Hartington Hall, Naomi and Daniel

It's always exciting turning up to a new venue for the first time. So when I arrived at  Hartington Hall for Naomi and Daniel's wedding I had visions of performing in a seventeenth-century manor house, all oak panelling and a roaring log fire. Maybe I could slip away at some point, Pevsner in hand, to admire the plaster ceilings and five-light mullioned windows. So it was a bit of a surprise to discover that we would actually be playing in a tipi in the garden!

In the event what the tipi lacked in old world charm it made up for in quirkiness and, more to point, dancing space. Coming from mid-Wales where during the 70s every valley seemed to have it's own little tipi community I felt right at home, although I have to admit it was a bit on the chilly side by the end of the night. Quite a few of the dancers kept their coats on (this was the third gig this year where it was too cold to hold my pick – at least this time it was October and not mid-summer).

There was a wonderful DIY ethos to the proceedings with the ceremony printed on recycled paper, making a welcome change from the usual silver wedding stationery, lots of outside games and a wedding 'cake' made of cheeses – wish I'd been there all day.

Jeff's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Naomi and Daniel's first dance (Midnight on the Water)
Lucky 7
Caledonian Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Galloped
Virginia Reel
Shelly's
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Waltz
The Old Swan Gallop
Holmfirth Square Eight
A Hornpipe
The Dishrag
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North

Rosehill Manor, Claire and Paul

Congratulations Claire and Paul from all in the Moody Food Ceili Band.

We had another guest caller tonight to guide everyone through the dances,  Jeff – an old pal and alumnus from the New Victoria Theatre – who brought with him a few new dances and a couple of different versions of some old favourites. I especially liked Jeff's instruction to 'clap, leap, and whoop with joy' in the Circassian Circle, which is how I think it should be done. There was also a determined effort from the floor to morph the Holmfirth Square Eight into the Hokey Cokey – probably from the same group who were to later give an impromptu and 'enthusiastic' acapella version of 'I Will Survive'.

As there was no stage and the band was so close to the dancing we had the unusual sense of being in amongst the dancers which probably explains why Sue's bow and assorted mic stands feature so heavily in the photos. It also allowed me to overhear one young lad emphatically rationing his mum to a single dance – bless. The girls, of course, needed no excuse to get up and dance the night away.

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

The Muffin Man
Caledonian Gallop
Cumberland Gallopede
Jeff's Virginia Reel
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Buffalo Girls
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Holmfirth Square Eight
Buttered Peas
Maggie's Mixer
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's reels
Circassian Circle

The Mohican is back!
Those of you who have been following the fortunes of Tom's Mohican haircut will be gladdened to know that reports of its demise last week have been greatly exaggerated and that it has now been restored to its former glory. We're all waiting for you to dye it shocking pink now.