Felicity from Down Under posted: " Would easily double as a travel blanket :) Recently, I was trying to refine almost 40 years of friendship into 250 words, for inclusion at a commemoration ceremony we couldn't attend. I failed. I managed in about twice that many, and cheated by adding"
Recently, I was trying to refine almost 40 years of friendship into 250 words, for inclusion at a commemoration ceremony we couldn't attend. I failed. I managed in about twice that many, and cheated by adding a few more to accompany musical excerpts I forwarded. The musical excerpts were often for things that you could consider travelling songs.
In Australia, and particularly once you get beyond the major cities, there's plenty of time to sing, often unaccompanied. When I was a child, my family had rounds down to a fine art. When his children were small, our late friend's family preferred the call and response repertoire. We sang Three Blind Mice while they sang the Banana Boat Song.
Then there are songs that don't fall neatly into either category but without which no trip would be complete. I have some memories of Botany Bay featuring in our repertoire because of its easy chorus. Our friend's family was much more likely to belt out a song taught them by an Irish-Australian primary school teacher. I am only a little surprised that the (said to be traditional) Irish funeral or wake song Isn't it Grand, Boys? was never in our repertoire. There might have been too much profanity for Mum's tastes, although the rest of us would have been happy to roar it out on top note. In any case, I am delighted to have acquired it now as an extra for any trips we might take in future.
While I was auditing versions of songs to choose versions, I worked on the last few rounds of the temperature blanket. The days are cold enough now that it was a welcome addition. And it is nearly finished. There's only one round left, and a weekend ahead.
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