Has anyone else noticed the show has become significantly more anarchic since Henry came on board? Well, buckle up, because as the cider starts flowing in this episode, the structure falls apart, what do you expect for free?!

In this instalment, we recap our journey making homemade cider and take you along for our very own Wassail! (Wassail!!!)

For those wondering why we were shouting at apple trees, the tradition of wassailing generally falls into two camps:

• The House-Visit: Traditionally held on the Twelfth Night (January 5th), people would go door-to-door with a communal bowl in exchange for gifts.
• The Orchard-Visit: This is the cider-country classic. We headed into the orchard to sing to the trees, a custom meant to ensure a massive harvest for the coming year.
• 
  

The word "wassail" comes from the Old Norse ves heill (Old English wes hál), literally translating to "be in good health." It started as a simple salutation like "hail" or "farewell,".

To round out the episode, you are treated to some live electronic music from Ross to keep the energy going.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross was asked to do a talk on the history of Morris dancing for the fine men of West Stafford who are thinking about starting their own side. Not knowing anything about this didn’t stop him standing up and showing off for 20 minutes, armed only with Wikipedia, YouTube and ChatGPT, the traditional research materials. What follows is Ross’s own understanding of the subject, which may or may not be accurate. Hopefully this makes sense without the visual accompaniment, but if you would like to watch along, there is a copy of the presentation deck that you can view at your own leisure.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11aI_MQ-uxknR1lucg4e3oumz7k3cxAkqFf0jtK-lwH4/edit?usp=sharing

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a sunny kayaking trip to the chalk stacks off Studland Bay, Ross and David brave the choppy waters to bring us tales of Old Harry Rocks – Dorset’s own gateway to hell. Once back on dry land (and mostly clothed), they’re joined online by Henry to explore the legends behind this striking landmark.

From the Poole pirate Harry Paye to smugglers’ caves, spectral bells and wartime wrecks, the trio pick through centuries of myth and mischief along the Purbeck coast. Expect talk of devils sleeping on cliffs, parsons blessing sea caves, and ships dashed to pieces in the dark.

Back at the virtual Dark Darzet Studios, the discussion drifts between folklore, local history, and questionable nautical knowledge – with a generous helping of chaos. Two out of three hosts weren’t wearing trousers, and quite a lot of farting had to be cut out in the edit.

All that, plus the usual meandering chat and unverified facts, in an episode recorded entirely online – because kayaking home with recording gear seemed like a terrible idea.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.