On Stage at Euston Station!

I’m sorry I’m a little later than normal with my blog this week. As you might expect I haven’t had a great deal of time to myself having performed seamlessly through the months of October and November with Halloween, Guy Fawkes shows and straight on into Remembrance season. As ever I’m constantly learning new music and it was great to open my Guy Fawkes shows last week with Elvis’s popular tune “Burning Love”.

This week I’ve swapped my flaming dresses for ATS uniform. I’ve a full diary of “We’ll Meet Again” Remembrance shows to perform which will be taking me through to the best part of next week and I’m now performing two shows daily up until the 12th November. I have an enormous repertoire and I’m always making musical changes to keep my shows fresh and exciting. This year I’ve been performing The Band of Brothers

Singing for The Poppy Appeal!

theme tune “Requiem for a Soldier” which has been going down extremely well.

Good show programing is essential and I usually perform this number after the 2 minutes silence on remembrance day itself which is a lovely way of opening my show. For now I’ve been placing “Requiem” as the penultimate number which sits well in my show planning before it will be taking its proper place again for Remembrance day.

Collecting for the Appeal!

Last Thursday I was at Euston Station performing for London Poppy Day. Last year I was at London Bridge and at New Street Station in Birmingham too. This year the Appeal concentrated on London and I was placed at Euston which is much easier for me to get to. I had been booked to perform from 8am in the morning through to 6pm at night 20 minutes on 20 minutes off all through the day. It’s a big sing but very enjoyable as I performed a mixed repertoire of Opera to Rock and Roll, not to mention all those popular sing-along favourites from the 1940s, which people

Out-side The Air Raid Shelter Cafe!

just adore.

This year it was much easier because I had a clock right in front of me and in the end I simplified my sets by performing 30 minutes on 30 minutes off which seemed to work better with the trains. I first started singing for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal in 2018  in Birmingham and I now have these Poppy days off to a fine art.

I usually play my first show as a straight through 60 minutes set from 8am to 9am and then every 30 minutes on the half hour.  I find this works

Inside The Air Raid Shelter Cafe!

well so in effect I’m only singing for five and a half hours which seems to go very quickly. The hardest part isn’t the singing but the standing which is why I always bring a couple of pairs of shoes. On this occasion I only needed two pairs, one flat pair for hauling equipment and setting up and the other, a smart pair of heels because they always look so much more glamorous when on stage.

As yet I’m still waiting to hear just how much we raised on the day. I know over £15000 was raised on credit card machines alone but just how much was taken in cash donations I’m still waiting to hear back but as soon as I do I will let you all know.

This week has been very full on with shows every day and on Tuesday I was booked to perform for the Royal Star and Garter in High Wycombe. Just down the road is The Air Raid

Tea in the Air Raid Shelter!

Shelter Cafe and Tea Rooms. I’d been wanting to visit for a long time as it’s just changed premises to Frogmore Street. It’s a little like a 1940s museum with lots of artifacts from the war. My show wasn’t until 4pm on Tuesday so I made the most of the opportunity, called in for lunch and enjoyed the war time ambience.

I shall leave you with a few of my photos

Keep Following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

All Set for The Royal Star and Garter!