The Best at Passing Clouds...No Passing Clouds the day after.

The sky is a light-pearl colour. Hoping that the rain keeps away, because I am very eager to perform at this Scoop festival on the Thames in a couple of hours' time...it's a stand just under Boris Johnson's nose, just between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Somehow I think Boris would like songs like "The Honeysuckle and the Bee" and "Come to the Fair". In any case, if it rains it ain't happening.

Last night was the best Albert Ball's Flying Aces gig I've ever seen.

Even including the Astor Theatre at Deal. They really were on fire. All the solos were marvellous. Nick was inspired, and again, defining what a front-man really is. Playing the spoons and singing sweet and comic by turns, and about fifty effects behind his truly vintage drum-kit, music from the late 1800s to the early 30s, trying out new songs...if I had to choose one word it would probably be 'fresh'. People wanted more, much more, at the end, but band members had to get last trains to way south of the river. So the last song was introduced by Nick thus: "We have played songs from before the Great War, and songs from after it. This song was written during World War One, so perhaps we could all just listen to it." and then they played "They Didn't Believe Me", and I saw all the crosses over the hills at the end of "Oh What a Lovely War". People did listen.

I sang "Japanese Sandman" and tried to tell of when I introduced it in my tour of South Yorkshire and we heard of the Tsunami, but I think it fell flat. Luckily I can sing, anyway! We did the best version of "Honeysuckle" I think I've ever been part of.

Now for this weather!