The Wedding Party

[John Wild]

Yesterday I went to a wedding. One of the Kettle Bridge dancers, or I should say recently retired dancer, was getting married. After the church service, we proceeded to a hotel for the reception. Following the meal, a ceilidh band was booked for the evening. When they had their interval, Kettle Bridge Clogs were ready to perform. As it had been a hot day and was still a warm evening, we danced on the stone patio outside. The bride wore a unique dress that was full length for the formal ceremonies, and then hitched up to allow participation in the dancing. Naturally, when joining in the Kettle Bridge dances she was also wearing clogs.

 

The premises were large enough to accommodate 3 wedding parties on 3 separate floors. While we did our set, people from the upper two floors stopped to look out at our performance, then returned to their disco. We did three dances, with tunes sets in between. The Kettle Bridge musicians included 2 concertinas, 2 accordions, melodion and fiddle plus percussion. the acoustics were terrific, and it was a great experience.

 

A great day for everyone involved. The ceilidh was good too.

 

I hope you do not mind me sharing this experience.

 

- John Wild

[Alan Day]

Sounds happier than the Wedding at the Farmers house opposite.

We went out for about an hour and on our return our garden had been trampled by a herd of Bullocks

(yes a whole load of them) ,one of our plants had been ripped out of its pot and the earth spread around our front garden.They did more trampling over my next door neighbours lawn before running up the lane and going right through the marquee of the Wedding reception.

Al

[m3838]

During my first year in the States, a colleque was getting married and we were invited.

I went with great anticipation, to see what an american custom is. To my surprize I saw a Bluegrass band, a clogger dances and singing of traditional songs all through the reception.

I though: "Wow (only in Russian), so that's what american wedding is!. The culture is alive and wide spread."

Later I found that all of this fury was due to my pal's parents been members of traditional dance group and they insisted on this wedding to have traditional elements. Otherwise it would have been this ugly humorless "Disco", booze and bad food.

Congratulations on the event, great to hear such stories.

 

P.S.

I didn't understand Alan's story. Who trampled what? And why?

[JimLucas]

I didn't understand Alan's story. Who trampled what? And why?

As I understand it, the "who" was an uncontrolled group of large animals related to those from which we get milk and beef.

 

Ah, here we go: стадо волов.

[Alan Day]

A herd of young male cows did the trampling.

A joke bit was in there somewhere, but it got trampled under foot.

Al

[PeterT]

A joke bit was in there somewhere, but it got trampled under foot.

And now for the punch-line:

 

m3838 thought you were talking a lot of.................

 

Sorry to hear about this, Alan. I read John Wild's posting and was going to add that everyone likes a story with a happy ending.

 

Regards,

Peter.

 

PS for John - thanks for sharing your story.

[m3838]

I didn't understand Alan's story. Who trampled what? And why?

As I understand it, the "who" was an uncontrolled group of large animals related to those from which we get milk and beef.

 

Ah, here we go: стадо волов.

 

 

Hollly Cow (young male).

Where do you live and at what time, and how this time co-exists with email?

[greenferry]

Yesterday I went to a wedding. One of the Kettle Bridge dancers, or I should say recently retired dancer, was getting married. After the church service, we proceeded to a hotel for the reception. Following the meal, a ceilidh band was booked for the evening. When they had their interval, Kettle Bridge Clogs were ready to perform. As it had been a hot day and was still a warm evening, we danced on the stone patio outside. The bride wore a unique dress that was full length for the formal ceremonies, and then hitched up to allow participation in the dancing. Naturally, when joining in the Kettle Bridge dances she was also wearing clogs.

 

The premises were large enough to accommodate 3 wedding parties on 3 separate floors. While we did our set, people from the upper two floors stopped to look out at our performance, then returned to their disco. We did three dances, with tunes sets in between. The Kettle Bridge musicians included 2 concertinas, 2 accordions, melodion and fiddle plus percussion. the acoustics were terrific, and it was a great experience.

 

A great day for everyone involved. The ceilidh was good too.

 

I hope you do not mind me sharing this experience.

 

- John Wild

 

 

Sounds delightful! Any pics of the concertinas and melodeons and dresses and kits and costumes and clogs of various sorts?

