What a sweet thing to say. Thank you. As it happens, you didn't hurt my feelings. You just highlighted the weirdness of how much and how fast my life has changed. But this silly disease can never take from me the fact I *was* a Morris dancer, as well as a hillwalker.

I personally think that Cotwold Morris does lend itself naturally to being danced by men. Some of the women's sides make it a bit too frilly and lyrical for my taste. The Stroud Women, for instance, are brilliant at what they do but I never got such of a thrill watching them as I did from the Hammersmith Men. In fact I have a recurring fantasy of owning a wardrobe full of bodies, to wear for different purposes, and one of those bodies would be a 6' male one so that I could dance with the Hammersmith Men.

I hope you do start a youth side.