TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

As many of you know, since the sad loss of Carey Hancock (Ces) who was one of the first members of this board, we have held a Toast at Cropredy on Saturday night at 8 o'clock at the bar. Ces was a huge fan of Fairport, and especially, Swarb.
Over the years, many more people have joined in.

Ces was also a supporter of The Teenage Cancer Trust, and every year, we collect money for the charity during The Toast, and over the years we have raised thousands of pounds.

As well as Carey, many of us have lost loved ones over the years, and this is a time to raise a glass to them.
It doesn't matter if you are a new member of the board or a long-suffering older member, everyone is welcome.
Shot glasses (plastic) are provided, and, also people bring along their own 'interesting concoctions' for everyone's delight! These have included:
Marmite vodka, absinthe, garlic/chilli vodka etc.

Again, this is an open invitation for anyone who wants to join in - bringing a bottle of 'something nasty' is optional.  ;)

The Toast has become part of Cropredy for many of us, and this will be the thirteenth year of it.

The person responsible for running this site, and the person behind how we all got together at Cropredy in the first place, is Colin, and as this is Fairport's 50th year, it seems fitting that Colin should be The Toast Master this year.

Thanks for that Frog.

Remember that this is an open invitation and please do come and join us. If you want to know more about Carey, what he did and why this is important, please ask.

The toast will be "Carey, Swarb and everybody's absent friends", "Absent Friends"

---

Now for the small print:

There is a suggested donation of £1 for a shot glass. If you actually like something and ask for a refill, that will cost again. Or as it's for the Teenage Cancer Trust, feel free to put in £10 for a season ticket.

TAW accepts not responsibility for any resulting injuries. Try to stay out of ditches. Generally the blindness is only temporary.

If you are bringing your own concoction you will have to meet me at the bar on Saturday lunch time and drink a glass of your brew.

After the "success" of my "Brown Stuff" last year, (Sylvester McCoy judging it to be truly repulsive ) I am pleased to report that this year's effort imaginatively called the "Orange Stuff" is fermenting beautifully and smells truly horrible.

The toast is a recent but enduring Cropredy tradition that sums up the weekend in a nutshell for me.

it celebrates friends past and present
it causes creativity
it involves consuming alcoholic beverages of dubious heritage.
it supports a great cause.

Long may it continue, and no one better than Colin to do the toast at the 50th festival justice.

I do agree Colin should be the master of the toaster....  but we may need something stronger than plastic (which will not melt under the strain ;-)  ) only kidding there.  
It's very inclusive to new members who haven't come along before, you will be very welcome and even if you didn't know Ces I'm sure we all have someone we would like to meet on the  ledge. So here's to Ces and all of our absent friends and family and  a good turn out as always.

May I recommend Lidl's Ouzo as particularly revolting?

I will be at Cropredy for Saturday only with my 9 year old daughter, so I may not indulge in any of the stronger concoctions as I will be in responsible-dad mode. However, I hope to join you for the toast, maybe raise a glass of 6X, say hello, and make a donation.

I wish!....unfortunately, it is only the band's 50th....

Let's not go overboard with this or you'll frighten off the newcomers.

It is not mandatory to drink heavily at the Toast and definitely not de rigueur to be sick.

Come along, have some strange drinks and a laugh with many TalkAWhilers, toast absent friends and make a donation to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Edit: What he said. This topic is important. It will be moderated, to keep it moderate. Colin

Blueberry vodka will be making its way across the Cotswolds...

Hmmmm  that sounds nice...

yes it does....but it's not supposed to be nice!!!

Thought I'd be different! ;)

I've plenty of plastic shot glasses that I can bring.
Now I need to think of something unpleasant unusual to fill them with.

Mercadona in Cabo de Palos seems to sell bottles of 'Fire Water'.

something that doesn't take the skin off the inside of your gullet would be unusual.....

We blame the Frog, for it was he who started this arms race, with a bottle of Chinese somethingorother. (We don't know, it was in Chinese.)

A Polish friend of mine asserted that all spirits are simply a mixture of sugar, colouring, flavoring and white spirit.

Please remember that the whole point of this is the toast and raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The tradition is that it is done with the worst drinks of the world.

