17 July: King's Cross

We started the evening at the Rugby Tavern, a pub-restaurant which looks a lovely place to eat, but is now so "gastro" that some of us had trouble buying a drink without a seat reservation.

With only four of us, things looked grim, till we were rescued by our audience. Flora from Sharp Morris. showed up in sandals expecting to watch, but willingly filled up a short side of four, and put up with our dancing - very slovenly compared with the crisp style of Sharp Morris, who dance under the masterful John Russell. If you can't make our Tuesday Practice, you should get to Sharp Morris at Cecil Sharp House!

With the dancing, the venue came to life. Locals came out to cheer us on, and the pub clientele applauded. 

Then on to the Rugby Tavern, with Flora still on board, and gathering up a couple more audience on the way - visiting form Nottingham. 

The Rugby is always good, with friendly locals (and usually a group of street cleaners passing as they stop work for the night), and a couple of pints of Whitstable Bay.... 

Highlights of the dancing were Flora carefully doing our Bampton Sidestep - going straight up, not at an angle - and us attempting to match the elegant bow in her displays for Dearest Dickie. There is always more to learn! 

Thanks again for joining us Flora - you're a Morris angel!

12 July: Westminster Choir School Fete

It was a blisteringly hot Saturday, and the thousands of tourists milling around Westminster were mostly quite unaware of a school fair taking place a few yards away.

Dean's Yard, next to Westminster Abbey,  is the headquarters of the Church of England, and also holds Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School., whose summer fete this was.

We enjoyed strawberries, and beer from the Ringers Arms - a regular beer tent run by the Westminster Abbey Company of Ringers. No pix of us dancing as we didn't have any spare hands....

This really was your typical school fete, with Tombolas, barbecue and bric-a-brac, and a bouncy-castle-like thing. It felt strange to have that, right in the heart of town.

We alternated shows with the excellent Haringey Young Musicians' Big Band - one of whom tried extending his range of instruments... 

10 July: Chelsea

As in previous years, we danced at the Anglesea Arms and the Scarsdale Tavern.

5 July: Fete, Charterhouse Square

We graced a Medieval (or possibly Elizabethan) fair in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield. 

 Jeremy's sprightly Lumps of Plum Pudding

We met a couple of the Brothers - the gentlemen pensioners who live in Charterhouse. 

We also met Pearly Kings and Queens, and we enjoyed a pint in the Fox and Anchor afterwards. Sometime when we are feeling stronger, we might try theif "City Boy" breakfast - which includes Eggs, Liver and Bacon, Sausage and Black and White pudding... 

1 July: Tufnell Park

A couple of new pubs (to us) in Tufnell Park. The Pineapple is friendly and probably a good place for a longer drink and food. The Tufnell Park Tavern, was also very welcoming and we had friends in the audience there.