Well, what a brilliant Saturday with our friends Westminster Morris capering around the capital with sides who had assembled from around the country.

Here’s a few photos of the day, but they hardly do it justice. To dance in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament, and of Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, and Nelson’s Column is blinking brilliant and really does feel like Morris is ‘coming home.’ Well… I say, ‘in the shadow of…’ and occasionally the sun came out and bestowed shadows. At other times we contended with torrential rain and even hail! Still, the lads soldiered on, without even a Foreman, much less Mr Bercow to call, “Order!”

To meet with friends, old and new, from around the country. To engage with the vibrant, enthusiastic London crowd, to join in massed dances in Trafalgar Square… this is all happiness indeed. Enjoy the pictures.

We danced with Jockey Morris from Birmingham. There is a picture of them dancing with Old Tom appraising their efforts. Because of the different styles of pavement, it does almost look as though Old Tom has stepped through a shift in the space-time continuum. The truth is more probably that he wanted to be pictured next to the Squire of the Ring (on the back left of the side).

The ladies side is New Esperance who link to the heritage of Mary Neal and the Esperance Club. They took great pride in finding themselves next to a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, and copying the pose of the Burghers of Calais. But then, they are a little more photogenic than some of ours… The Burghers were interesting chaps, of course: six men who did what no one else would do. Not totally dissimilar to the six men selected to form a dancing set when bar is still open…?

In short, a good time was had by all. The picture outside St Martin in the Field is not perhaps the best one of the dancers but the position of the sun does seem to suggest we were subject to angelic visitation which is, in an inexplicable way, sometimes how it feels…