Where did the summer go?! We’ve finished our summer dance out season and are back practicing and learning new dances.
We’ve had a busy year, as well as our usual Wednesday evening dance outs and some local festivals. We’ve also been on a few travels this year.
For the Early May Bank Holiday, we attended Oyster Morris Weekend in Kent. We were very kindly put up in the houses of Oyster Morris members. We enjoyed getting to know some people from other sides. On the Saturday we joined Oyster men and women’s side as well as Great Western in Folkstone. We had some adventurous weather, sheltering inside the pub and dancing under a former railway platform to avoid the rain and hail. We also had some amazing sunshine dancing next to the harbour and on the pier. On Sunday we danced in Canterbury before a seaside themed party including entertainment provided by all sides in the evening. Finally, on the Monday many other sides joined us in Whitstable for the bank holiday parade from the town via the harbour to the castle where we ended the weekend with fish and chips before the long drive home.
In June we enjoyed our first camping trip of the year taking part in Polperro Festival. We danced in the parade and around the village at a pub and on the harbourside. We were the only Morris side attending so we were able to relax and go at our own pace, taking some time out for shopping and to try the local pasties! We were joined for a few dances by a lady visiting from New Zealand; she dances for a Morris side back home and she couldn’t resist trying some of our dances. The festival also included lots of music and the dunking of the local mayor into the sea after being wheeled around all of the local pubs!
Two weeks later we camped in Gloucestershire for a weekend of Morris to celebrate Stroud Morris’s 40th Birthday. We were joined once again by Great Western, Oyster men, Oyster women and our hosts Stroud. It was a very warm weekend, with temperatures well above 30C on the Saturday. We joined the other sides in the town centre where we were sheltering in the shade and trying to stay hydrated between dances. In the afternoon we ventured out to Rodborough Common where we danced on the grass and enjoyed an ice cream. Any other day this would have been lovely but we were all struggling with the heat and there wasn’t any shade. Our final dance spot was Stroud Brewery where we enjoyed a few local beers between dances.
On Sunday we danced at a nearby pub before heading to Chavenage House near Tetbury for a picnic and more dancing. It was another great, if a little warm weekend with other sides.
Our final trip of the season was our annual September camping holiday in Polzeath. This was a proper holiday without any dancing involved. We played the annual game of “putting up the party tent” – our large communal tent is a mission to put up! We then enjoyed a sunny weekend bodyboarding, walking to nearby Rock for a coffee and in usual Glory style enjoyed a great array of food back at the campsite.
Summer holiday and dancing season have come to an end and we’re now back at practice. If you fancy having a go, please get in contact and come and join us on a Wednesday evening.