Holy Trinity Hall, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Happy Birthday Karen!

Well this was a first – a town crier to read out a birthday eulogy – but then the hall was full of thespians. Over the years we've built up a little a ceili community and it's great when we see a familiar face amongst the dancers. Karen had been to two Moody Food birthday ceilis before and liked what she saw and decided to celebrate her 50th in the same way – great cake by the way!

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Dorchester Caper
Oxo Reel
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Circle Mixer
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
The Snowball
Clopton Bridge
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
Polka Off
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Cumberland Square Eight
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North

Birthday Cake.

Thalia and Melpomene.

Food arranged for James to stage dive into.

Relax – you're only 50!

Leek Cricket Club

Congratulations Sue and Brian on your Ruby Wedding Anniversary – 40 years of marriage – an achievement made all the more impressive to me as I haven't even managed one. Typically, I remembered to bring the camera but not the all important battery so we were unable unable to record the celebrations in their entirety. All was not lost as Sue came to the rescue with her iphone. Her pics are a bit lo-rez, but the grainy, arty look gives them a charm or their own. There were more, but as with the way of things, they appear to have fallen into Internet limbo.

We had a guest caller for the evening – Jason Hill from the band Alf Alfa and the Wild Oats – who calls my favourite comedy ceili dance, Salutation Square Dance.  Here's Jason's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Circle Mixer
Flying Scot
Salutation Square Dance
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Caerphilly March
Cumberland Square Eight
Stoke Golding Country Dance
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle

Barlaston

Happy Birthday Sam!

I suppose this must have been a barn dance rather than a ceili what with all the checked shirts and cowboy hats. We had another great night of dancing and food (I'm so grateful when there's a vegetarian option to the hog roast), individual cakes for everyone, and champagne to toast the good health of the birthday girl. I even managed to persuade Mike and Sylvia to do my favourite dance – Rosa (which they call 'the cuddle dance'). 

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Oxo Reel
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz /  Ragtime Annie
Circle Hornpipe
The Flying Scot
Rosa
Happy Birthday Samantha
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Old Swan Gallop
Postman's Knock
Nordal Rumba
Strip the Willow
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reels
Polka Off
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Cumberland Square Eight
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North

A Cake for Everyone

It must have been a Barn Dance