Long live the Green Man

Today we’ll be talking about death, grief and hypochondria (mine). So if any of those topics catch you at a bad moment, look away. We lost two good friends last week and, to misquote Pink Floyd, we’re feeling uncomfortably numb. Many FOMM readers would have either personally known or known of the renowned Australian folk-singer, John Thompson. John had been battling cancer for several years until his death last Wednesday, aged 56. Mr Thompson packed…

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The back roads to Canberra and musical reunions

When we planned a 2,500 kms round trip to the National Folk Festival via the back roads to Canberra, it seemed like a monumental expedition. Now that we’re home again (via Dubbo and Goondiwindi), it seems a weak effort compared to the distances travelled by overseas guests including Manran (Scotland), Nancy Kerr and James Fagan (UK), April Verch (US), George Jackson (US) and Vila Navio (Portugal). For example, George Jackson committed himself to a 35,000…

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