Midsummer: Day 5

It's our fifth day of Midsummer celebrations today, and it's had a very definite 'Summer Holidays' vibe for me (I even took my parasol when I went out this afternoon).

Summer Holidays Local History Talk

Today I gave a local history talk at the College of the Third Age in Crumpsall, and, in honour of the season, it was all about summer holidays, wakes, rushcarts and fairs. I got to talk about 7th-century missionaries and the Declaration of Sports, as well as sheep-shearing, morris dancers and rush-bearing, and Delaunay's dyeworks, working class respectability movements and the popularity of fortune-telling pigs. And the attendees shared stories of dads who refused to take their ties off on the beach, Yelloway coaches, going to the Isle of Man (because 'it felt like it was abroad') and (from my 90-year-old neighbour) being propositioned by soldiers on Blackpool pier. We also had a brief singalong to Cliff Richard at the beginning, some birthday cake for one of the ladies halfway through, and an inflatable palm tree.

Midsummer Earrings

So today's Midsummer earrings (in honour of my Summer Holidays history talk) were a pair of funky watermelon slices.

Midsummer Tea

Today's Midsummer tea (another of my Whittard selection box) was Mango and Bergamot.

Midsummer: Day 4

Another day of celebrating Midsummer, and it was the Summer Solstice this morning as well. Work meant that we wouldn't be able to stay up all night to enjoy the solstice, so we decided to at least honour it with a beautiful sunset.

Midsummer Earrings

Today's Midsummer (and Solstice) earrings were these lovely suns, a gift from my equally lovely husband Rob.

Midsummer Tea

My dad gave me a little selection box of Whittard teas a couple of months ago, and they were so summery-looking I decided to save them as a tea-a-day treat over Midsummer. Today's tea was English Breakfast.

Saddleworth Moor

In honour of the Summer Solstice, we went out to watch the sun set over Saddleworth Moor.

Midsummer: Day 3

It was a bit of a busy day at work today, so not a lot of celebrating sadly. At least we've got another week of Midsummer fun to look forward to though!

Midsummer Earrings

Today's seasonal earrings were a very cute little pair of purple fairies.

Weeds

My seasonal reading for our Midsummer week is Weeds: The Story of Outlaw Plants by Richard Mabey.