THIS weekend, I’m about to hop down to the Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival, where my current tour of Australia will draw to a close. I’ve heard some great music and met some great people on this trip and though the sun is shining here in New South Wales right now, it could easily have been an English winter when I was in Adelaide last week. Now I’m heading to Canada for two weeks of concerts, before trudging wearily back home in time for some real UK weather in early November.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty to write home about around our own local folk scene in the week ahead, starting tonight with Rubber Wellies making a welcome return to The Beamish Mary in No Place near Stanley. Tomorrow at Reeth Memorial Hall, the astounding instrumental prowess and beautiful songs of Chris Newman and Maire Ni Chathasaigh will be centre stage, and then on Sunday, the acapella trio Hex will be at The Customs House in South Shields for the weekly 7.30pm start.

On Monday, my old friend Dick Miles will be back at The Sun Inn in Stockton with some fine songs and concertina playing, and on Tuesday, Scottish songster Bill Adair will be at The Cutty Wren at Redcar Bowling Club.

Finally, tickets are selling like hot things for next weekend’s Hartlepool Folk Festival, and for Whitby Musicport Festival, both of which are near enough to dip in and out of to catch the best in national and local names. I’d be spoiled for choice if I had to pick between them. Instead, I’ll be reporting next week from shivering Alberta on the wide Canadian prairies, where people say you can stand and watch your dog run away from you for two whole days, without losing sight of him.