Paul & I Between Sets In Ste Marie du Mont!

Paul with Our Friend Amedeo Ceci!

After enjoying a lovely dinner with the Dumas family and fellow singer Miss Paramount on the Friday evening Paul and I were looking forward to our next show in Ste Marie du Mont. Miss Paramount and I had both been booked to play Ste Marie du Mont on the same day Sunday 4th June. I from 12.00 noon through to 6.00pm singing 20 minutes on 20 minutes off all through the day and Miss Paramount in the evening from 8.30pm for a straight through 60 minute set. When I was asked about which time I would like to fill I choose the day time slot. I find day time shows are more relaxed and it enables me to talk with the public between sets.

Ste Marie du Mont was occupied by the Americans in WW2 durring the D-Day invasi

On Stage in Ste Marie du Mont!

The Lovely Miss Paramount!

Meeting the Pegasus Bridge Veterans!

Me with D-Day Veteran Reg Charles!

on. Every year re-anacters visit and set up a 1940s camp in and around the church which has become a great tourist attraction. It’s just in land from Utah beach so there are people passing through all day and it’s a great place to stop and grab a bite to eat due to the fact the organizers have a bar and BBQ running all day. I designed the 20 minutes on 20 minutes off package with Ste Marie du Mont in mind as it works so well with their US Camp set up and regardless of what time the tourists happen to visit every-one gets to see a show.

Over the course of the day I performed 7 x 20 minute shows plus 2 x 30 minute sets to fit in with the hour. It’s fun working this way as it allows me to sing a few of the other songs which don’t always make it into a 2 x 45 minute show plan. Believe it or not I sung my way through 80 numbers and I still had a few extra songs I couldn’t include after running out of time. I also changed my uniform from US WAC to US WAVES which being navy blue I thought would break up the endless stream of kaki tents and vehicles.

Paul and I had been very lucky with the weather al

Enjoying The Mayors D-Day Dinner at Benouville!

though when it was time for Miss Paramount the sky’s did look a little black but fortunately it didn’t rain as she delighted every-one with her vintage music. Fortunately as my sound system was already set up I let her use my rig as my speakers are waterproof and can cope with a few spots of rain.

Next day Paul and I made our way over to the town of Benouville which is famous for Pegasus Bridge and was the first village to be liberated during the D-Day invasion. I had been invited to sing at the Mayors dinner and before hand there was a special concert performed by a police band which many of the local people attended along with the veterans. I was only required to perform a short 30 minute set between the main and dessert courses as after the dinner at midnight a special service is held every year to remember the fallen.

Whenever I tour anywhere I always make sure I bring a selection of clothes and costumes as it had been my intention to wear an evening gown that night. As it turned out I wore a suit which was much more suitable due to the fact the evening stated with an out door concert and as the dinner wasn’t a black tie event one might have looked a little over dressed. Over dinner I met up with fellow singer and Mezzo Soprano Emma Brown who was singing later that evening at the Pegasus Bridge ceremony. Emma and I are a little like ships which pass in the night. During this Normandy tour we had both been played the same towns but at different times so it was great to meet up and have a girly chat about music and repertoires. Although Emma Brown works more within the classical world as a ceremonial singer our repertoires crossed quite a bit with national anthems, hymns and arias and I enjoyed comparing notes about microphones orchestras and sound systems.

I always put a lot of thought into my show plans and on this occasion I included “The Marsellaise”, “Under the Bridges of Paris”, J’ Attendrai and Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” as the Mayor is Italian and I thought an Italian

All Ready to Sing!

number would go down well along with my French songs. Most of the audience were French so I finished my show with Edith Piaf’s song “Mon Dieu” which went down extremely well with both the French and Veterans. I did think about closing with my Vera Lynn medley “The White Cliffs of Dover” and “We’ll Meet Again” but I think you can sometimes have too much of a good thing and even the veterans enjoy hearing something different from time to time!

Afterwards it was a great honor to meet the veterans from Pegasus Bridge and to have my photo taken with them as we owe them so much to these wonderful men. So thank-you to Steven for inviting me to the Mayors dinner and in my next blog I shall tell you more about my shows in Arromanches on the 6th when Steven brought along my chorus line of “Tiller Boys”.

