Here we come a wassailing

Last night a group of us went Wassailing in Ellesmere, an old custom of blessing apple trees in January to ensure a good crop later in the year.  Wassailing songs are sung, cider is drunk and some thrown on the roots of the largest tree where toast is hung too.  More details of the tradition here. This weekend is the time for wassailing as it's the closest to the 17th January which is the old traditional date for it to happen.

First we went to the young orchard at the canal maintenance yard field where we enacted the ceremony.  Then we went to P's house where we had mulled wine , savoury food and cake before wassailing the apple trees in his garden.  

I took better photos than this but it was more atmospheric than the others.

Tonight I'm doing the long drive to Stoke on Trent to play for the after Wassailing ceilidh for the local morris team and friends.