Noel and Gyp

This evening during a walk we happened to get in to conversation with Noel who was out exercising his dog Gyp.
Noel who is 84 is a collector and singer of traditional Sussex folk songs.
Born in Ashurst West Sussex Noel has always worked on the land ,and can still remember hearing the farm labourers singing on their way to the village pub after a days work in the fields.
He became interested and started to collect their songs,adding fishermen's and other workers songs ,finishing with a collection of around 500 songs, which has been placed along with the late Bob Copper's ,a Rottingdean traditional folk singer and collector, in the national collection.
Noel still sings the old songs locally but said that as the character of pubs has changed over the years venues are becoming harder to find.
Gyp his companion ,is seven and has been trained by Noel to stay and even to walk leading with her left or right leg.
We spent a good half an hour talking to Noel and throwing a tennis ball for Gyp ,a chance meeting, which started with a simple Good Evening.