Heaton House Farm, Jen and John

Congratulations Jen and John.

Here are Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Highland Barndance
Waltz
The Snowball
Clopton Bridge
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Waltz
Goatland Square Eight
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Dashing White Sergeant
Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Old Swan Gallop
Cicassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Consall Hall, Natalie and David

Congratulations Natalie and David.

This was another first for the Moody Food Ceili Band; to play at Consall Hall in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The gardens in the hidden valley are stunning and are well worth a visit for themselves.

Memories:
Natalie dancing all night; lots of 'enthusiastic' dancers; a young lad in a flat cap; an older lad with a birthday cake on his head; four gents dancing together and giving each other high fives as they 'circled left'; and a green wedding cake. Outside in the evening calm and as the sun began to set I watched geese returning to the lake below the hall – quite magical.

Here are Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Natalie and David's first dance
Glasgow Gallop
Oxo Reel
Clopton Bridge
Waltz
Goatland Square Eight
Circassian Circle
Polka Off
The Snowball
Old Swan Gallop

Bradwell Community Education Centre

Happy Birthday Anne!

It was quite a night with a guest caller, singing from Loud Mouth Women and Kate Barfield of the Boat Band and wild dancing from Black Dog Molly who somehow managed to persuade Emma to join in the stick bashing.

I also heard my first hurdy-gurdy joke last night:
Q. How long does it take to tune a hurdy-gurdy?
A. Nobody knows. Boom boom.

Here are Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Snowball
Sicilian Hornpipe
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Stoke Golding Country Dance
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
Haddenham Square Dance
Village Square
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Old Swan Gallop
The Willow Tree
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Polka Off
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Keswick Square Eight

Heaton House Farm, Alison and Richard

We first played at Heaton House Farm with Sylvia calling way back in 2003. It's still a working farm and when we arrived today the guests were playing croquet in the evening sunlight surround by fields of lambs. It was a lovely laid back evening with just the band playing for Alison and Richard. The dancers even managed to walk through the ladies' chain in Waterloo Dance first time through which was an all time first.

Tom 'depped' on bass again even though he thinks it's the un-coolest thing he's ever done. At least he can claim that he has 'payed his dues' as a gigging musician. More importantly, he significantly lowers the average age of the band.