A womans work is never done and I’m now back at my desk after a full week of shows. On Saturday night I had the pleasure of being the surprise guest at Keith Dorset’s 70th birthday Party in Watford. Georgina his wife had engaged me to sing the 1940s and everyone came dressed up in the period which made for a wonderful party. Then on Sunday I was singing at the Brackley Music Festival. I was on stage with some great singer song writers and guitarists

Show Time!

in particular I liked Jodi Mc Carthy who had that wonderful Nashville sound and Craig Papworth who made me laugh with his sense of humour and take on well-known songs.  Even if he did seem a little disappointed with the lack of groupies, free beer and drugs on offer but then Brackley is very respectable and we did have to compete with the Grand Prix and Silverstone just the next village away!

Now I’m back  home I’m having to catch up on paperwork and sort myself out for next weekend. Saturday is going to be an interesting one as I’ve been booked by the Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment to sing for their Mess Dinner in Aldershot. They are having a Blackadder theme and I’ve been asked to do the WW1 part . The Regiment are all coming in costume so I have a feeling this Mess dinner is going to be really fun. Perhaps I should have boffed up on Blackadder first. I only ever saw the medieval one and a bit of Queen Elizabeth the 1st. I shall do what I always do in a situation such as this. Play along and be just that little bit theatrical which I think in this case will be just the ticket – slap my thigh and call me BOB!

On Sunday I’m then having to dash down to East Ham to host the Mayor’s Newham show and this time I’ve been asked to do it as my alter ego “Evette the Spivette”. Sunday is going to be a really busy day as I’m booked to perform my WW1 show “Pack up Your Troubles” at 1.25pm and a Big Band and Swing set at 5.35pm so it’s all go! In the meantime I’m in Cabaret tomorrow with another WW1 show to do on Friday and dress fittings in-between.

That’s all my news for now. I hope to be in the recording studio next week but more on that later

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip!

Tonight I’m all set for the 4th July with a run of  “Stars and Stripes” shows which will be keeping me busy for the next couple of days. In fact I had my first one today and what a warm day it’s been too. So warm in fact I had to remove my stockings and go on stage with bare legs – something I never do! Tomorrow I’ve been booked to do two US WAC shows back to back and to be honest I’m not looking forward to it if this heat continues. The American uniforms are so thick and at least my “Stars and Stripe” costumes do give me cooler options but as I’ve been booked to do WAC I feel I must deliver even if I may be like a boil in the bag piece of fish come the end!

On Saturday I have a private party and then on Sunday I shall be singing at the Brackley Music Festival for their “Lazy Sunday Afternoon”. I’ve been asked to close Sundays show with my “Stars and Stripes” show but with the centenary to include some WW1 songs so “Alexandra’s Rag Time Band” couldn’t be more perfect. I shall also be including my WW1 sing-along medley, “I’ll Make a Man of You” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. The afternoon begins at 2pm with Ian Murry who brings a contemporary collection of pop and rock on guitar and sax, Craig Papworth an energetic style and irreverent sense of humour who will give a new lease of life to well-known songs, Jodi Mc Carthy is known for her a rich voice and fine guitar playing, Monty’s travelling Music Show and not forgetting me of course! I shall be on stage at 5pm through to 6pm. Tickets cost £6.00 but for 5 – 15 years only £3.00. The Brackley Music festival has been running since Thursday at different venues in the town. Sundays show will be taking place at Brackley Football Club, Churchill Way NN13 7EJ so I hope you can all make it along as it looks like a great line up. If you would like tickets please ring R P Lovatt Insurance on Tel 01280 703476

Once again I have a very busy couple of days next week with Aldershot on Saturday and I shall be hosting and singing at The Mayor’s Newham Show in Central Park, Eastham on Sunday – but more of that next week.

Time for bed now I think so thankyou for following and Toodle Pip! 😉

Me in my “Stars and Stripes” costume!

Hello every-one I’ve just got home after a very full diary of shows which took  me up to Birmingham  for Armed Forces day and onto Warwick. In fact I’ve been in the Midlands all this weekend and playing a verity of shows from WW1, American Swing to ATS and “We’ll Meet Again”. Saturday was all go as I was booked by the Birmingham City Council to do all three and I really enjoyed opening the event with my new WW1 show “Pack up Your Troubles”. Belive it or not I was in the recording studio on Friday picking up my new WW1 track “I’ll Make a Man of You” which I learnt on the way home and sung the next day in Birmingham.  What a song! I found it in a  WW1 song book and I knew at once it would be a real show stopper – as ever Richard has done me proud with the arrangement. I was also able to pick up a new recording of “Don’t Dilly Dally on the Way”. My old track just isn’t up to scratch and wont do so it was great to be on stage with something completely fresh for Birmingham. A big thank-you to John who mixed sound and to Paul who loaded my tracks for me. It was just a shame we had so much rain but like they say the show must go on and my dear friend Paul Casper and I played on regardless! Great show Paul!

