A Midsummer Night
...and it wasn't a dream...
The Morris Men at the Queen's Head. There were 4 teams on rotation from 7pm until sunset. All the local community was there, eating the BBQ, and drinking.
These guys were the most traditional morris men. I shudder to think how many sticks this team broke during the course of their dances!
The morris teams each brought musos - but by the end they all joined in any songs they recognised. I recognised several Playford tunes. Several morris dances were clearly based on Country Dances too.
The Green Man Guy for the bonfire. I feel the teatowel is somehow quintessentially British.
The guy heading to the fire, escorted by two bonafide virgins (and a squeeze box minstrel whose hat is sanitising this photo). The theory is that if the guy doesn't burn, it casts doubt on the...qualifications...of the escorting maidens.
As you can see, the bona fides of our maidens were endorsed.
Mr Arcadia enjoying the warmth of the fire, and the internal warmth of the Double Vision (which was preceded by Old Rosie Perry, and succeeded by more Double Vision...purely in the interests of science). The view over the hills is spectacular.
A better shot of the view. And the back of my head. Yes, that's Double Vision I'm holding.
A glorious midsummer solstice sunset (at around 10pm).
On the way home we saw a deer on the road, and this prompted our hosts to divert the car for an impromptu deer safari at Ickworth. Most unusually, we didn't see any, because they are grazing sheep in the main paddocks and have put up lots of electrified fences. I said that perhaps the deer had gone to hang out with the fairies, seeing it was Solstice.
A great time was had by all, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
The Morris Men at the Queen's Head. There were 4 teams on rotation from 7pm until sunset. All the local community was there, eating the BBQ, and drinking.
These guys were the most traditional morris men. I shudder to think how many sticks this team broke during the course of their dances!
The morris teams each brought musos - but by the end they all joined in any songs they recognised. I recognised several Playford tunes. Several morris dances were clearly based on Country Dances too.
The Green Man Guy for the bonfire. I feel the teatowel is somehow quintessentially British.
The guy heading to the fire, escorted by two bonafide virgins (and a squeeze box minstrel whose hat is sanitising this photo). The theory is that if the guy doesn't burn, it casts doubt on the...qualifications...of the escorting maidens.
As you can see, the bona fides of our maidens were endorsed.
Mr Arcadia enjoying the warmth of the fire, and the internal warmth of the Double Vision (which was preceded by Old Rosie Perry, and succeeded by more Double Vision...purely in the interests of science). The view over the hills is spectacular.
A better shot of the view. And the back of my head. Yes, that's Double Vision I'm holding.
A glorious midsummer solstice sunset (at around 10pm).
On the way home we saw a deer on the road, and this prompted our hosts to divert the car for an impromptu deer safari at Ickworth. Most unusually, we didn't see any, because they are grazing sheep in the main paddocks and have put up lots of electrified fences. I said that perhaps the deer had gone to hang out with the fairies, seeing it was Solstice.
A great time was had by all, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.