Welcome to the home page of Janet Elizabeth (JE) ... folkie, Scottish country dancer, theatre-goer, concert-goer and armchair gardener. I am also a volunteer computing advisor and an advocate of fairtrade, waste reduction, charity shops on the high street and online, Apple Macs and travel without use of private motor vehicles.
Volunteering in Computing
I enjoy helping people use computers and smart phones, as a volunteer for AbilityNet which helps disabled and older people at home.
I have created a few web pages with gentle computer help for beginners.
Music and Singing
I enjoy singing, especially joining in choruses in unison or with natural harmonies or making an individual contribution among like-minded friends in folk clubs and festivals.
I also enjoy music from the mediaeval, renaissance and baroque periods (early music) which has a lot in common with folk music, and I volunteer with Bremf, the Brighton Early Music Festival.
Then there is the lusty singing of Shape notes, such as from the Sacred Harp book or, in the run-up to Christmas, the Brighton Pub Carols. These are primarily for people to join in with and enjoy participating and so are shanties, on which I run a monthly U3A Shanty Group and I am gradually publishing my Shanty Notes online.
I've written a few songs in the traditional style, my latest being All the Good Times are Yet to Come.
Dancing
I enjoy traditional set dancing like barn dancing and especially the more complex and hence rewarding Scottish Country Dancing - play the video on the right to see what I mean. It helps your heart, lungs, bones, and balance and it exercises your brain too. I am a member of the Brighton and Hove SCD Club and a member, the secretary and the web site editor for the RSCDS Brighton Branch.