As ever I’ve been making the most of this weekend and I spent a little time between shows in Stratford – Upon – Avon doing a little shopping. I confess I have done rather well this weekend buying a couple of 1950s “Hell Bunny” dresses from “Aspire Style” in Wood Street, shoes at “Jones”, Vintage hat pins from the Antiques market and lunch at the “Four Teas” Tea Room. Who could ask for anything more! Once again I have another busy week ahead with 5 shows booked in and lots of contracts and sorting out to do. Now we have gone mobile with my web-site I will be up dating a lot of my pages starting with my 1940s page. I have lots of new photos I wish to use which will help to keep everything fresh and exciting. I’m still having problems arranging my photos when writing my blogs though but I hope to have this sorted out soon.

Thank-you for Following and Toodle Pip! 😉

Me in WWI Costume

Me with Sound Engineer John

Taking Tea at The Four Teas Tea Room

Between Shows in Chamberlain Square

I know I’m a little earlier than usal writing my blog tonight rather than Thursday or Friday but as I have a very busy couple of days a head of me what with Armed Forces Day and all I thought it would be best for me to write my blog tonight. I’m still struggling a bit to put my photos where I should like them to go and to arrange my blog post as I would wish them to be but I am working hard to improve – so do bear with me.

Today I’m just back from singing in Peterbough, tomorrow I’m in High Wycombe, Chinnor on Friday and then I’m off bright and early to Birmingham on Saturday for Armed Forces Day. This year I have been booked by Birmingham City Council to perform 3 x 40 minute sets in Chamberlain Square for the cities event. I’ve been asked to open the show with my WW1 show “Pack up Your Troubles” at 12.10pm then at 2.20pm to do an American Swing Show and to close the event with my final set running from 4.20pm to 5pm with “We’ll Meet Again” my ATS show finishing with “Land of Hope and Glory”.  So as you can imagine I’m really looking forward to Saturday. It will be the first time I’ve played my WW1 show to a large audience and I’m hoping we will attract a good turn out. The Birmingham Mail have writain an article about the event and included on-line some wonderful photos from last year. I shall also be on stage with another great friend of mine and entertainer Paul Casper who many of you know does a fantastic George Formby act. There will also be a Military Community Choir and from 11am the Veteran’s associations such as the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and the War Widows Association of Great Britain will be in Victoria Square running stalls and displays about their organisations. So I hope you can all make it along as this looks to be a fabulous event.

On Sunday I’m in Warwick, not far away from Birmingham which for once has worked out rather well with me returning home on Monday. Next weekend I will be singing at the Brackley Music Festival so it all go!

That’s about all my news for now. Thank-you for following   and I hope to see you all in Birmingham on Saturday.

Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

All Set For Armed Forces Day

Me Shooting the Hun WW1 style

Out and About at The Royal Marines Museum!

Me with the New France Old England Show!

What a busy weekend it’s been with me taking on a different sort of role, working as a compare for the Royal Marines Museum down in Southsea. In fact I did make a mistake and say the National Royal Navy Museum in my last blog. They are in fact two different places even though they come under the same banner and the Marines Museum uses all the same paper work. This weekend was a rather special event for the museum as it was celebrating 350 years of the Royal Marines with a Journey through time and they had lots of re-enacters recreating the history. I know I shouldn’t say this particularly as I spend most of my time recreating the 19th and 20th centuries but I am rather fond of the 18th century and I feel quite at home in a corsett and panniers. It seems to be the only century where it was quite acceptable to be in fancy dress all the time which might explain why I don’t feel at all out-of-place. It  makes a wonderful change from the 1940s! However saying that I was booked to compare as a WW2 Wren and I really enjoyed meeting and introducing all the different re-encters from the Trafalgar Drummers to the New France Old England Show, The Society of King George the Third and Tim Lowe who told the story of the Cockleshell heroes through the words of Bill Sparks VC. Sadly I wasn’t able to be at the Museum for the full two days as I had to dash back to Princess Risbough for a WW1 /WW2 “Songs that won the War” show today- but I can honestly say I did make the most of my time there. One of my highlights was having a go on the shooting range with a WW1 weapon and yes I even shot down a German plane – well sort of! Just doing my bit for the War effort! Check out my photos on facebook!

Today I have been singing lots of songs from WW1 and WW2 and I’m due to be in the recording studio again on Friday to pick up a couple of new tracks. I’ve had a new track made of Marie Loyd’s “Don’t Dilly Dally on the Way”. The track I’ve been using up to now is one I commissioned back in the 90s and was long over due for a replacement. Richard has very kindly e-mailed me through his arrangement tonight which sounds super. I’m also picking up another song from WW1 called “I’ll Make a Man of You” which I must learn this week. I’m in Birmingham for the city council on Saturday for Armed Forces Day  and I’ve been asked to perform 3 sets, one WW1, one 1940s glamour and for my final set ATS “We’ll Meet Again”.