Edited July 3, 2006 by greenferry

[greenferry]

I didn't understand Alan's story. Who trampled what? And why?

As I understand it, the "who" was an uncontrolled group of large animals related to those from which we get milk and beef.

 

Ah, here we go: стадо волов.

 

My goodness, Jim, I didn't know you speak Russian! That must have surprised Michael m3838!

Edited July 3, 2006 by greenferry

[JimLucas]

My goodness, Jim, I didn't know you speak Russian! That must have surprised Michael m3838!

I'm quite sure he already knew. Also that my Russian is quite limited.

 

And I had to look up the word "вол" in an on-line dictionary, since none of the paper ones I have here at home include the English word "bullock". (The internet has its uses.)

[m3838]

My goodness, Jim, I didn't know you speak Russian! That must have surprised Michael m3838!

I'm quite sure he already knew. Also that my Russian is quite limited.

 

And I had to look up the word "вол" in an on-line dictionary, since none of the paper ones I have here at home include the English word "bullock". (The internet has its uses.)

 

Yes, yes. I know virtual Jim for many years. And I know he speaks Russian. I thought you meant oxen, not bullocks. But for Saint Concertinus sake, where can you find a free roaming herd of oxen in modern England.

Are they kind of pests over there?

[Theodore Kloba]

Later I found that all of this fury was due to my pal's parents been members of traditional dance group and they insisted on this wedding to have traditional elements.

Maybe this group was doing is as a favor to the family? One reason the bland DJ weddings are so prevalent is the cost of paying a full band (sometimes at union scale) can be prohibitive. There are so many musicians in my family, there's no way I could have let a DJ happen at my wedding. This was back in the BC years (Before Concertina); We had a quartet (bass, piano, drum & clarinet) playing swing standards. The rural Pennsylvanian relatives got the group to do a couple polkas too.

Yes, yes. I know virtual Jim for many years. And I know he speaks Russian. I thought you meant oxen, not bullocks. But for Saint Concertinus sake, where can you find a free roaming herd of oxen in modern England.

Are they kind of pests over there?

I've known "Виртуальный Миша" (virtual Misha) for a few years, but from my return to C.net in January until last week, I didn't realize that m3838 was him!

 

I also had to look up bullock in the dictionary to make sure it meant what I thought it did. It's very rarely used in US English, even in agrarian circles (county fairs, etc., not UFO activity) where the more-specific terms ox and steer are used.

[m3838]

/I've known "Виртуальный Миша" (virtual Misha) for a few years, but from my return to C.net in January until last week, I didn't realize that m3838 was him/

 

 

Hah. I take it as a compliment to my written English skills.

 

What in the world a pack of free wandering oxen/bullocks are doing in modern England?

And how does such pack proliferate?

[Samantha]

/I've known "Виртуальный Миша" (virtual Misha) for a few years, but from my return to C.net in January until last week, I didn't realize that m3838 was him/

 

 

Hah. I take it as a compliment to my written English skills.

 

What in the world a pack of free wandering oxen/bullocks are doing in modern England?

And how does such pack proliferate?

 

I've met Misha B before, too, and didn't recognise him second time around! Free wandering bullocks occur anywhere in Britain where the skills/finance for good fences are inadequate!

Samantha

[Theodore Kloba]

What in the world a pack of free wandering oxen/bullocks are doing in modern England?

And how does such pack proliferate?

Free wandering bullocks occur anywhere in Britain where the skills/finance for good fences are inadequate!

It's the proliferation part that has me puzzled!

[Alan Day]

These young bulls (being fattened up) escaped from a field at the rear of my back garden ,by walking up the stream and then up the footpath by the side of my garden.They then after visiting my front garden and my nieghbours , then decided to join the Wedding Party.

Al(

[John Wild]

Sounds delightful! Any pics of the concertinas and melodeons and dresses and kits and costumes and clogs of various sorts?

 

There were photos taken. I shall see if I can get copies.

 

- John

[Stephen Chambers]

Free wandering bullocks occur anywhere in Britain where the skills/finance for good fences are inadequate!

Samantha,

 

They're probably even commoner here in Ireland. I was driving on the single-track road between the Crosses of Annagh and Bell Bridge the other evening when a bullock ran out and stood in the road in front of me. I had to do some very serious braking; or there could have been some serious breaking!