Wow Jane! Yes both Ducklington and Kirtlington are Morris villages with traditions named after them - I've danced both of them here in Australia and of course visited the villages too. The coconut dance would be the Bacup Coconut Dance from Yorkshire which is done once a year by the Brittania Coconut Dancers - a very strange tradition! Other sides sometimes do it too.... Love the sound of that beer label!! Being Morris dancers we love our ale .....and wine, and cider, and......... :) In case you would like to have a look - this is my Morris side in South Australia.....http://www.hedgemonkey.morris.org.au/
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Demelza
A passionate child rolling in the dust with her ugly dog; a girl driving oxen; a woman....Did anything else matter?
I have links to Morris men, Bronny! My late husband was one in the Cotswold village of Ducklington and also Kirtlington, in the 70s. The accordionist was believed to be the only person in the country at that time with a degree in Morris Dancing! I am trying desparately to remember his name, but it eludes me. Probably come at about 3am!!
Ducklington used (maybe still does) to do a dance with coconuts in place of sticks.
There is nothing more traditional than a warm summer evening on the green outside a village pub with the Morris side in full cry... and a drink in the hand of course.
Speaking of which, and going off at a complete tangent - the local brewers here created a new beer especially for the Jubilee. It's called Royal Wave and has a great label featuring HM on a surfboard, waving! Haha.
Reason I asked is because the Cotswolds is the heart of Morris country (in that tradition anyway) - villages like Bampton, Ascott-Under-Wychwood (that's the tradition we do), Bledington and many more! A truly beautiful part of England....
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Demelza
A passionate child rolling in the dust with her ugly dog; a girl driving oxen; a woman....Did anything else matter?
None that I know of Bron, well proper ones anyway, some of us may have been known to have a go at the odd real ale and beer festival or village fete! Always great fun watching them do their thing, lovely traditional family entertainment.
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Tide was nearly full. Mist lay in a grey scarf along the line of the cliffs. .. and they walked home hand in hand through the slanting shadows of the new darkness.
Just watched this video Bron and really enjoyed the opening piece about Laurie Lee and the photos of Slad village in the Cotwolds, especially because my Dad grew up there too, and his eldest brothers were at the village school and were school friends with Laurie Lee and my Grandma knew his mother well. My Grandad farmed those very fields and it brought back so many lovely childhood memories of the beautiful Slad valley and exquisite countryside. Thanks for posting it up.
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Tide was nearly full. Mist lay in a grey scarf along the line of the cliffs. .. and they walked home hand in hand through the slanting shadows of the new darkness.
No neither did I....but unlikely that they would mention everyone who is in the exhibition. I also put some feedback on the BBC Facebook site about WG - they asked people who their faves were....
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Demelza
A passionate child rolling in the dust with her ugly dog; a girl driving oxen; a woman....Did anything else matter?
I just had a wee look Bronny;Its a great site hey, but I couldn't find any WG references. Mind you my browser is very slow just now & I logged off after a while as I had to do other stuff, so perhaps WG is there.
From the London suburbs, through the rolling Cotswolds, and out to the rugged coastline of western Scotland - the UK's landscape has influenced authors for centuries. In turn, their literary works have helped define how we think of Britain both culturally and geographically.
In a new exhibition, Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, the British Library is examining how our landscapes have permeated 150 great literary works - influencing and shaping writers' proses.
Take a look at just a few of the featured manuscripts - with curator Jamie Andrews.
I'm not sure if WG is included - but the curator mentions in this interview that the public have the opportunity to nominate additional authors! Go here to 'Pin a Tale' on the map:
