In which quintessentially British things happen

 The week before the wedding was a week of maddness and also a lot of fun. We had left a lot of things still to do in those last few days when we travelled up to Yorkshire to spend some days with my parents and have crazy crafting times. However, there was a little zone of calm and joy in the three days beforehand, as much calm as can be had seeing a new friend/an old friend and watching Morris dancing.
Andy's best man came to visit from Brazil and we were going to show London and our town off a little in the way we like to, but it was even better than planned. We headed into out local town and there was a little festival on, including Morris and molly dancing! Also broom dancing. Although these things are not cool, I think they are under-appreciated and I have a real fondness for folk traditions. I love all that stuff that still goes on, like scarecrow-building festivals, or dry-stone-wall building competitions, or well-dressing, or straw men or folk dancing. I like the sense of history and also there is a vibe of power that comes from seeing something carried on by people which was done in the same place hundreds of years before. And also, a little bit like a Doctor Who episode. I like to think he would get out of his TARDIS at a Morris display and know they were monsters behind the masks, not the old ladies these roaring dancers actually turned out to be when they rested.

For those unfamiliar, Morris dancing is a type of folk dancing that dates from around the 1400s and is different all over the country, sometimes there are bells on sticks, or dancing with handkerchiefs, or bells tied to shoes, wearing rags or top hats or buttons or aprons. We saw all the different sorts, but these guys in the pictures above whacked at each other with sticks and screamed whilst wearing masks, so they were clearly the favourites.

We also went to the British Museum.

 And saw THE Ozymandias statue of 'Look on my works ye mighty and despair!'

 The hieroglyphs were just beautiful in all the detail at such a small scale.

New bicycle skirt, with pockets!

 

We went there too. There was a massive queue of kids with props to have a go, but it really is at Kings Cross station.

So all of that was just a few of the things we managed to cram in the weekend before the wedding. After all these busy times, it is a little bit strange to have to settle back into the real world. I hope you are enjoying the sunshine where you are.