The sun shone on the righteous this morning… no, not the band, but the good burghers and burghesses of Lichfield who passed along Dam Street (yes, there was a busker already at our favoured spot in Market Street, and a very accomplished busker by all accounts) and chose to add their contributions to our hat box. Most generous they were.

Of course this could be because we now make clear that all donations will be forwarded to Crisis, the charity aiming to eradicate homelessness in our wealthy first-world country, rather than the Serenaders themselves. We’re more obviously not middle-class beggars now, in other words.

And the band were in particularly fine form, overcoming various age-linked ailments and musical limitations as they so often need to do in order to comment on a smelly bit of roadkill, celebrate a beautiful morning, identify a source of sunshine, imitate wayfaring strangers, as well as knocking (or, more correctly, knockin’) on heaven’s door, imploring the same burghers and burghesses to enjoy themselves (for it is later than they think) and bidding goodnight to Irene.

“You’ve all acquitted yourselves to the very best of your abilities. Well done,” The Rev J. Olly Glum could be heard muttering afterwards in his usual pompous and patronising fashion.

The band’s accountant is pleased to report that a total of £102 and 3 pence, plus a metal token bearing the word Calabria, found its way into the hatbox, and, with the exception of the token, will be sent on to Crisis without delay. And many thanks to Kevin Terry who volunteered to take some pictures without having to be asked.

“Oh what a beautiful mornin’… Oh what a beautiful day…” as the Oklahomans would have it.

Yes, the sun is shining and today, for the very first time, the Compleet Wayside Serenaders (as an old-fashioned fellow might call them) intend to add a hiccough to your otherwise seamless sashay down Market Street in Lichfield.

We’ve never been eight-strong (or should that be eight-weak?) in public before, so it’ll be a bit of a thrill for us, even as it underwhelms your Saturday morning queue at the butchers’.

We’ll be there outside the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum (providing there are no other buskers around our preferred spot, in which case we’ll be somewhere else in town or at Speakers’ Corner) from 10.30 to about noon, so the early birds and the afternoon strollers will be the lucky ones.

This was twenty to six on the 16th of February – well, not actually in Lichfield, the Waysides of which remain the Serenaders’ usual habitat, but on the Dorset coast where the Revd J. Olly Glum and Emily Blue were researching their theory that it isn’t as wet on the edges of the country as it is here at its centre. (Their theory was found to be hopelessly wide of the mark.)

Anyway, what it does show is that it is getting marginally lighter with each passing February day, if, that is, you can see through all the mist and rain. And what that means is that the ol’ T-chest is having its Yuletide decor peeled off, and we’re beginning to think that warmer, drier weather might indeed be “an actual thing”.

Intensive rehearsals start next week, or rather a ramshackle bunch of people (some of whom really are getting old) will be gathering to blow the dust off a ramshackle bunch of instruments (some of which are hardly instruments at all) and exchange blank looks each time the Revd mentions a song they played last summer.

Wish us luck!

We were intending to busk again this Saturday, 23 December, but the weather is once again looking changeable – one moment sunny, the next wet with gales – so in the light of our success last Saturday, the Serenaders have decided to draw a veil over the rest of 2023, devoting themselves instead to eating, drinking and making merry with their nearest and dearest. We shall also be raising a glass in hope to a 2024 containing a few more dry, warm and buskable days than was the case in ’23.

We therefore wish you all a most marvellous festive holiday, and may all your hopes for the new year be realised while none of your fears come to pass. See you on the other side!

The Yuletide Serenaders finally made it onto the streets of Lichfield, and our efforts were richly rewarded by very kind Christmas shoppers – £115 in notes alone! – which will all go to the Crisis At Christmas fund which helps to bring some hope and succour to the homeless at this time of year.

The donations seemed to drop into the hatbox at a quicker rate when we were not playing – but the band is trying not to take it personally!

Many thanks to Harriet for joining us on vocals and ukulele for a few numbers and to Jill for strong singing.

The band – or as many of us who manage to get out of bed and into town before noon – will be doing its ‘massy thing tomorrow, that’s 16 December according to the Julian calendar, from around 10.30 in the a.m. If we’re not outside the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum in Market Street, cock an ear for us in a neighbouring Lichfield street, perhaps not far from the Guildhall in Bore Street, for example.

And don’t forget, if you want to do your own body and soul a favour you can join us in song (lyric books provided).

It’s looking far too wet.

But we’re optimistic for Saturday 16 December!

…and don’t forget your brolly! For Folk On The Farm, that is. It’s sold out, and the weather is looking… well, weathery.

The Serenaders will be serenading the musicians and punters into the site at Woodhouse Farm, near Whittington, from about 11am and then intermittently (much like the showers) for the rest of the afternoon.

Hope to see you there. It’s this Sunday 17 September, in case you have no sense of time (much like the band… ho ho).

The Serenaders will be back in town – that’s Lichfield – tomorrow, Saturday 9 September, busking in Market Street outside the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum (opposite Waterstones). As the weather is forecast to be warm (I nearly wrote unseasonably warm there, which is ridiculous on the face of it but a lot nearer to the sad truth of an English summer), we will be playing a little earlier: between 10am and about 11.30am or when our voices and fingers give out, whichever comes sooner. I’m delighted to announce that, although we will be shy of uke maestro Ian Doleful and tambourine maestress Mandy Down-Heel, we will be delighted to welcome, on guitar, Phil OhNo. We might even be joined at some point by part-timer and complete diva Harriet Bleak.

And on Sunday 17 September we’ll be trying to squeeze in a song or two in between the proper musicians appearing at Folk On The Farm, the annual Lichfield Arts visit to the country as part of its Lichfield Festival of Folk. It’s at Woodhouse Farm and Gardens, the postcode is WS13 8QG, and all we hope for is that the rain will hold off and that we’ll see a few familiar faces there.

The line-up of proper musicians includes Farefield, Chase Mist, The Durkins and the community big band ASpire, which will include a couple of Wayside Serenaders pretending they know what’s going on.

For full details and booking (it’s £10.78 for adults, children under 12 free, which appears to include a barbecue), just click on the image above.