Keep Watching and look out for Part 3 as I tell you more about my Normandy Tour! 😉

In Music Hall Costume at Southill!

Hello every-one as you can see I’m back at my desk after a busy 10 days away performing for the D-Day commemorations in Normandy. In fact it’s been non stop and I have so much to tell you about my tour that I’ve decided to split my blog into three entries this time which I will share with you over the next week or so. To-day I’ve been trying to catch up with all my e-mails so if you haven’t heard from me yet don’t worry I’m on the case and I hope to answer you all in the next day or two. I had over 100 e-mails sitting in my in box so lots to get through.

If you’ve been following Paul and I on facebook I expect you’ve already seen some of my photos from our time away. Since driving home on Friday I had a very quick turn around and I was straight out the next day performing Saturday night in the charming Bedfordshire village of Southill. So thank-you to every-one who came along to see my show at All Saints Church. I love singing in church

Prepping Our Uniforms for the Show!

and there is something very beautiful about the village and the church of Southill. I came across it by chance in March and after a chat over tea the village committee decided to book me to do a Music Hall come Last Night of the Proms show for them on the 10th. I confess on Saturday I was a little at sixes and sevens having not quite got over singing my 1940s and French repertoire and then switching back to Music Hall and ceremonially songs, but like they say all was alright on the night and a great time was had by all!

Paul and I sailed over to Normandy on the 1st of June and our first morning in France was spent steaming our clothes and prepping our uniforms ready for our performances. It’s hard to believe but I performed a staggering 14 shows in 5 days which is one big sing and not an itinerary for the faint hearted. I believe it is important to look well turned out and both Paul and I

Meeting Up with Veteran Len Cox in Arromanches!

brought a large collection of clothes and uniforms which all needed to be checked over and steamed before stepping out on stage.

We allowed ourselves one day holiday and we spent our Friday afternoon in Arromanches where I was delighted to meet up with D-Day veterans Len and Harry. Arromanches isn’t Arromanches with-out Len and Harry especially Len who often joins me on stage and sings along with my show. That evening we were invited to dinner by my friend and fellow French singer Megane Dumas who is better known in France as Miss Paramount. We met last year in Arromanches and we

Jerome’s Cartoon of us Both!

have been friends ever since. Her family follow my career on facebook and her father is Jerome Eho a very well known cartoonist who presented Paul and I with a wonderful cartoon drawing featuring the pair of us as characters in Detective Fiction Weekly. This is something we will treasure forever.

Our first show was in the town of Ste Mere Eglise at the Airborne Museum. Security has really been stepped up since last year and it’s now no longer possible to drive straight into the town. However getting into the museum isn’t a problem as they have big gates at the back and a large garden which I was able to drive straight into. To begin with we had one of those heart stopping moments where we weren’t able to get any power off the museums extension cable. But rather fortunately all my friends from Italy and Graffignana turned up and they were able to get the power

Meeting Friends from Italy at the Airbourne Museum!

working which I think took at bit of  brute force. It was lovely to see so many friends as I performed my “GI Jive” show and Paul dazzled the audiences with his singing.

In my next blog I shall tell you about our 9 shows in Ste Marie du Mont and working the stage with Miss Paramount!

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip! 😉

Paul and I in Ste Mere Eglise!

On Stage with The Office!

As you can see I’m burning the midnight oil once more as I get myself ready to hit the road  and head off down to Portsmouth and over to Normandy first thing tomorrow morning! I don’t sail until the 1st June but as with all these things a great deal of preparation is involved and I have 14 shows to do in 5 days. It sounds a lot but it’s quite easy for me really as this is what I trained to do.

I have such a large repertoire of music from this period and I’ve been booked to perform 9 x 20 minute shows in Ste Marie du Mont on the 4th which involves singing 20 minutes on 20 minutes off all through the day. I find these sorts of shows quite relaxing

Me as Vera Lynn & Paul as GI Joe!

as it enables me to chat with people between performances. I was given the option to perform an evening show in Ste Marie du Mont but I choose the day so it would give me time to catch up with old friends between sets. Also when it’s an all day thing I’m able to sing a few of the other songs which don’t quite make it into my preferred show plans. When you only have an hour or 2 x 45 min sets to do you have to hit the audience straight away with what I call the “plums”.

