Chippenham Folk Weekend – starting at 1000 with a North West Clog and a Border side and soon after with NW Clog and Molly side!

Quick dash to main stage in the big top at midday – with the Cry Havoc Big Band!  Good to see Steve back Strumming!

1330 assemble for processional

Quiz – Why has Mick not got a partner?

1! Monster from the black lagoon! and a splendid long set from National Youth Folk Ensemble

 Even a folk dance side from Slovakia – actually from London  And good to see Susie back dancing.

Last dance at 5pm – a long hot tiring day – but many thanks to organisers – great planning to put us with Traditional Welsh, Slovakians, NW clog, Rapper and Molly sides  – a great festival for dancers.

A glorious summer evening saw Havoc at ‘home’ with guests Mabel Gubbins; and splendid hospitality from the staff.

Another day when the rain just held off – on the dot of 1125 we set off up the hill – struggling with Havocs playing the Winster Processional at the front an Bill from Vale Islanders something else at the rear of the dancers!  Once at the top field we took turns before lunch.

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The rain held off and Havocs and Icknield enjoyed a supposed summer evening! Gloomy or what!  – Mind you the Peacocks enjoyed the music and joined in – not always on queue and we enjoyed the bangers and chips!

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It was a busy weekend. Fresh from Cuddesdon Church Fete on Saturday, a set of intrepid Havocs plus support from three stalward dancers from Wolvercote ventured out to south Buckinghamshire. Mission: entertain a small church beer festival organised in part by My Mum. So we’d better be on good dancing form.

We had a few moments when we discovered that Wolvercote and Havoc don’t quite do some dances the same, but it all worked out in the end.

Balance The Straw – Havoc and Wolvercote work out what we have in common

Havoc and Wolvercote sticks at the ready.

Highland Mary finished without too much incident.

Young Collins in full flight.

Havoc and the banner.

Havoc, Wolvercote and the banner.

All the above photos courtesy David Moore Photography.

And one more of our own.

Constant Billy about to start.

All in all, a busy weekend. But a good one, not least for our charity for 2017, Abingdon RDA.

A sunny afternoon at the Cuddesdon Church Fete.

Jenny Lind wows the crowd!

Banbury Bill in a sunny setting.

Banbury Bill gets under way.

Our fine band of minstrels impresses a superhero – note not the real one – pants on wrong side of trousers!  A delightful setting – donating to our charity and offering a free drink and burger!

Mind you he couldn’t manage Shepherd’s Hey – probably too much on his mind.

The Bell in Aldworth is a pub that appears to have stepped out of a historic novel (in the best sense). Unchanged and unspoilt interior, local cricket team meeting after practice, and morris happening outside.

We were there with Rockhopper Morris on a glorious early summer evening. Or that’s what it felt like. Quite brilliantly I managed to forget to take any pictures of Havoc, so here’s a few of Rockhopper doing what they. And they do it very well.

Rockhopper in action

Pipe and tabor. These sounded brilliant, and (I am told) are very difficult to learn to play.

A dance which includes throwing sticks to each other

I can imagine the carnage if Havoc were to try this

Yes, it really was that time in the morning. More pictures from May Morning.

By ‘eck lad, it’s early.

The start of dawn on May Morning

Emma does a solo.

Emma dances a jig, the Nutting Girl

The choir start to appear.

The choir appear at the top of Magdelen Tower

In Broad Street outside the White Horse.

Dancing Banbury Bill in Broad Street

Breakfast time.

Everyone at Morris Breakfast on May Morning

And off to the Ashmolean Steps.

Steve warns the crowd that we’re about to Constant Billy

Dancing Young Collins on the steps of the Ashmolean after breakfast

And after that, North Parade at midday.

A joint side of Summertown and Willington in North Parade at lunchtime on May Morning

North Parade at midday on May Morning

A skirmish gets things started!

 Guests Vale Islanders

And very special guest Emily waits her turn to shave the donkey as the side move past the speed of light that was available!

Only the weather was a bit gloomy!

Emma Jigged!  and the Crowd looked on as the choir sang!

Havocs havoced – with amongst others Abingdon Traditional

And finally Jim wowed the throng – and who wowed themselves with Shepherd’s Hey!