All the King's horses...

...and all the King's men 

After a late night, MrM and I were up very early to pack the car and set off down to Morpeth to set up our stall in the craft fair at the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering. It was quite a fun day, but hard work too! I escaped for a while to watch the procession and, later, to do a bit of shopping. And MrM went off with a friend in the afternoon to take part in a competition - he played mandolin and J the fiddle. They were awarded second place (out of two!).

There were some weird and wonderful characters in the procession. At the front, historic characters from Morpeth's past. They were followed by dance teams (including all the King's Men Newcastle Kingsmen, dancing Northwest Morris), bands, all the King's horses a highwayman and his horse, a moving plant and three rather threatening 'traffic wardens', among others (see extras).