When England learns to dance again she'll prove a wiser nation

[venta]

Just to show that I'm not just a one-trick phony who can only write about music: on Tuesday it was time to head out with the rapper team for a bit of socialising with Kirtlington Morris Men.

My favourite quote for the evening: "That's one thing I haven't missed at all - Dave saying "Cock!" in the middle of a pub".

This is Dave:

Shortly after that photo was taken, he did not in fact say "cock", because there were some small children present. I think he said "private part" instead. You see, Dave is our Tommy. Most rapper teams have a Tommy. One of his important functions is to introduce the dance (and dancers) to the audience. For reasons that are a little mysterious (ie they happened before I joined the team), one of our dances is called Bobbits, after the exploits of one Mrs Lorena Bobbit. We are, after all, women with knives. Our Tommy gets as much mileage out of this as possible, which is why he has yelled "cock" in pubs the length and breadth of England. Sometimes it's good to have a hobby.

Much though I hate to admit it, a traditionally-dressed Morris team can actually look good in the right setting. I think the right setting is a rural pub, just as twilight it coming in. Unfortunately, this is proving somewhat difficult to photograph.

Using a flash means that you get a reasonably clear image, but that the sense of velvety blue-skied twilight is gone.

But not using a flash requires too long an exposure, and everything goes blurry. A little bit of blur isn't a bad thing, for the movement, but I'm still not terribly happy with the picture. I did also take some photos with my "proper" camera (ie film SLR, instead of digital point'n'go), but the results won't be available until I've finished the film and got it developed and all that. I'm not optimistic, because it was very slow film in the camera.

Oh, and completely irrelevantly (see, I'm a three-trick pony! Music, folk dancing, and photographs!) I also found something fantastic in London at the weekend. I suspect it of being one of Banksy's, though it wasn't tagged. It can be found lurking stealthily between Green Park and The Ritz.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do keep promising timeplease that I'll head on over at some point.

Should you happen to be in Hampton Poyle, the above-mentioned bell does at least two "real" ciders. I actually find them drinkable, so they're not as "real" as some (ie you don't expect to find dead rats floating in them, and I think an average coat of polyeurathane varnish would survive contact with a spilt pint).

[erming.livejournal.com]

Well there is a beer festival on the 22nd - 26th June :-) If it is like the last there'll be about 32 real ales on at peak and 5 ciders and a perry.

I'll probably try and organise a trip there for the Sat afternoon.

Where's Hampton Poyle? Sounds suspiciously like it's outside Zone 6.

Well although I like real ciders, I like Biddenden a lot. It is kind of thick - it gloops more than pours, but it's clear and still and has a nice taste, but at 8% is kind of strong. The Oakdale Arms (which is about 30 mins walk from home) sometimes has it on. :-)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Beer festival dates noted, though it inconveniently clashes with Glastonbury :(

Hampton Poyle is a little way north of Oxford, so not somewhere you're actually likely to wash up in by mistake.

The Darlington beer festival often used to have Biddenden ciders on - they're also not too ratty or varnish-removing.

[erming.livejournal.com]

Beer festival dates noted, though it inconveniently clashes with Glastonbury :(


Ouch, no contest about which is the best one to be at.

A week before Ealing is having a beer festival, and features something I think is very good - two non smoking beer halls.

Oxford is a little far to go to in the evenings (I live near Wood Green). Sounds like a nice place though. Even Reading is a bit hit and miss to get back from when transport is still running, especially when you go the long way so as to avoid Friar Street at chucking out time.

The last beer festival had swamp donkey cider and it was so sour I have no idea how they could tell it was off.

Still I found I actually drink some British beer recently - mild and stuff that doesn't taste of hops.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Oxford is a little far to go to in the evenings (I live near Wood Green)

I've done approximately the other direction (Highgate to Oxford), and it takes under 3 hours even in the middle of the night, because there are 24-hour coaches between Oxford and Marble Arch (or Hillingdon or Shepherd's Bush or Notting Hill or Baker Street or Victoria as you fancy). I don't know how to get to Wood Green by night bus, so you're on your own there.

Oxford's not much worse than Reading, really: it takes 30 minutes longer, but if you're on the coach you don't have to worry about missing the last train. And at night, the coach is hardly any slower than the train (during the day you lose 30 minutes sitting in traffic at Gypsy Corner).

[erming.livejournal.com]

Thats pretty good.

Wood Green is excellently served by nigthbuses, it's just I'd not thought of the coach as an option.

In that case, give us a yell if your dancing in Oxford, Liz.

[timeplease.livejournal.com]

it inconveniently clashes with Glastonbury

Oops. Funnily enough, someone else pointed that out tonight as well.