A good weekend

Saturday got off to a slightly rocky start, but we managed to get to Ashfield early enough for Z and fitzw to get setup. I hung out with them long enough to have some apple pie with a chunk of cheddar cheese for breakfast, then went off wandering the festival. Stopped back in a few times, once to get some money so I could mail off a book order to someone. Listened to live music performances, did a bit of sketching, then got heartily bored waiting for it to be 3pm. Fortunately Pagan/Yolanda and Odbald/Maurice showed up, so we hung out together, and then finally the Morris teams came (what I was waiting for). There were a lot of teams, and also some cloggers as well as the Morris. The local teams were Juggler Meadow and Wake Robin. There were a couple of teams from Canada, one from West Virginia, another from Vermont, and one from Yorkshire, England (Flag and Bone). Juggler Meadow had gone to England last year, and met up with Flag and Bone in a pub there (go figure). They invited the team to come visit, and were taken up on the offer. Wonderful dancers, formations I wasn't as familiar with, and their outfits were completely different from the usual around here. Black shirt and pants, arm and leg bands in bright red that hung down in strips (the flags), and black hats with black veiling material that covered their heads/faces entirely. They all had bones (don't know if they were bone or wood) in their hands that they played a rhythm on, accompanied as well by musicians. The bones are 2 flat long pieces per hand, kind of like busks for corsets or bone folders for bookbinding, and are clacked together kind of like someone playing the spoons or something. Very cool. Sarah Langtoft, Justin/Kennec, and Marge/Thora M were also there.

Sunday we brought up my spinning wheel so I'd have something to more to do when not wandering the fair. Actually shopped today and a number of things: a lovely, simple, contemporary silver bangle, some books, a brown jug in a suitable period style or just for around the house, a vase from Nicaragua, a linen kitchen towel calendar with blueberries on it. Had a great conversation with the potter I got the jug from, about early Colonial styles versus medieval, then Tracy/Una and her mom Judy showed up out of nowhere, and we puttered about the festival for a bit. They took off just shortly before Z's girlfriend S showed up (she made good time on the roads). So she and I toured the crafts upstairs in the town hall and chatted for a bit. Sweet girl -- and pretty, and smart! Oh, and she has a sense of humor. Z's done well for himself :)

fitzw, Z, and crew made around 850 cones of cotton candy between yesterday and today. A very successful festival.