Freecycle (Freegle) and Morris

Had an unusual request on our local Freegle group for bits of morris kit for three children and their parents

Turns out to be from a lady in our village whom we recently freecycled an old bicycle to.

I've offered to teach them a simple dance for four (and a fool) and she seems very keen on the idea.

We can easily make simple kit out of black trousers, white shirt and a sash (or baldric) of coloured material.

I'm not sure what it's for - party, school show/whatever, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

Morris at Discworld

There will be morris dancing at Discworld.  I haven't totally decided if I'll teach North West or Border, but I'm sure that people will enjoy whichever it ends up being.

I've got more sticks for North West, but there's always the temptation to teach Border in preparation for Anonymous Morris.

Wanted - side drum

I've just sold some Blake's 7 collectables, and I'm thinking that gives me shopping money for something I wouldn't otherwise buy.

One of the things I'm tempted to buy is a side drum for Anonymous Morris.

This is a bit of a gamble, because side drums aren't exactly cheap  and there's always the chance the side won't get off the ground.  You'll pay around £135 for a new one like this:



or £55 for this one which is a little bit smaller



all the way down to This one at £46 plus postage:


(I'm not sure that the carrying strap is included in all cases, though it is with the last one.

However, a good drum really does make it easier for dancers to find the beat, and a side drum is the obvious choice because it's easy to carry.  But which one represents value for money? Which will survive general mistreatment and still play reliably several years later?

I don't know much about drums, but two things occurred to me:

1.  There are musicians on my list who probably do.

2.  There are musicians, reenactors, compulsive hoarders and morris men on my flist.  There's a least a fighting chance that one or more of you might have a suitable drum for sale...

So, advice and offers of drums are all welcome!