Interesting things from the week

A couple of weeks ago, a group of Morris Dancers came to the college to entertain us for an evening.  Morris dancing is an English folk dance, accompanied by accordian music, that incorporates bells (strapped to the men's shins), handkerchiefs, and rhythm sticks. 

And the men were all wearing hats with flowers on them.  ??

Later in the evening, as they were heading down the the Bistro (the pub in the basement of the castle) to continue the revelry, they looked like this:

A group of female clog dancers also performed for us, in much less flamboyant costumes:

Sort of like tap dancing with wooden-soled shoes:

Unrelated to the dancing (but just the right number of photos to round out a blog post) -- I went with some friends walking on the footpaths through the area.  Footpaths are public right-of-ways that criss cross the entire country. 

(That's Jack.)

Land owners are required to maintain these footpaths, including stiles to help people cross over fences:

(Jack and his mom Nancy.) 

Even through agricultural land or back yards, people must maintain these public walkways: