There were just enough Havocs floating around Towersey Folk Festival on Saturday August 23rd to make up a scratch side for a few dances outside the Three Horseshoes in response to an invitation from Owlswick Morris. Owswick and Havoc are both have their origins in Towersey Morris.

We did three dances, notably chiefly for Jim going horribly the wrong way when pressed into doing Sidesteps. Luckily further sides arrived and we retired thankfully.

It was all hands to the pump, and we didn’t get any pictures. So here instead is one of the other sides present, the recently formed Makeney Morris from around Belper, Derbyshire. They were rather good, especially considering most of them have been dancing for under a year.

Makeney Morris from Belper, Derbyshire, at the Three Horseshoes during Towersey Festival.

And did you catch Nigel and Oliver on BBC Radio Oxford from the Festival on the morning of Sunday 24th?

Two days after dancing at the Kite, we were back in action at the inauguration of the new Old Woodstock Mock Mayor.

We did a half hour dance spot at the Black Prince as part of the partying, and followed the Mock Mayor and Corporation leading the procession up the hill to the Town Hall.

Once at the Town Hall, we did some further dances, including one in which the Mayor and Mock Mayor took part!

Cry Havoc have participated in the ceremony before, but not for quite a few years, and we couldn’t quite remember what was supposed to happen. So some of the requests took us a bit by surprise. But it was great fun, and we’ll hope to do it again soon.

It was a hectic afternoon, and none of us had time to take pictures. We’re hoping the committee will supply some.

The worryingly good summer of 2014 produced another fine evening for our last regular dance out of the season on the last day of July. We were close to home ground at the Kite in Mill Street, Oxford. Not quite Botley, but just off the Botley Road.

Another fine summer evening at the Kite, Mill Street.

It was a significant day for several reasons. It was Isobel’s birthday. It was the day Mick the Drummer retired – from work, not Havoc, he was quick to point out. And, sadly, it was Clare’s last dance out with us. She’s been a stalwart of the side for the last 8 years, but she and her husband are relocating to the Lake District. Which is a bit of the long way to come for practice. She joined Havoc at the same time as your humble scribe, and we’ve spent many many dances lurking together at the back of the set.

Clare offers Charlotte her overhead during Lads Aʼ Buncham at the Kite.

Clare is a fine dancer, and we’ll all have to practice like mad over the winter to make up for her absence.

Outgoing Squire Pete must have decided to make the most of his remaining outings as Squire. He worked us hard all evening, and we ended up doing 16 dances, several of which we hadn’t danced since practice in March. We were rather rusty, and had to concentrate hard.

Clare, Steve and Pete all concentrating hard. When did we last do this dance?

We’re the Oxford Mail again!

From the Oxford Mail, 24th July 2014.

A fine evening in Hook Norton,

Hook Norton’s brewery tap!

Pete oversees the ‘elf and safety arrangements.

So good, we stopped traffic.

A nice piece from the Oxford Mail.

From the Oxford Mail, 2014-07-22.

Original article here.

Even Morris dancers rarely consider Morris much of a spectator sport. So, it’s always a pleasure – and a considerable surprise – to find what actually amounted to something of a crowd waiting for us at the Botley Westway Festival on Saturday 19th July.

Dancing ‘Young Collings’ at the Botley Westway Festival.

We did a half hour spot and somehow failed to scare off all those out to enjoy the festival.

Dancing ‘Young Collins’ at the Botley Westway Festival.

We tried hard to entice bystanders to come and join their local side. Fingers crossed.

Another sunny summer evening? Whatever has happened to the traditional English summer?

The evening of Thursday 17th July saw us out at another of our favourite haunts, the Eight Bells at Eaton with our guests, Old Speckled Hen.

Dancing ‘Sidesteps’ at the Eight Bells, Eaton.

A warm and sultry evening, and Tommy’s legendary Coronation Chicken sandwiches. Yum.

Old Speckled Hen at the Eight Bells.

Despite being based in Botley, it’s been a long time since Havoc visited the Seacourt, the pub in the heart of Botley. But following a warm invitation we danced out the front of the pub on July 10th another fine evening, accompanied by Wolvercote Morris.

We found a ready audience, particularly from the people queuing at the bus stop outside the Seacourt. We’d forgotten to bring our charity buckets, so Mick’s hat was pressed into service.

After dancing, we retreated inside the pub and had a relaxed music session. Let’s hope this we’ll be visiting the Seacourt again.