Upstaged by a piece of wood!

Oh, but this is so galling.   I brought Jimmur the Jig Doll home from Traditional Music Day because everybody loves a dancing doll and it was a way of joining in sessions rather than sitting waiting to asked for a song while the musicians had a fag break, but I did not expect the little blighter to get a gig in his own right!

A jig doll is a small, jointed wooden doll which is held lightly on a board so that he dances when the board is tapped rhythmically. Sounds simple, but the fascination is that once it really gets going, the doll seems to develop a life of its own, largely because its arm movements are outside the direct control of its operator. I usually take mine to the acoustic session at the Nelson on Wednesdays, where he is very popular (vulgar cries of "Get your little man out!") and displays his versatility by dancing to all sorts of music from jigs to Johnny B. Goode. Last week he got so excited he finished one set by leaping in the air and doing the splits, which was very impressive, and possibly due to having been given a sip of James's beer mid-dance (as I said, they develop a life of their own....).

Anyway, last night Pete asked me specially if I was coming to his skiffle night on the Friday before Christmas. I was most flattered, until he said, "Oh good, bring the doll and we'll give him a couple of solos!"

So there you are. If you want a old-fashioned riotous night out, come to the Nelson on the 21st, enjoy their special seasonal offers on beer and whisky and watch Jimmur tippy-tapping his way to stardom.