Last Sunday the weather was cold and rainy - as it seems to have been for weeks, though the rain has now eased off and it's just cold, cold, cold. But on Sunday morning I was distracted by the sound of drumming coming from the Stade, below the house; and when I was giving the dogs their morning walk in that direction I came across the Section 5 drumming group doing their bit in the wind and rain, in order to promote a small bazaar. This consisted of varioius stalls in a windswept marquee erected for the purpose, together with others in the comparative comfort of the Stade Hall - all for the benefit of St. Michael's Hospice.
Compared with the last time I saw the drummers, in the gloom of Hastings Bonfire Night, when they were in full red and black fig, including make-up, they seemed fairly innocuous. When they are in full regalia they are decidedly sinister, with a fancy dress that combines elements of Pearlie Kings and Morris dancers with more than a touch of Dracula. The drumming is insistent and loud - you can see the blue side wall of our house peeping over the fishermen's hut top left in the picture, which gives you an idea of how far the sound carries.
But it was a worthy cause, and I came away with some delicious home-made cupcakes from an amiable lady enduring the cold and wet. I managed to resist the fudge on the neighbouring stall, on the feeble pretext that I have been intending to make some myself - which I still have to do. So the drummers did their bit. If you want to hear them, click here for a clip of what they were like last May Day.
Antony Mair
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