“Half memoir, half travel, A Yank Back to England...is an absolutely wonderful book, not only about going home again but also about love and family and tradition and the passage of the years.”
—Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic (Washington
Post)
To see the entire quote, click here.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Not a knees up, for Gawd's sake!

“Is Mum alright, Dad?” I asked.
“Don’t wake her, for Gawd’s sake!” Lew’s face registered fear and concern. “She’ll start doing a ‘knees up’ or get all funny. Either way, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“A knees up?” Frances whispered. I explained it was an East London dance that is only difficult to do if very drunk, which is the only time it is ever performed. A “knees up” required the linkage of arms, the stomping of feet, and high-kicking legs in order to get the required “knees up” while singing “Knees Up Mother Brown.” The image of my drunken aunts performing like inebriated Rockettes, trampling on each other’s feet, was not far from my mind.

4 comments:

Carol Murdock said...

Well now, a knees up dance? That's a new one on me! She's probably like me if I don't get my nap out!
GROUCHY!

A Brit in Tennessee said...

I've done many a "Knees up Mother Brown" in my time, and most of those times, with nary of drop of elixir crossing my lips....though it is much more fun if you partake.

The Prodigal Tourist said...

Josephine, perhaps you can send us a video and we'll post it for Carol! (We'd love to see that too, of course.)

Maggie said...

never have tried it but... it sounds like something I would enjoy with my Cosmos!

Oh this made me giggle!