Friday 10 May 2013

Unusual bank holiday sights

I'm sure you'll agree, the crazy institution that is a British bank holiday can chuck up all manner of shocking or downright daft sights. From hanky tied make-shift sun hats on the beach to beer-bellied, half-naked, forty-something men drinking themselves into a bank holiday monday coma, you can see both the best and worst of culture that our fine country has to offer.

There's also the weird and wonderful too. From the long forgotten reasons for a maypole dance, to civil war re-enactors at half-fallen down castles to craft fairs where homemade jam, chutney and ridiculously priced un-pasteurised cheese from some organic farm or other try to win the money burning holes in your pocket.

This bank holiday, though, I saw it all. A Medieval Craft Fair no less. From the now badly un-pc Punch and Judy stall (very medieval) to the Kangaroo Burger fast food stall (those 13th century medievals couldn't get enough of their kangaroo meat, could they?) we walked through the delights of the fair, including charity stalls with their homemade jam, a local Undertakers advertising their services, the local rugby club trying to recruit new members and finally, a plant seller offering for sale a whole range of medieval tomato plants, squashes, kale and chili plants (yep, those medievals couldn't get enough of their out of season, grown under glass, imported fruit and veg could they)

The thing that topped it off for me was the Morris Dancers. To anyone who is unsure of Morris Dancers, it's basically one of the options for men when you reach middle age. Don't fancy an allotment or playing bowls or civil war re-enactment or model railways or spending time in your shed? Try Morris Dancing. These days, though, it's not just old men with sticks, bells on their feet and pigs bladders. No, for some reason the fairer sex and even children are taking to it. Whereby we come, in a roundabout route, to the most unusual thing I've ever seen on a bank holiday. A teenage goth Morris Dancer. Yes, a teenage goth Morris Dancer. To be fair she did smile a few times while doing the dances so maybe she'd forgotten the world was against her and life wasn't fair and all that for a while. It did appear that the rest of the family were in the Morris Dancing squad or troupe or whatever it's called, but it was still an unsual sight.

Has anyone seen a more unusual bank holiday sight than that? Answers on a postcard to...


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