I’ve been busy these last few days finalizing my show plans as I didn’t want to be doing the same show at every venue so I’ve worked in

Out and About at The Caravan Club Rally!

quite a few variations but kept in a lot of the plums!

So if you are over in Normandy this June for D-Day here is my itinerary and I hope you will be able to make it along to see one of my shows. Paul will be singing too, looking very dashing in his uniform so we look forward to seeing you all as every-one is welcome!

Sat 3rd June = Airborne Museum, Ste-Mere-Eglise, Utah, 17.00h – 18.00h US WAC Show “GI Jive”
Sun 4th June = US Camp Outside the Church, Ste-Marie-du-Mont, Utah, 12.00h – 18.00h  Singing 20 minutes on 20 minutes off all through the day US WAVES Shows x 9
Mon 5th June = Mayors D-Day Dinner, Benouville, Pegasus Bridge, Sword (Private Event)
Tues 6th June, Outside 6th June Museum, Arromanches, Gold 13.00h – 14.00h ATS “We’ll Meet Again”
21.30h – 23.00h (Times to be confirmed but these are the most likely with the firework display taking place straight after my show) 1940s Glamour “In the Mood”
Wed 7th June = Fountain Square or the Salle des Fetes if we, Port en Bessin, Gold, 18.30h – 19.30h “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” Popular British, American and French songs from the 1940s.

Lets Go Caravanning at Sandringham!

Last weekend Paul and I were over in Sandringham performing for the Caravan Club’s Rally. On Sunday the club were staging a vintage day and I was engaged to take on the role of Vera Lynn and perform popular songs from the 1940s. The job came in from an agent and part of the engagement was to wonder around in costume which Paul and I did quite happily as we enjoyed the Caravan clubs display of vintage caravans. While we were there we met up with The Office look a likes Brett Sirrell and Tim Oliver who came as Ricky Gervais/ David Brent and his side kick, We also met up with Charlie Chaplin and dancing girls from the Swinging 60s.

Paul Looking Cool!

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip

At The Carew Control Tower!

Hello every-one it’s been full steam ahead these last few weeks and last night I returned home after a few days away in Cheddar Gorge with Paul and Poppy. In fact it was one of those weekends where everything clicked together quite perfectly all due to the fact I received a call to step in at the last minute to perform at The Carew, Cheriton, Control Tower for Mil-fest. The event had lost their singer at short notice due to a double booking and as I was heading over to the west of the country anyway it wasn’t that difficult for me to go a day early and head on into Wales.

I first had a show on Friday in Oxfordshire and

On Stage with Mike!

then straight afterwards I hit the M4. Being Friday night I didn’t reach Llanyeefn until 10.30pm but fortunately the event organizers Mike and Sue very kindly put me up over night in their lovely farm house which was just wonderful. I always enjoy going to new places and meeting new people and this was the control tower’s first 1940s event so I was thrilled I could step in at short notice. It’s very rural around the control tower and the organizers were thrilled with the turn out which attracted over 400 visitors all of whom were local people.

All Set to Sing “GI Jive”!

I performed 3 x 45 minute shows daily starting with my WAAF show, a “Hooray for Hollywood” in the middle and I finished the day with my “GI Jive” show. A great combination I find as I sold lots of CDs and the audience stayed on to see my final set resulting in the refreshment tent selling out of refreshments – which were all delicious by the way and I especially enjoyed my scotch egg! Yummy!

Afterwards I made my way over to Cheddar Gorge where I met up with Paul and Poppy in the motor home. We had promised ourselves a little holiday before we head out to

Out and About at Cheddar Gorge!

Normandy next month and we wanted to go somewhere where we could take Poppy. We only had two days so we enjoyed one day in Cheddar and the other at Weston Super Mere. Sometimes it’s good to let ones hair down and go a little casual as I swapped my costumes and uniforms for country casuals.