Watney's Red Barrel?

nah that would be Pepsi Max  :-X

(said by a true coca cola drinker - diet only)

one hot day in Reading i really wanted a cold diet coke, from a dispenser rather than a bottle or can, with ice and a straw, so went into subway and they failed on every level, dispenser was off, no ice, bottles only, and it was Pepsi, not coke!!!!  i was distraught!

Oh, preference here is for Pepsi Max - that diet coke has an awful after-taste!

But give me coke zero over both of them, ice cold.....!

Having never had a sip of any cola in my entire life, I was horrified when I moved here to see grown men ordering 'Cola-beer' which is half of each. Looks like..... no, I can't say it :o

If I were attending Crops, I would bring you Austrian Rum. What the origin of it is and why, I have no idea. I once tried a sip and my tongue, gums, everything were ON FIRE ;D  I saw a shop in Linz a few years ago that sold nothing else. If any of you chancers spot it in an ethnic offie, it should quieten the Toasting area down a bit!!!

Have fun.  :)

Nothing diet or zero for me, it tastes strange, slghtly metallic and horrible.  Over the last couple of years i would rather drink water than any fizzy drink.  

Last year I decided, after years of dubious liqueurs, enough was enough. I had tasted bacon vodka and it was a waste of good bacon. So being a decisive sort of cove I bought a bottle of Appleton's rum and am delighted to remind one and all as to how well it was received by the assembled throng over the strange and fearful concoctions also being proffered.
    The rum was so good I had no qualms about dragooning the seventh incarnation of the nations favourite TV Dr and star of Tiswas, the great Sylveste McCoy into partaking with us.
      Bring decent grog and they will come.

i do like water and soda water.....sometimes the coke gets out of hand and i have to knock it on the head for a while.
i started drinking diet coke when i first worked in pubs, i knew if i sat all day drinking full fat at work i'd end up the size of a house.  i didn't like it at first but trained myself onto it and now i can't stand the full fat stuff!!

anyway back OT, that bacon one was weird, very....bacony.

In the past I have produced some odd garkic flavourd concoctions (You all remember htegarlic beer ??I may bring some)  but htis year in honour of a magnificent raspberry crop I am pleased to announce htat I have laid down a raspberry flavoured vodka that will not resemble elsan fluid or garlic or astura bitters. I am happy to contribute because its NOT making people grimace  The wort is bubbling away and I am sure will test your delights at hte toast  [;-) {:-)

sshhhhh everyone, but judging by the typing on that last post, I think Dave has been sampling his wares early....... ;D ;D ;D

... no hsit?! ��

I saw the ground still smoking from when I discarded some concoction of his (think it was blue) the next day.

(Off topic, I discovered 'green Coke' in Greece....nice)

That was the Elsan fluid. :-)

Paul

i can't quote, i have the green loading bar of death, but, Paul T, sometimes i really want that 'like' button on here!

Which one?  ;D

I've found some 'salted caramel' vodka for the toast :o

Yum!

Like! ;D

Checked out local Tesco yesterday who seem to have dumped all their Crop toast drinks. Such an opportunity missed!

Did you check the household cleaning products section? ;D

I'm bringing something called Maple Storm, described as maple wine blended with maple spirits. Haven't tried it, so have no idea if this will fit Frog's idea for the toast or if it will turn out to be one of the 'nice ones'.

Anyway I liked the bottle and wanted to have something local from Maine to share....

Sounds perfect Kathryn ;D

I promise our offering this year will be somewhat more palatable than our infamous Marmite Vodka a couple of years ago!

Thank goodness for that!!!

Houston,we have a problem.

Mine,despite my best efforts , is tasting nice.

Still time to change that though.

This is the desired effect of drinking the toast. Plus money to TCT and the remembrance of friends.

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Checked out Sainsbury's today. Duff. Where have all the potentially nasty drinks gone?

Can't toast departed friends with a sweet sherry.

... unless you add a few drops of Tabasco, a slice of lime, and a little umbrella. And Marmite.

Not sure this is totally PC, but it's got a kick  :P

The lovely Lucy (Daughter of YaBB) will be on hand to extract cash. Please give generously.  {:-)

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Pedant alert :-[
 'effect'

Thanks. Fixed.

Brewing has commenced...

Temporary blindness shall only encourage additional donations and we shall also be offering an alcohol free version (there is no escape!!)

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 ;D  Love it!  Is that a dill pickle I spy in there??? :o

What in gods name is it?
Is that a snail floating on the top?

Surely not herring?

