Wheewwwww.....Must learn to look at the date of the first post in a thread. This "refresh" wasn't at all refreshing when I got up this morning. Thought I'd suffered a "stream of total obloodyblivion" for over a week - missed Anzac Day, me birthday, me bathday, and me May 1st Lions Meeting.
What with you lot rabbiting on about what you did on May Day, when it's still Easter Bunny time? And, the mentions of Spaw being crook and not posting? I knew I'd read his posts just before I hit the pit? My brain cells were screaming at each other, across the void, "Mayday! Mayday!.."
Spaw, ol' cobber, tell me you're there...;)
I was near the bottom of the thread before I realised I was hearing voices from last century. Never have been good at what day of the week it is, let alone the date. Whew, I'm still wobbling at the knees (as well as at the jaw).
Anyway, since I'm living on top of the word, down-under, and my seasons are "arse-about-face", it's Samhain for me, not Beltaine. It's appropriate the arrival of winter and the "feast of the Dead" is just a few days after Anzac Day, our rememberance of the War Dead. I'll be celebrating with a Feast, come May Day. By chance, (?) it's the day when "proper" Chinese chefs will come from the mainland to prepare "proper" Chinese nosh for our Lions Club - it's a day before our "proper" meeting, so no formal bits, just a knees-up. No leaping over bonfires tho', someone's bound to get legless and fall in, like happened at New Year.
As for rituals? Guess it'll be our traditional Port Raffle - to whit:
- Each member buys as many $2 "chances" as they can afford.
- We play "Heads'n'tails' - ie, you stand with hands on heads (or tails).
- El Presidento flips a coin - should it land "heads" and your hands are on your "tail" you loose a "chance". If you were stingy, and only bought one, tough - you're out, so sit down.
- And so it continues by day and by night, until only one remains standing. The Winner - Tarrraaggghhh!
- Who, uncaps the bottle of Port, ceremonially pours the contents, and serves a glass to each of the Loosers.
And, all my lies are true! That is how we raffle the Port - Visitors to the Club are usually stunned - especially if they "won" the bottle. You find most members buy at least a couple of "chances" too - and no one bothers checking 'em, either.
So, that'll be my Feast and Ritual for May Day 2000. Mudcat May Day will be my "theme" for this month's Club Bulletin - thanks for the inspiration team. I'm off to steal some of your pearls of wisdom, to cast before the "Swine of the Lines" (Club).
And, Spaw, bet this thread revives memories for you. It's 3pm on Easter Sunday, no one wants a tour this arvo. The above SSC was written before work this morning, without the benefit of a single drop of magic potion.....;)
Must remedy the situation...;)
LOL - Sam