Léonne 116

Sweet, almost shy posing by Léonne in a nameless pair

of 1970's glasses, recently sent by Martin from Köln,

Germany. When first seeing this picture, some phrases

sung by "musicians' musician" Al O'Donnell ran through

my head. Back in the 1970's, Al was a great influence to

me when I decided to discard songwriting for a while and

concentrate on Irish ballads instead. I will never forget his

friendly personality and the bits of advice he gave during

a visit to my place in Amsterdam during the late 1970's.

The song is called "Maid on the mountain" and I copied

Al's version, singing it in Ireland and at home in Holland.

"And now that I am old and my bones they are weary

Time after time, I reutrn to that clearing

With sadness in my heart I search through the forest

Ever mindful of seeing a sign or the sight

of that fine young girl by the side of that wild mountain stream"