Countdown To Christmas

I always know when Christmas is meant to start, And that's when folk singer Kate Rusby rolls into town with her festive concert, complete with a reindeer and a small brass band.

I must have seen Kate and her band a dozen or so times now, and never tire of her tunes, stories and humour.

She comes from Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, and is really down to earth. I don't think she could be a diva if she tried. No peeled grapes, or champaign for her. She's happy with a mug of Yorkshire tea and some biscuits.  For example, she said that she was cold on stage, so she came back on wearing a woolly fleece.

The packed Royal Centre audience enjoyed about two hours of music, including three versions of the carol "While Shepherds Watched", but all with different tunes. Apparently there are thirty, and Kate wondered whether the audience would be interested in listening to them all!

I had booked late, so all the really good seats had gone, as she is really popular. So mine was up in the 'gods'. So I took along my telecom lens, to see if I could capture a few moments. I managed to take a few shots, before the inevitable tap on the shoulder and the usual phrase "Sorry, no photography".

It was the last night of the tour, so she will be driving back to Barnsley to spend the festivities with her partner Damian O'Kane, who also plays in the band, her two daughters, and her eleven year old dog Daisy.

Next year marks her 25th year as a performer. So no doubt Ms Rusby will be back in Nottingham before long, and hopefully I will get a better seat next time.