Rochester! Sweeps! Morris! Faeries! Oh my!

What a blast of a bank holiday that was!

Another Beltane has come and gone and with it the Jack in the Green's have been on parade. Last year I went to the Hasting's Jack in the Green festival but this year we decided to go along for all three days of the Sweeps festival which is a wonderful gathering of Morris dancers and some great folk bands.

On Saturday we met up with Esther and Martin to check out the faerie event that I would be exhibiting at on the Monday. Here we got to catch up with the wonderful faerie artist Linda Ravenscroft and the beautiful Bryony and Bruce Whistlecraft with their Woodland Wild elf locks stall.

In the afternoon we meet up with Celtic Moon members, Breaca, Vandrake, Midnightstar and Feena who had come all the way from Norfolk for the event. It was lovely to finally meet!

         Celtic Moon sisters. Photo from Feena and used with permission.

On the Sunday we went back to Rochester and met up with some of the Morris dancers we befriended during last years folk week and enjoy the music on offer. In the evening I got my gothic faerie gear on for a Faery rock night with some great bands including Lightwish, a Nightwish tribute act. Suffice to say I knew all the words and sang along.

Monday was an early start to the Royal Function rooms and set up my Wylde Embers stall. I have done a few stalls in my time but this was the first time under the Wylde Embers banner and I was a bit nervous on how I would be received.

I had no worries. Everyone who came to look at my stall only had kind words to say about my work and when I told them I had only just started pyrography in February they were stunned.

I made a few sells which I was really pleased with.

In the afternoon was for me the highlight of the festival, the parade. 

I have done the parade before as part of Celtic Moon but this time I was part of the faerie entourage.

Sporting wings made by the talented Twinkle. 

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TwistedTwinkle

Faeries on parade!

The weather during the weekend was glorious and I had a great time but seemed over all too quickly.