Dear everyone,
Yes - it is that time of year again, when the days begin to get longer and we all look forward to the forthcoming summer (from my window it looks like it's already here!) and lots of little apples everywhere.
But it won't happen unless we all go out and praise the apple trees for last year's astonishing fecundity and give them a well-wishing blessing for the year to come, will it?
So a-wassailing we will go!
Please find attached flyers to print off and distribute, a full-colour poster! (looks nearly as good in black and white), and travel directions to the Ferry Boat Inn - 1 Forest Road, Walthamstow N17 9NG (watch out for that N17 postcode - it's in the Tottenham postal delivery area!). EVEN IF YOU CANNOT GO YOURSELF, PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHERS WHO YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED!
Traditionally apple trees are wassailed on Old Twelfth Night - that's the Twelfth Day of Christmas, plus 11 days, which is of course the 17th January. Which this year is a Friday. But unfortunately the Ferry Boat Inn, home to Walthamstow's oldest and largest apple orchard, is closing for two weeks on Monday 13th for a complete refurbishment and interior makeover - which we hope will mean a new carpet! The new-ish owners, Stonegate Pub Company, have not applied to the local Council for Listed Building Consent so they are not actually making any alterations to the building, but the redecoration will evidently be quite extensive.
Therefore, this year our Apple Yowling at the Ferry Boat Inn will be held a week early, on Saturday 11th January.
This happily coincides with the Walthamstow Village Wassail's Children's Day at the Vestry House Museum during the afternoon, and those who enjoy our Yowling might like to join the troupe of merry Wassailers who will process at around 5.30pm on Sunday evening from the Nag's Head pub in the Village (and if you enjoy choral part-singing you can also go there during the afternoon from 2pm for a wassail masterclass!) to the Walthamstow Folk Club at the Rose & Crown in Hoe Street (between Bell Corner and the Central bus station), taking in several domestic fruit trees and bee hives on the way (oh, yes - bees are wassailed too! Without our hard-working little pollenators how would we get apples?).
The Walthamstow Wassailers have a website at http://theciderblog.wordpress.
For more detailed information about the Ferry Boat Inn apple yowling, please email "wassails@leamarsh.com" or "katyandrews2012@yahoo.co.uk", or ring or text me on 0790 415 9398.
Children and toddlers are very welcome indeed at the Ferry Boat Inn. However, the current policy is that they sadly don't allow dogs in (except working assistance animals), as it's very much a gastro-pub. It goes without saying that they have a smashing menu, and the grub is jolly good and very reasonably priced, so please feel free to order food if you are staying on afterwards.
There is no "live music" licence, but we have been told that we can sing wassails inside this year (now that the staff have realised that this isn't some sort of wicked voodoo ceremony!); we are therefore intending to have a bit of a sing-song (unaccompanied and unamplified) afterwards. Please respect the wishes of the pub's management team, and please stop singing if we are asked to do so for any reason. As happened last year, we are again going to be offering mulled cider, which will be sold at a very reasonable price well below the usual pub price (their mulled wine is £4.50 per half pint! - we hope to be able to offer our cider at below £3.00)
Sadly I haven't been able to find a Morris side yet, but am still hopeful that there may be a local side who will help out at short notice. I will try to organise a snow-storm, which made last year's event so memorable, but sadly (not being the Creator of the Universe or anything like that) I cannot promise it!
Looking forward to seeing you all there on Saturday next weekend!
Katy.
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