DON’T bother checking the TV news or downloading another weather app to your phone. This summer will be magnificent, filled with glorious blue skies and the sight of bumper crops soaking up the sunshine.
And it’s all thanks to the brave and hardy souls of Hereburgh Morris who – as they do every year – set their alarms early on May Day morning to welcome in the summer.
Starting in the relative gloom of a Sunday morning, the morris side performed at the foot of Chesterton Windmill until the sun appeared, unhindered by clouds, over the horizon. In keeping with tradition, the group open up the final dance to all-comers.
The tradition of dancing in the arrival of summer at Chesterton may not be as old as the hills themselves but it is fast becoming a popular fixture on the calendar attracting people from across the county..
And if the ancient beliefs that sun on the first day of summer serves as a forecast of more to come then the dancers will need their hankies not just for waving but for mopping their brows.