Things are now starting to get very busy indeed and I’m off on Saturday to perform on Sunday on the Sandringham Estate for the Caravan Club. This engagement came through an agent and I’ve been asked to perform in ATS uniform a Vera Lynn show,

Waking Up with Poppy First Thing in the Morning!

songs from the 1940s which couldn’t be easier!

It’s hard to believe I will be sailing to Normandy on the 1st June and I now have a very full Itinerary of shows to perform once I get to France. Some of you may have already seen on Facebook what I’m going to be doing as the final details are only just starting to come together. I’m still waiting to hear back from Port en Bessin about times but this is how things stand so far.

Sat 3rd June = Airborne Museum, Ste-Mere-Eglise, Utah, 17.00h – 18.00h US WAC Show “GI Jive”

Paul and Poppy in Weston Super Mere!

Sun 4th June = US Camp Outside the Church, Ste-Marie-du-Mont, Utah, 12.00h – 18.00h  singing 20 minutes on 20 minutes off all through the day US WAVES Shows x 9
Mon 5th June = Mayors D-Day Dinner, Benouville, Pegasus Bridge, Sword (Private Event)
Tues 6th June, Outside 6th June Museum, Arromanches, Gold 13.00h – 14.00h ATS “We’ll Meet Again”
21.30h – 23.00h Times to be confirmed 1940s Glamour “In the Mood”
Wed 7th June, Port en Bessin, Time to be Confirmed

Going Casual in Weston with Poppy!

More news to follow soon about times and the style of some of my shows.

In the mean time I will leave my blog here tonight and I hope to do another quick post before I sail and after I come back from Sandringham.

Keep Watching and I shall keep you posted. Toodle pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Off to the Control Tower!

I’m sorry to say it’s just a very quick blog tonight as I get ready to hit the road again. I’ve been working every day since Easter performing a variety of different shows from the 1970s to Music Hall and when I’ve not been entertaining I’ve been busy rehearsing and keeping up to date with my paper work in the office. My biggest pet hate are e-mail addresses with the word activies in. Far too many I’s for my liking and it’s a nightmare for a Dyslectic like me to get right. I’ve had so many bounce back due to my dodgy spelling which means I end up spending ages going over old ground. What a boar!

At Hudson’s Ale House

Changing the subject – Last Friday’s Pearly Queen show at Hudson’s Ale House went well. So thank-you to every-one who came along to Trumpington to see me. I didn’t relies just how close Trumpington is to Grantchester. I so love that program about the soothing vicar and one day I will make it a long to see the village and church. Another ambition of mine is to go punting on the Cam. I’m not sure if Paul is quite so keen on the punting bit but I still think it would be lovely to do this summer – not that it looks like I’m going to have the time!

Tomorrow I have a morning show and then an appointment in the afternoon with my web-designer as I plan on making a few design changes to my web-site. My web-site is growing and tomorrow I need to talk about how long it’s all going to take. Iain has come up with some good ideas but like all these things it takes time to get right!

The Best of British!

On Friday I will be performing in Oxfordshire and then making my way over to Pembrokeshire. I’m performing at The Control Tower Carew, Cheriton for a 1940s event on the 20th May. I shall be performing 3 x 45 minute shows daily 11. 30am WAAF, 1.30pm Hooray for Hollywood and at 3.30pm US WAC Show so I hope you can all make it along to see me. I believe this is the Control Tower’s 1st 1940s event and I hope it goes well for them. More detail can be found by following the link http://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk/events/mil-fest/

Straight after my show I will be heading off to Cheddar Gorge and meeting up with Paul for a few days holiday, not that I know what that word means! We thought it was time to give Paul’s dog Poppy a little bit of a holiday so I’m looking forward to meeting up with Paul & Poppy in the motor home and having a few days rest before we hit the road again and dash off  to Sandringham and then over to Normandy. I wont be back until the 24th May so this will be my last blog until then.

So Keep Watching and I look forward to catching up with you all when I get back.

Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Cricket at Ascott!

Keeping Score!