Last time I saw anything like that, it was in the pathology dept of the Natural History Museum!  :o

Must get the blueberry vodka bottled today...  :)

That all sounds very special.  I'm coming for my 1st time to Cropredy....friends really encouraged me to come even though I will be on my own and nearly 50!

I am really looking forward to it....I am wondering if Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy will still be around for that and could sing 'Absent Friends'....love that song...

Hedy

Trust me this is anything but a TAW cliquey thing. Random people at the bar and the occasional artist join in.

Introduce yourself, but people will be circulating, so introduce yourself again. The important thing is to toast absent friends and raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Attempting to poison yourself is a byproduct.

Ces. Part of the A-Team who started TAW and the original Absent Friend.
(Please read the first post in this topic)

Holding court at the Cropredy bar and wearing a shirt that could be seen from space.

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It's done and bottled.

The orange stuff has proved its Welsh , its mutated into the Pink Stuff.

Still tastes too nice though. More of a cocktail than a poison.

See those of you there early , in the Brasenose and the Lion tuesday and at TradArr Wednesday.

Looking forward to meeting up with everyone else at the Cricket Pavilion on Thursday lunch time.

All bottled and labelled...



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Looks good!

Who Noose Where the Time Goes...

Don't be nervous, I came on my own in 2014 (at 61) and was welcomed and pampered by all the Talkawhile gang and indeed everyone I met on the field or in the village. I'm back again this year with 3 60- something virgins....

Yes. It'll be great - The Talkawhile folks are pretty friendly and they don't normally attack newcomers..... [;-) ;D ;D ;D ;D

"Remember that this is an open invitation and please do come and join us. If you want to know more about Carey, what he did and why this is important, please ask."
The one story that sticks in my mind about Ces is (as I mentioned in the original post) his love for Swarb. In fact, he named his dog after him.
Ces said that one morning at Cropredy, he woke up to find the dog humping his leg. He shouted "Swarb, stop shagging my leg." He then wondered what the neighbouring campers must have thought.  ;D

*like*

Frog!  ;D

I still have my commemorative Carey tee shirt!!

So do I.

Morning!

Some lovely beverages yesterday!!

At first glance the collection pot is looking to be approximately £350  :) :)

We will update with a final figure and donation pic later.

Well done everyone!

that was good wasn't it!
Apologies to Lucy for deliberately avoiding the gherkin and capers voddy, but that apart most of the grog on offer was very drinkable this year.

There was one that tasted like paint stripper, but I can't remember the name.  [;-)

i had that one, or one of its cousins.  Not sure my taste buds will be the same.

Bugger I wanted some of that and missed out!!

Gosh what a handsome bunch

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Toasters in conversation and enjoying (if indeed that is the word) a selection of, err, distinctive libations.

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I can't see myself on on any of the photos (probably a good thing) but I'm sure I was there.

Thanks to all for making me feel welcome!

Ooh, I've just seen the back of me 'ead!  ;D

£350 and counting, according to Lucy, so well done all. TCT is a great cause and I'm glad we support it in this unique way.

and so have I! :o

Well here are more of you:

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Some lovely reactions there!

Two more victims.  ::)

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I don't think they liked this one!

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People do seem to be lurching in a very worrying manner there!

Robin was still trying to find his land legs

And the final numbers are in.....

Last year TAW members raised £260.50 from the toast, however this year was a record breaking £366!!!!!!

Banking will commence tomorrow and a screenshot of the donation will follow.

Additional donations can be made at https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/support-us/donate?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyrGL9frZ1QIVhpztCh2d-wAxEAAYAiAAEgJXDPD_BwE

Thank you Lucy and well done to all of us who contributed, brilliant result [;-)

Excellent!

Thanks for being banker, Lucy!

Proud to be a Talkawhiler and even prouder to be among such a lovely generous bunch of folks such as us Talkawhilers . Well done .

Well done everyone!

As an afterthought . Can we campaign to get Dad Volt's concoction disqualified as it was more a horrible food than a horrible drink ? ---I quite liked it .

Fantastic.
Well done, and thanks.

Well done us lot ;D  I also made a donation on behalf of Malcolm who kindly send me some tiaras from Germany.

I can honestly say I have never ever tasted anything so foul as the pickle and caper vodka!!

Yes good show one and all. An excellent effort.

Thanks, Sue. Well done everybody.

Seconded. It was really horrible.