Reminder about my Givaway

While we have snow in the UK, I am guessing that more of you will be looking at blogs as you have a bit more indoor time - so if you are here because of this - please do remember to "follow" me and leave a comment so you can be entered into my 1000 post celebration Givaway.

And if you are not from the UK, please do enter as well - I may not send you something  large and heavy but I will send you something, if you win!

Cw xxx

Wassail!

 The Big Apple Wassailing this year was at  Aylton,  to see in the New Year and bless the fruit trees for the coming season. Compostgirl, Compostman and I went on Sat night  -  it was VERY cold indeed. We met up with a friend and her children and then saw lots of other friends there :-) it is a big social occasion around us :-)

We arrived at about 7 pm and had hot mulled cider (us) or hot blackcurrant (the children) - all locally produced -  and there were hot pork rolls on offer from a local farm's pig roast ( again local and free range and really yum)

We then processed with flaming torches to the nearby apple orchard, ledd by our local Morris dancers the  Leominster Morris Side, faces blacked up as is traditional in winter ( to avoid being identified by thier landlords or employers in times gone by!)

 where the bonfires were lit,  libations poured to the tree to ensure a good harvest, songs sung,

 

shotguns fired (!) to scare away evil spirits or bad omens which would blight the apples

 and dances danced to help ensure the harvest is good this year.

We then went back into the Great Barn and watched the traditional Mumming play, about St George and the Dragon - with many amusing and topical extras!

At about 9.30 the mumming finished and we said goodbye and went home to drink hot chocolate before out friends went home.

I have written about our local Wassail here, and about Leominster Morris and wassailling here

As always it was a fabulous thing to be a part of - one of the local things we do which we really love participating in ;-)