Covid continues to rage through the country. Some shops will open on Monday 7th December and others will follow on 14th, but restrictions are going to persist well into January when, it is anticipated, the vaccine should start to roll out. At the moment, deaths are running at around one hundred a day, with Thessaloniki and other districts of northern Greece being the worst affected areas.
It’s been a bad week. Our singer’s husband died earlier this week, on 2nd December to be precise. A thoroughly decent man, he had been unwell for the past two or three years. A supporter and critic of the band in our earlier years when we played more often. He would tell us straight if we had ballsed things up, so his praise always meant something. Thankfully, such has been the response of family and friends that our singer has derived great consolation and strength in this terrible period. I was her personal Uber driver but – due to Covid – she sat in the back seat. No-one has hugged her. What a mess.
Being stuck at home most od the time, I have started to put together another playlist even though 1) the first playlist is far from polished and 2) I can’t see us practising before the end of January or playing before May. On a more positive note, I found this lovely tune a few days ago. I sent it to some of the band members in the hope that maybe it will take our minds off our departed friend. It’s a lovely tune described as an Irish reel by Fiddle Castro (I love it!) on YouTube. I feel its origin is more Scottish or Canadian than Irish. It also seems to be a bit of a hybrid reel/hornpipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IArwJNfTLp8 There is a link to a pdf file where the tune is in a collection dedicated to the Hill Music of Southern Pennsylvania.
Here is the sheet music and chords: http://www.folktunefinder.com/tunes/26828 (In Folk Tune Finder it is listed as ‘England’ but FTF would list the Irish Washerwoman as English, my only criticism of this great website.)