Our second Apple Day Sunday in a row! I don’t usually use exclamation marks but it seems justified here. If you can’t use exclamation marks about apples then when can you use them?

We performed in the orchard, a beautifully idyllic place on a terrifyingly warm October Day.

I’d never been to Stanmer Park before, which is a bit of an oversight for someone who’s lived in Brighton for 18 months. The nasty road to Lewes put me off, along with not really knowing what it was.

It turned out to be a gorgeous country pile, similar perhaps to Wollaton Park in Nottingham, aka some fancy pile once belonging to a blue blood but now belonging to the people. It is on the edge of the Downs with lovely walks heading north towards beyond.

I cycled up early from the seafront, aware that Brighton were playing at home at their out-of-town stadium in nearby Falmer.

I bumped into fellow folk choir member Ruth in Stanmer House, a gorgeous venue trying to maintain its decorum in the face of sticky-handed kids, and largely failing.

She was dressed to kill as always, and we had a nice little chat before I went off in search of apples and to leave her to her Sunday lunch.

We practiced under the shade of an old oak tree, in the graveyard of Stanmer Church, Grade II listed and devoid of parishioners.

Stanmer has been a settlement since the very olden days, but there aren’t many people here now, and certainly not enough believers for a congregation.

We sang surrounded by old graves, near the donkey wheel, and with the excited barks of Paul and Fiona’s doggy (Oggy) for company.

On the way to practice, we discussed badgers, and how I only ever seemed to see them as road kill. One choir member – Paul, I believe, told me that farmers have been known to kill them then dump them on the road, so what I saw may not have been as innocent as it first seemed.

“The freezer had gone, so I had to skin a badger,” added another choir member, whose name I need to be reminded of. Important context: this was way back when she was working for Birmingham Museum, and the unfortunate mammal in question was being prepared for taxidermy.

We were last on, which I immediately interpreted as “headlining”.

From the other stage on the main road, Paul had heard someone playing a steel band Kraftwerk cover. But here, surrounded by rare apple varieties and signs gently reminding us not to pick the apples, we had a lovely spot to sing at whoever. And a healthy crowd had gathered.

We sang:

1. Hopping Down in Kent

2. All among the Barley

3. The Pear Tree

4. The Cornish Farewell Shanty

I have started to try singing different parts, rather than just sticking to tenor. This involved me having to move from one part of the group to another between songs, like the diva I aspire to be.

I particularly enjoyed The Pear Tree – “Any pear trees in today?” I shouted before we started (my between-song chat needs work) – and Hopping Down In Kent, with a last minute lyric change for wise cultural sensitivity reasons [1].

All in all, a lovely gig – and many thanks to my parents for making the long journey from Southsea on the train to hear us sing.

Thanks to Jo and the gang as always – I had a lovely time.