Before we go any further, a little Health & Safety note for our more "manly" men. If you prefer to shake hands rather than hug, please could you remember that some people have delicate joints and easily-dented bones, and be gentle! A proper firm handshake may be the sign of a good, solid bloke, but for some the pain gets in the way of a nice impression.
Anyway, enough of that. What's coming up? Well, quite a lot, actually.
The Next Two Moots
Brother Jeffcott (Chris!) is taking over on 11th October with a talk/discussion of the end-of-the-world phenomenon of 2012 and all that. A load of old cobblers, or is there something in it?
The 8th November moot will be our annual post-Samhain storytelling night. Please bring a story. It can be true or fiction, it can be your own or someone else's, it can be poetry or prose (as long as it's narrative), it can be funny, scary, sad or exciting. All we ask is that it's less than ten minutes in the telling.
Coming Up
September
This coming Saturday 17th will see Bolton invaded by Morris dancers for Rumworth Morris' 35th birthday. There will be six teams from all over the country dancing from 10:45am until 4:15 outside the Man & Scythe on Churchgate, outside the Town Hall and the Market Place.
It'll be particularly good because it will feature the ever rather super Rivington Morris.
The Bolton Moot is also at the Man & Scythe (indoors this time) on Tuesday 20th from 8pm. It's a social, so come and meet the folks.
Fancy some excellent food without your kit on? Of course you do!
The lovely people behind Naked Vegan Cooking have organised a clothing-optional vegan tea party (so you can keep your clothes on if you really want to), at Islington Mill in Salford. It's on Wednesday 21st, will go on from 5pm until 9pm and there will be lots of art made including life-drawing, body painting, photography and so on. All ages, shapes and sizes are welcome. Channel 4 will also be there filming a programme about nudism. A promise has been given that nobody will be photographed or filmed without their consent.
The reason Bolton Moot are having a social is there will be a Bolton Moot Special Event, a ritual for the Autumnal Equinox on Saturday 24th. It's at Simon & Bev's house from 3pm, with the ritual later as it goes dark. Fancy robes aren't necessary unless you want them. There will be charge of £5 per adult to pay for food and drink. More details from Bev & Simon or via us, and we'll put you in touch.
The naked vegans are back on the evening of Monday 26th showcasing the stuff that was made at the previous event. It's from 5pm until 9pm at the Kraak Studio in Manchester and there will be another clothing-optional tea party too. Channel 4 will be there again, and the same photography stipulations have been made.
October
Thursday 6th October is National Vegan Day. Tasty!
If you fancy a bit of Hindu-ness, there's a mela for Diwali at Platt Fields on Saturday 8th, from 3:30-9pm.
If your tastes are a bit closer to home there's always Edgeworth Folk Day, on the same day. It's hard to find any proper information but we think it's at the Barlow Institute BL7 0AP, and it's being opened by Bernard "The Bolton Bullfrog" Wrigley. Now if they'd bother to tell anybody what flippin' time it starts ...
There are two events on Saturday 15th as well. The first is a stone-circle walk organised by Northern Earth and the second is Tockholes beer festival. You can get the full details from Linda Sever, because she hasn't sent them to us yet! Dig, dig!
Our new friend, Phil has sent us some details of a talk by Mark Rosney on the paranormal, involving demonstrations and experiments. It's called The World of the Paranormal: Part II and is happening at the Manchester New Horizons IVC Clubrooms, on Grosvenor St M1 7HL from 7pm on Monday 17th. It costs £3 each.
Some friends have ours are starting up another folk club, this time at Taurus Bar in Manchester's Gay Village. The Village Folk Club's opening night is on Tuesday 18th at 7:30pm and will feature Rae Spoon, Lianne Hall and the club's musical residents Esther and Ruthie. Cost is £4/£6.
For goths who want to help out the homeless (or just like awesome music!), the wonderful Tylean is doing a benefit gig for the Booth Centre on Friday 21st. She'll be performing at Unpretension, at ARA's usual haunt of Sacred Trinity church, Salford. Doors open at 7pm, it's fiver to get in and take your own drinkies (it's a church!). Go see her, you'll have chills!
The Pagan Federation's North West Conference will be happening at UCLAN in Preston, from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 22nd. Tickets are available at £13 or £15 via the following methods:
Paypal www.eventbrite.com/event/1
or by post from BM Brigantia, London, WEC1N 3XX
OR you might be able to pay on the door.
It looks to be a grand day, with talks and workshops from Lancashire's finest pagan luminaries, some from much further afield and, err, me.
Finally!
Our annual Samhain fancy-dress party will be held at Radcliffe Moot Towers on Saturday 29th, from 8pm. This year's theme, because I've been overruled by an executive decision, will be Things That Go Bump In The Night!
See y'all there, and if you've got wood for burning feel free to bring it.
That's it, I give in now. My typing finger's developing a callous!
Love,
Seán
