretty intense with very little time to spear so I stayed in my WAC uniform to open my evening show and then changed into my 1940s evening dress for the second set. I’d never thought of doing an evening show like that before but my WAC uniform worked well especially as we often associate Big Band and Swing with America. It was a lovely evening as I sang all my favourites while people danced the night away.

Welcome to Wales as an American WAC!

Mike and Sue very kindly allowed me to stay for an extra day and since returning home from Wales I’ve had shows every-day. I’m now all set for tomorrow’s show at Bletchley Park and I have a terrific show planned. This year I’m returning with my WAAF show “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and I’m going to be on stage from 12 noon. I’m also performing Hollywood favorites and a selection of tunes from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, a few postmodern surprises and I’m concluding with a patriotic Best of British finally. So something for every-one!

Meeting Up with the Cadets!

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for fine weather but the weather report looks like we may have scattered showers. If that is the case then I will be relocating to the ball room. To find out more about my show please click the link below and it will be delightful to see you.

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/event/fiona-harrison/

Entrance to my concert is included in the museum admission price and any tickets purchased are valid for a whole year, so you can come back as many times as you like within twelve months if

The Memorial Service!

you are not able to see everything  on your first visit.

I’m very fortunate that as a professional entertainer I get to visit lots of wonderful places. It’s a huge privilege to be chosen to perform at Bletchley Park and of course it’s famous for enigma and code breaking. The control tower at Cheriton has an interesting history too and I’ve been doing some research to find out more.

It was in April 1938 that the first steps were taken to acquire 600 acres of land east of Carew

On Stage for the Saturday Night Dance!

Cheriton for the construction of a new airfield A number of local farms and businesses were affected by this acquisition by the Air Ministry.

The site of the new airfield was on the same land occupied by the First World War royal naval airship station known as Pembroke or sometimes Milton. The airship station used the same prime farming land, but only 298 acres and operated between 1916 and 1920. The reason for the name change from that of the First World War was because Pembroke was easily confused with the R.A.F. flying boat base in Pembroke Dock.

Meeting Up With Sue & Mike at the Dance!

And the second name used – Milton was the same name as that of the radar station in Oxfordshire.

During its time as a Coastal Command airfield Carew Cheriton came under the control of 15 group based at Plymouth. A transfer to Technical Training Command took place in October 1942. The airfield finally closed in November 1945.

Today the airfield has been returned to agricultural and light industrial use with the main building complex area being cleared in the mid sixties. However, many reminders of life as a

All Dressed Up for The Dance!

wartime airfield can still be found today and the landscape holds a wealth of interesting structures in this period of history or architecture. Many of the wartime runways still remain and are in constant use for the Sunday market and other public events incorporating the control tower museum.

I shall leave you with a few of my photos from the weekend. Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Bletchley Park 12th August 23

These Boots are Made for Walking!

I’m afraid it’s just a very quick blog tonight. I need to finish my packing as I’m away first thing in the morning to Wales. I’m all set to perform for the “Wings Over Carew” event in Pembrokeshire. It’s a good four and a half hour drive so I need to be away promptly and I have a fantastic program of shows to perform on Saturday.

I’ve been booked to perform three shows during the day and for the Saturday night dance too which will be taking place at the Snooty Fox at Martletwy, Narberth.

The last time I performed at the Cheriton Control Tower, Carew was for Millfest in 2018 so it’s great to be returning and like every-one I’m keeping my fingers crossed for dry weather.

Please check out my new show times which are 11am WAAF, “Straighten Up and Fly Right”, 1.15pm 40s Glamour, “Stage and Screen” 2.45pm US WAC, “GI Jive”. There will also be

Meeting Up With Terence at Carew in 2018!

a parachute display performed by the  RAF Falcons, military vehicles and the City of Swansea pipe band so plenty to see and do. For more event details please click the links below :- https://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk/…/wings…/

Bletchley Park 12th August 23

I’m thrilled to announce that I have a new video out today “These Boots are made for Walkin”,  where I take on the persona for a cool chick from the swinging 60s, complete with baker’s boy cap, biker dress and white patent boots. I shot the footage a couple of years ago at the same time of “That Man” and “Lets do it – Lets Fall in Love” and it’s taken a while to finnish.

