Happy May Day and album release

fires and songs

Oh how I wish I was back in this field again. This was sunrise a year ago with a very heavy 2 year old strapped to my tummy who slept through the entirety of happy morris dancing, bells jangling, drums beating and the sound of lots of mad English folks singing in the May with the dawn chorus.

Today (because I scheduled this to be sent at sunrise) I may well be either

a) in my garden pratting about and listening to the bods¹ (as they say in Notts)

or

b) sleeping

The plan is to stay up all night and make a fire. I let my 12 and 15 year olds sleep REALLY late yesterday so they could stay up all night too.

I have no transport at the moment so getting us all to a remote field in the north of the county (the above photo) wouldn’t be feasible this year. I figured we’d just enjoy the peace of home and garden.

Anyway, here is the song that I shall be singing about now as the sun rises, filmed at Wellow where they have England’s largest permanent standing maypole.

By the looks of this video, last year was pretty overcast. I expect we shall definitely see the sun today (unless the Powers That Be decide to dim it HAHAHA!! - yes, it’s a thing now according to the mainstream media and weather modification is no longer a conspiracy theory!! Who would have thought it?!)

Much closer to home, in the centre of Nottingham, the Foresters Morris men and Greenwood Clog will be doing their thing at the Robin Hood statue by the castle. Here is good old Ken with his very own May Day song:

I only managed to make it there once when I used to clog dance. Was a lovely day but somehow it feels wrong to be in the city on May morning (or rather it feels better to be in a field - nowt wrong with our cities other than the modern pit holes they have become).

clogging by the Nottingham castle and Robin Hood on May Morning

Oh and if you would like to read about

Why May is the month for folk songs please take a look at my old blog.

One May Morning is out today.

1. birds