Hello everyone I’m not long back from Yorkshire after playing at a beautiful Statley Home Carlton Towers. I was very lucky to have supurb sound engineer Chris Gymer working with me on this ociastion and we drove up Monday night. I was invited to stay and have supper with the rest of the fellow houseguests – and what wonderful hospitality and fellow company too. I enjoyed my Coronation Chicken very much yum yum! I was staying in Lord Mark’s room – now I don’t know if I had a visit from his ghost but in the middle of the night I had the most extrardinary experience. I was awoken by something tugging on my left leg. It was a strange feeling and needless to say I must have been dreaming but at the time it felt very real. I shall put it down to my imagination and the fact I was staying in a Victorian Gothic county house. Over supper we had been talking about the operetta Ruddigore and Calton Towers isn’t short of the odd portrait or two so maybe I just have an over active imagination – who knows!
Come Tuesday I was able to explore the house and grounds a little more and enjoyed Lady Fitzaland Howards’s tour and company at lunch. I was booked to sing during the Pimms reception and also to perform a selection of songs from the 1940s and 50s as part of Carlton Towers – Diamond Jubilee Extravaganza Cabaret so I wore my special Red White and Blue Jubilee dress. Needless to say we finnished with “Land of Hope and Glory” and yes I did include Noel Coward’s “Staley Homes of England” which I think struck just the right note along with Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro”.
Today I was performing in Sandy Bedfordshire with my “Don’t Sit Under the Appletree show” and towmorrow I’m going all Pearly Queen. I have a real mix bag of Jubilee shows to do over the next 10 days from Music Hall to Swinging 60s and then France and D-Day so much to do – so do keep watching.
Must dash and thank-you everso Gaby for the wonderful Carlton Towers engagement! Toodle Pip for now!