Bright Adornments
a tale of the coveted Evesham Stick
This dragon is the totem ‘beast’ of the Morris side Clerical Error from (as you may have guessed!) Wales - Evesham, Worcestershire, 21 June 2026
Hello and welcome, my friends between the moons.
Thank you so much for your patience as I know that recent communications from deepest Norfolk have been rather erratic. Please rest assured that however chaotic life is (and a house move necessitating major alterations definitely hasn’t helped!) I will always prioritise our gatherings over any other writing.
Of course, you could suggest that the sensible approach to getting settled at home might be to stay put for a few weeks to focus fully on the cottage. But oh no, two weeks ago we packed up the van and set off for Worcestershire where the Vale of Evesham National Morris Weekend was set to take place over the Midsummer Solstice.
The original plan was to travel on the Friday evening and take part in Evesham parkrun the following morning, before getting fully immersed in everything the Morris Weekend had to offer. Then, on the Monday, we would begin a circular four-day pilgrimage beginning and ending at Hereford Cathedral, carrying food, clothes, tent and sleeping gear in large (= heavy) backpacks.
If you’re in the UK you will immediately sense a flaw in this idea. The highest June temperatures on record were forecast to coincide exactly with our 30 mile hike over hills, open meadows and exposed farmland. Without luggage and the need for extra hydration - which would mean finding reliable water-sources - it might have been achievable. But when there’s constant talk of all previous records being smashed and of danger to life and health - and not just for the most vulnerable - we realised that it would be foolhardy to pursue the journey in its planned form.
However, the whole thing had been built around the National Morris Weekend, and that was definitely still going ahead. I’d found the online literature explaining the format of the event somewhat confusing, so the best thing seemed to be to go with the flow and trust that somewhere, somehow, there would be music, dancing, and the jingling of many bells. After all, 32 Morris sides were scheduled to perform, which meant that around 500 unusually-clad people would be milling around, surely impossible to miss entirely.