My WW1 shows have really taken off this year as I’m the only one I know who covers this period in a way which suits the modern world. I commission all my music which means I can be much more creative and so many new doors have opened for me as a result. August has gone crazy with 35 shows sold so far which will be  taking me up to Scotland and Wales the Isle of Wight  and then I’ve been booked to do some filming in September before heading off to Belgium so busy busy!

I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and catching up on paper work tomorrow  so I shall leave it here tonight. I’ve now found the spell check for my blogs so I hope my spelling is better tonight. I’m still having problems with positioning my photos but I hope I will be able to master that in time, at the moment it masters me.

Thank-you for following and Toodle Pip!

As ever I’m in a bit of a dash between shows, getting ready to head off down to Portsmouth tomorrow to The National Royal Navy Museum. I’ve been booked to compere their Sea Soldiers event which runs from the 21st – 22nd June 10am -5pm. The Sea Soldiers event is a journey through time and is all set to tell the story of the Royal Marines who first went to sea in 1664 to fight the Dutch. This weekend promises to be a great event with historic re-enactors bringing four centuries of history to life with combat displays, and daily re-enactments. So as you cam imagine I’m really looking forward to doing something a little different from singing and compering for a change. I’ve been asked to come as a Wren so I have my uniform all pressed and dress in my suit carrier all ready to go. In the mean time I’m typing this blog in my ATS uniform as I’m just about to dash out the door to do a “We’ll Meet Again” show.

Tomorrow I’ve got to go all “England” with world cup fever as I have a England show to do on my way down to Portsmouth. I guess I shall be going a little bit cockney for that one and wearing Red and white. Sadly I wont be able to do the two days for Sea Soldiers being already engaged for the 22nd. I have to dash back Sunday morning to Princess Risbough for a WW1 event soo busy busy.

Well must go now thank-

Me going Wren!

you for following and toodle pip!

Hello one and all this weekend I have been performing down in Kent for a summer fate not far from West Malling while staying over in St Leonards nere Hastings. If you have been following me on face book you may well have seen my photos. Hastings Old Town is one of my favourite haunts as I buy alot of my vintage clothes from there and this Sunday I enjoyed some time out to do a bit of shopping while taking in the sea air. It seems like ages since I was last in Hastings but the wonderful thing about the old town is it’s full of intresting, antique and vintage fashion shops – all very bohimian so perhaps not surpisingly I feel very at home there!  All the dealers know me really well and it was great catching up with them all espesaily with Ann of Bliz Knitz who knits all my 1940s jumpers and yes I did come home with two new sweaters!  I’m so looking forward to wearing them as they really show off my curves.

This year has been really busy and it’s going to get even busier with all the WW1 anniveraries I’m booked to do so it’s important I make the most of my days off .  I shall be returning to Hastings in November. I’ve been booked to sing for a vintage life boat event and I have a few shows to do the following week –  a good excuse to stay down there I think! This weekend I stumbled upon the most wonderful hard wear shop called A G Hendy & Co Homestore Hastings while I was in the old town. If you click through to my facebook pages you can see all my photos. As yet my blogs don’t seem to be going through to facebook but Rachel is on the case and I’m keeping my fingers crossed this one will go through tonight! Now we have gone mobile with my web-site we still have a few teething problems to work on. As yet I haven’t found the spell check when I’m writing my blog and the boarders on my photos are all wrong. We will sort this out in time so please do bear with us. I still have loads more photos from France I must post up onto my facebook pages so please do keep watching!

Once again I have shows all this week and on Saturday I will be heading down to Portsmouth. I’ve been booked not to sing but to compere at The National Royal Navy Museum for their Sea Soldiers – A Journey through Time event which celebrates 350 years of the Royal Marines. Something I’m really looking forward to doing  and something a little different.  As many of you already know I do a Wrens show which ment I had the right uniform and I think that’s how I got the job.

We’ll must dash it’s getting late and don’t forget to have a look at my photos on facebook

Toodle Pip and Bye for now!

Me out and About in Hastings

I’m afraid it’s only a very quick blog tonight as I’m burning the midnight oil once more trying to get everything done and ready before I head off to Kent. I’m booked to sing for the village of West Malling tomorrow not far from Maidstone in Kent and I have been asked to do a mixture of music from the 1940s and 50s for their Village Lunchon. After the show I’m heading down to St Leonards nere Hastings and I wont be back again until Monday evening. To be honest I haven’t truly unpacked and sorted everything out from Normandy yet, even now I still have some e-mails I must answer – but I am getting there!

As you can see I’m getting to grips with word press and the new way of doing my blogs. I’m struggling a bit with the

Me at Omaha with an Indian Princess!

elinements as you can see clearly on my last D-Day blog. The photos and text wont sit where I want them to go but I dare say if I keep at it all will come right in time. I still haven’t found the spell check and these blogs don’t seem to be going through to my facebook pages. I know Rachel is on the case so do bear with us until we get everything working the way it should.

In the mean time I have posted up a few more photos of my D-Day tour onto facebook and here you can see me at Omaha cemitary with an Indian Princess and chef.

Gosh it’s late enjoy my photos Toodle Pip and thank-you for Following!