As I’m sure many of you are aware it was VE Day on Monday and this week I’ve been dashing from “We’ll Meet Again” shows to the “Best of British”. In fact tomorrow night I’m performing at Hudson’s Ale House, 77 High Street, Trumpington CB2 9HZ my Pearly Queen show as the pub is staging a Cockney Night. So if you live in the Cambridge area it will be lovely to see you tomorrow evening. The show starts at 9.00pm through to 10.00pm and I shall be singing all those Cockney favorites from “Any Old Iron” to “Don’t Dilly Dally on the

Chilton House

Off to My Show at Chilton!

Way”. Every-one is welcome!

On Sunday I revived a last minute call to perform in Harlow as the home in question had been let down by their entertainer at short notice. I was delighted to step in and afterwards on my way home I called into Ascott House for tea. Ascott is now becoming one of my favorite haunts and it’s lovely to watch the afternoon draw to it’s close over an Earl Grey tea. While I was there cricket was being played on the green and I caught the end of the match which was all so delightfully English. Especially as Sunday was the perfect May afternoon and by 5.30pm the sun was still shining.

Monday was an important day and this year I had been booked to perform my ATS show at Chilton House which is a beautiful early 17 century property located between Thame and Aylesbury. It was built by John Croke and later re-built in 1740 and is owned by the Aubrey-Fletcher family. This was my second visit to Chilton House as I first played there 20 years ago oddly enough with my “We’ll Meet Again” show too. So it was lovely to be invited back and entertain an audience which very quickly became apparent had served during the 1940s. One lady took a great interest in my uniform as she had served in the ATS.

That’s all I have time for today but don’t forget on the 20th May I will be performing for Mill Fest at The Control Tower in Carew South Wales 3 x 45  minute shows daily for the Control Tower’s 1940s event and then the following week I shall be singing at Sandringham before I head over to Normandy for the D-Day Commemorations. More news on that in my next blog.

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip!

Lunch at Lady Grey in Wendover!

This week I’ve been out performing everyday my new show “Thank-you for the Music”.  It’s always good to have a run of the same show particularly as I’ve been performing a sting of new songs this time around. It really gives me time to get into the swing of things. On Friday I introduced the Supremes number “You Can’t Hurry Love” which went down really well with the audience along with “These Boots are Made for Walking”. Gone are there days of “Oh You Beautiful Doll” and and what I call the Max Bygraves song book. These are now the preferred sing-along tunes of the 55+ and it’s important as an artist I embrace them! Everything has it’s time and there is a natural progression with popular music. Much as I love the old songs I’ve been enjoying singing something different and fresh, with Abba and the Jersey Boys. I’ve fallen in love with the 70s number “Oh What a Night”, which even has a instrumental  for me to perform my retro moves! Eat your heart out John Travolta!

WAAF Stockings at Liberty Rose!

Despite what I’ve just said above I did have one “Song for Spring” show on Thursday which was re arranged  from last weeks itinerary. I’ve now put my Easter bonnet to bed for another year although on Thursday I just couldn’t face wearing a bonnet in May, so I decided to wear my yellow straw boater instead.

Many of my clothes I’ve had for years as I look upon them as old friends. I first bought my yellow boater as a child in the children’s section of Dickinson Jones in 1980. I wore it with my Sister Suffragette costume in 1985 – 87 and had it stored in a hat box for 30 years so it was lovely to wear it after all this time on Thursday. I also have an identical boater in pink which I bought about the same time in Knight and Lee down in Portsmouth. I’ve rather been inspired and I’ve decided to wear more boaters this season. I have quite a collection in the cupboard which all need to be re-trimmed so watch this space. A boater with the hair worn high looks so pretty – don’t you think?

Boaters From My Childhood Still Being Worn Today!

Speaking of Boaters and Thursday I thought I would pop into Wendover after my show and visit Liberty Rose. The lady there always has a delightful selection of vintage trimmings so it’s always worth popping in for a look. On this occasion she didn’t have the petersham I was looking for but some original 1940s lisle stockings – What a find! Especially as she had a grey pair which will be perfect to wear with my WAAF uniform complete with seams. I also bought a brown pair as well which will go with my ATS uniform and with it being VE Day on Monday I couldn’t have timed things better.

