I stepped into my book last night

It was while living at Blaxhall that George Ewart Evans wrote Ask the Fellows who Cut the  Hay, the book for which he is best remembered. He wrote about the village’s rich folk music tradition, with regular nights at The Ship where people would sing and dance. He described how each folk song told a story and how each singer had her or his own song, that will have been handed down from parents and grandparents.

Last night we went to Blaxhall village hall to hear John Spiers and Jackie Oates perform folk songs from around the UK, with one or two from Iceland to add interest and variety. It was an impressive show, all the better for being in the very traditional setting of a remote Suffolk village hall.

We’re not regulars at folk events, so assumed that that the time on the ticket was the time to arrive. But having ruined up on time to find the hall almost empty, we sat and watched as over the next 40 minutes a steady stream of folk fans walked in, bought a pint and chatted, before settling down. The performance started 45 minutes after we’d arrived.

I’m sure that if Evans had still been alive and living in the village, he’d have bought a ticket too. I also suspect he’d have known not to arrive too early!