Towersey festival

So three guesses how I spent my bank holiday? Yes the only real way you can properly spend the August Bank Holiday, the Towersey folk festival. We were commuting to it this year having had one too many experiences of camping in very muddy fields already this year, and that strategy seemed to work as it stayed dry! Musical highlights included the amazing Blowzabella (a seven piece, french tune playing dance band with a hurdy gurdy player called Gregory Jolliver) who sound like velvet, all luscious harmonies that really, really make you want to dance (I'd never seen them before, and this was a mistake, if you get the chance to go and see them, do, they are amazing). Uncle Saul's band, Faustus, played a blinding set, (although Uncle Saul himself seemed to be three sheets to the wind for most of the weekend), Bellowhead were as always great (but they broke the dance floor, again), as were Salsa Celtica and most brilliant of all (but I may be biased :-) were Mawkin:Causey (I think I have gone on about the wonderfulness of Jamie Delarre on this blog before (he is very nearly perfect, I believe) but his band are very much worth a listen (even if like Mel my flatmate you disagree that the man is a fox...))

Stone Monkey rapper were alright (having one major advantage over Mabel the rapper side in that they get to tumble, which is always impressive) and they wore stripy socks, Pig Dyke Molly were there also, as were a northwest side who's name I forget and Towersey Morris men (a Cotswold side). Next weekend it's Wallingford and I had completely forgotten. The guy who runs the festival phoned me up a while ago to ask how we run our friends scheme as they are thinking of doing something similar. The festival itself seems to be very much stripped down this year with only a couple of headline concerts for which you buy tickets & the rest of its free. A friend of mine is having a housewarming on the Saturday and I have to admit to being slightly festivalled out but I'll see how I feel a bit nearer the time (I've just realised its Tuesday, not Monday, this bank holiday is playing havoc with my brain).

And speaking of Havoc, Fi and I will be making our official return to Cry Havoc (the best cotswold side in the world) on Thursday 4th September after our summer off to sit violin exams (me), well it was theory but I didn't quite get round to it. and have a baby, get married and turn 40 (Fi). I have missed the havocs muchly so it will be good to get back inside the Botley WI and dance to some tunes again.

I realise this post has been mostly folky so a quick update on the knitting. I have nearly finished the hat for baby Jacob and should be sending that ASAP with a blanket & Cardigan to follow as soon as I can catch breath. I've also rather smugly completed one of the scarves for my Christmas challange (how many knitted garments can my knitting group produce? We will all be making pledges on Thursday) and should be wrapping that up tonight. Along with sending thank you notes for my Birthday things and writing a few other letters to relatives etc. Well that's the plan. Thanks for all the emails about Witchcat, she is looking a bit less scabby and runs towards me when she sees the tablet bottle (mostly because she knows she will get cheese) but she is still very much hating being washed (one of the funniest moments from Towersey was when Fi exclaimed "we really should be making a move now Nick and you have got work tomorrow and I'm sure you would like to wash the cat while its still light". Indeed :-)