Wendover is one of my favorite haunts and just next door to Liberty Rose is Lady Grey Tea Rooms. I often like to pop in for lunch as they serve a wonderful selection of  sandwiches, quiches and cakes. So if you are ever in town do pop into Lady Grey

Stockings to Wear With My ATS Uniform!

for tea – I thoroughly recommend it. Tomorrow I start the first of my VE Day shows and then on Friday I shall be at Hudsons Ale House, Trumpington, CB2 9H2 performing my Pearly Queen show for the Pubs Cockney Night. I shall be on stage from 9pm -10pm so it you live in Cambridgeshire it would be lovely to see you at the show.

More news on Normandy – I’m thrilled to report I’ve been booked to perform in Benouville on Monday 5th June for a special D-Day dinner at the Town Hall. For those of you who know your history Benouville was the first town to be liberated during the D-Day invasion and is where you will find Pegasus Bridge which made up part of the Sword Beach invastion plan. I’ve never perfomed at Benouville before so I’m looking forward to doing so very much. Mondays show is a private function but you will still be able to catch me singing on 3rd June at the Airborne Museum in Sainte – Mere- Eglise and in Ste – Marie – du- Mont on the 4th. I’m still waiting to hear back from two other towns located at Gold Beach about the 6th & 7th June. So keep watching this space and I shall keep you posted.

For those of you who didn’t catch my April Best of British article on “Fashion on the Ration” you will be pleased to know it’s just been up loaded to my web-site. So do click through to my Articles page if you would like a read. I’m also planning to give my web-site a bit of a revamp with my new web designer Iain Quarmby. Iain has offices at Bletchley Park  which as we all know was the home of the code breakers during WW2. Maybe it was fate that Iain and I came together at Bletchley Park and I’m looking forward to taking my web-site forward so keep following!

Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Meeting the Horses Before the Show!

Jess and I All Ready to Go On Stage!

It’s been a busy bank holiday of shows with two birthday parties back to back. One to celebrate Hilary’s 80th at the lovely family home of Norcott Court in Berkhamsted and the other for a special 100th birthday celebration in Milton Keynes. On Saturday night Paul and I were performing at The Equestrian Center in Slapton songs from the 1940s with fellow artist Jess De Giudici as the village turned out to raise money for the church bells. I expect many of you have already seen my photos on Facebook as we all enjoyed a fantastic night of 40s nostalgia. It was great to see every-one dressed up in their 1940s out-fits as Jess, Paul and myself took every-one back in time with our favorite tunes from the 40s.

Saturdays show turned into a long night as I didn’t get on stage for my final set until gone 11 pm and played through to 12.00 am. Jess had to get back to London as she had another singing engagement first thing on Sunday morning so I kept the music high with a fast 40s swing set which got every-one up on the floor dancing. Of-course no 40s night would be complete with-out the “White Cliffs of Dover” and “We’ll Meet Again” with this being

Paul and I On Stage at Norcott Manor!

After Our Show in Milton Keynes!

Vera’s 100th birthday year and by the end I finished the night off with “Land of Hope and Glory” which never fails. What can I say by the time Paul and I had packed up and got home we were both ready for bed!

I big thank-you goes out to Jayne who worked so hard to make the night such a success and to all the volunteers who helped to decorate the room so beautifully. I was even given a pair of silk stockings off the washing line which feel so lovely on by the way – and ones I shall be keeping for very best! No doubt I will be wearing them this June when performing in Normandy. The French always notice these things and that attention to detail as do the Italians!

To-day I performed the first of my new shows “Thank-you for the Music” as I move my repertoire forward a little more into the 1970s. This last month I’ve been learning new songs which have included numbers by The Supremes  and The Jersey Boys so it’s been good to sing something a little different. To-day I included the theme from Mahogany “Do You Know Where You’re Going to” and “Oh What a Night”. I’m still learning “You Can’t Hurry Love” although “Stop! In the Name of Love” has been going down very well. I sung it for the first time last Wednesday which can always be a little nerve racking. When you are performing in musical theater you have so much rehearsal time to get a song right with your fellow cast watching on. Unlike in cabaret where you don’t have that luxury. You have to learn a song and step out straight away before a paying audience which can be a little like a sink or swim experience. It often takes a while for a song to fit which is why rehearsals are so important.

I’m fully booked again this week with shows every-day so Toodle Pip Keep Watching!