Hey Nonny Nonny! Only Six Weeks Till the Nights Start Drawing In...*

It didn't rain all the time at Kew Gardens' Woodland Wonders on Monday, but it rained a lot and it rained quite hard.

The audiences still showed up and applauded from under their umbrellas, so we danced on. Two men slipped over in puddles. Roland danced his first public dance with us, and went off to another show he's doing - London with a swing about London history.





Eventually the sun came out and we were rewarded with a splendid audience who stayed on after the minstrels to see us, and all joined in a chaotic performance of something that seems to be emerging: "The Bonny Green Hokey Cokey".






There were other creatures here - and you can see Queen Charlotte in the background of the minstrels. We wished her husband a swift recovery from his melancholia, and applauded her and Joseph Banks for the fine surroundings.






And we met a tarantula.








* Quote from a famous Giles cartoon...

London Pride on YouTube

Here's our YouTube video, courtesy of Roland John-Leopoldie of Farlando.

It's part of a longer project that Roland is working on, and was filmed at a practice before Easter.

During the practice Roland and his friend Christian proved to be good dancers - and Roland will be dancing with us at Kew Gardens' Woodland Wonders festival on Monday

Out with the Deptford Green Man

Peter Judge and I accompanied Fowlers Troop and the Deptford Green Man, and the City of London Green Man on the traditional May Day activities.
My camera had died, I'm afraid, but there are other's photos here (Sarah Croft's), here (Richard Sanderson's, where I've linked his photo of me from) and here, with a video (the London SE1 website)

I was lucky to be released for most of the day on Tuesday, but I think next year it would be something I'd take leave to do. It's always on the 1st May.

I hadn't noticed before that Peter J had already blogged this...

Bloomsbury

A fairly quiet evening getting back into the swing of dancing out.

The Norfolk Arms never looks too promising at first, but when we get going an audience emerges almost from nowhere.
It's a restaurant pub now, I think last year it was closed for refurbishment.

At the Rugby Tavern we were joined by a visitor from Poland/Saudi who seemed to know all the steps - John Bienias over here for a week's leave.

Fowlers Troop and the Deptford Jack

Peter and I had an enjoyable day out with the Deptford Jack, this year joined by the City of London Jack, for a tour that took in Leadenhall Market, the Gherkin and St Paul's.




There were plenty of green people, and a certain amouint of drinking.





Bemused City workers greeted us, and Spring was welcomed in.