It had been my intention to accompany this footage with a collection of still shots focusing on the boots but after endless location issues we had to re-thing and ended up going for an abstract psychedelic feel instead.  Special thanks goes to Peter Hardicker my web-designer who shot the footage and put the video together for me. To see my video please click the link below, like and share with your friends :-

When I return from Wales it’s full steam ahead with my Bletchley Park show which is due to take place on the 12th August. I’ve just been featured in the Milton Keynes Citizen newspaper and you can read the article by clicking the link below.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/soprano-prepares-lift-spirits-bletchley-091808742.html

Toodle Pip and Bye For Now! 😉

John and I at The Top of the Control Tower!

Enjoying the Museum!

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of heading over to West Raynham in Norfolk to see my friend John Drury performing at The Control Tower Cockpit Open Day. The control tower is now a private residence which the owners open up a couple of times of the year to help raise money for the renovations. It has it’s own private museum and a tea room. It’s the owners intention to open The Control Tower as a B&B once all the renovations have taken place and on Saturday I found it fascinating to be taken on the tour where I learned more about the history of the Control Tower and the old RAF site.

Sadly the weather last Saturday wasn’t very good at all. It rained for the best part of the day but hats off to John who kept singing through out as he performed three fabulous sets covering songs from the 1940s through to the 1990s.  Keep up the good work John it was wonderful to hear you sing and thank-you so much for inviting me to join in on a couple of your songs. I know Chrissy would have been very proud!

I too will be performing at a Control Tower event in the next week or so. Next Friday I will be heading over to Pembrokeshire in South Wales to

On Stage with John Drury!

sing at the “Wings Over Carew”  show on 5th August. I’m looking forward to the event very much. The last time I performed at Carew was in 2018 so it’s great to be returning. I’ve also been engaged to sing at the Snooty Fox at Martletwy, Narberth in the evening for the events Saturday Night dance.

Initially when I was engaged to perform it was at 11am, 1pm and 3pm but please check out my new show times which are 11am WAAF, 1.15pm 40s Glamour, 2.45pm US WAC. As with all my shows each one is different and I’ve put together a fantastic program of songs for the weekend. There will also be a parachute display performed by the  RAF Falcons, military vehicles and the City of Swansea pipe band will be playing too,  so plenty to see and do for the whole family to enjoy. For more details please click the links below :- https://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk/…/wings…/

The organisers have also produced a fantastic trailer video which gives you an idea of what to expect so please enjoy watching and we look forward to seeing you!

A Song for Summer – Whatever the weather!

When I return I will be continuing with a mixed bag of shows which will include Music Hall, songs through the decades and a “Song for Summer”.  I shall also be at Bletchley Park performing for their concert series on the 12th August this time in WAAf uniform as I mix popular tunes from the 1930s, 40s and 50s with Opera, Post Modern and the Best of British. But more on that in my next blog. I shall leave you with a few photos from West Raynham and my Song for Summer show.

Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for now! 😉

Wings Over Carew – We Look Forward to Seeing You!

1940s Glamour!

I’m afraid I can’t spend too long on my blog tonight as I’m busy prepping for a new video which will be taking me back in time to the 1960s. I don’t want to say too much too soon as I don’t want to jinx it but I’m keeping my fingers crossed all will come out well. So keep watching this space and I hope in the next couple of weeks I will have a new 60s style video to share with you all.

This week I have been busy performing “Song for Summer” shows along with music from the 1950s 60s & 70s which seem to be popular choices for the Summer months. I also want to get a head of the game and prep my shows early in time for the “Wings Over Carew” event 5th August and Bletchely Park 12th August. I’m always very thorough in my planning and when it comes to glamour dresses I like to bring a couple so I have everything covered whatever the weather.

Tomorrow I’m planning to head over to RAF West Raynham Norfolk to meet up with a friend who is performing at the control

We’ll Meet Again!

tower for a Cockpit event. I think I’ve got that right! Even if I haven’t it will be good to meet up with John again, see his show and catch up on old times. I haven’t been to Norfolk in ages and it will be great to have a run out and have a change of scene.

These last few months I’ve been so busy out performing it’s taken me far longer than normal to sit down and go through all the lovely photos Sean Laplain took of me at Milestones museum. This week I was able to share a few of my

All Dressed & Ready to Perform my GI Jive Show!

favourites on Facebook and I shall leave you with a few more.

Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

Between Sets at Milestones Museum!